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By Scientificanada

Scientificanada is a podcast collective focusing on science news and culture. We are...

The AlmaMAC: weekly radio show on 93.3 CFMU about grad students at McMaster University in Canada. Rotating host schedule (Adam Fortais, Shawn Hercules, and Matthew Berry)

Random Walk: a show about interesting things host Adam Fortais stumbles upon. Topics include research as it is applied to the world of education, media, and well... pretty much anywhere. Monthly.

CUPEcast: CUPE 3906 union news, strike and bargaining updates, and member profiles. Weekly while Unit 1 is in negotiations with McMaster Unv.
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Developing holistic food policy in Canada (CSPC2021, Pre-conference sessions)

scientificanadaNov 09, 2021

00:00
14:56
The AlmaMAC Episode 227 (Mar. 24/22): Protecting our peatlands with Emma Sherwood
Apr 28, 202227:22
The AlmaMAC Episode 225: You can't pour from an empty cup with Nicole Rakowski
Apr 21, 202229:12
The AlmaMAC Episode 224: Understanding the influence of northern vegetation change on hydrology with Erin Nicholls

The AlmaMAC Episode 224: Understanding the influence of northern vegetation change on hydrology with Erin Nicholls

The North is warming at a much faster rate compared to the rest of the world through a process known as Arctic amplification. In Canada, particularly in Yukon, this warming has resulted in more precipitation falling as rain rather than snow. These precipitation changes have several consequences, including changes in vegetation. Erin Nicholls, a 4th year PhD Candidate in the School of Earth, Environment, and Society, is interested in understanding how these changes in the types of vegetation can impact the water cycle. Tune in to learn more about Erin's impactful research and her academic journey towards her PhD! 

To learn more about Wolf Creek Research Basin, you can check our their website here or follow them on twitter here

Mar 31, 202230:07
The AlmaMAC Episode 223: Exploring the intersection between aging and immune response in lung infections with Kevin Zhao
Mar 24, 202230:07
The AlmaMAC Episode 220: Preparing for GradFlix 2022 with Dr. John Bandler and Megan Vierhout
Mar 17, 202229:56
The AlmaMAC Episode 221: Examining plasmonic properties in semiconductors with Milenka Andelic
Mar 10, 202226:29
Random Walk 2.6: Joe Muise is changing student's ideas about physics (and attending CUPC 2021)

Random Walk 2.6: Joe Muise is changing student's ideas about physics (and attending CUPC 2021)

Joe Muise is a physics teacher at St. Thomas More Collegiate in Burnaby, BC, a CAP, NSTA, Vernier & Prime Minister’s Award Winner, and Step Up Ambassador. On this week's episode, Adam talks to Joe about teaching physics, changing the way students think of a physics education (interested in finance or medicine? You might like physics), and the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference panel he was a part of.   

Follow Joe on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/jm_muise 

Check out the Step Up physics program: https://engage.aps.org/stepup/home 

Students on the Beamlines, hosted by Canadian Light Sources: https://www.lightsource.ca/public/education/programs/students-on-the-beamline.php  

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this, please share! And if you can, please consider supporting us on www.Patreon.com/scican . Each like, share, and subscribe helps us make interviews, articles, and projects like this one happen.   

See ya next time!

Dec 09, 202130:01
The AlmaMAC 214: Understanding sex differences in the adaptive response to exercise with Mai Wageh

The AlmaMAC 214: Understanding sex differences in the adaptive response to exercise with Mai Wageh

Nov 25, 202130:01
The AlmaMAC 213: Antibiotic resistance with Pallavi Mukherjee

The AlmaMAC 213: Antibiotic resistance with Pallavi Mukherjee

Antibiotics are compounds that fight bacterial infections by either slowing the growth of bacteria or killing them. Antibiotics generally work by inhibiting processes and pathways needed for bacterial growth and/or survival. Enzymes necessary for bacterial growth/virulence (which are absent in mammals) are promising antimicrobial targets. But, how do we know what this inhibitor should look like?  

Pallavi Mukherjee, a 3rd year PhD Candidate in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, aims to answer this question with her research! Tune in to learn more about what the transition state of a reaction is, why isolating its structure can inform the development of antibiotics, and the tools used to study the transition state! You’ll also learn how Pallavi spends her time outside the lab!

Nov 18, 202130:00
Random Walk 2.5: Food at COP26, Virgin Vultures, NASA Attacking a Meteor, Ecology in Subnautica
Nov 11, 202130:13
Bringing the bio-revolution to Canada: Towards a pan-Canadian Genomics Strategy (CSPC2021)

Bringing the bio-revolution to Canada: Towards a pan-Canadian Genomics Strategy (CSPC2021)

Organized by: Genome Canada  

Twenty years after the Human Genome Project, genomics is delivering on its promise: a big data science that—combined with AI, gene editing and biomanufacturing—is revolutionizing our wellbeing and economies. The U.K., U.S. and others are launching genomics strategies to maximize impact for their citizens. Canada is doing the same. Budget 2021 announced $400M for a new Pan-Canadian Genomics Strategy to build on the excellence Canada has built in genomics. This session will explore what it will take to build an effective Strategy, opportunities for Canada’s continued leadership in genomics, and the confluence of genomics with other transformational technologies.  

The major takeaways here were our need for our own big database of genomic data that can be used by government, research, industry, etc. The panelists referred to the UK BioBank many times as the best (and only?) example of this, and it’s the consensus that Canada could be the second, if we manage to get our ducks in a row.  

This was an exciting session, basically it kind of felt like a room of very smart people getting handed a huge sum of money, and asking them how to use it to become world leaders in genomics. Probably because that is more or less what it was. I took a bunch of notes, which you can find on scientificanada.ca, but here I will try to summarize a few of the more interesting points I gleaned from the session.

Nov 10, 202115:09
Marshalling Science, Technology and Innovation to Solve Global Problems (CSPC2021)

Marshalling Science, Technology and Innovation to Solve Global Problems (CSPC2021)

My main takeaway from this session was that “we all want collaborations”. Many have industry-led collaborative approaches. I will say, a lot of the session felt like name-dropping different initiatives and quoting numbers which is probably useful for some, but from my perspective, a lot of that was too in-the-weeds for me. However, there were some interesting questions from the moderator and audience that I’ll highlight, and then get into some odds and ends from the session. Like Japan’s Moonshot Program, whose Step One is focused on Cybernetic Avatars…

Organized by: National Research Council Canada  

The climate crisis cannot be addressed by any single organization, sector, country, or even region. Research in universities and laboratories around the globe must be commercialized if we are to succeed. This panel draws on experts playing a key role in enabling innovation ; Canada, Japan, Norway, Germany and the UK, which are all recognized leaders in climate change related research, innovation and technology. Panelists will present their initiatives addressing climate change, and the role of international partnerships. The session will highlight successes, underline pitfalls, and discuss innovation and commercialization policy approaches that can most effectively address the climate crisis.

Nov 10, 202110:34
Developing holistic food policy in Canada (CSPC2021, Pre-conference sessions)

Developing holistic food policy in Canada (CSPC2021, Pre-conference sessions)

In 2019 a federal budget item was announced and $134 million was set aside for what is considered the first-ever FOOD POLICY FOR CANADA. Qualitatively, income disparity and unequal access to affordable, healthful food is a fundamental problem we face. Multiple government departments play a part in ensuring Canadians have access to good food because it’s a complicated issue. But getting a bunch of separate departments to work efficiently toward an amorphous goal like this is probably pretty difficult. So, that is the argument for creating the Food Policy for Canada.


The first pre-conference session at the CSPC2021 was a panel discussion with five members of the Canadian Food Policy Advisory Council who introduced us to the Food Policy for Canada, and presented their opinions on key priorities for the new government, and reflected on barriers to be overcome.


For more, head to www.scientificanada.ca

Nov 09, 202114:56
Random Walk 2.4: Rock towers, Funding lotteries, Ecology in Subnautica

Random Walk 2.4: Rock towers, Funding lotteries, Ecology in Subnautica

This week, we: 

Are building towers out of rocks, because the US military wants us to! 

Buying lottery tickets instead of writing grant proposals - it actually might be the best way to do it! 

And of course, Jessie is back talking ecology on Gamer’s Guide to Ecology. This week, we’re starting in on the deep sea planet of Subnautica.  

https://www.bu.edu/eng/2021/10/07/it-...

 https://www.nature.com/articles/d4158... 

That’s it for this episode. If you have comments or questions, find me on Twitter at AdamFortais or email me at fortaisadam@gmail.com .   

Find more of Jessie de Haan on Twitter @deHaanJ , and make sure to follow them on Twitch at justjessieD.    

Our music was provided by my friends from the band Boonie. Find them at boonie.rocks .  

 If you liked the show, share it with a friend. We are on all streaming platforms and youtube, just look for scientificanada .  

 If you want to learn more, or if you’d like to help us support more creators, head to scientificanada.ca .  

 See ya later!

Nov 04, 202130:18
Random Walk 2.3 - Diffusive Transport (a very special type of random walk!) with Antonia Kowalewski

Random Walk 2.3 - Diffusive Transport (a very special type of random walk!) with Antonia Kowalewski

This week’s random walk is … going to take up the whole episode this week. We have a very special guest this week. Antonia Kowalewski is an undergraduate student studying biophysics at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby British Columbia. This week I talked to her about a summer research project on Multivalent Diffusive Transport that recently was published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B. She will be presenting the work at the Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference, but I had a chance to talk to her first. So stay tuned, we will be back with Antonia in just a sec.   

Learn more about Antonia and the Forde Lab below: 

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniakowalewski/ 

https://www.sfu.ca/fordelab/ 

https://cupc.cap.ca/

Oct 29, 202131:13
The AlmaMAC 200: How past climate change affects our present and future with Nick Randazzo

The AlmaMAC 200: How past climate change affects our present and future with Nick Randazzo

Sedimentary rocks are rocks which are formed from the compaction of other rocks or organic material near the Earth's surface. They can tell us information about the Earth's past environment like how much carbon dioxide was in the atmosphere, or what the sea levels were. But, how can this information from millions of years ago help us today? Nick Randazzo is a 5th year PhD Candidate in the School of Earth, Environment, and Society under the Faculty of Science, and his research aims to examine the geochemistry of sedimentary rocks from 90 million years ago to inform present-day models and predictions of climate change. Tune in to learn more about Nick’s research and its breadth of implications on climate change, oil companies, and outer space!

You can follow Nick on twitter here or check out his website here

See ya next week!

Oct 21, 202123:11
Random Walk 2.2 - Gamer's Guide to Ecology, Sonar-Busting Moth Wings, Cosmic Rays and Electronics

Random Walk 2.2 - Gamer's Guide to Ecology, Sonar-Busting Moth Wings, Cosmic Rays and Electronics

Ok! This week, we are talking about risk, reward, probability, and money:
  • If you were a moth, how would you protect yourself from predators? Researchers from Bristol have recently discovered a built-in strategy that keeps some moths safe from echolocation-based attacks. Wait, let me try that again. RESEARCHERS FIND NEW TECHNIQUE TO SURVIVE THE NIGHT. BATS HATE IT!
  • Video games can be hard, but maybe it’s not your fault you can’t make it past the water temple. ARE COSMIC RAYS MAKING YOU LOSE AT VIDEOGAMES? Actually, the story is about someone winning big. But it could work either way. You’ll see.
  • I’m out of clickbait ideas for this one. Ontario universities have moved to “performance-based” funding. Too-little-too-late for Laurentian, but… hold on, what the heck does that even mean? How do ontario universities get their funding anyhow?
  • And my favorite segment, Jessie brings you the Gamer’s Guide to Ecology.

That’s it for this episode. If you have comments or questions, find me on Twitter at AdamFortais or email me at fortaisadam@gmail.com . Our music was provided by my friends from the band Boonie. Find them at boonie.rocks . If you liked the show, share it with a friend. We are on all streaming platforms and youtube, just look for scientificanada . If you want to learn more, or if you’d like to help us support more creators, head to scientificanada.ca . See ya later!

Find more Jessie  on Twitter and Twitch, and be sure to add the Gamer's Guide to your favorite podcasting app!

Oct 13, 202130:01
The AlmaMAC 199: Nikoo Aghaei, genomics and lung cancer brain metastasis, Project Empower Circle
Sep 30, 202130:01
Random Walk 2.1 - Gamer's Guide to Ecology, Ig Nobels, Montreal Protocol, The Narwhal
Sep 23, 202130:02
Random Walk 30: Introducing Jessie deHaan and the Gamer's Guide to Ecology #1

Random Walk 30: Introducing Jessie deHaan and the Gamer's Guide to Ecology #1

WATCH

Last week we introduced Jessie deHaan and the Gamer's Guide to Ecology. Today, Adam and Jessie talk about grad school, ecology, gaming, and why those things go together so well. We conclude with the very first episode of the Gamer's Guide to Ecology, where Jessie introduces the world of Red Dead Redemption 2.

Find more Jessie  on Twitter and Twitch, and be sure to add the Gamer's Guide to your favorite podcasting app!

Sep 09, 202130:05
The AlmaMAC Episode 198 (Aug. 5/21): Examining the role of sleep and exercise on cardiovascular health with Josh Cherubini

The AlmaMAC Episode 198 (Aug. 5/21): Examining the role of sleep and exercise on cardiovascular health with Josh Cherubini

Sleep deprivation is associated with poor heart health including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and even mortality. While exercise has been shown to have positive effects on cardiovascular health, less is known how and if it can counteract some of the negative effects of sleep deprivation. Josh Cherubini, a 1st year Master's student in the Department of Kinesiology, is aiming to better understand how irregular sleeping behaviours and exercise levels interact to impact cardiovascular function. Tune in to learn more about the techniques that Josh uses in his lab, what impact he anticipates his research having, and his favourite go-to exercise!

To follow Josh on twitter, click here
To learn more about the lab that Josh is in (Vascular Dynamics Lab), click here

Aug 08, 202129:41
The AlmaMAC Episode 197 (July 22/21): Blurring the lines between art and science with Kay McCallum

The AlmaMAC Episode 197 (July 22/21): Blurring the lines between art and science with Kay McCallum

Art and cultural heritage materials are exposed to a number of pollutants including UV light, mold growth, temperature/humidity changes, or gas pollutants that can potentially ruin the pieces over time. Fortunately, these materials remain conserved through the expertise of art conservation scientists. Kay McCallum, a 2nd year PhD student in the Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, is researching how art materials (i.e., acrylic paints) interact with the environment (i.e., light) to ultimately understand how to better protect and conserve cultural heritage materials. Tune in to learn about how Kay blurs the lines between art and science through the techniques they use in the lab, their passion for wanting people to interact with cultural heritage materials in a sustainable and equitable way, and their bookbinding hobby!

Follow Kay on twitter here
If you want to e-mail Kay, you can do so here: mccalk7@mcmaster.ca

Jul 23, 202130:01
A Very Special AlmaMAC: The Caffeine Rabbit Hole at Fringe Fest

A Very Special AlmaMAC: The Caffeine Rabbit Hole at Fringe Fest

Sawayra talks to the cast and crew of The Caffeine Rabbit Hole which is debuting at Hamilton's Fringe Fest 2021!  

THE CAFFEINE RABBIT HOLE  Written, Produced & Directed by JOHN BANDLER  

Streaming July 15-25, 2021 www.hamiltonfringe.ca   

Box Office: https://www.tinyurl.com/CaffeineRabbit   

Fringe Program: http://bit.ly/HFF2021-Programs

Web page: http://www.bandler.com/rabbit

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecaffeiner...  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecaffeine...  

STEPH CHRISTIAENS as Dara  

JACLYN SCOBIE as Lenik  

Music by EMILY WOOD  

Assistant to the Director MEGAN VIERHOUT  

Editor & Technical Consultant JEREMY MAJOR THE SHOOTING EYE www.shootingeye.com  

Co-Producer BETH BANDLER  

Coffee Shop Logo Design & Promo Image Design and Processing RACHELLE HO & JOHN BANDLER

Jul 08, 202130:17
The AlmaMAC 181: Sydney Valentino on finding a common language for effort-based exercise
Jun 17, 202130:17
The AlmaMAC 180: Jennifer Williams talks Contraception and Cardiovascular Health Research

The AlmaMAC 180: Jennifer Williams talks Contraception and Cardiovascular Health Research

This week Sawayra talks to Jennifer Williams about her research on Contraception and Cardiovascular Health.   

Follow Jennifer on Twitter @JennySWilliams 

Follow Sawayre on Twitter @Seeingaway  

If you like this, subscribe to the show! You can watch the interview on scientificanada.ca 

Thanks for watching!

Jun 10, 202130:36
The AlmaMAC 179: Universality of Music with Konrad Swierczek

The AlmaMAC 179: Universality of Music with Konrad Swierczek

Welcome back to The AlmaMAC! This week, Sawayra talks to PhD student and musician Konrad Swierczek about his research into music universality. Why do certain things sound good to us? Do they sound good to other cultures? Let's find out. 

Find Konrad on Twitter @KonradSwierczek !  

Find Sawayra too: @seeingaway !  

We are also at scientificanada.ca  with additional interviews and articles.   

Thanks for watching!

Jun 02, 202130:02
The AlmaMAC 178: Sawayra passed her comprehensive exam!

The AlmaMAC 178: Sawayra passed her comprehensive exam!

Adam talks to Sawayra about "comps". Thoughts and feelings, tips and tricks, and different styles of exams are the focus of discussion this week. For more, head to scientificanada.ca 

May 20, 202130:01
The AlmaMAC 177: Dr. Chungah Kim on socio-economic indicators connected with suicide

The AlmaMAC 177: Dr. Chungah Kim on socio-economic indicators connected with suicide

CW: Dr. Chungah Kim is an expert on socio-economic indicators connected with suicide, so some of the discussion may not be for everyone.

Apr 18, 202129:59
The AlmaMAC 176: Unconventional career paths with MAC Cast's Lindsay D'Souza and Ian Sharpe
Mar 10, 202130:08
The AlmaMAC 175: Ben Davis Purcell on ATLAS, LHC, and Particle Physics

The AlmaMAC 175: Ben Davis Purcell on ATLAS, LHC, and Particle Physics

The Large Hadron Collider is made up of a bunch of different experiments run by different international collaborations, but it’s all happening on the 27-km loop. All of these experiments are attached to the loop, but at different locations around the loop. This requires a ton of oversight and collaboration between experiments, and to facilitate this, the collider basically needs a governing body to keep everything working smoothly. It’s almost like its own country or something, built within this 27-km loop (about 8.5 km diameter). Actually, it kind of reminds me of Vatican City in a lot of ways. Except about 8 times wider. But the point here, is that being able to run experiments that study the things that make up atoms requires this enormously connected world of collaboration. The science blows me away, and so does the politics.

So why am I telling you all this? Well, today our guest on the AlmaMAC is a Carlton grad student via McMaster who works on this big loop. Ben Davis Purcell is an ex-McMaster student, graduating with a MSC in physics from the same lab I am currently in. Now he works with a group out of Carlton with ties to the Large Hadron Collider. This week I talk to him about looking at the smallest things in the universe and being a part of perhaps the biggest scientific collaboration in the universe. Stay tuned.

Mar 03, 202130:03
The AlmaMAC 174: Rodrigo Narro Pérez on Earth and Environmental Sciences Research
Feb 24, 202138:23
The AlmaMAC 173: Carmen Lee on ropes of bubbles, pottery, etc.

The AlmaMAC 173: Carmen Lee on ropes of bubbles, pottery, etc.

This week Adam is back, and he's talking to his officemate, Carmen Lee.  

Carmen talks about some of her new projects, existing in a pandemic, the student she supervised virtually, and a smattering of other topics.   

You can connect with Carmen over Twitter @carmlingling . You can also watch the pod on Youtube! Check out www.scientificanada.ca for more.

Feb 17, 202130:01
The AlmaMAC 172: Sawayra and Pritpal Matharu talk Navier-Stokes, turbulence, and MATH
Feb 10, 202130:03
The AlmaMAC 170: soon-to-be Dr.Dr. Sawayra talks about her PhD+MD program

The AlmaMAC 170: soon-to-be Dr.Dr. Sawayra talks about her PhD+MD program

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the AlmaMAC! I’m your host Adam and today we have the second part of my interview with Sawayra, the inventor and original host of the AlmaMAC. Last week we talked about why she started this radio show, and what direction we are going to take it from here. You can listen to that over on our website, scientificanada.ca . Today I’m bringing you the second half of that interview where we finally dig in and learn about the research Sawayra does. Spoiler, she is working through a dual PhD/MD program, but she will explain all of that in the interview. So let’s not waste any more time and jump right in!

Feb 03, 202130:00
*ReBroadcast*The AlmaMAC 169: The Return of Sawayra Owais!
Jan 27, 202130:02
The AlmaMAC #171: Human Rights-Based Policy with Rida and Sawayra (#170 next week)

The AlmaMAC #171: Human Rights-Based Policy with Rida and Sawayra (#170 next week)

This week’s episode is a very special one. For one thing, it’s the triumphant return of Sawayra Owais as host of the AlmaMAC. For another, she speaks to a guest who studies some very important, very timely issues. I’d probably label them as crises really.

Rida is a Masters student at McMaster university. This week Sawayra talks to her about her research which includes assessing science policy decisions from a human rights perspective.

For example: stay at home restrictions and the homeless/unemployed, and child welfare affected by institutional racism.

See www.scientificanada.ca for the full show notes.

Jan 20, 202130:02
The AlmaMAC 169: The Return of Sawayra Owais

The AlmaMAC 169: The Return of Sawayra Owais

Hi hello, and welcome to the show. Today is a particularly special episode of the AlmaMAC. Actually, it’s probably the most Meta episode of the AlmaMAC that we’ve ever had. Today I’m joined by the inventor of the AlmaMAC, the once and future host of the AlmaMAC, Sawayra Owais! This is actually a 2-parter, since we have so much to talk about. Today we are going to talk about the show in general - how did Sawayra come up with it? What is the goal of the show? How has it evolved, etc.

See the full show notes at www.scientificanada.ca !

Jan 13, 202130:02
Random Walk 29: Cats, Crows, and MeowTalk with Sabrina Schalz
Jan 06, 202130:00
Random Walk 28: Francesco Zangari on ComSciCon-GTA (pt 2) + 2020 needs another month!

Random Walk 28: Francesco Zangari on ComSciCon-GTA (pt 2) + 2020 needs another month!

Thanks again to Francesco Zangari! Follow him on Twitter, https://twitter.com/franthewriter1

And now, you may notice we still have a couple minutes left. So here we go, another installment of Journal Club.

This week, I want to share something timely. The new year is upon us, which means we are almost done with this 12th month of ours, and this garbage fire of a year. But what if we could have one more month? Allow me to introduce you to the International Fixed Calendar.


(read the full notes on www.scientificanada.ca )

Dec 31, 202030:02
Random Walk 27: Francesco Zangari on ComSciCon-GTA + Havana Syndrome?

Random Walk 27: Francesco Zangari on ComSciCon-GTA + Havana Syndrome?

Hello and welcome to Random walk episode 27. This week you will be hearing from PhD Candidate and science writer Francesco Zangari. Francesco is finishing his PhD on Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, and recently attended ComSciCon-GTA, a conference on communicating science for researchers local to the Greater Toronto Area. This is another 2-parter, and this week we will be talking a bit about Francesco’s research, competitiveness in science, lab safety with COVID, and social media for communicating science. In part two, we are going to dig more into science writing.

For full show notes, head to https://scientificanada.ca/2020/12/16/rw27/

Dec 16, 202030:03
Random Walk 26: Zi Yan Chen on ComSciCon-GTA

Random Walk 26: Zi Yan Chen on ComSciCon-GTA

Welcome back to the show, I’m your host Adam, and this week I am going to be talking to ZiYan Chen about communicating science as a researcher and grad student. But before we get to the interview, I’m excited to announce that as well as being a guest on this episode, ZiYan is one of our very first guest authors on our website, scientificanada.ca . This is a big deal for us! One of my first goals I had with this project was to get to a position where I could start sourcing articles from contributing writers. But I wanted to make sure I did it ethically.   

In a lot of cases, young scientists and science communicators aren’t paid for their work. In a lot of cases, communicating research to the public, writing articles that don’t end up in an academic journal, or doing outreach activities are seen as secondary to “real” research. A lot of aspects of academia seem to operate under the expectation that experts will volunteer their time and expertise. As much as I wanted to get scientificanada to a place where we could start taking articles from contributors, I didn’t want to do it unless these writers could be compensated in something concrete. Like money. And that’s where our Patrons have come in.   

At this point, we are still operating at a loss, considering website hosting, purchasing domains, not to mention the time I spend recording and editing episodes and our site. But over the last year I’ve been putting away contributions from our few but consistent Patrons, and because of them, I’ve been able to start commissioning articles for the website. 

So first, thank you to everyone who has subscribed to our Patreon, I couldn’t do all of this without your support. 

Second, please check out ZiYan Chen’s article, up on scientificanada.ca/articles . She’s written a great piece about attending ComSciCon-GTA, or, the Greater Toronto Area’s first Science Communications conference, including a whole load of take-aways that are super useful for anyone just starting out in “sci-comm”. 

And thirdly, all of this will always be free - the podcasts, the articles, everything - but there is so much more I want to do with this platform. There are so many scientists and researchers with fantastic stories and opinions, and so many different voices that need to be shared, and I want to help get these stories heard. If you want to help us keep doing what we’re doing, and then some, please consider joining our Patreon. As little as 1-dollar per month helps, and with that you will get early access to all of our content, as well as some bonuses every so often.   

Anyway, thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoy my interview with Zi Yan Chen, about attending the GTA’s first ComSciCon.   Oh, and check out Tareq on Instagram at @RCIscience and www.theatlantic.com/projects/planet  ps our website is www.scientificanada.ca . jus' sayin'

Dec 09, 202030:01
Random Walk 25: Talking psychology with DRAKE and KYLE from Brain Buzz, Part II
Dec 02, 202030:01
Random Walk 24: Talking psychology with DRAKE and KYLE from Brain Buzz
Nov 24, 202030:01
Random Walk 23: CmSciConCan #9 Kathryn Vaillancourt is Back!

Random Walk 23: CmSciConCan #9 Kathryn Vaillancourt is Back!

Kathryn is back to talk ComSciConCAN2020! We talk about our take-aways from the 2020 edition of ComSciConCAN, a grad-student focused conference on science communication!  

Remember, we have a big write-up about the conference available for free at https://www.patreon.com/scican  

Kathryn Vaillancourt is a PhD candidate at McGill University studying how addiction can change the way traits are passed down, without having to alter the person's genetic code. It's a fascinating (and relatively new) area of research called "epigenetics".

Oct 05, 202029:55
Random Walk 22: ComSciConCan #8 Dr. Roshan Achal is Back!
Sep 28, 202029:56
Random Walk 21: ComSciConCan #7 Sarah Turner is Back!

Random Walk 21: ComSciConCan #7 Sarah Turner is Back!

Sarah is back to talk ComSciConCAN2020! We talk about the panels, policy, and new initiatives!  Remember, we have a big write-up about the conference available for free at https://www.patreon.com/posts/scientificanada-40932072  

Sarah Turner studies Community Health Science at the University of Manitoba, focusing on breast milk, epidemiology, and health promotion.  Her work in science communication stems from interest in science policy and advocacy.

Sep 21, 202030:00
Random Walk 20: ComSciConCan #6.5 Tareq Yousef is Back (part 2)!

Random Walk 20: ComSciConCan #6.5 Tareq Yousef is Back (part 2)!

And we're back! Last you heard, we were going to ComSciConCAN-2020, and you met some attendees. Now that we're back, you'll hear about the conference from Adam and his previous guests. This week, we start with Tareq! You remember Tareq right?  :)


www.scientificanada.ca

patreon.com/scican


Sep 14, 202020:31
Random Walk 19: Tareq's back re: ComSciConCAN-2020

Random Walk 19: Tareq's back re: ComSciConCAN-2020

And we're back! Last you heard, we were going to ComSciConCAN-2020, and you met some attendees. Now that we're back, you'll hear about the conference from Adam and his previous guests. This week, we start with Tareq! You remember Tareq right?  :)

Sep 08, 202030:30
Random Walk 18: ComSciConCan #5 with Kathryn Vaillancourt

Random Walk 18: ComSciConCan #5 with Kathryn Vaillancourt

THIS WEEK: Kathryn Vaillancourt is a PhD candidate at McGill University studying how addiction can change the way traits are passed down, without having to alter the person's genetic code. It's a fascinating (and relatively new) area of research called "epigenetics", and I wish I had read the wikipedia article before the interview, because it says that, "Due to epigenetics being in the early stages of development as a science and the sensationalism surrounding it in the public media, David Gorski and geneticist Adam Rutherford advised caution against proliferation of false and pseudoscientific conclusions by new age authors who make unfounded suggestions that a person's genes and health can be manipulated by mind control." We also talk about Kathryn's path through academia, an awesome new arts+science podcast she's creating, The Brain Bank that she works at, zines, and a bunch of other fun stuff!   

CHECK OUT: Kathryn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoleculeMind (@MoleculeMind). Actually, instead of re-typing all of the really cool stuff Kathryn is up to, you should definitely go to her website: https://www.kathrynvaillancourt.com/science-communication . You'll find stuff like a Women in Science Tarot deck she helped create, 97 Neuro-based podcast episodes, a bunch of writing, and lots more!  Kathryn is also working to build a podcast for The Convergence Initiative, a group that's using art to help make neuroscience accessible to everyone. It is SO COOL. Go here: https://www.convergenceinitiative.org/about-us-int  

AMPLIFY: This week instead of amplifying specific voices, I want to shout out this really great movement seemingly started by the (great) blog Astrobites: #BlackInAstro (https://astrobites.org/2020/06/25/blackinastro-black-women-in-astronomy-and-physics/). What started as a week to celebrate black astronomers and astrophysicists has spilled over into other fields. And to my great satisfaction, we are JUST IN TIME to follow @BlackinNeuro (https://twitter.com/BlackInNeuro)! Starting July 27, they will be featuring daily stories of black neuroscientists. In fact, it looks to be spearheaded by one of our favorites, the @FutureDrDukes ! So hurry up and get in there: https://twitter.com/FutureDrDukes/status/1282568056170876928  Also, check out the Society for Black Brain and Behavioral Scientists. This is a group with the goal of supporting black brain and neuro - based scientists. I personally benefit from the privilege of being surrounded by scientists and researchers that look like me. It's hard for white people to really truly appreciate how important that actually is to ones development in a community since we've likely never not felt like we belong. One of SB^3S's big goals is to foster a community and carve space in yet another white-dominated field. Check them out here: https://www.sb3s.org/goals-and-trajectory/   Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our channel on YouTube , Anchor and our email list at www.scientificanada.ca .

Jul 13, 202038:41
Random Walk 17: ComSciConCan #4 with Roshan Achal

Random Walk 17: ComSciConCan #4 with Roshan Achal

THIS WEEK: Congrats to Dr. Roshan Achal (from University of Alberta), who had just convocated at the time of recording! In this episode, he tells us about the work he does, organizing, corralling, and placing individual atoms for nano-devices. We also talk about is 90-second video series on Twitter, and Science Communication at large.

CHECK OUT: Roshan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSmilentist (@TheSmilentist)where you can find his 90-second physics videos

AMPLIFY: A few links for you this week. Working on the nano-scale requires a strong understanding of quantum physics; check out Dr. Charles D Brown II, (@CDBrownII) who I had the pleasure of meeting last year. He is a brilliant quantum physicist from Yale, currently doing a post-doc at UC Berkley. Also, for more materials science, Dr. Lyndsey McMillon-Brown (@DrMcMillonBrown) is building solar-cells at Yale and just recently had a project accepted to be sent up to the International Space Station! Follow for that clean energy tech.  Lastly, my friend Karmela wrote about the virtual meeting held by the American Physical Society regarding racial inequity in physics and in our society. Spoiler: we aren't doing great.

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our channel on YouTube , Anchor and our email list at www.scientificanada.ca .

Jul 06, 202037:20