Dr. Emily Agard, Director of SciXchange at Ryerson University, Toronto
Join us for Science Rendezvous! This annual free festival makes science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) accessible to thousands of people with a day of engaging, informative and interactive events across the country. This year, Science Rendezvous highlights how we can infuse the arts into STEM to form STEAM.
At Ryerson University, Science Rendezvous is hosted by SciXchange, our Faculty of Science’s centre for science communication, outreach and public engagement. Our mission is to make science engaging, comprehensible and accessible to the general public. We provide opportunities for members of the community to engage in science through hands-on work and discussion.
Communicating science with the community is critical for both scientists and the public.
Share the joy of curiosity, and explore your inner scientist. Here are the top three reasons to attend Science Rendezvous:
1) Increase your science literacy
Science literacy is defined by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as “the ability to engage with science-related issues, and with the ideas of science, as a reflective citizen.” It means being able toexplain scientific phenomena, evaluate and design scientific inquiries, interpret data and draw scientific conclusions.
Science and technology shape our world. Many of the challenges we face in the 21st century require innovative solutions through applications of science. The more literate we are in science, the more informed our decisions and choices are about all facets of life. Not everyone needs to have a career in science, but everyone should be literate in science.
2) Enjoy hands-on science with the family and friends
Science Rendezvous provides a great opportunity to enjoy an outing with family and friends. This is an event that all members of your group, young and old, can attend to engage in science together. At our site, Ryerson scientists and invited external guests have lined up an array of interactive activities, such as virtual reality, psychology mind games, geometric optics, circuit building, DNA extraction, microbit computer coding, models from the Toronto Zoo, and more.
In a recent podcast on learning and teaching in science, Dr. David Cramb, Dean of Science at Ryerson University, used the following musical analogy to underline how important it is to take a hands-on approach to learning science. “You can learn hypothetically how to play the piano. There’s a huge difference actually sitting down at a piano and getting it into your fingers.”
3) Be part of a national science celebration
Science Rendezvous was first launched in 2008 as a collaboration among scientists at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, York University and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. Now participants from 40 of Canada’s research institutions and over 85 partnerships across 30 cities in 10 provinces and 2 territories host Science Rendezvous. It is held annually on the second Saturday of May.
Katie Miller, Executive Director of Science Rendezvous, sums it up: “Science Rendezvous takes STEAM out of the lab and onto the street for you to discover and experience. It is uniquely designed and run by Canada’s scientists, innovators, and the next generation of creators. We work collaboratively across the country to create the most exciting, interactive events, with as few barriers to access as possible. We want everyone to feel welcome into the places where science and research happen, and show them why we fell in love with it in the first place.”
Science Rendezvous is one of the many components of Science Odyssey, a national campaign powered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). This year Science Odyssey runs May 4-19 across 310 cities in Canada, celebrating Canadian achievements in STEAM and displaying how discoveries and innovations shape our daily lives and drive a scientific culture.
Don’t miss it!
Science Rendezvous at Ryerson University
Date: Saturday, May 11, 2019
Time: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location: Ryerson Campus, Kerr Hall quad (enter through 43 Gerrard St E), Toronto
Website: www.ryerson.ca/sciencerendezvous
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SciXchange at Ryerson University is a Science Borealis Silver sponsor. We are pleased to join them in promoting Science Rendezvous. Find more information on how you can support Science Borealis>
