Scientific discovery happens at McMaster every day in labs, in classrooms, in libraries, and in many other spaces on campus. It's true what they say, you really do learn something new every day.
Science Literacy Week (September 19-25) is a celebration of science taking place at universities across Canada. At McMaster, we're celebrating our love of science with the following events:
At Thode Library
Science Trivia and Daily Twitter Contest
When: September 19th-25th
Where: In person, on the main floor of Thode Library, and online at twitter.com/ThodeLibrary
Test your scientific knowledge with two fun trivia games, and find out if you know enough to win the (virtual) $1,000,000 prize, or how you stack up against the general public. Look for the arcade machine in the lobby of Thode Library.
Follow us on Twitter (@thodelibrary) to participate in our daily contest, for a chance to win some Library swag, plus general bragging rights, of course.
Lunchtime Events in Thode (all events start at 12:30pm)
Monday 19th Movie Screening: Disney’s Oceans
Journey into the depths of a wonderland filled with mystery, beauty and power. Oceans is a spectacular story, narrated by Pierce Brosnan, about remarkable creatures under the sea. It’s an unprecedented look at the lives of these elusive deep sea creatures through their own eyes. Incredible state-of-the-art underwater filmmaking will take your breath away as you migrate with whales, swim alongside a great white shark, and race with dolphins at play. Screening takes place in the soft seating lounge.
Tuesday 20th Reactor Lecture: Dr. Michael Egan on The Social History of Truth: How Science Became Science. (Talk takes place in the Reactor Café)
How do we know what we know? And how to we know it is true? What is expertise? And why do we value it? What is science? And what does it produce? Why do we trust science? And how is it that it has come to dominate our daily lives? Science is a function of society. The rules of who can do science, what and where truth comes from, and who has access to this specialized knowledge were composed over a centuries-long evolution. Valuing empirical knowledge over superstition may seem like a natural pursuit, but its practice is actually fairly recent and much more contested than we might imagine. This lecture aims to explore the cultural features of who could practice science and how their scientific method came to be ingrained as a method of forging consensus among scientists, and how their findings came to be adopted as truths to a more general public.
Wednesday 21st Lunch with TED
Join us for a public screening of Can You Believe Your Eyes? This TED Talk delves into magic tricks, optical illusions, death-defying defeats, digital lies. Believe it or not. Screening takes place in the soft seating lounge.
Thursday 22nd Movie Screening: Disney’s Earth
An epic story of adventure, starring some of the most magnificent and courageous creatures alive, awaits you in Earth. DisneyNature brings you a remarkable story, narrated by James Earl Jones, of three animal families on a journey across our planet – polar bears, elephants, and humpback whales. Screening takes place in the soft seating lounge.
Friday 23rd Lunch with TED
Join us for a public screening of, TED Talk, So You Think You Know … Science Myths Debunked! Simple ideas and big discoveries, battling bad science, why people believe weird things. Discover the truth. Screening takes place in the soft seating lounge.
On Campus
Tour and View the LIVELab
When: September 20th; 12:30-1:30pm
Where: LIVELab, Room 202, 2nd floor of the Psychology Building
Located within the McMaster Institute for Music & the Mind (MIMM), the LIVE (Large Interactive Virtual Environment) Lab is a 106 seat research-based performance theatre and testing centre. The LIVELab is committed to developing a world class facility for the scientific study of music, sound, and movement and their importance in human development and human health.
Sidewalk Astronomy
When: September 21st Night Sky Viewing 7:45 pm
Where: Meet at the turning circle in front of Mary Keyes Residence
Note: These events are weather permitting. Check the Sidewalk Astronomy website in advance of the event for confirmation.
McMaster's Sidewalk Astronomy is a public outreach initiative that is run by the graduate students at McMaster's Department of Physics and Astronomy. We give the public of Hamilton, Ontario and the surrounding areas the unique opportunity to look through a powerful telescope at some of the brightest celestial objects in the sky. Everyone is welcomed to take a peek through the telescope.
The Astrophysics of Everyday Life at McMaster’s W.J. McCallion Planetarium
When: September 21st; two shows: 7:00pm and 8:15pm
Where: Located in the Burke Science Building (BSB), lower level, B149
$7 admission fee (cash only at door) – Reserve your ticket!
In our daily lives, we constantly experience physical phenomena. Driving a car, turning on a light, boiling water – physics is inescapable. But the fundamental laws that govern everyday life don’t stop there. On the scale of the Universe, these same equations have extraordinary consequences. In this show, we will take a tour of the night sky and see these principles in action. Just by looking in the right places, we’ll be able to see, for example, what it looks like when you turn on a light the size of our Solar System.
The Planetary Society’s McMaster Space Initiative Science Café
When: September 23rd; 5:30-7:30pm (doors open at 5:15pm)
Where: Bridges Café
Featuring four speakers from the scientific community at McMaster from different departments, a night of great talks about science (and of course space too!) – plus coffee, tea, and sweet treats! Open to all ages.
Around Hamilton:
Gaze at the Stars
When: September 20th; 7pm
Where: Turner Park Branch
Note: Registration required – Please call (905)546-4790
Join John Gauvreau of the Hamilton Amateur Astronomers as he takes us on a virtual tour of the universe. Presented by: Hamilton Amateur Astronomers.
Let’s Talk Science
Join Let’s Talk Science at the Hamilton Public library (HPL) for exciting public science demonstrations with McMaster engineering students (ages: 5-12 years). Registration information can be found on the HPL website.
- September 21st, 1:30 P.M – Dundas Branch*
- September 22nd, 1:30 P.M – Locke Branch*
- September 24th, 2:00 P.M – Terryberry Branch*
* Registration Required
Learn more about all Science Literacy Week events taking place in the Hamilton community.
