STEMfest is a weeklong celebration of the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, taking place in Halifax, Nova Scotia from Friday, November 2nd to Friday, November 9th. The festival will involve conferences and events focused on education and innovation in STEM, as well as social, industrial and economic developments within the STEM community. STEMfest has post-secondary-specific events such as the science communication workshop and science slam.
On Saturday, November 3rd and Sunday, November 4th, Beakerhead science communications programs will be hosting a science communication workshop for post-secondary students at the Halifax Convention Centre. This workshop will be led by Jay Ingram and Mary Ann Moser, two experts in the field of communicating science. Jay Ingram has a lifetime of experience, from being the host of the science TV program Daily Planet for 16 years, and hosting CBC’s science radio show Quirks and Quarks as well as two of CBC’s radio documentaries, to writing and editing for such publications as Owl magazine, The Toronto Star, and, currently, Canadian Wildlife.
Mary Ann Moser works to bridge the gap between art, culture and science. Her work as a journalist lead her to establish the Banff Scientific Communications Program and Canada’s Iron Science Teacher competition, as well as take a seat on the steering committee for the Science Media Centre of Canada start-up. Mary has also edited two books regarding science’s role in society: Immersed in Technology and Science, She Loves Me. In a world where journalists are met with constant skepticism and scientists are second guessed, ensuring your scientific research and data make sense not only to your fellow researchers, but also to the public, is an incredibly useful skill to learn.
If you want to achieve your goal of presenting your own research to a crowd and engaging your entire audience, you won’t want to pass up this opportunity to learn valuable knowledge from two leaders in the field! Attending this workshop costs $25.00, with registration available here: https://stemfest2018-sciencecommworkshop.eventbrite.com/
If a scientific showdown is more your speed, the Science Slam might be the event for you! On Tuesday, November 6th the Science Slam will be hosted at the Halifax Convention Centre. This event is a competition between scientific speakers where competitors are given five minutes to give a presentation on any scientific topic. Each contestant is judged by the audience on their ability to effectively communicate their subject to the crowd.
Scientists, researchers and students will all be competing for the title of ultimate science communicator, as well as a cash prize. There is no attendance fee for this event, so if you want to be both entertained and educated all in one evening, sign up for a ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stemfest-2018-science-slam-tickets-50603548576. There are multiple STEMfest events open to the public, a full schedule is available here: https://stemfest2018.ca/
