2 posts tagged “hart house”
Friday evening saw the opening of the world's inaugural SciBarCamp. Upon arrival, drinks were found at the bar and former strangers easily socialized. This was due in no small part because each person was encouraged to write their own nametag that also outlined what they do and what they're interested in. Those with wireless devices like laptops and PDAs were given instructions on synching up with the free onsite wifi.
The organizers soon opened the event by explaining the process to propose a session and how to express interest in the twenty or more that appeared. We were asked to stand in a really wierd oval that filled the room and introduce ourselves. This took some time with some 120 attendees. After that task we signed up for sessions and mingled. Before people disbursed for the night, some to the pub, some for home.
Since I haven't posted in a while, this should be special, right? Well I've got a good one.
I'm so excited that I'll be attending the inaugural SciBarCamp at the University of Toronto this weekend. This event is in the typical Barcamp style of un-conference, and stems from the original Science Foo Camp that occurred at the Googleplex in 2006 and again in 2007. Whereas that event is invite-only and is chock full of incredible minds, SciBarCamp looks to emulate that calibre of attendee but is more open, capped at just over 100 people due to space constraints.
While I'd probably want to attend SciBarCamp anyway, being most interested in such things, I'm looking forward to being in the presence of great minds such as those from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. I've been enamoured with the Perimeter Institute at a distance since its inception near my alma matter in Waterloo, Ontario. I recognized Lee Smolin's name but his website rang no bells. However, I finally realized I had read his words in various skeptical arenas. Michael Nielsen is an organizer and has written some good blog entries. He's interested in the way science will change in the coming years, what with this new method of communication called the internet. It is already drastically changing the way scientists conduct research and interact, destined to leave the traditional journal industry in tattered ruins.
In addition to those mentioned will be some people who may be considered the prognosticators of science to come, science fiction authors Karl Schroeder and Robert J. Sawyer. While I haven't read Schroeder yet, his website is slick and the imagery makes me want to. Sawyer on the other hand is a great writer of hard SF and I've met him a few times in the recent past, as well as having exchanged writings on his email list. He's easily accessible to anyone who takes the time to talk to him and he's a credit to the profession, especially given that he sets some of his stories in Canadian localities that I can relate to. I look forward to meeting him again this weekend, along with all those attendees I've yet to admire.
The un-conference begins Friday evening and only then will the schedule be determined by the attendees themselves, lasting through to Sunday. The topics should be wide ranging, from the all-new Science 2.0 and the cutting edge of research to communication with the public. Attendees are expected to come prepared to participate in full instead of sitting at the back of the classroom, osmotically absorbing (or not) the information like a standard lecture. I've got my own ideas of what to discuss. Since I'm a government scientist, I'm thinking that politics and/versus science would be a great tract to initiate. The possibilities are endless yet immediate because our current federal administration in Canada seems to want to emulate the anti-science administration found to the south. The need for world governments to consult and rely on what science can tell them has never been greater.
Lastly, while reading through SciBarCamp preparatory material from other attendees, I found this blog post on the future of the publication of scientific research. Fascinating!
