3 posts tagged “toronto”
I was unable to attend on Sunday, so this recollection is only of the first full day of SciBarCamp numero uno, Saturday.
Although I intended to park in my dedicated spot at work only blocks away, I was late and made a bee-line for Hart House, delighted to see that parking was only $7 for the full day right in front of the building. Nice! Karl Schroeder opened up the day in the Music Room to a small crowd of drowsy attendees. More people arrived as the morning progressed. What's with all these people? Guess they don't have kids that wake them early. I decided to record each session as it started via Twitter, which I'm using now to compile these words.
Sessions of the day started with a presentation of Science 2.0 and of JOVE, Connotea and the Nature Network in particular to disseminate scientific research as it occurs. Privacy and intellectual property rights were issues taken heartily. We then heard about how to teach quantum mechanics simply such that a 10 year old would understand it. Next came the use of social media as a general communication tool moreso than being used explicitly for science. Bioengineering and synthetic biology came next with a quick pro-con presentation that yielded fascinating insights.
A Japanese gentleman braved his English and spoke about how the MIMA search works to relate subdisciplines of science under a collective umbrella. After lunch, musician Rick Sacks then treated us to an interesting display of keyboard and drums with prerecorded samples of speech and sound effects. His drum performance was really cool and can't be described here. A later group discussion focussed on whether technology actually makes us happier. There was a battle between the elder luddites and the younger adoptees that suggests the future of science will be online and connected as the older generation retires and dies off.
After the last session I attended in the Music Room, I ventured into the hallway where I found a freelance barrista! Of course I bought a cuppacino for a friend and myself and we ventured to the next session, sci-fi versus sci-fact, in the hallway before being marched in to a nearby room and being transmuted into a session on the internet emerging with a self-aware consciousness in a futuristic scenario. Much lively discussion was had, not all on topic. The sci-fi vesus sci-fact was then reopened for a short time. Then I moved to another room for a panel discussion on time and space. I wish I'd caught the start of that one and got lost in the middle of the conversation. That was the end of my official time at SciBarCamp!
SO...
My thoughts? Well, Robert J. Sawyer blogged about the scheduling of the event and how it could've been much improved. I like the method used at PodCamp Toronto, whereby the sessions were proposed in advance on the public-access wiki, and the schedule determined a short time in advance. That would also allow attendees to combine similar topics themselves without relying on the organizers to do it for them. The facility was incredible with striking architecture and the real feel for being in the halls of academia. The calibre of attendee was also notable, with several people representing the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario and various universities. I also like the number of sci-fi and sci-fact authors present, since they tend to see where trends will lead us in the future. All in all, I had a great time and was thrilled at what I got in a day and a half, including parking fees, for less than the price of going to the movies!
I eagerly await the sequel.
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!
