Outstanding Volunteers

• Alexandra Pedersen
• Alyssa Yang
• Blaire Flynn
• Charlie Hindmarch
• Christina Klein
• Connor Stone
• Deana Schwarz
• Eduardo Garcia-Giler
• Emma Donnelly
• Faraj Haddad
• Helen Wang
• Henry Yang
• Julia St. John
• Kate Cowperthwaite
• Lesley Hymers
• Makayla Dewit
• Megan Charlotte Wong
• Michael J Rainbow
• Michael Matthews
• Miranda Li
• Sabrina Tzivia Barsky

• Alexandra Pedersen

  Queen’s University

  

  Alexandra Pedersen is the President of the Limestone Beekeepers’ Guild and is currently employed as a staff and adjunct faculty member at Queen’s University. 

  Alexandra has been involved with Science Rendezvous since 2018!

  “Science Rendezvous is a tremendous opportunity to share a love of bees and local pollinators with as many families in the Kingston area as possible. The Limestone Beekeeper Guild loves participating in Science Rendezvous for the opportunity to inspire a love for bees with everyone. 

  I have two favourite memories from Science Rendezvous. The first, in 2019, members of the Guild filled 2,000 small jars of local honey for participants. The other memory – I always love speaking with children (and their parents) who are shy or have a fear of bees. The observation hive we bring is safe and allows for participants to get up close and personal with bees, without harming the bees or people in the process. I remember the face of a small child who was initially scared of the bees when they first walked up to the hive, but then their face turned into a gleeful smile when they put their ear against the hive’s special ventilation holes where they could hear the buzz and feel the warm air circulating from the hive. Seeing children face their fears and inspiring a life-long interest in bees is what makes volunteering worthwhile.”

  The observation hives the Limestone Beekeepers’ Guild provides is Alexandra’s favourite demo! We can’t wait to see what they have planned for 2023. 

• Alyssa Yang

  University of Toronto – St. George Campus

  

  Alyssa Yang is a Master of Science Candidate at the University of Toronto.

  Alyssa has been involved with Science Rendezvous since 2017! “From the moment I joined as a standard volunteer, I knew this was an organization I wanted to be deeply involved with”, she shares.

  The idea of a STEAM outreach event immediately caught my attention, and after learning more about it, I knew this was an organization I wanted to join and represent. Over the years, SR has grown exponentially, expanding its mission to promote STEAM to youth and marginalized communities, especially Indigenous communities. Additionally, SR continues to innovate and grow through projects like the Million Tree Project and SRHacks. Not to mention the utmost supporting team at SR National.

  “Over the years, I have taken on various roles, including volunteer, executive member, head executive, and now co-chair. Co-chairing the event for the past two years has been both rewarding and memorable. The relationships we build, the challenges we overcome, and the success in STEAM outreach we achieve on the day of the event are incredibly fulfilling. The experience I have gained from Science Rendezvous is invaluable, and it is hard to imagine my life without this enriching involvement.”

  Favourite Memory?

  “My favorite new memory at SR UofT 2024 was the walk-through we performed on the day of the event. During this walk-through, we experienced every programming booth, exhibition, and event firsthand. This was incredibly meaningful as we saw each booth surrounded by a crowd of engaged youth. For specific events such as SciChase, it was amazing to witness the innovative experiments the team brought to life and the extensive use of supplies due to the high level of attendance and engagement. Additionally, the SciArt Gallery hit record-breaking attendance and popularity, thanks to the unique artists and workshops made available to the public. This will definitely be a hard year to beat.”

  Favourite Activity?

  “My favorite activity was making origami! This hands-on experience allowed me to create my own origami to keep and showcased the talents of the UofT Origami Club. The activity was led by their skilled team, who assisted participants at all levels, from beginner to advanced. There were also free pre-folded origami pieces available for the public. Everyone who attended genuinely enjoyed their time and left with both a mental and physical memory. Additionally, the room setup was beautiful, featuring exquisite origami pieces on display and a plethora of colors and designs to choose from for your own folding project.”

• Blaire Flynn

  Queen’s University

  

  Blaire Flynn is the Senior Education and Outreach Officer at SNOLAB. “I work to share the science underway at our research facility to a broad audience with the goal of increasing science literacy and to inspire people to learn more and get involved.”

  This is what Blaire had to share about Science Rendezvous:

  “SNOLAB has been partnering with Science Rendezvous for a number of years and the organization, enthusiasm, and curiosity of this event is contagious. In 2016 Alex Wright, a professor in the faculty of Particle Astrophysics, asked if I could help with some events at Science Rendezvous Kingston. Since then myself and other members of the SNOLAB team have been involved in sharing the joy of physics and the wonder of SNOLAB, Canada’s deep underground laboratory.

  I think that the return to in person programming with the inclusion of virtual events went really well. Of course we will be back in 2023!”

• Charlie Hindmarch

  Queen’s University

  

  Dr. Charlie Hindmarch is the Scientific Operations Director for the Translational Institute of Medicine (TIME), Assistant Professor for the Department of Medicine, and the Genomics core director at the Queen’s CardioPulmonary Unit (QCPU).

  “My first degree was in Marine Biology and Coastal ecology from the University of Plymouth UK. Following graduation, I changed my scientific focus and completed an MSc in Biochemical Pharmacology at the University of Southampton, UK. Following this, I completed a PhD in Neuroscience and Endocrinology at the University of Bristol, UK.

  I am a “highly collaborative” ‘omics researcher with a heavy focus on the way that the brain controls the cardiovascular system. I have significant career experience in molecular biology, and in the design, implementation, and analysis of genomics experiments in various disease states. I am also a bioinformatician, and I have a passion, not only for identifying patterns in complex biological data, but for bringing that data to life.”

  This is what Dr. Hindmarch had to share about Science Rendezvous:

  “I’m very committed to the public engagement of science. I think that my ability to perform research has always been funded by the public purse, either through tax dollars, or charitable contribution – and so I think that scientists are accountable to the public and have a responsibility to educate and inspire as widely as possible. Science Rendezvous provides the perfect venue for scientists like me to communicate our work to the local community. I remember when I first moved to Canada, we attended a Science Rendezvous with our three boys; we were amazed not only at the scope and range of science on display, but that it was free of charge and so was accessible to all.”

  Dr. Hindmarch’s team first engaged with Science Rendezvous in 2021, recording short videos on how to extract DNA from strawberries. “Anyone can do this in their own kitchen, and I remember as a child doing this same experiment and recall how impactful it was”.

  “I feel truly privileged that myself, my operations partner Brooke Ring, and the rest of our team had the opportunity to share our passion with so many people of all ages and from all backgrounds. Our team had an amazing day, and honestly – seeing so many ‘lightbulb’ moments in the kids that visited our stall and others still makes me smile. It’s why we do this!

  Being able to bring our enthusiasm to such a well-attended public event has been a professional and personal highlight for me in 2022. We got so many interesting and often challenging questions from the children who visited our stall – which we were glad to tackle. We will certainly be back in 2023, and we’ve had some great ideas about how we can improve and build on this year’s success.”

• Christina Klein

  Queen’s University

  

  Christina Klein, P.Eng. is the Chair of the Education Committee for the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) Kingston Chapter.

  “The committee and I organize various in-person and virtual events to connect with the local community and beyond to help people understand what engineering is, share the great work engineers to, and encourage people to consider a career in engineering.”

  This is what Christina had to share about Science Rendezvous: “Science Rendezvous is a highly-anticipated annual event where people of all ages can gather in a friendly and welcoming space to learn about and celebrate all things related to STEM. The event has an amazing positive energy, and the PEO Kingston Chapter enjoys the opportunity to reach out and connect to so many people each year at this event.

  Christina’s favourite Science Rendezvous memory is explaining how a traffic roundabout works to people of all ages. “A few years ago the PEO Kingston station offered a roundabout playmat, complete with various hot wheels cars, to which many very young people were attracted to! My own kids enjoyed stopping by the station to maneuver a few cars in and out of the roundabout”, Christina shared. Although Science Rendezvous Kingston is filled with amazing programming every year, Christina’s all-time favourite demo was Queen’s University Observatory Virtual Planetarium – Connor Stone tour in 2021.

  As we wrap up this year’s festivities, here are some final thoughts and highlights:

  “I was so grateful that we were able to attend Science Rendezvous safely in-person in 2022. I am very appreciative to have the opportunity to reconnect with the community and with the PEO Kingston Education team face-to-face following the lockdowns of the pandemic. It was never clearer to me through my lifetime then now how important in-person social connections are to one’s wellbeing!

  The PEO Kingston Education team is looking forward to the opportunity to attend Science Rendezvous again in 2023!”

• Connor Stone

  Queen’s University

  

  Connor Stone is completing a PhD at Queen’s University, investigating the astrophysics of galaxies.

  “Using observations of thousands of galaxies, I examine their population properties with software that I developed to extract data from images of galaxies. Another Bayesian algorithm that I developed determines the scatter around a relation (say between size and brightness of a galaxy). Ultimately, I determined that galaxies are more diverse than previously thought. This raises the question for theories of galaxy formation and evolution to explain what mechanisms cause the extra diversity!”

  Connor is the Queen’s Observatory Coordinator and has extensive experience with STEM outreach. “Before the pandemic, I organized (with an excellent team of volunteers) monthly open houses for the public to learn about astronomy with typical crowds of over 100 people”, says Connor. After the pandemic, Connor’s team pivoted to virtual school tours and launched an astronomy podcast called “Fast Radio Bursts”, which covered big topics in astronomy and featured astronomers from Queen’s University.

  This is what Connor had to share about Science Rendezvous:

  “Science Rendezvous is the best opportunity of the year to teach people of all ages about science. The energy at the event is undeniable and everyone is excited to learn new things. In preparation for Science Rendezvous, we are able to make demos and materials that can excite young learners all year at our other activities at the Queen’s Observatory.

  I have been involved in Science Rendezvous since 2017, first as a volunteer then as the coordinator for the Queen’s Observatory. Through this role I organized the Observatory station which also partnered with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Kingston Chapter and Let’s Talk Science.”

  Can you think of your favourite Science Rendezvous moment? For Connor, it was a quiet moment sitting down with a mother whose kids were making a pocket solar system. “We discussed how telescopes can look back in time. The look on her face when it “clicked” was priceless and is the whole reason I get involved in activities like Science Rendezvous!”, Connor shared.

  The Queen’s Observatory station had 9 awesome activities, so it was hard for Connor to pick a favourite. However, the Solar System Walk really knocked it out of the park! “It was a new station that let participants walk through a scale solar system and see the distances between the planets. The Solar System Walk is a great example of active learning as they had to walk 100 meters to see the whole activity, all the while reading interesting facts about each planet!”

  Here are some final thoughts for 2022:

  “Science Rendezvous 2022 was an incredible re-start to in-person events. I was amazed at how many people came out and how engaged everyone was with the demos. For many of our volunteers it was the first time they were able to do science outreach in-person and I could tell that they caught the “bug” and will be back for more opportunities to share the wonders of the Universe!”

  Connor will be moving to a postdoctoral position in Montréal but might still be back to Science Rendezvous Kingston as a visitor in 2023! 

• Deana Schwarz

  Queen’s University

  

  Dr. Deana Schwarz holds a PhD in Isotope Geochemistry and is the Public Education Programs Manager at the APGO Education Foundation. Dr. Schwarz provides geoscience information and resources through the website GeoscienceINFO.com. This includes Virtual Field Trips of locations across Ontario and information about hikeable Geotrails!

  Dr. Schwarz is also involved in STEM outreach, attending public events throughout the year and providing educational material about geoscience to the public. “I enjoy talking about the geology in people’s backyards, learning about their personal connections to geoscience, and answering questions they may have”.

  This is what Dr. Schwarz had to share about Science Rendezvous:

  “Science Rendezvous is the perfect event to showcase geoscience to the public. This event brings in a large number of people who are eager to talk about science. Some are geology enthusiasts who love to engage in deep conversation about rocks and minerals, and some may not have given much thought about geoscience. It’s beyond rewarding to tell them the geological history of their own backyard and see their eyes light up!

  I love to showcase a collection of rocks and minerals at our booth that the public can touch, hold, and look at in great detail. People of all ages love holding 1.1 billion year old granite in their hands and hearing how it formed.

  We attended Science Rendezvous at Kingston for the first time in 2019. Once in-person activities began again in 2022, we came back. We love it!”

  “We had a wonderful time putting together all the details for our 2022 booth. Our theme was “The Geology of Kingston”. We created a standing banner sign that had an infographic of the geological timeline of the Kingston area. Visitors to our booth couldn’t get enough of talking about our hand samples on our table. We also created an online virtual scavenger hunt where people had to visit a handful of rocks in the Kingston area and upload photos of them, and be entered to win one of five prize packs. People were very excited about this scavenger hunt!

  I strongly believe that everyone has a connection to the geology around them. Whether they collected rocks and fossils as kids, or if they drive past the same cool outcrop every day on their way to work. At Science Rendezvous, they know they’ll meet some enthusiastic geoscientists at our booth and have the opportunity to ask questions.

  We are already looking forward to Kingston Science Rendezvous 2023. We are planning for our theme to be “The Fossils of Kingston”. We will of course have a touch and hold collection at the table.”

• Eduardo Garcia-Giler

  University of Toronto – St. George Campus

  

  Eduardo Garcia-Giler is part of the Krembil Research Institute and uses a 3D Bio-Printer to construct in-vitro scaffolds to study the neuro-regeneration of retinal ganglion cells. In addition, Eduardo develops virtual reality software for clinical studies! 

  This is what Eduardo had to share about Science Rendezvous:

  “When I first encountered Science Rendezvous, I was immediately drawn to their goal of introducing scientific concepts in a fun and accessible manner to the public. I saw this as an opportunity to lead and organize events for young students to experience and learn about different scientific disciplines, and encourage them to engage with science in the future.

  I joined the outreach team in 2019, but it was during the pandemic that I proposed the idea of running a virtual programing competition for young students using Microsoft make code. My proposal was implemented into Science Rendezvous’ first hackathon competition, SRHacks 2021, were I led and managed the programing component and helped organize a series of talks and skill development workshops for our participants. I then took on the role of Co-Chair for the 2022 SR team were we we delivered our second virtual SR festival, as well as the return of SRHacks along with it’s first in-person event, SRHackoffs.”

  Eduardo’s favourite memory was the first in-person event organized by the outreach team in 2019. “We had a blast showing people how to make edible water bottles, extract DNA from strawberries, and how to play Pacman using bananas!”, says Eduardo. 

  Here are some final thoughts for 2022:

  “2022 was an amazing experience. I got the opportunity to lead our executives as the Co-Chair of the St. George Chapter. The team that we recruited in 2022 is filled with excellent and talented individuals, and I want to pass on the torch to give them the opportunity to create something unique and memorable for 2023.”

• Emma Donnelly

  Western University

  

  Emma Donnelly is a PhD Student at Western University who believes in making science accessible and visible! 

  Emma first got involved with Science Rendezvous in 2019 as a general volunteer and then joined the organizing team in 2020 and 2021. This year, Emma led an organizing committee for the 2022 event at Western!

  “At the 2022 event, we had our “Science Hero” and mascot of sorts, Dr. Maddox. I loved watching kids get excited to meet her and treat her like a celebrity”, shared Emma. 

  “I love that Science Rendezvous gives an opportunity to kids of all ages to channel, initiate and/or grow their scientific curiosity.

  I am very proud to have been part of the organizing team for Science Rendezvous 2022 at Western. We cannot thank the London community enough for showing up and making the day such a success! I will definitely be back in 2023!”

• Faraj Haddad

  Western University

  

  Dr. Faraj Haddad is an Assistant Professor at Western University and a Science Outreach and Communication enthusiast! Among other outreach activities, Dr. Haddad creates videos and TikToks for high school students and performs STEM demos at schools. 

  This is what Dr. Haddad had to share about Science Rendezvous:

  “Science Rendezvous is my favorite event because it engages with families and ignites the passion for science not just with children but with their parents as well. I got involved in 2017 when I helped run the neuroscience booth. Since then, I took on more and more responsibilities until I became event co-chair in 2022. My favorite memory was from this year when I was the MC on stage and I saw the extremely excited responses of kids when I asked the question: do you like science!?”

  Although there are too many cool activities and demos to count, one that’s close to home for Dr. Haddad is the neural prosthetics demonstration by backyard brains! “I will definitely be back as long as Science Rendezvous runs”, says Dr. Haddad, although their role may change compared to previous years.

• Helen Wang

  University of Toronto – St. George Campus

  

  Helen Wang is a PhD Candidate in the field of immunology at the University of Toronto and is being recognized as a 2022 Outstanding with Science Rendezvous at the University of Toronto (St. George Campus)

  “I love science outreach, I think Science Rendezvous is a well established group where I can help to disseminate science knowledge to the community. My favourite are hands-on activities for children to participate in. I really enjoyed working with my team for 2022, hopefully we can host in person activity next year and get more people coming to our event.”

  Although there have been many great events throughout the years, Helen’s first year with Science Rendezvous was unforgettable. “The first year I was in Science Rendezvous where we hosted in person activities. It was really inspiring to see the amount of people who came to our event and how much fun everyone had”, Helen shared.

• Henry Yang

  University of Toronto – St. George Campus

  

  Henry Yang is an undergraduate Life Sciences student at the University of Toronto, planning on going into biochemistry, with a dual major in either Sexual Diversity Studies or Health Studies. Henry has been involved in research on the succession of COVID-19 vaccines and will be starting a Research Assistantship at the Bonham Center’s Queer and Trans Research Lab.

  “As someone who had a background primarily consisting of academics, extracurriculars, and work in the humanities, I wanted to try broadening my horizons by pushing myself more into STEM/STEAM related work. Being on the executive team Science Rendezvous provided a unique and needed position that laid at the intersection of the humanities and science, where my past experiences with marketing, outreach, website development, etc. could be applied in a more STEM related context.

  Outside of that, I just really love organizations like Science Rendezvous, which put out largescale events for the public to enjoy their passions whilst giving them more autonomy and inspiration to pursue their future aspirations. Creating the conference experience for our attendees was rewarding, and it’s nice knowing that they learned something in one of our sessions to help them propel their future careers, research, etc.

  While I cannot compare Science Rendezvous 2022 to previous years given this was my first year attending and working as part of the SR staff, given the short timeframe, online formatting, amongst other barriers, I thought that the execution of the event was incredibly satisfactory.”

  Did you catch the ‘DNA extraction from strawberries’ demo at UofT? This was Henry’s favourite activity from the 2022 programming. You may also be wondering, “what is Henry’s favourite memory?” The answer? The day of the event! “It was a wildly cathartic moment to see all of the hard work and dedication that the team had put into the event come to fruition”, says Henry. “On top of that, getting to run a session alongside other SR peers was an entertaining experience, to say the least.”

  “It was a joy getting to work alongside the rest of the members of the executive team, and I’m excited to hopefully work with them even more in the coming future. I’m ready to jump back on board for 2023!”

• Julia St. John

  Western University

  

  Julia St. John (MSc/BEd) is a PhD Candidate in Biochemistry at Western University, researching the effects of lipoprotein(a) on atherosclerosis. “Since doing my BEd and teaching high school science I’ve come to appreciate the importance of promoting STEM for kids”, shared Julia. 

  Julia started volunteering with Science Rendezvous in 2022. There were many awesome demos and activities this year, but the drone demonstration by Northern Tornados Project and the fireworks display at the end of the event at Western were some of Julia’s favourites! 

  “It was an honor to participate in Science Rendezvous 2022 at Western University, and I can’t wait to return in 2023!”

• Kate Cowperthwaite

  Queen’s University

  

  Kate Cowperthwaite is the Financial & Administrative Assistant at Ingenuity Lab Research Institute at Queen’s University.

  “It was important to everyone involved with the lab that we reach out to the Kingston Community and support STEM”, shares Kate, who has been involved with Science Rendezvous since 2019. 

  Kate’s favourite memory was seeing a little boy dancing with Unitree Go1 – the robot dog! Although there are many amazing activities at Science Rendezvous, the haptic demonstration is one the best in Kate’s book. “It was amazing to watch guests move a ball around in virtual reality!” 

  As we wrap up our 2022 festivities, here are some final thoughts and highlights:

  “It is really important to me that young people learn about STEM careers, more specifically Robotics and AI, so when they have to make a choice as young adults they chose this dynamic, innovative field to work in.

  I can’t stress enough how good it was to be able to participate in a live event in 2022! For 2023, I hope we can have a booth with more and even bigger robots!”

• Lesley Hymers

  Queen’s University

  

  Lesley Hymers holds a B.Sc. Hons and a M.Sc. in Earth Science and is the Manager, Education and Outreach Programs with Mining Matters – a national educational organization that has provided Earth science and mineral resources education to students, teachers and the public since 1994.

  “In my Mining Matters role, I have written several blogs for STEM partner organizations, including, “Think Like an Earth Scientist” for Science Rendezvous; “What Happens to Lands After Mines Finish Production” for GeoScienceINFO.com; and “Leading Lady Lesley Hymers”, for Women Geoscientists Canada”.

  Lesley also prepared a career profile for Let’s Talk Science, served on a “Women in Rocks Career Panel” at Fleming College and delivered career presentations to secondary and post secondary teachers and students across Canada! The list does not end here though. Lesley is an active member of national Earth Science Education and Outreach community and a new Geologist-in-Residence program in partnership with Parks Canada. “Outreach or informal (science) education is so important because it provides a forum where educators are able to engage with the public”, says Lesley.

  This is what Lesley shared about Science Rendezvous:

  “Outreach education events like Science Rendezvous provide an opportunity to engage with interested members of the public, bridge knowledge gaps and cultivate interest in science. Science Rendezvous is “the” national science outreach event. Participating in Science Rendezvous provided an opportunity to collaborate with my colleagues at the APGO Education Foundation to share the story of the geology of Kingston. It was a enriching experience helping to create and deliver the content.

  I have personally been involved in Science Rendezvous since at least 2019. I helped to develop the Earth science programming that would be delivered at events; secured programming partners such as libraries; arranged shipments; and contributed event content to the Science Rendezvous website.”

  Lesley has many great memories from Science Rendezvous, from collaborating with colleagues to create the Geology of Kingston content to returning to in-person programming. The Geology of Kingston Scavenger Hunt takes the prize as Lesley’s favourite activity though! 

  “Science Rendezvous 2022 is the best public outreach event in which I have ever participated!”, shared Lesley. “We look forward to participating in Science Rendezvous 2023!”

• Makayla Dewit

  Queen’s University

  

  Makayla Dewit works with The Child and Adolescent Development Group from the Psychology Department at Queen’s University.

  The Child and Adolescent Development Group consists of a team of researchers who are interested in how infants, children, and adolescents reason about the people and the world around them. “In the community, our science outreach extends throughout the year. The students and faculty in our group attend several seasonal festivals and events in Kingston”, shared Makayla.

  This is what Makayla had to share about Science Rendezvous:

  “Science Rendezvous is an important event for us. The Developmental Psychology faculty members, along with graduate and undergraduate students, have made engagement in science outreach an integral part of our program. Our motivations are twofold: to promote better understanding of psychology as a science, and to give back to the Kingston community that has made our research possible by volunteering to be participants in our studies for many years.

  Our group has participated in Kingston’s Science Rendezvous since 2012 – all but one of the years that it has occurred. In out first year, the event was still held on the Queen’s University campus. It’s been great to see Science Rendezvous grow so much that we now need an entire arena (and this year – outdoors)!”

  This year’s demonstration, Think Like A Scientist!, allowed participants to solve two types of scientific problems. “We think that it’s important to let children experience how scientists approach the problems they are trying to solve. Developmental psychologists have great hands-on activities for this because there is a rich research history in our field of studying children’s causal reasoning”, says Makayla. 

  “My favourite memory from our booth at the 2022 Science Rendezvous were the children’s reactions to our can-weighing activity. You can see the gears moving in their minds, trying to figure out why a large can and a small can weigh the same, despite looking and feeling like they are different weights. It’s amazing to see how interested these kids (and adults) are in science.

  There were so many cool and interesting demonstrations. However, one of my favourites this year was the booth with the fossils. The volunteers were so passionate about their research that their excitement really rubbed off on everyone who they were speaking to.

  We had a great time at the 2022 Science Rendezvous in Kingston! We’re very much looking forward to 2023.”

  We can’t wait to see what Developmental Psychology at Queen’s University has planned for 2023. Stay connected on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
  

• Megan Charlotte Wong

  University of Toronto – St. George Campus

  

  Megan Charlotte Wong is a Rotman Commerce undergraduate student at University of Toronto (St. George Campus). 

  This is what Megan had to share about Science Rendezvous: “I wanted to experience planning a large scale event but also access the STEM side of myself in my free time. I believed that volunteering for Science Rendezvous could help achieve this. I found out about this opportunity in December through my emails. Once doing a bit of research on the Science Rendezvous, I applied to become an executive member.”

  There was fun and STEAM to go around at this year’s Science Rendezvous event at the University of Toronto (St. George Campus). Megan’s favourite memory was listening to the participants interest and passions during their presentations!

  “Creating an online experience for this year’s Science Rendezvous event was definitely an opportunity I have never had before”, says Megan. “From brainstorming ideas and curating our final product, the process of it all was hectic yet rewarding.  I would love to be back for another year to plan and be involved in the in-person event.”

• Michael J Rainbow

  Queen’s University

  

  Dr. Michael J Rainbow is the Principal Investigator of the Skeletal Observation Laboratory at Queen’s University and studies the biomechanics of human motion. The Skeletal Observation Laboratory tries to understand factors that allow musculoskeletal joints to function, as well as factors that lead to dysfunction, using a combination of imaging, motion capture, and computational modelling.

  Dr. Rainbow and family attended Science Rendezvous prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and found it very inspiring. “My lab and I wanted to get involved as soon as in person activities resumed, which was May 2022”.

  “Biomechanics is unique because it naturally ties together engineering, medicine, and biology. We are eager to participate in STEM outreach activities because we believe that early exposure to STEM activities may inspire young learners to pursue higher education and careers in STEM. We are especially interested in helping to address issues with the ‘leaky pipeline’ that hampers the recruitment and retention of talented women in STEM. We wanted to participate in Science Rendezvous to use Biomechanics to help promote STEM to as many children as possible. We also wanted to show them that STEM can be applied to the human body.

  My favorite set of memories was seeing how much energy and joy the graduate and undergraduate students conveyed during the various activities as they engaged with the young learners, and how that excitement was reciprocated.”

  PhD Candidate Erin Lee developed an application using MATLAB and motion capture software to measure children’s jumping height. In this activity, which happens to be Dr. Rainbow’s favourite, participants are asked to jump as high as they can. The marker-based motion capture system then measures jump height and provides them with real-time feedback. How cool?!

  Here are some final thoughts and highlights for 2022:

  “Our team really enjoyed brainstorming, designing, building, and deploying our booth’s activities! It really was a team effort driven by the graduate students Erin Lee, Anja Behling, and Quinn Yetman, and implemented by them as well as our undergraduate students, Kaito Lee, Annabel Vrba, Kayla Lee, Aidan Shimizu, and Hanna Gamelin. We really enjoyed Science Rendezvous 2022. We were energized by all of the enthusiasm from the young learners and their families and friends. We are already talking about ways to improve our demonstrations and activities for 2023.”

• Michael Matthews

  Queen’s University

  

  Michael Matthews is a member of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS) Public Awareness Committee, Geomatics Recruitment and Liaison Committee, and University, Colleges Liaison Committee. 

  This is what Michael had to share about Science Rendezvous:

  “Science Rendezvous is the largest public opportunity for us to connect, both virtually and in person with with the public, parents, teachers and students of career opportunities in Surveying. The organizers are the best to work with! We became involved with our connection with a Queen’s Geography Teacher, Anne Smith, some 11 years ago and we’ve been exhibiting since.”

  “Every year the event gets bigger and better, with this year being the best so far as it was both virtual and in person. How good is that? Favourite memory would be the year Dino the Dinosaur came to visit – so cool! I do enjoy the Science experiment on stage as you see the interactive with the kids and the excitement in their eyes!”

• Miranda Li

  University of Toronto – St. George Campus

  

  Miranda Li holds a BSc in Cell & Molecular Biology, Health & Disease, Psychology from the University of Toronto and will be pursuing a MSc in Genetic Counselling at McGill University. 

  Miranda has been doing research with UofT since high school and throughout undergrad! “I started off studying ways of improving the safety of stem cell therapies, and have since explored different areas of research including the mechanisms of brain cancer growth, emotion regulation in the context of domestic violence, and the ethics of gene therapies”, says Miranda. Most recent research looked into the accessibility of online health resources for people living with spinal cord injuries.

  This is what Miranda had to share about Science Rendezvous:

  “My journey into science started off with community STEAM outreach events that I attended as a child. When I started university, I wanted to be a part of something that would help inspire future generations of scientists, like how it inspired me! I loved research but what I loved even more than that was sharing the information with others. Getting the chance to show kids and the community the awesomeness of science is a big part of why I love Science Rendezvous!

  I first heard of Science Rendezvous through a Let’s Talk Science event in high school, and then joined UofT SR in 2018 as a festival volunteer. I loved the experience and was especially drawn to how well organized the event was. I joined the exec team as a volunteer coordinator for the 2019 festival and helped to organize and train the 500+ SR volunteers. As we transitioned the festival to an online format, I took on the head of promotions position (a role that didn’t exist before the 2021 festival!). Along with the team, I’ve been developing promotional material & branding for our social media accounts and managing large-scale event promotions. We saw a 300+ increase in social media follower count through promoting the 2021 festival!”

  Miranda’s favourite memory from Science Rendezvous? The first virtual SR festival! “It was a really special memory”, says Miranda. “Nobody really knew what to expect! I remember having 3 computers open and being in 3 different Zoom webinars at the same time to promote the presenters on our social medias. Chaos, but good chaos! Everyone was so tired but so proud of the festival and the culmination of months of hard work, replanning, and adapting.”

  It may be hard to pick a favourite activity or demo, but Miranda certainly loves the liquid nitrogen flower demonstration at the in-person festival. “It always felt so satisfying to watch the flowers freeze and be able to smash them on the ground!”, Miranda shares.

  “I also really enjoyed the “I Am A Scientist” series that the UofT SR team developed for the 2021 virtual festival. We put together a total of 6 episodes, each introducing a different area of science to the audience (from immunology to astrophysics).” Miranda notes that one episode featured Dr. Phil de Luna, a scientist-turned-political candidate for the Green Party of Canada. For more advice and reflections from esteemed scientists, Miranda encourages you to check out the story highlights on the UofT SR Instagram page.

  “It’s not an easy thing to plan and execute back-to-back virtual festivals, but the team did a great job rising to the challenge and putting on another great SR festival. UofT Science Rendezvous has been such a welcoming community over the past 4+ years. Science communication and outreach is something that will always be a passion of mine, and I’m looking forward to continuing this journey in Montreal!”

• Sabrina Tzivia Barsky

  University of Toronto – St. George Campus

  

  Sabrina Tzivia Barsky is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Cell & Systems Biology at the University of Toronto. Sabrina’s research focuses on sex differences in exercise adaptations and the interactive role of the skeletal muscle androgen receptor. 

  This is what Sabrina had to share about Science Rendezvous: “I wish I had access to (or knew of) these types of STEM events before I started high school so I was excited to participate in and help organize the event. It’s so important to give students an opportunity to see what is going on at the university and industry level at a young age. It broadens their horizons in terms of career goals, and keeps them motivated and excited about science as a whole. I applied to the Science Rendezvous team in December and got started as soon as I was given the go-ahead!”

  Although things may not always run perfectly, Sabrina and the rest of the Science Rendezvous team were committed to providing an amazing experience for our 2022 participants. “There were a couple hiccups on the day of the event in Webinar 1, and my favourite part was seeing everyone handle the issues smoothly and with the highest level of cooperation. We were one solid team – I loved it.”, says Sabrina. 

  There were many amazing events at UofT’s Science Rendezvous this year but in Sabrina’s book, the UofT Trash Team had the most impactful and interactive presentation. “I loved the focus on sustainability and the call to being attentive to plastic consumerism.”

  “I think overall the event went smoothly and there was lots of collaboration between all the SR teams in order to put on the best event in our power. I hope that next year the event will be hosted in person and that will bring out many more attendees and newcomers in STEM! If I’m not on the path to defending my PhD thesis, I would highly consider coming back to Science Rendezvous!”