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Hello!
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting the STAN 2018 Conference in Vancouver, BC in conjunction with the
Science Writers and Communicators of Canada! Stay tuned to our website and Twitter to get the latest news and developments!
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Join STAN to receive quarterly emails.
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Science Literacy Week 2017
Someone once said "the science of today is the technology of tomorrow."
Today's technology is literally at our fingertips and always easily accessible. It's crazy to think that anything we use today was likely a science fair project a few short years ago. But that's how it's starts! And during Science Literacy Week, the Science Village brought technology to the general public by allowing over a thousand people to take a major step in joining the innovation culture and become more scientifically literate.
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We launched our Science Literacy Week with our famous monthly Family Pancake Breakfast. Making
pancakes with a “pancakebot” had people creatively designing and baking their own pancakes in star or dinosaur shapes and more!
We didn't stop there! A treasure hunt had families interacting with hands-on exhibits such as electric circuits, wind tunnels, rocket launchers and air cars, making for a fun-filled afternoon.
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Each day of the week brought in at least three different age groups with scheduled activities such as building structures, coding, Lego challenges, science for toddlers, science and art STEAM challenges, Origami, and Tapigami. Teens built their own hydraulic cranes and competed in lifting several weights.
Sound like a busy week? There’s still more! Have you ever heard the expression "cooking is a science"? Well, the science of cooking made the After Hours program both enlightening and entertaining. Adults became scientific chefs as they mixed ingredients and created new recipes.
Also, seniors partook in Cuisines of the World discovering new unfamiliar tastes and their origin.
And who can forget about Astronomy Day! Different workshops consisted of learning more about our solar system and constellations, the proper use of a telescope, and a planetarium presentation. The perfect ending to the perfect week was the star-gazing party with a bonfire at Hersey Lake, Northern-Style.
On the national front, Science Literacy Week was a huge success. The week ultimately included 800 events in over 100 cities and towns through the efforts of 200+ partners. This shows a significant increase over last year. The hashtag "#scilit17" was the third highest topic on Twitter on the opening day, which introduced the week to new audiences. National Science Reading day was a big hit with more than twenty newspapers covering it, in addition to eleven radio interviews.
Science outreach in Canada is truly getting better every year!
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Montreal Gazette, Sep 13, 2017
Engadget, July 17, 2017
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New York Times, July 31, 2017.
CBC, Sep 20, 2017
CTV News, Oct 5, 2017
CBC, Oct 14, 2017
Victoria News, Oct 24, 2017
Huddle, Oct 19, 2017
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Let There Be Light
Trailer
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Ontario Science Centre Survey Results
This year the Ontario Science Centre’s activities for Science Literacy Week included the presentation of the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada Youth Book Award; the launch of our “
Great Conversations
” speaker series where a sold-out crowd heard Dr. David Suzuki; presence at Word on the Street, partnering with Ryerson University’s SciXchange to present Soapbox Science; and sharing the results of our annual Canadian science literacy survey.
According to this year’s survey, fielded through Leger, Canadians have an alarming level of mistrust in science and the way it’s reported in the news.
Some of the key findings of the study are below:
- 79% of Canadians are concerned that “fake news” is damaging public perception of science
- 31% of Canadians don’t understand, believe in, or trust science reported in the news.
- 43% of Canadians believe the science is a matter of opinion
Mistrust of science and science news poses a real challenge to our future health, prosperity and security - crucial societal pillars that depend on informed decision-making based on scientific findings.
Fortunately, there is an antidote to this mistrust. The vast majority of Canadians view our schools, science centres and scientists as trusted sources when it comes to explaining science, and they want to learn more about how science affects their world. More information and statistics about the current state of science literacy and trust in Canada can be found
here
.
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National Leadership Conference
On December 5 & 6, 2017, Let’s Talk Science presents a unique and completely different kind of conference. The Canada 2067 National Leadership Conference offers the opportunity for all participants (delegates and speakers alike) to engage in open discussion about how to evolve STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education to encourage innovation and excellence for generations to come. This event will be held in plenary with panels tackling important issues in education and attendees working together through directed dialogue to develop strategy to make the Canada 2067 vision a reality.
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