Cafe Scientifique

Talk science with some of UVic's finest researchers

Science has a funny habit of being hard to reach if you don't work at a university, yet science itself in all of its many forms is one of those great universal passions that appeals to and connects us all.

As an informal seminar series, UVic's Café Scientifique program bridges the research-to-public gap. Hosted by a number of units across campus, these evening cafés provide insight into topics of popular interest that appeal to the science lover in everyone and serve as a fantastic opportunity for you to meet local researchers and discuss some of the most interesting and sometimes contentious research currently underway in Canada.

January

January 29: "Legalizing assisted suicide: A step toward equality for vulnerable groups?” – Dr. Maneesha Deckha

Wednesday, January 29 | 6:30 p.m. | Strathcona Hotel - The Maple Room

This is a free event hosted by the Centre on Aging in collaboration with CIHR. Registration is required: please email senage@uvic.ca or telephone 250-721-6369. Doors open at 5:45PM

About the concept
Past seminars
Sponsors

In a café, we pull science away from its usual habitat of the classroom or the laboratory into, well, a café or a bar.

Café Scientifique events are more informal and accessible than a public lecture. They are for people who are genuinely interested in science but who don't generally have the opportunity to discuss their views with scientists and no previous scientific knowledge is required to participate. All you need is a willingness to listen to others, discuss issues, ask questions and express opinions.

The concept of the Café Scientifique goes back to the salons of Paris in the 19th century when people would gather to talk informally about science. This idea disappeared for a period but was brought back in the 1990s by groups in the United Kingdom and France. The concept has now spread around the world and cafés are held in countries as diverse as Morocco, Romania, Denmark, Spain, Argentina, Cameroon and Canada.

At UVic, Café Scientifique's are hosted by the Centre for Biomedical Research, the Centre on Aging and numerous departments in the Faculty of Science. The views expressed by presenters are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Victoria.

Drs. Neena Chappell and Marcus Hollander - "Aging in Canada: An informed, up-to-date look at growing older, its impact on family members, and the sustainability of health care for Canada’s aging population" (September 25, 2013)
Dr. Brian Christie - "Clarifying Confusion about Concussions" (September 23, 2013)
Dr. Ian Putnam - "New geometric patterns which lie between boredom and confusion" (September 10, 2013)
Dr. Ed Ishiguro - "Probiotics for better health - time to change gears" (November 20, 2012)
Dr. Jay Cullen - "Victoria's sewage treatment system: a brief history of slime" (November 13, 2012)
Dr. Anthony Quas - "Fairness and voting systems" (October 9, 2012)
Dr. Kim Venn - "The First Stars in the Universe" (September 11, 2012)
Dr. Caroline Cameron - "Syphilis- Can we eliminate the disease that has changed human history?" (April 24, 2012) | Interview with CFAX 1070 AM
Dr. Nichole Fairbrother - "Throwing the baby off the balcony: New mothers' thoughts of infant-related harm." (March 27, 2012)
Dr. Kelli Stajdahur - "Death, Dying and Palliative Care" (February 28, 2012) Sponsored by the Centre on Aging, UVic.
Dr. Alexandra Branzan Albu - "Artificial Intelligence: Friend of Foe?" (January 24, 2012) Sponsored by the Centre on Aging, UVic.
Dr. Leigh Anne Swayne - "Growing and guiding new neurons in the healthy and injured brain" (November 22, 2011)
Dr. Stephanie Willerth - "Engineering replacement organs: From stem cells to reality" (October 25, 2011)
Dr. Vinay Bharadia - "From Brain Scans to Crossword Puzzles: The Latest Developments in the Early Detection and Prevention of Alzheimer Disease. (September 27, 2011) Sponsored by the Centre on Aging, UVic.
Cafe Scientifique - On Campus - "Focus on Stroke: From Bench to Bedside and Beyond" Speakers: Chris Considine, Dr. Craig Brown, Dr. Andrew Penn, Dr. E. Paul Zehr. (June 23, 2011) Sponsored by The Heart and Stroke Foundation and UVic's Island Medical Program and the University of Victoria.
Dr. Will Cupples - "How does salt and blood pressure affect kidneys in people with diabetes" (May 17,2011)
Dr. Laura Arbour - "Genetics Research and Community Collaboration: Examples from First Nations and Inuit Populations" (April 19, 2011)
Dr. Bob Kowalewski -Turn up the heat - using the Large Hadron Collider to recreate the conditions one nanosecond at a time. (March 29, 2011)
Dr. Juan Ausio - What do frogs, the environment and our genes have in common? (March 1, 2011)
Dr. Craig Brown - What happens to your brain after stroke? Insights from brain imaging studies.(February 1, 2011)
Dr. Chris Pritchet - A Walk on the Dark Side - Dark Energy and the Mystery of the Accelerating Universe (January 11, 2011)

Health-related cafés are co-funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research.

The Faculty of Science series is funded by both the faculty itself and the individual departments associated with each seminar.