Integrity and expertise in covering science: New tools, old traditions in a crowded information marketplace
Kathryn O'Hara
Associate Professor, Carleton University
Sunday, August 12, 2012, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
There has been much soul-searching of late on the state of journalism and science journalism is no exception. The last two decades have witness a transformation of traditional media and the accelerated growth of new social media. It is now much easier for interested people to find out more about science through media. At the same time pseudo-science is also alive and well on the web. What does this mean for the journalists who cover science? Where are they getting their stories?
With the proliferation of research agencies like NASA producing their own news what does this mean for the integrity and expertise of the science journalist at work in today’s media climate. How are journalists dealing with the demands for more content in less time and the persistence of public relations organizations with money and media expertise playing a larger role in dissimenating information about research.
Ötzi - New Findings on the 5300 Year Old Tyrolean Iceman
Albert R. Zink
Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, Italy
Saturday, June 2, 2012, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
The Tyrolean Iceman, commonly known as Ötzi, is the world oldest glacier mummy. He was found in September 1991 by two German Hikers on the Tisenjoch pass in the Italian part of the Ötztal Alps. The 5300-year-old Copper age individual is now conserved and exhibited at the South Tyrolean Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy, together with his accompanying artifacts. Since 20 years he was studied and examined with a variety of different scientific methods. Thereby, important insights into his origin, his life habits and violent death have been gained. In the last years, new investigation methods have added further interesting findings about the life and death of the Iceman. In the public lecture the most important findings regarding the Tyrolean glacier mummy and the latest scientific results are summarized.
Sacred Mountains in the Pacific Ring of Fire
Constanza Ceruti, High Altitude Archaeologist
PhD, University of Buenos Aires
Friday, June 1, 2012, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
In this presentation, Constanza Ceruti will explore the diversity of cultural traditions and rituals devoted to the sacred mountains in the Pacific ring of fire. From the snowcapped volcanoes of Patagonia and the lofty peaks of Bolivia, through the active volcanoes of Peru and Ecuador to the craters of Costa Rica and the volcanic peaks in the highlands of Mexico. Mountains in the American Southwest, California and British Columbia will also be addressed summarily. The mythology and rituals around the volcanoes of Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island will provide insights on the views that Polynesian peoples share about their sacred peaks as sources of spiritual power.
The focus of the analysis will be on the mountaintop shrines of the Inca civilization, built five hundred years ago in the Andes of Argentina and Chile. This overview is based on fifteen years of anthropological research and personal experience climbing more than one hundred mountains above 17,000 feet, in addition to participating in religious rites and pilgrimages, which provide a unique insight about the importance of mountainous landscapes in the spiritual life of traditional societies, past and present.
The Wonderful World of Woodpeckers
Frances Backhouse, Biologist & Author
Sunday, May 13, 2012,, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
They brighten the winter landscape with flashes of red, enliven the woods with their drumming in summer, and provide essential habitat for dozens of other species. Everyone recognizes Woody Woodpecker, but how well do we know him and his kin? In this informative and entertaining illustrated lecture, Frances Backhouse, author of Woodpeckers of North America, will offer identification tips for the Yukon's eight woodpecker species, discuss woodpecker lifestyles and habits, and explain why these birds don't suffer from perpetual headaches.
How To Banish Evil Spirits: Uses of Fungi by Northern Peoples
Lawrence Millman, Author and Mycologist
Sunday, April 22, 2012, 7:30 pm Westmark Whitehorse, Whitehorse
Monday, April 23, 2012, 12:15 pm Na-cho Nyak Dun First Nation Drop-in Center, Mayo
Explorer-author-mycologist Lawrence Millman will talk about the various ways northern indigenous people use mushrooms—as fire-starters, as smudges, as disinfectants, and as tobacco substitutes, but almost never as food. The talk will include a show-and-tell display of the aforementioned mushrooms as well as an introduction to ethnomycology (the cultural use of mushrooms). It will include a demonstration of how the Siberian Chukchi use polypores to rid their homes of evil spirits.
It's About Time: Physics Meets Philosophy in the 21st Century
Mark Shumelda
PhD candidate, University of Toronto
Sunday, February 12, 2012 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
We think we are familiar with the concept of time: our everyday lives seem to revolve around schedules and clocks. But do we know what time really is? Is time real? Does time truly pass? This talk will explore what physics and philosophy have to say about the nature of time. Modern physics, it turns out, holds more than a few surprises concerning time. We will see whether time travel is possible and just how different the past is from the future. It is clear that Einstein’s theory of relativity has changed our understanding of time. What is more mysterious and uncertain is the role that time will play in quantum gravity, the next revolution in physics which is just around the corner. It is precisely here that philosophy can serve as a useful guide for solving one of our oldest questions: what is time?
Passive House, the world’s leading energy efficiency standard
Dr. Guido Wimmers
Dr. tech. Dipl. Ing., Architect (NL), MRAIC, LEED AP
Sunday, January 15, 2012, 7:30 pm Mt. McIntyre Recreation Centre, Whitehorse
This lecture will introduce you to the international Passive House Standard, the world’s leading standard in low-energy and sustainable construction. Worldwide about 25,000 Passive Houses have already been built in over 20 countries including Canada, and almost every climate zone including the arctic.
Passive House building techniques result in an 80-90% reduction in annual heating energy without the need for expensive renewable energy systems and minimizing active components and maintenance thereof. Passive House combines superior thermal comfort, excellent indoor air quality and healthy living with scientifically well proven building science and safe and durable construction. Passive House technology is the key to environmentally friendly architecture and economically the best way to build truly sustainable buildings.
Yukon Butterflies: Beauty in the North
Crispin Guppy, Biologist
M.Sc., RPBio., PBio
Sunday, December 4, 2011, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, December 5, 2011, 7:30 pm Northern Lights Centre, Watson Lake
Did you know over ninety species of butterflies are known from the Yukon? Post-glacial colonization of southern areas by butterflies of the eastern boreal forests, the southern grasslands, and the west coast accounts for much of the diversity, while the northern Yukon has a variety of Beringian species, many of which have expanded their range into the mountains further south. Some of the species being found in the Yukon are new to science.
Join Cris Guppy as he gives an overview of this amazing diversity of Yukon butterflies, the wide range of habitats they use here, and the different ways they have adapted to northern climates.
On Yukon time: 700 million years of changing landscapes
JoAnne Nelson
Senior Project Geologist, BC Geological Survey
Sunday, November 20, 2011 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Geological history is like a very long movie, in which our own lives take up more or less a single frame. Hidden in that remote past is a dramatic story - of continents colliding and rifting apart again, and of volcanic island chains crossing oceans to collide with farther shores. Caught in the endless cycle of change, living creatures have always coped, adapted, and evolved, have found their nests and niches on the ever-shifting ground. This talk takes a journey through the last 700 million years in evolution of Yukon landscapes, from the birth of the Pacific Ocean to the continuing pull of its oceanic plates on the edge of our land today.
Wind Energy in Canada: the basics, the resource and the opportunity
Peter Taylor
Professor of Atmospheric Science and Applied Mathematics, York University
Thursday, October 6, 2011, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Currently wind provides about 2% of Canada’s electricity needs. How do we harness this power? And is it worth expanding on our wind energy potential? Join Peter Taylor for a look at the physics of wind energy and wind turbines, and how it can be applied in Canada.
As part of his presentation he will be showing the film, "Wind Energy in Canada - Physics, Planning and Politics" - a joint venture between a group of atmospheric scientists and engineers, and York University's Film program, soon to be available for distribution to schools and other interested groups.
Kathryn O'Hara
Associate Professor, Carleton University
Sunday, August 12, 2012, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
There has been much soul-searching of late on the state of journalism and science journalism is no exception. The last two decades have witness a transformation of traditional media and the accelerated growth of new social media. It is now much easier for interested people to find out more about science through media. At the same time pseudo-science is also alive and well on the web. What does this mean for the journalists who cover science? Where are they getting their stories?
With the proliferation of research agencies like NASA producing their own news what does this mean for the integrity and expertise of the science journalist at work in today’s media climate. How are journalists dealing with the demands for more content in less time and the persistence of public relations organizations with money and media expertise playing a larger role in dissimenating information about research.
Ötzi - New Findings on the 5300 Year Old Tyrolean Iceman
Albert R. Zink
Institute for Mummies and the Iceman, Italy
Saturday, June 2, 2012, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
The Tyrolean Iceman, commonly known as Ötzi, is the world oldest glacier mummy. He was found in September 1991 by two German Hikers on the Tisenjoch pass in the Italian part of the Ötztal Alps. The 5300-year-old Copper age individual is now conserved and exhibited at the South Tyrolean Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, Italy, together with his accompanying artifacts. Since 20 years he was studied and examined with a variety of different scientific methods. Thereby, important insights into his origin, his life habits and violent death have been gained. In the last years, new investigation methods have added further interesting findings about the life and death of the Iceman. In the public lecture the most important findings regarding the Tyrolean glacier mummy and the latest scientific results are summarized.
Sacred Mountains in the Pacific Ring of Fire
Constanza Ceruti, High Altitude Archaeologist
PhD, University of Buenos Aires
Friday, June 1, 2012, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
In this presentation, Constanza Ceruti will explore the diversity of cultural traditions and rituals devoted to the sacred mountains in the Pacific ring of fire. From the snowcapped volcanoes of Patagonia and the lofty peaks of Bolivia, through the active volcanoes of Peru and Ecuador to the craters of Costa Rica and the volcanic peaks in the highlands of Mexico. Mountains in the American Southwest, California and British Columbia will also be addressed summarily. The mythology and rituals around the volcanoes of Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island will provide insights on the views that Polynesian peoples share about their sacred peaks as sources of spiritual power.
The focus of the analysis will be on the mountaintop shrines of the Inca civilization, built five hundred years ago in the Andes of Argentina and Chile. This overview is based on fifteen years of anthropological research and personal experience climbing more than one hundred mountains above 17,000 feet, in addition to participating in religious rites and pilgrimages, which provide a unique insight about the importance of mountainous landscapes in the spiritual life of traditional societies, past and present.
The Wonderful World of Woodpeckers
Frances Backhouse, Biologist & Author
Sunday, May 13, 2012,, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
They brighten the winter landscape with flashes of red, enliven the woods with their drumming in summer, and provide essential habitat for dozens of other species. Everyone recognizes Woody Woodpecker, but how well do we know him and his kin? In this informative and entertaining illustrated lecture, Frances Backhouse, author of Woodpeckers of North America, will offer identification tips for the Yukon's eight woodpecker species, discuss woodpecker lifestyles and habits, and explain why these birds don't suffer from perpetual headaches.
How To Banish Evil Spirits: Uses of Fungi by Northern Peoples
Lawrence Millman, Author and Mycologist
Sunday, April 22, 2012, 7:30 pm Westmark Whitehorse, Whitehorse
Monday, April 23, 2012, 12:15 pm Na-cho Nyak Dun First Nation Drop-in Center, Mayo
Explorer-author-mycologist Lawrence Millman will talk about the various ways northern indigenous people use mushrooms—as fire-starters, as smudges, as disinfectants, and as tobacco substitutes, but almost never as food. The talk will include a show-and-tell display of the aforementioned mushrooms as well as an introduction to ethnomycology (the cultural use of mushrooms). It will include a demonstration of how the Siberian Chukchi use polypores to rid their homes of evil spirits.
It's About Time: Physics Meets Philosophy in the 21st Century
Mark Shumelda
PhD candidate, University of Toronto
Sunday, February 12, 2012 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
We think we are familiar with the concept of time: our everyday lives seem to revolve around schedules and clocks. But do we know what time really is? Is time real? Does time truly pass? This talk will explore what physics and philosophy have to say about the nature of time. Modern physics, it turns out, holds more than a few surprises concerning time. We will see whether time travel is possible and just how different the past is from the future. It is clear that Einstein’s theory of relativity has changed our understanding of time. What is more mysterious and uncertain is the role that time will play in quantum gravity, the next revolution in physics which is just around the corner. It is precisely here that philosophy can serve as a useful guide for solving one of our oldest questions: what is time?
Passive House, the world’s leading energy efficiency standard
Dr. Guido Wimmers
Dr. tech. Dipl. Ing., Architect (NL), MRAIC, LEED AP
Sunday, January 15, 2012, 7:30 pm Mt. McIntyre Recreation Centre, Whitehorse
This lecture will introduce you to the international Passive House Standard, the world’s leading standard in low-energy and sustainable construction. Worldwide about 25,000 Passive Houses have already been built in over 20 countries including Canada, and almost every climate zone including the arctic.
Passive House building techniques result in an 80-90% reduction in annual heating energy without the need for expensive renewable energy systems and minimizing active components and maintenance thereof. Passive House combines superior thermal comfort, excellent indoor air quality and healthy living with scientifically well proven building science and safe and durable construction. Passive House technology is the key to environmentally friendly architecture and economically the best way to build truly sustainable buildings.
Yukon Butterflies: Beauty in the North
Crispin Guppy, Biologist
M.Sc., RPBio., PBio
Sunday, December 4, 2011, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Monday, December 5, 2011, 7:30 pm Northern Lights Centre, Watson Lake
Did you know over ninety species of butterflies are known from the Yukon? Post-glacial colonization of southern areas by butterflies of the eastern boreal forests, the southern grasslands, and the west coast accounts for much of the diversity, while the northern Yukon has a variety of Beringian species, many of which have expanded their range into the mountains further south. Some of the species being found in the Yukon are new to science.
Join Cris Guppy as he gives an overview of this amazing diversity of Yukon butterflies, the wide range of habitats they use here, and the different ways they have adapted to northern climates.
On Yukon time: 700 million years of changing landscapes
JoAnne Nelson
Senior Project Geologist, BC Geological Survey
Sunday, November 20, 2011 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Geological history is like a very long movie, in which our own lives take up more or less a single frame. Hidden in that remote past is a dramatic story - of continents colliding and rifting apart again, and of volcanic island chains crossing oceans to collide with farther shores. Caught in the endless cycle of change, living creatures have always coped, adapted, and evolved, have found their nests and niches on the ever-shifting ground. This talk takes a journey through the last 700 million years in evolution of Yukon landscapes, from the birth of the Pacific Ocean to the continuing pull of its oceanic plates on the edge of our land today.
Wind Energy in Canada: the basics, the resource and the opportunity
Peter Taylor
Professor of Atmospheric Science and Applied Mathematics, York University
Thursday, October 6, 2011, 7:30 pm Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, Whitehorse
Currently wind provides about 2% of Canada’s electricity needs. How do we harness this power? And is it worth expanding on our wind energy potential? Join Peter Taylor for a look at the physics of wind energy and wind turbines, and how it can be applied in Canada.
As part of his presentation he will be showing the film, "Wind Energy in Canada - Physics, Planning and Politics" - a joint venture between a group of atmospheric scientists and engineers, and York University's Film program, soon to be available for distribution to schools and other interested groups.