An active Science Literacy Week

This year, Science Literacy Week will keep you moving. Beginning September 16, there are tours lined up, a game-based session around data management, a hands-on Excel workshop, interactive sound demonstrations, and exhibits to explore.

Here is the daily rundown of downtown activities organized by the Library:

Monday, (Sept 16): Montreal’s Urban Heat Island: Tour of temperature sensors on campus

Tuesday, (Sept 17): Tour of the Maude Abbott Medical Museum

Wednesday, (Sept 18): Sounds in the City + Treasures from the History of Science in Rare Books and Special Collections

Thursday, (Sept 19): Tour of the Steinberg Centre for Simulation and Interactive Learning + Discover the cure! An introduction to the fundamentals of data management

Friday, (Sept 20): Chart Making in Excel: Going Further by Telling a Story with your Data

Register for an event today!

We also have exhibits going on so don’t miss out on those. You will get the opportunity to test out your map literacy in the Redpath Library Building, and check out a science book in person or online.

A little piece of Schulich Library goes to China!

One of the main reasons I love working at McGill is the opportunity to interact with amazing students and staff who are doing exciting projects that could potentially change the world. The 99 McGill and Concordia student, staff, and alumni members of Team Montreal are currently part of one such endeavor. They are building a net zero energy home, a prototype that could revolutionize how we live in the future since the technological design features of this house enable it to create as much energy as the house dwellers consume. They have all kinds of sponsors including their lead presenting sponsor, Hydro Quebec, who sees this project as an opportunity for them to become a main player in technologies related to intelligent and sustainable home design. Hydro Quebec’s vice-president of client services, Eric Filion, sees this project as a way for them to learn more about innovative technologies and actually test them out.

Not only is Team Montreal building a house that could change for the better the way we live, they are also out to win the Solar Decathlon China 2018 competition currently taking place in China, where, as the only team from Canada, they are competing against 21 other teams from around the world. Once the competition is over, most houses will remain on public display either in China or elsewhere. Team members say there are plans to build other houses in Montreal using the same design.

What is particularly cool about the Team Montreal design is the way it takes the traditional row housing style of architecture so predominant in Montreal and creates something new, incorporating Asian-style features such as an open-air courtyard, and innovative technologies that enhance the house’s sustainability. For a sneak peek of how the house will look upon completion, check out the 3-minute video here (part-way down the page on the right-hand side).

I had heard about the project a few months back and was thrilled to be contacted in April by one of the team members who was asking for help. They wanted to have books on architecture and engineering to add to the house’s built-in bookshelves. The books could show signs of use since they wanted to give the house a lived-in feel. I was so happy to be able to support this fantastic project. Right away, I contacted my engineering librarian counterpart at Concordia, Joshua Chalifour to see if he could help out. Joshua had a number of engineering books that were going to be discarding due to them being so well-used and they had purchased replacement copies already. He willingly lugged a bunch of them over by foot from Concordia for me to add to the pile. So along with the books Joshua brought over, we had a combination of items from Schulich Library that were donations we already had in our collection, items that we were going to discard because we had duplicate copies or newer editions, and some old engineering trade magazines from my personal collection.

It was very exciting to correspond and meet with team members Kim Chayer and Thierry Syriani. Their enthusiasm for this project is certainly contagious! When they came to see the books, they were really happy to take everything! The books went out in two shipments, with the pre-fabricated house materials in big crates, the 1st shipment being in April and the 2nd one in June.

How can you help? You can support the team by liking and following them on Facebook or by following their diary where, as I write, they are in the home stretch of needing to assemble the house within the next few days. They are battling hot weather, challenges associated with pre-fabrication construction, heavy rain, and typhoon threats in order to complete the house on time. You can also support them by making a donation.

Go Team Montreal! Who knows, some of the engineering books you may have used in courses taught at McGill and Concordia might be lining the shelves of this year’s prize-winning house of the Solar Decathlon China competition!

Welcoming new Librarians

The Schulich Library is excited to welcome not one, not two, but THREE new librarians to our ranks!

First, we have Nu Ree Lee. Nu Ree comes to us from Purdue University in Indiana where she was a research data management librarian. Nu Ree is the new librarian for Bioengineering, Biomedical engineering, Chemical engineering, Mining and Materials engineering, and Earth and Planetary Sciences (whew, so many). If she is your subject librarian, you can reach Nu Ree at nuree.lee@mcgill.ca

In addition to being an awesome librarian, Nu Ree has a King Charles Spaniel/Bichon mix dog named Chopin, is originally from Toronto, and recently took up kickboxing.

Next, we have Lucy Kiester. Lucy has moved here from Dalhousie University in Halifax where she worked in the Health Sciences library with Nursing and Dentistry. She is the new Undergraduate Medical Education Librarian (only 800 students!) and can be reached at lucy.kiester@mcgill.ca.

Lucy hails from a very small town in the Pacific Northwest, loves to salsa dance, and admits to watching a stunning number of videos on Youtube.

Last, but certainly not least, we have Andrea Quaiattini. Andrea comes to us from the University of Alberta where she worked all over their Health and Sciences libraries. She is the new liaison for Graduate Medicine, Medical Education, and many of the Medical Specialties. To reach Andrea email andrea.quaiattini@mcgill.ca.

Andrea is originally from Calgary, loves a good walk in the mountains, and proudly admits to knowing far too much (or exactly the right amount) about Monty Python.

All three of these librarians are very excited to be joining the team of librarians at Schulich and are looking forward to making connections with their students and faculty! Send an email to say hello, ask for a consult, or get other library support.

As ever, if you are unsure of who your subject librarian is, feel free to send an email with your question or topic of research to schulich.library@mcgill.ca, and we will be sure to direct your email to the correct librarian.

Science cinema with Kanopy

Science CinemaIt’s Science Literacy Week and this year we’ve added movies to the calendar, selected from the Kanopy streaming video service.

We will also have popcorn, so be sure to join us at 5:30pm in the Redpath Library Building, Research Commons Room A, where the visualization wall is perfect for screenings.

Here is what’s on:

  • Monday: Google and the World Brain

  • Tuesday: I Dream of Wires: The Machine that Shaped Electronic Music

  • Wednesday: Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us?

  • Thursday: Top Secret Rosies

  • Friday: GTFO: Get the F**k Out – Women in Gaming

Read descriptions here.

With Kanopy in the Library collection, every day can be movie day. Whether you love classic films or documentaries, there is plenty to explore.

Happy viewing!

Walk and work @ Schulich Library

Schulich treadmill deskIt is important to move around throughout the day to meet those fitness goals, reduce stress, and get our creative juices flowing. Living through your average Montreal winter does not make it easy. Once we arrive at our destination it is easy to rationalize staying put for as along as possible.

To help make moving around a little easier, we have installed a treadmill desk at Schulich Library. It is up on the group study floor so that the little noise it makes will not be an issue. The height of the desk portion is adjustable and the speed can be set up to 4 mph. While you can’t get a full on run on the treadmill, you can get a nice brisk walk going and get your heart rate up.

I know it is a little unusual but don’t be shy about getting on the treadmill and setting up your work on the desk. Seeing you there will help others feel more comfortable about walking while working. Also, if you get the chance, please fill out our short survey after your walk and give us your feedback.

From Star Trek to honeybees

United States design patent 307,923This year’s Science Literacy Week really does have it all, starting with two amazing library exhibits:

  1. The Science of Star Trek at Schulich Library
  2. Knowing Blood, Medical Observations, Fluid Meanings at Osler Library of the History of Medicine.

If you can’t make it up to Osler Library, we have a touch table coming to Schulich Library tomorrow that will allow you to explore the Knowing Blood exhibit from Tuesday to Friday.

The fun with technology does not stop there, however, because we have 3D printing and learn to code workshops. You can also explore virtual reality technologies with the Oculus Rift. I will definitely be there for that.

I haven’t forgotten about the bees…we have hives on the roof of Schulich Library and they make the best honey. Take a visit up there with an experienced beekeeper.

There is more happening than I can mention here but I don’t want to leave out Wednesday’s Wikipedia edit-a-thon on women in science, or the talk from Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the facts and myths of eating right on Thursday afternoon.

I will leave you with the calendar of events to explore. Now if only we had transporter rooms… Well, there is always next year!

Raspberry Pi’s and Arduinos come to Schulich

Launch of Raspberry Pi and Arduino lending program at Schulich - 21 Sept 2015We had a lot of fun this morning at Schulich launching our new Raspberry Pi and Arduino lending programme! These devices are two types of credit-card sized computer which are developing a rapidly growing following due to the ways they can be incorporated into a wide range of projects.

IMG_2108Schulich will start lending these items out later this week, for a loan period of two weeks, and will be monitoring the service over the next few weeks – the kits will be available on a first-come, first-served basis like all other library materials.  We’ll also be lending out a robotics unit and a wearable computing device.  Please come to the Schulich loans desk if you’d like to borrow a kit.

We’d love to hear about the creative ways these are used by the McGill community!  If you take out a kit, please spare us two minutes to give us your feedback using this form, and consider sending pictures of your project.

Science Literacy Week: Register today

At Schulich Library we ♥ science and we have created an amazing lineup of events to share our love of science with you. This year we are participating in Science Literacy Week and it is only one week away: September 21st – 27th.

I invite you to visit our guide to Science Literacy Week @ McGill, where you will find info on exhibits and events organized by the Library and the Redpath Museum.

There are so many events scheduled that I will let the list speak for itself:

Register today!

Sprint in to the Library!

McGill Library SprintThe McGill Library Sprint is a new interactive game and self-guided tour. Choose between the Schulich Library and the Humanities and Social Sciences Library and answer some challenging questions.

Prizes include a Fitbit Flex and McGill Bookstore gift certificates.

We had a lot of fun putting together the questions for Schulich Library and we hope that you have as much fun playing!

Want to take a scheduled tour around Schulich Library? We have those too! Take a look at the list of upcoming tours and MyLibrary introductory workshops. Tours and workshops are also being offered in Mandarin Chinese and Persian.

“Natural Disasters – Live from the MOOC’s Epicentre” Event Rocks Schulich Library!

Natural disasters display

Despite a risk of severe thunderstorms (very fitting for the evening’s theme!), about 50 participants braved their way to Schulich Library of Science and Engineering on Tuesday night for “Natural Disasters – Live from the MOOC’s Epicentre!” to hear all about Montreal-area natural disasters. A big thanks to everyone who joined us, and an even bigger thanks to Professors John Stix and John Gyakum for presenting loads of information on different types of natural disasters and their likelihood of taking place in Montreal. Their presentation was delivered in a conversational, fact-filled and thought-provoking style that inspired the audience.

So what natural disasters could happen here? Earthquakes, ice storms (of course!), and even hurricanes are all possibilities. Even though Professor Stix confirmed that Mount Royal isn’t a volcano, he did recount a dream he once had that Mount Royal erupted and lava came flowing down the middle of campus! (This just goes to show you the kind of things geologists dream about!) The professors also talked about increased risk of natural disasters due to human activities (such as the increased chances of extreme weather events due to rising CO2 emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels and the increased likelihood of earthquakes from fracking to obtain natural gas). Professor Gyakum showed a video that gives the analogy of steroid use by baseball players to explain how climate change works (available here). He also explained that increased water vapor in the atmosphere caused by increased CO2 emissions ups the chances of more extreme weather, such as ice storms in Montreal. We are, after all, in one of North America’s freezing rain capitals. So make sure to keep those candles and bottled water handy this winter!

Their talk generated a lot of questions such as: Is there a risk of Yellowstone erupting anytime soon? Professor Stix says it is a very active geologic area, which may explain this recent news story . However, he also said “I don’t lose sleep over it.” Another participant asked: Generally, how prepared are Montreal’s buildings for an earthquake? Members of the audience concluded that we are not so prepared, especially considering the number of old buildings we have here.

In case you missed the event, you can always come check out the Natural Disasters display with information, photos and specimens related to ice storms, volcanoes and earthquakes. It is located on the main floor of the Schulich Library and will be up until, at least, the end of summer.

Finally, a special thank you to Teaching and Learning Services and Ingrid Birker from the Redpath Museum’s Science Outreach and Public Program for helping to make the evening a success.