Free Science* Events

*and applied-science

Please confirm the date and time of events prior to attending, as they sometimes change.

Thursday, December 1

Age-Friendly Community Initiatives: Lessons From . . The Institute for Life Course and Aging. A panel discussion with Andrea Austen (City of Toronto), Sander Hitzig (Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre) and Raza M. Mirza (National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly). Please feel free to bring your lunch with you.

Time & location: 12 – 1 PM The Institute for Life Course and Aging, 4th Floor Classroom, 263 McCaul St. Registration required: Email [email protected] For more information: http://www.grandparentfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/2016- 17_Institute_Seminar_Brochure.pdf

Sound Healing. Bernard Betel Centre. Sounds surround us daily, but did you know that certain sounds can reduce stress and are beneficial to our bodies? Learn about sounds and its benefits at this presentation.

Time & location: 1:30 – 2:30 PM Bernard Betel Centre, Synagogue, 1003 Steeles Ave. West For more information: http://www.betelcentre.org/event/sound-healing

On Pulsars: Ultra-Dense Material Spinning Dizzingly Fast. University of Toronto AstroTours. Speaker: Nikhil Mahajan, University of Toronto. Pulsars are magnetized spinning neutron stars that emit a beam of radiation. In this talk, the speaker will go over the history of pulsar astronomy, the reasons why we care about them and what they really are. Enjoy a planetarium show after the lecture (registration required).

Time & location: 8 PM McLennan Physical Laboratories, Room MP203, 60 St. George St. Registration for https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/december-1st-2016-uoft-astrotour-planetarium- planetarium show: shows-tickets-29550073064 For more information: http://www.astro.utoronto.ca/astrotours/?page_id=392

Friday, December 2

Environmental Anarchism: Agriculture, Cooperatives and Social Renewal in Modern Korea. University of Toronto. Munk School of Global Affairs. Speaker: Albert Park, Claremont McKenna College. The speaker traces the rise of environmental consciousness and movements in Korea after 1945. In particular, he locates the origins of environmentalism in rural Korea with agricultural farming communities and cooperatives, such as Hansalim. These agricultural-based movements embodied and materialized a form of anarchism.

Time & location: 2 – 4 PM Munk School of Global Affairs, North House, Room 208N, 1 Devonshire Pl. Registration required: http://munkschool.utoronto.ca/event/20823/register/ For more information: http://munkschool.utoronto.ca/event/20823/

Sunday, December 4

High Park Through the Ages. Sunday Walking Tours. High Park Nature. Local history buff Dave Berndorff traces the evolution of well-known spots in the park from original settlement to the present. Walks may go on wooded trails, so please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

Time & location: 10:30 AM – 12 PM High Park. Meet at the benches, across the road from the south side of Grenadier Restaurant in the middle of High Park. For more information: http://www.highparknature.org/wiki/wiki.php?n=Explore.WalkingTours

Icicles: The Science of Winter. Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science. Speakers: Dr. Stephen Morris (University of Toronto) and Pueblo Science. For children and youth, 6 and older. Explore the physics of icicles and enjoy some chilly hands-on activities.

Time & location: 2 – 3:30 PM Medical Sciences Building, Macleod Auditorium, 1 King’s College Circle Registration required: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/the-science-of-winter-tickets-28349842141 For more information: http://rciscience.ca/fall-2016-rciscience-talks/

Wolf & Coyote Behaviour. Toronto Field Naturalists. Dennis Murray (Trent University) studies how behaviour can affect the integrity of these populations, particularly the impacts of hybridization on their conservation.

Time & location: 2:30 PM Emmanuel College, Room 001, 75 Queens Park For more information: http://www.torontofieldnaturalists.org/v-lectures.htm

Tuesday, December 6

From Computational Thinking to Computation Values. University of Toronto. Dept. of Computer Science. Speaker: Hal Abelson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In this talk, the speaker will describe some of the things done at MIT to support computational values, like open publication of all course materials, faculty policy on open publication of academic research and the recent initiative of open online instruction based on non-proprietary software platforms. He’ll also discuss Creative Commons licensing and Free Software and the importance of tinkerability for empowering citizens in an information society and much more.

Time & location: 11 AM Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room, BA1170, 40 St. George St. For more information: http://web.cs.toronto.edu/news/events/dls2016-17_dec6.htm

Effects of Changing Climate on the Structure and Function of the Northern Forest. University of Toronto. The Centre for Global Change Science. Speaker: Charles Driscoll, Syracuse University.

Time & location: 4:10 PM Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room BA1210, 40 St. George St. For more information: http://www.cgcs.utoronto.ca/Series/Distinguished_Lecturer_Series__2016- 2017_.htm

Game Ready Assets Using Photogrammetry. TorontoVR. Speaker: Joseph Azzam. The speaker will share his insights about creating game ready assets using photogrammetry, including techniques like texture extraction, shadow-removal and retopology.

Time & location: 7 PM Globacore Headquarters, 90 Fraser Ave. Registration required: https://www.meetup.com/TorontoVR/events/235420157/

Wednesday, December 7

#DMZSession: Robot Revolution. The DMZ at . We’re coming to an age where cars drive themselves and drones deliver our holiday gifts. But will automation (the replacement of workers by technology and computerization) take over our jobs? Or will they create a new market for specialized jobs? Panelists will discuss the growing use of automation in the workplace, its implications and how it’s becoming embedded into our day-to-day lives.

Time & location: 1 – 2:30 PM The DMZ at Ryerson University, Suite 600, 10 Dundas St. East Registration required: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/dmzsession-robot-revolution-tickets- 29050086591

Ontario’s Action on Climate Change. University of Toronto. School of the Environment. Speaker: Dianne Saxe, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario.

Time & location: 4:10 – 5:30 PM Earth Sciences Building, Basement, Room 149, 5 Bancroft Ave. For more information: http://www.environment.utoronto.ca/SeminarSeries/EnvironmentSeminarSeri es/Ontario.aspx

Recreational Astronomy Night. Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Toronto Centre. Members will present their latest projects and give tutorials and tips on astronomy topics. Topics include: the sky this month, chasing the twilight planet and DSLR photometry and the AAVSO.

Time & location: 7:30 – 9:30 PM Ontario Science Centre, 770 Don Mills Rd. For more information: http://rascto.ca/content/recreational-astronomy-night-33

Thursday, December 8

15 Days to a Clutter Free Home. Bernard Betel Centre. Most people want to declutter their home, but where do we start? Come and learn from the organizational and downsizing experts.

Time & location: 1:30 – 2:30 PM Bernard Betel Centre, Synagogue, 1003 Steeles Ave. West For more information: http://www.betelcentre.org/event/15-days-clutter-free-home

Untangling the Web-Based Communication System of Black Widow Spiders. Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society. University of Toronto Chapter. Speaker: Catherine Scott, University of Toronto Scarborough. A little known fact about black widow spiders is their highly sophisticated sexual communication system – they send messages, quite literally, via the web. In this talk, the speaker will share some of the little-known natural history and remarkable sexual behaviour of black widow spiders, while correcting some commonly held misconceptions. She will also describe how the specialized sensory systems of these spiders allow them to communicate and navigate using touch, taste, scent and vibration.

Time & location: 4:30 PM Ramsay Wright Zoological Laboratories, Room 432, 25 Harbord St. For more information: http://www.sigmaxi.utoronto.ca/events/sigmaxi20161208.pdf

Tech in Motion’s End of Year Celebration. Tech in Motion Toronto. From autonomous vehicles and reusable rockets, to ubiquitous VR headsets and universally-popular AR games, high tech went mainstream in 2016. Join Tech in Motion for a celebration of the people and organizations driving innovation in Toronto and beyond.

Time & location: 6 – 9 PM Revival Bar, 783 College St. Registration required: https://www.meetup.com/techinmotiontoronto/events/234242531/

Women in Robotics Series: Erica Tiberia, Roboticist and Educator. Get Your Bot On! Robotics Community. This series celebrates the work of women in the field of robotics and provides a forum for them to share their work and career with the community. All community members, male and female, are invited to come, learn and participate in the discussion.

Time & location: 6 PM Health Innovation Hub, 1st Floor, 263 McCaul Ave. Registration required: http://www.meetup.com/Get-Your-Bot-On-Robotics- Hackathon/events/234793342/

Friday, December 9

Coding & Cocktails. Ryerson University. Faculty of Science. Coding is an accessible skill that everyone can learn and do. This event will give you hands-on experience and raise awareness of the importance of computer science as it helps nurture problem- solving skills, logic and creativity. No coding experience is necessary. After the session, there will be an opportunity to network and mingle with other professionals while sipping on cocktails (cash bar). Photo ID is required.

Time & location: 7 – 10 PM Ryerson University, George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, 245 Church St. Registration required: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/coding-cocktails-tickets-28865204604

It’s About that Sun. Physics Group. Check the bulletin board to the right of the sliding doors for committee room number.

Time & location: 6:30 – 9 PM North , Lower Level, Committee Room, 5100 Yonge St. Registration required: https://www.meetup.com/northyorkphysics/events/235369814/

Saturday, December 10

Bird Walk. Citizens Concerned About the Future of the Etobicoke Waterfront. Leader: Garth Riley.

Time & location: 9 – 11 AM Humber Bay Park. Meet in the main parking lot (map: https://goo.gl/Th4vgi) For more information: http://www.ccfew.org/html/bird_walks.html

Winter Bird Count for Kids. Humber Arboretum. Introduce your kids and yourself to the wonders of winter bird-watching. Learn about the birds you can see at the Humber Arboretum and the work being done by Bird Studies Canada. Also get tips on bird- watching tools and techniques. Bring binoculars and bird guides if you have them. But if not, don’t worry—there will be loaners on hand.

Time & location: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM Humber Arboretum, 205 Blvd. Registration required: http://www.humberarboretum.on.ca/event- reg.php?event=Winter_Bird_Count For more information: http://www.humberarboretum.on.ca/events.php#birdcount

Sunday, December 11

A Safe Climate Future: What is the World’s Carbon Budget? Toronto Climate Action Network. An objective of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change is to limit temperature rises to 1.5°C above the pre-industrial global average. We need to stop the burning of coal before 2030 and decarbonized our transport system by 2050 in order to achieve this goal. But is 1.5°C even possible? And what will it take for us to get there?

Time & location: 7 – 9 PM Friends House, 60 Lowther Ave. For more information: http://tcan.ca/event/safe-climate-future-what-world%E2%80%99s-carbon- budget

Tuesday, December 13

Framework for Applying Machine Intelligence to Business. Machine Intelligence Toronto. Speaker: Chris Matys. Learn what machine intelligence is, its applications and what’s going on in Toronto’s data science community.

Time & location: 6:30 – 8 PM MaRS Discovery District, Downstairs, 101 College St. Registration required: https://www.meetup.com/MachineIntelligence/events/235579748/

Thursday, December 15

Year of Pulses. Bernard Betel Centre. Dried peas, edible beans, lentils and chickpeas are the most common varieties of pulses. Learn more about the health benefits of pulses with registered dietitian, Leah Shainhouse.

Time & location: 1:30 – 2:30 PM Bernard Betel Centre, Synagogue, 1003 Steeles Ave. West For more information: http://www.betelcentre.org/event/year-pulses

Sunday, December 18

Holiday Hike. Sunday Walking Tours. High Park Nature. A brisk but casual social walk ending with hot cider at Colborne Lodge. Walks may go on wooded trails, so please wear appropriate clothing and footwear.

Time & location: 10:30 AM – 12 PM High Park. Meet at the benches, across the road from the south side of Grenadier Restaurant in the middle of High Park. For more information: http://www.highparknature.org/wiki/wiki.php?n=Explore.WalkingTours

Thursday, December 22

Food Demonstration. Bernard Betel Centre. Learn how to prepare a delicious meal with pulses and sample some of the cooking.

Time & location: 1:30 – 2:30 PM Bernard Betel Centre, Synagogue, 1003 Steeles Ave. West For more information: http://www.betelcentre.org/event/food-demonstration

There are also free programs at the .

 Science & Technology programs: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs-and- classes/categories/science-technology.jsp  Health & Wellness programs: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/programs- and-classes/categories/health-wellness.jsp

Or have a look at the What’s On program guide, available in branches.

Also, connect with us online and get the latest library news, event listings and librarian expertise at the North York Central Library blog: http://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/north-york-central-blog/

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North York Central Library, Business, Science & Technology Department