On the 13th of March 2020, the University of Ottawa was announcing all classes were to be online for the rest of the semester. Little did we know this would last 2 years for many of us. Four students from the Science Student's Association (SSA) tell us their story, how it started, how it evolved and where they are now in relation to their university experience during a pandemic. Let's listen to Tanya Li (4th year environmental science, Jessica Holmes (5th year chemistry), Kirsten Chua (2nd year Biomed) and Allison Quinn O'Rourke (4th year biochemistry).

This month Dr Michael Country talk to Dr Jeremy Kerr, professor at the University of Ottawa, Chair of the Department of Biology, University Research Chair in Macroecology and Conservation. Engaged in media relations regarding his research, for which he received an award in 2016, Jeremy is also engaged in environmental policy, his research informing politicians on climate change, conservation, biodiversity and more. Jeremy talks to us about the duty of engaging the public when we are publicly funded, the necessity for scientists comfortable to do so to participate in policy making, and communicating with the media.

Utiliser la bande dessinée pour communiquer la science? Tout-à-fait! Laissez-vous convaincre (si vous ne l'êtes pas déjà!) par l'enthousiasme infectieux et l'expertise d'Olivier Robin. Olivier Robin est professeur adjoint à la Faculté de Génie à l'Université de Sherbrooke, avec Benoît Leblanc, ils y donnent un cours gradué sur la communication des sciences par la bande dessinée (vous pouvez lire leur article publié dans Frontiers Communication décrivant le cours en détail, voir les notes du programme), ils ont aussi récemment publié un livre recueil de bande dessinée sur des thèmes scientifiques de toutes sortent; Dessine ta science, suite à un projet de communication scientifique supporté par le CRSNG.

Aujourd'hui nous parlons avec Marthe Poirier, Directrice Générale du Réseau TechnoScience, de ce bijou qu'est l'Expo-Sciences au Québec. Un vrai cadeau que des générations d'innovateurs, éducateurs, bénévoles, scientifiques et, bien entendu, des milliers d'étudiants et étudiantes, se donnent depuis déjà 61 ans! Dégustez lentement avec plaisir...

Beyond the Test Tube is produced by two bilingual Canadians! Especially since both of us either have graduated from or work at the University of Ottawa, a bilingual university, we thought why not, let's produce episodes in French or English. So here we are, our first episode in French. The vast majority of the scientific world operates in English, so expect more episodes in English, with a few French ones in between. Vive la différence!

Beyond the Test Tube est produit par deux Canadiens bilingues ! D'autant plus qu'un de nous est diplômé de l'Université d'Ottawa, une université bilingue, et que l'autre y travaille, nous nous sommes dit pourquoi pas, produisons des épisodes en français ou en anglais. Et voilà, voici notre premier épisode en français. La grande majorité du monde scientifique fonctionne en anglais, alors attendez-vous à plus d'épisodes en anglais, avec quelques épisodes en français à travers le tout. Vive la différence !

This month we have the pleasure of diving into ants evolution, ecology and development with Dr Rajendhran Rajakumar. Dr Rajakumar is an assistant professor at the Department of Biology at the University of Ottawa. His lab studies how one species of ants can produce morphologically diverse individuals, such as a queen and a worker, even though they share the exact same genome. The mechanisms by which this phenotypic diversity arise is deliciously intriguing and Dr Rajakumar's enthusiasm is boundless. Listen and be seduced by the wonderful biology of ants.

Drs. Elaine Beaulieu and Michael Country speak with Dr. Dillon Chung, a physiologist who focuses on the mitochondria of different animals. He's a comparative physiologist, which means he learns physiology by learning from a range of animals, letting them teach him their secrets. He's studied metabolism at the extremes: he's looked at hibernating 13-lined ground squirrels, which by some measures can drop their metabolism by 95-99%. On the other end of the spectrum, he's currently working on shrews - tiny mammals with metabolisms so high that some species may consume double their bodyweight in food every day. He especially focuses on mitochondria, and he currently works in a mitochondrial lab in the National Institutes of Health.

On this episode, Mike had the pleasure of speaking with Dr Kathryn Knight, the News and Views Editor of the Journal of Experimental Biology (JEB). Dr Knight discusses editing tricks, what makes a well written piece, and how to get into science writing. This is one fully packed episode you will not want to miss!

"Science writing isn't about educating people, it's about entertaining people." - Dr Knight

Mike and Elaine have the pleasure to talk to Julie Laurin, an artist, a successful entrepreneur, a school drop out, a science communicator, and most importantly, a curious learner with a talent for sharing her enthusiasm. Julie Laurin cannot be put in a box and it has been a delight to understand her motivation, talk about how anyone can get into science, how communicating with scientist is not as difficult as you think and how sometimes, going to post-secondary school is overrated.

We've got a herpetologist special for this episode. Maddie and Andrea talk about the ins and outs of herpetology, Andrea's master's working with snakes, and some weird business ideas... Learn what a herper is and how you can do it too.

Follow Andrea on Instagram @andrea.gigeroff and on Tik Tok @snake.aunt

This month, Elaine has the immense pleasure to talk to Dr Andrew Catalano about the beauty of science and the intersect with art and education. Dr Catalano is the creative mind behind the animated textbook company Smart Biology, a unique educational resource this is as accurate as it is beautiful and inspiring. Enjoy the journey!