scientificanada

On Monday, Adam co-moderated the 2020 McMaster Researchers' Night.  The topic was FOOD, and included four panelists from diverse research backgrounds. Adam had a chance to sneak a question or two in during the evening and got some audio from the event. Have a listen!

The panelists included:

- biophysicist and expert in molecular gastronomy: Dr. Christophe Lavelle from the National Research Centre in Paris, France

- Dr. Parmjit Singh, PhD Psychology and expert in mindfulness at McMaster University,

The event has passed, but some of Adam's posts about the researchers are still available on Facebook. If any of the panelists piqued your interest, read more about them there.

See you next week!

Dr. John Bandler is back this week to talk about the Three Minute Thesis Competition. He is hosting a workshop to help get you started on THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13th, and in anticipation of that, is here with Adam to dissect some award-winning examples, like Canxiu Zhang’s (Brainwave Analysis for Stroke Detection) and Daniel Tajik’s Microwave Holography for Medical Imaging.

For the full experience, make sure to follow us on YouTube where we will be posting the full interview including video of the presentations.

Check out the School of Graduate Studies’ YouTube channel for more videos, too.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a university-wide competition for graduate students in which participants present their research and its wider impact in 3 minutes or less to a panel of non-specialist judges. The challenge is to present complex research in an engaging, accessible, and compelling way, using only one static slide.

For more examples, and some other workshops Dr. Bandler has hosted, find him on YouTube.

Never miss an episode, and be the first to know when new episodes come out (we have a super-special episode coming out on Friday) by following us on Instagram and Twitter! We actually post there now!

Here's the deal. You can get a 45 minute workout done in 10 minutes... but it's going to be tough.

Billy Bostad is working towards a PhD in McMaster's Human Performance Lab. His work focuses on the physical responses everyday people have to extremely short, intense bouts of exercise, and how to encorporate this type of exercise into a healthy lifestyle that anyone can benefit from.

We also learn about how Billy found physiology at Guelph, earned a MSc in it at Queen's, got a job, then left to pursue his PhD at McMaster.

You can follow Billy on social media (Twitter + Instagram).

If you are interested in his work, you can email him directly (bostadw  at  mcmaster  dot  ca).

If you are reaaaaally interested in his work, check out the Human Performance Lab! I betcha they are recruiting students and volunteers.

Shawn had a chapter from his thesis accepted, to be published in Cancer! Hear about going from side project to accepted, with all the iteration and uncertainty in between.

But first, we talk about commercial gene sequencing company 23andMe developing and selling drugs based on their customers' data. Also - the coronavirus has been found in the US. No confirmed cases in Canada though several travelers are being held for observation.

Matthew Jordan graduated from McMaster's Arts & Science Department, earned two Masters' degrees at Oxford, and came back to teach McMaster undergrads about the history of science, and history, policy, philosophy, and ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Adam and Matthew talk about those things, plus music, and performing improv!

Follow Matthew Jordan on Twitter.

Follow The AlmaMAC on Twitter and Instagram.

Follow Adam on Twitter.

Watch the interview on YouTube this Friday.

"Scientist He Jiankui showed the world how human embryo editing is relatively easy to do but incredibly difficult to do well." (read more here).

Adam and Shawn discussed this case, what CRISPR can be used for, the use of CRISPR in somatic vs germline mutations and overall the ethics of this case.

What happens when a cyclone tears through a spider's habitat? It gets mad. Like, generational anger. A grudge that gets passed down through their DNA? This year I am transitioning from graduate student to science writer, and I have successfully pitched my first paid article! It's based on an interview I've been sitting on for a few months. The full thing will be released closer to the article, but here is a taste of what to expect!

Be sure to follow scientificanada on your favorite podcasting app, and leave a rating if applicable!

We are now on YouTube for those who would prefer captions to read along with! I am also hoping to start putting up some video content in 2020. Like-Comment-Subscribe!

Finally, you can follow me on Twitter @adamfortais 

Thanks!

The whole team is here today! Hear what Matt, Shawn, and Adam have been up to this semester (getting awards, giving away thigh muscles. "Matt-leave", etc.), an interesting fact about Rhianna, and what your hosts are planning for next semester (a field trip to SciCommTO?)

Did you know we have a podcast channel with nearly 30 episodes from 3 different shows, including old episodes of The AlmaMAC? Listen here!

Emily Sirotich has got to have the hardest job. She is trying to create evidence-based protocols for when patients with a rare bleeding disorder come into the emergency ward. These are usually life-or-death situations, but because of the rarity of the disease, there is very little evidence in the literature for which to base a protocol off of. Emily tells us the techniques she uses, including retroactive studies, that let her make strong, science-based recommendations for treating these patients.

Tara is a 2nd year MSc. student in Dr. Heisz' Neurofit Lab in the Department of Kinesiology. She studies how physical activity and sleep interact as a protective measure for cognitive function

Find out more about her lab's previous work on exercise intensity for improving memory here as well as the paper she mentioned throughout the interview about how physical activity impacts sleep and cognition here.

If you are interested in helping her recruit participants, please contact her with her contact information below:

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]