Privacy Policy
Signals Blog

Contributors

Categories

Right Turn: An eye full of science art on display in Toronto

by | Sep 21, 2018

Yesterday I took a trip to Toronto Pearson International Airport. Sadly, that’s where my voyage ended. I wasn’t there to escape to somewhere hot and tropical or cold and cozy; my destination was Terminal 1 at the airport. Full stop.

Pearson is the location of an exciting new science art installation called Artful Science that conveniently runs over Science Literacy Week. Until December 2018, you can view 16 stem cell images, five computational biology images and three quantum physics images. Most are the scientific output of researchers at the University of Toronto, but there are images from the University of Ottawa, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in Toronto, the University of Guelph and the University of British Columbia. They are all open to the public and free. They are grouped in three galleries in Departures (not Arrivals).

The exhibit is a collaborative effort between Dr. Molly Shoichet, Ontario’s first Chief Scientist, and her Research 2 Reality* team at the University of Toronto, and the Department of Ambiance and Aesthetics, Greater Toronto Airports Authority. CCRM and the Stem Cell Network were delighted to lend a variety of “Cells I See” images to the exhibit. We all share a commitment to showcasing the beauty of science, and art is an excellent tool for public engagement and sparking interest in science. The “A” in art is what turns STEM into STEAM.

And speaking of Cells I See, the popular stem cell art contest is back! There are 12 stunning and intriguing images in this year’s competition. The public can vote for their favourite – or favourites – in the People’s Choice contest that runs until October 17, 2018. Please vote and make these scientists very happy!

Based on last year’s numbers and results for the first half of 2018, Pearson expects over 47 million passengers+ to go through the airport this year. If you’re not going to be one of them, you can still see the exhibit by watching this Facebook Live video CCRM produced. Dr. Nicole Kuchinsky, of CCRM, and PhD candidate Samantha Yammine, who has an image in the exhibit, discuss what the images show, how they are produced, and lots of cool science! It’s a great lesson in cell biology and more.

*If you like Research2Reality, vote for them as Canada’s favourite science site. Details here.

+Originally this was reported as 3 million visitors with different wording. Sorry for the error.

 

 

The following two tabs change content below.
Avatar photo
My Twitter profileMy Google+ profileMy LinkedIn profile

Stacey Johnson

Stacey Johnson is the editor of Signals and a contributor. For 25 years, Stacey has been providing strategic communications counsel to government, corporate, technology and health organizations. She began her career at the CTV Television Network and then moved to Hill & Knowlton Canada where she advised clients in a variety of industries and sectors. Stacey is the Vice President, Communications and Marketing for CCRM, a leader in developing and commercializing regenerative medicine-based technologies and cell and gene therapies. She has a Master's degree in Public Relations. You can follow her on Twitter @msstaceyerin.

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *