McGill Mini-Science 2011
Better living through chemistry?
Wednesday evenings,
March 16 - April 27, 2011
| Date | Topic | Speaker |
|---|---|---|
| March 16 | Chemicals for better and for worseIn the public mind, "chemicals" equate to "toxins" or "poisons." The truth is that chemicals are just the building blocks of all matter; they are not good or bad, safe or dangerous. There are safe ways and dangerous ways to use chemicals. The decision is ours. | Joe Schwarcz, Ph.D., Director, Office for Science and Society [Bio] |
| March 23 | From the chemistry of chicken soup to the chemistry of the brain and behaviourWith its underlying chemistry and physiology, the brain is the organ of behaviour. It is fascinating to explore some highlights from neurochemistry and see how these shape our theoretical and practical understanding of behavioural science. | Amir Raz, Ph.D., Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Psychology [Bio] |
| March 30 | From Jesuit's bark to synchrotrons - the rise and fall of an antimalarialMalaria and its consequences have shaped human history. Science's attempts to control and understand this disease have also evolved. Tracing how successive generations have grappled with, conquered, and ultimately lost the malaria challenge makes for a fascinating scientific adventure. | Scott Bohle, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry [Bio] |
| April 6 | Biofuels — sustainable energy as the oil runs out?Three of the great challenges for the 21st century are energy supply, climate change and global food security; these come together in biofuels. A useful amount of the biomass produced by solar-driven photosynthesis could be used to make fuels of one sort or another. While biofuels cannot provide all our future energy needs, they can play an important role as a source of renewable and sustainable energy over the long term. | Donald Smith, Ph.D., Department of Plant Science [Bio] |
| April 13 | The dance of the molecules in cellsCells are the basis of life. However, their function is entirely regulated by the interactions and actions of macromolecules inside the cell as well as in their environment. Modern biophysical chemistry explores the complex choreography of the dance of molecules in cells. | Paul Wiseman, Ph.D., Departments of Chemistry and Physics [Bio] |
| April 20 | Nuclear power — energy for the future?Three Mile Island and Chernobyl clouded the future for nuclear power. However now, with concerns about our dependence on foreign sources of energy and the evidence of climate change, the nuclear option is gaining some new respectability. | Ariel Fenster, Ph.D., Office for Science and Society [Bio] |
| April 27 | The magic of chemistryCombining science, humour, music and magic, you've never seen a stage show quite like it! Mini-Science 2011 closes the series with a blend of entertainment and meaningful science. | Professors Ariel Fenster, David Harpp and Joe Schwarcz, Office for Science and Society [Bio: A. Fenster] [Bio: D. Harpp] [Bio: J. Schwarcz] |