Trek Talks: Bridging Science and the Arts

Zareh Demirdji Arts, Beyond the Classroom, Experiential Learning, Science and Math, Technology No Comments

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the debut of Star Trek, a show that has captured the imagination of its fans, inspired the creation of many technologies, and most importantly, given viewers an encouraging vision of the future where the human race has learned to work with one another in a utopian society. In honour of this milestone, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Lightbox Theatre has put together a series of events to celebrate the occasion.

One such event is Trek Talks: Bridging Science and the Arts. This is a panel style discussion on Star Trek and education which includes a physician (Sonny Kohli) a Canadian astronaut (Jeremy Hansen) and Royal Ontario Museum Managing Director (Marianne Mader). The panel will discuss how science can inspire the arts and how the art in turn can inspire science. The panel will also discuss how film and television projects like Star Trek inspire careers in science, space, technology, math, arts, and engineering.

Since Star Trek embodies so much science, it was (as Mr. Spock would say) a logical conclusion to take the grade 10 science class to partake in this discussion. And so on star date 10.13.16, the grade 10 science class, along with their Captain and the Academy’s Technical Analyst officer, boldly navigated their way to the TIFF Lightbox Theatre at warp speed, and listened in awe to the stories and anecdotes of the presenters.

After being introduced to the panel, the audience was shown a video montage of a variety of scenes from the various Star Trek television shows that visually demonstrated the science and art themes of the event. The panel discussed and explored a variety of questions and topics audience which included:

  • How Star Trek influenced their career path
  • What aspects of Star Trek have allowed its legacy to last for 50 years?
  • The importance of scientific accuracy in television shows
  • The ethics of scientific progress
  • The advantages of a scientifically literate society
  • Star Trek’s influence on the development of technology
  • The importance of risk taking in scientific exploration

After listening to the panel members’ personal and enthusiastic answers, the audience were granted an opportunity to ask questions to the panel. Three of our student’s posed their questions to the panel and listened with curiosity to the answers. After the event concluded, we had the honour of taking a group photograph with one of the panel members, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

Check out more photos from this event on our Facebook page!

To watch the entire panel discussion see below! (To skip to our student questions, forward to time index 1 hour, 31 minutes)

Chemistry students observe reactions

Zareh Demirdji Science and Math No Comments

Grade 12 YMCA Academy Chemistry students observe a reaction and record analysis.

Atoms are all around us. They make up everything we know. Having a fundamental understanding of their properties and characteristics grants us the ability to analyse pretty much any substance and discern its chemical and atomic makeup. There are several ways of figuring out the chemical makeup of substances. In the matter and qualitative analysis unit of grade 12 chemistry, we look at some of the techniques chemists use to analyse matter. Specifically, we look at the use of mass spectrometers, flame tests, emission/absorption spectra, and lastly precipitation reactions.

In order to apply their knowledge and understanding of qualitative analysis, the grade 12 chemistry class was tasked with running a series of precipitation reactions in order to figure out the identity of an unknown chemical substance. Using their knowledge of precipitation reactions, solubility rules and net ionic equations, they observed a series of reactions between known substances and a single unknown sample. Using all of the aforementioned tools along with their recorded observations, they determined the identity of the unknown substance and reported their methods, observations, and conclusions in a formal lab report.

Exploring ancient stories of the night sky

Zareh Demirdji Community, Experiential Learning, Native Studies, Science and Math No Comments

Visitor to the YMCA Academy Astronomy class shares stories about constellations in the night sky.

Astronomy is one of the oldest natural sciences. As long as humans have been able to look up at the sky, we have done so, wondering what our place is in the universe, where we came from, and how the universe itself came to be. Many (if not all) ancient civilizations have creation stories of how the universe came to be, and of constellations and celestial objects. As we started our new unit of Earth and Space exploration, we had the pleasure of having master orator Jim Adams share Aboriginal stories about celestial objects, constellations, and the universe as a whole.

We first heard a story about Sky Woman, which connected the Earth and the sky. Next, we heard about Atima and Atchaksuk, the dog and light/star respectively. Lastly, we heard three stories about constellations. The first story was one about a wolf which related to the little dipper. The second story was about Mista Muskwa (the big bear) which is commonly known as Ursa Major which has the Big Dipper as part of it. The last story was about the Pleiades constellation. By the end of the class, students were still thirsty for more stories. We may have to call in Jim again in order to appease the students’ desire to hear more Aboriginal stories.

Chemistry students explore properties of compounds

Zareh Demirdji Experiential Learning, Science and Math No Comments

The atom is the basic unit of matter. All the elements in the universe are made up of atoms, each possessing its own set of physical and chemical properties. The grade 9 chemistry unit is all about exploring matter. Throughout the unit, students are introduced to the atom and the characteristics of its subatomic particles, the periodic table, and most importantly, the information the periodic table holds about the physical and chemical properties of elements.

The grade 9 science class set out to experiment and observe the physical and chemical properties of a set of four chemical compounds in order to determine which of them, if any, are part of the same family. Students ran a series of chemical reactions and recorded their observations in order to determine the answer and to justify it with evidence.

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Grade 10 Science – Pig Dissection

Zareh Demirdji Experiential Learning, Science and Math No Comments

Learning about cells and tissues can be a difficult concept for students considering how small cells are, and how much information there is to know about the different tissue types in the human body. With cells and tissues out of the way, organs and organ systems take center stage which students find easier as they have a good amount of background knowledge about most of the major organs and the major functions they have. Each student was assigned a specific organ to research and become a “master” of. Students then used this knowledge to teach each other about their organs.

In order to see how all of the major organs look, and to get a better appreciation for how they work together, the grade 10 science class observed the dissection of a fetal pig just before their biology unit assignment. Students were called upon to explain their assigned organs to the rest of the class throughout the dissection. An alternate room was set up for student who did not want to partake in the dissection. Although the dissection was an exciting idea to most of the class during the days leading up to the dissection, only 3 of the 9 students in attendance ended up partaking in the entire dissection. All of the students got a chance to see the pig before the dissection, and most of them saw various portions of the dissection, with all of them making memorable memories regardless of their level of participation.