ReTHINKING Space Propulsion for Interstellar Travel

By Kisothan Suthakaran In 2016, astronomers discovered an Earth-like planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, our nearest-known star, situated such that its temperature allows liquid water to possibly exist on its surface. Our current knowledge about this exoplanet is however limited by the data provided by telescopes and spectrographs. The only effective way of gaining more insights...

My Summer at Johns Hopkins’ Explore Engineering Innovation (EEI) Program

August 10, 2022 STEM Fellowship General Science, Physics and Astronomy, Science in Society

By Angela Zhu Hello everyone! I hope you all have had a great summer break so far. In this article, I will be sharing my summer experience at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Canadian and American universities usually offer summer programs that enrich students’ life experiences by encouraging them to take college-level...

If You Love Top Gun: Maverick, Learning the Physics Behind It Will Make You Love It More

August 7, 2022 STEM Fellowship General Science, Physics and Astronomy, Science in Society

By Vincent Jia Source Top Gun, released in 1986, was mind-blowing for the public, inspiring multiple generations of naval aviators and fighter pilots. Thirty-six years later, its sequel Top Gun: Maverick, featuring fifty-nine-year-old Tom Cruise, is considered even more epic! Its realistic aerobatics in the air and twisting plot attract both old and...

The Science of Sunscreen

August 7, 2022 STEM Fellowship General Science, Physics and Astronomy, Science in Society

By Sophia Eiley Imagine it is a bright, sunny summer’s day. Before you venture outside, you remember that you haven’t put on any sunscreen. But you don’t give it any more thought than that, as, after all, you just want to get going. So was it a mistake? Well, yes – long...

The History of Medicine: Coroners

July 30, 2022 STEM Fellowship General Science, Physics and Astronomy, Science in Society

By Freeha Anjum Despite our many advancements in medicine, the topic of mortality still remains. Death is something many people fear, yet nobody can avoid. Luckily for us, though, the likelihood of death at a young age, and the number of ways you can die in the comfort of your own home, is drastically...

Spent Coffee Ground Biodiesel: a brief introduction to an alternative fuel source and its production

July 29, 2022 STEM Fellowship General Science, Physics and Astronomy, Science in Society

By Sophia Eiley Introduction Biodiesel is a renewable and biodegradable fuel source derived from organic matter. In this article, we are going to explore the possibility of using spent coffee ground biodiesel instead of a canola oil blend. As well, we will discuss how spent coffee ground biodiesel can be produced in...

Special Issue: Mobile Applications For Environment And Health Monitoring

July 27, 2022 Dan Gillis Communication, Education and Outreach, Science in Society, Technology and Engineering

I’m happy to announce that I will be guest editing a special issue for the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health along with Dr. Jarrett Phillips. For this special issue, we are seeking papers that explore all aspects of mobile application development for environment and health monitoring, including papers that describe design processes,Continue...

Dear Students Of Fall 2022

July 26, 2022 Dan Gillis Communication, Education and Outreach, Science in Society, Technology and Engineering

In a few short weeks, students will return to campuses across the country. And while I’m sure there is a lot of excitement about the return, I think it’s important to consider the situation in which this return will happen. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over, monkeypox is spreading quickly across the globe, and theContinue...

Sponges – one of the earliest forms of multicellular life.

July 16, 2022 Staffan Lindgren Biology and Life Sciences, Environmental and Earth Sciences, Science in Society

I wrote this blog for the Nature Nanaimo newsletter published July 10, 2022. This is a slightly modified version. Photo Neil McDaniel, https://blueocean.net/glass-sponge-reefs-living-fossils-found-off-canadian-coast/ An excellent article by Sheila Byers about the unique glass sponge reefs that occur in the Salish Sea and the Hecate Strait appeared in the spring 2022 of BC Nature Magazine, and...

What’s Astronomy Good for Anyway?

July 16, 2022 STEM Fellowship General Science, Physics and Astronomy, Science in Society

By Rosemary Gong Image Source: https://nymag.com Where did we come from? Why are we here? Are we alone? These questions remain perhaps some of the biggest unsolved mysteries of all time, and we, as innately curious beings, have long strived to answer them. Our efforts to do so lie in a branch of...

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