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Leading stem cell scientists to dispel misconceptions and inspire high school students

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Let’s Talk Science volunteers at The University of Toronto, in partnership with the Stem Cell Network, are hosting a full-day symposium about stem cell biology for senior-level high school students, Friday, March 12, 2010, at the MaRS Collaboration Auditorium in Toronto, Ont.

The event, called StemCellTalks, will provide a forum for approximately 150 students to discuss stem cell biology and stem cell banking with leading scientists and ethicists, including Stem Cell Network researcher James Till, OC, O.Ont, FRSC, a Canadian founder of stem cell research.

Following scientist presentations, students will break into small discussion groups, led by graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from The University of Toronto, where they will engage in problem-solving activities relating to stem cell biology and practical ethics.

“For years, Canada has been a hub for stem cell research, yet the groundbreaking discoveries of our world-renowned stem cell scientists remains unknown to Canadian youth,” says Paul Cassar, Let’s Talk Science volunteer and doctoral student in William Stanford’s lab at the Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto. “StemCellTalks was created to introduce youth to the Canadian stem cell community, to demystify the science and to share our experiences and knowledge. It’s also an opportunity for the Stem Cell Community to encourage students to build on our accomplishments and to continue our legacy of discovery.”

Till will kick off the event at 9:20 a.m. with a keynote address describing his and Ernest McCulloch’s 1960s experiments, which demonstrated the existence of stem cells.

Till, PhD, Senior Scientist Emeritus, Ontario Cancer Institute/Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network, hopes that students will take away an appreciation of the realities of going from a new scientific discovery to a human application.

At 9:45 a.m., Derek Van Der Kooy, PhD, Peter Zandstra, PhD, Canada Research Chair, Stem Cell Bioengineering, Ian Rogers, PhD and Cindi Morshead, PhD, will introduce the topic of stem cell biology and bioengineering to the students in the form of lectures and interactive debates. At 1 p.m. a panel, including Stem Cell Network’s Tim Caulfield, LLM, F.R.S.C., and Rosario Isasi, J.D., MPH will discuss ethics of private vs. public cord blood stem cell banking.

Media is invited to all speaker sessions, as well as break-out sessions to see students discuss the information and engage in problem-solving activities. James Till will be available for interviews immediately following his keynote address.  

It is hoped that this symposium will become an annual event and Plans are already in motion to host StemCellTalks symposia in Vancouver, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.

MEDIA CONTACT: Angela McDonald, 416-458-1869, angelacm@sickkids.ca

Media Advisory - Leading stem cell scientists to dispel misconceptions and inspire high school students

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WHAT: Let’s Talk Science volunteers at The University of Toronto, in partnership with the Stem Cell Network, are hosting a full-day symposium about stem cell biology for senior-level high school students.

The event, called StemCellTalks, will provide a forum for approximately 150 students to discuss stem cell biology and stem cell banking with leading scientists and ethicists, including Stem Cell Network researcher James Till, OC, O.Ont, FRSC, a Canadian founder of stem cell research.

Following presentations from leading experts in the field of stem cell biology and ethics, students will break into small discussion groups, led by graduate students and post-doctoral fellows from The University of Toronto, where they will engage in problem-solving activities relating to stem cell biology and practical ethics.

WHEN: Friday, March 12, 2010, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE: MaRS Collaboration Auditorium, 101 College Street, Toronto, Ontario

NOTE: James Till will deliver a keynote speech at 9:20 a.m., describing his and Ernest McCullough’s 1960s experiments, which demonstrated the existence of stem cells. At 10:45 a.m.: opening presentation, Stem Cells 101. Student discussion groups follow at 11:30 a.m. Afternoon presentation, beginning at 12:30 p.m., covers the topic of private vs. public cord blood stem cell banking. Student discussion groups follow at 1:30 p.m.

Media are invited to the scientist presentations and student breakout sessions.

MEDIA CONTACT: Angela McDonald, 416-458-1869, angelacm@sickkids.ca

Brain-stimulating activity

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Julie Robillard, a PhD candidate in neuroscience and a Let’s Talk Science volunteer at The University of British Columbia, recently won the site’s first-ever activity contest for her fun, exciting “good for your brain” race.

As part of the activity, students are separated into small groups and are given a stack of images. They are then asked to separate the images into two piles – one of images that are “good for your brain” and one for those that are “bad for your brain”. The race is timed, and the first group to complete the task wins. Let’s Talk Science volunteers go over the winning group’s answers and invite other groups to compare and discuss the answers.  

“I recently did this activity with a Grade 3 class. When the race was announced and the rules were described, you could see the kids were excited by the idea of a competition and were eager to get started,” says Julie. “Once the race was on, the kids were totally absorbed by the task. We went over the answers of the fastest group one at a time. Some were fairly obvious – junk food, sleep – but others definitely led to discussions. The game also sparked a very interesting debate over the value of videogames.”

The activity was themed around the brain in recognition of Brain Awareness Week (March 15 – 21 this year), as UBC’s Let’s Talk Science volunteers work with the Brain Research Centre to carry out neuroscience-themed classroom visits each spring.

For more information about Julie, visit her science blog at scientificchick.com.