September 25, 2013
Alex Ferworn and his team got thunderous applause at the EURAXESS Science Slam. Representing Ryerson – and Canada -- Ferworn placed 2nd in North America.
The competition was held on September 24th. A live audience and judges gathered at the Katzen Arts Center, on the American University campus in Washington, DC; votes were also cast online or by telephone. The six scientists each had ten minutes on stage.
Ferworn’s act moved into the audience – where a man (Jimmy Tran, Ryerson PhD candidate and member of Ferworn’s research team) was hidden from sight. A dog named Cazo – on loan from Urban Search and Rescue Virginia Task Force 1 – became the star of the show. Cazo ran through the room, ignoring the crowd of non-victims, and found the spot where Jimmy was “buried.” Only then did he bark – thus instructing a robot to eject itself from the dog’s harness and drive around the stage.
Ferworn’s slam got the most panel votes—but the sum, with online votes, put an astrophysicist in first place with a dance interpretation of astral vibration. Still, Ferworn is pleased. The audience was “stunned,” he recounts, by Cazo’s act. And no wonder. How often do you get to see a dog command a robot?
The Science Slam is run by EURAXESS —an initiative of the European Commission. It gives scientists a chance to show their work to non-experts in a clear and original way. Regions around the world host competitions; finalists compete in Brussels. For background to this story, please read the article posted on September 17th.
