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2023 Event Recap

About Science Rendezvous

Science Rendezvous (external link, opens in new window) , Canada's annual science celebration, unlocks the wonders of science for all. This free festival engages and educates thousands through a day of captivating, informative and interactive events, bridging the gap between science enthusiasts and the public. Today, Science Rendezvous proudly stands as Canada's largest one-day science festival, inspiring minds and fostering a deeper understanding of the impact of science and technology on our changing world.

Science Rendezvous at TMU, now hosted by SciXchange in the Faculty of Science, has been an annual tradition since 2008. Collaborating with various departments within TMU and community organizations, we continuously strive to bring innovative activities and captivating demonstrations to our attendees each year.

You can check out this year's event photos in the 2023 gallery (opens in new window)  and our past event photos in the 2022 gallery (opens in new window) .

Science Rendezvous 2023 Team

Leadership Team

Dr. Emily Agard, Director of SciXchange, Toronto Metropolitan University

Mikayla Li, Departmental Assistant, SciXchange, Toronto Metropolitan University

Funding

Faculty of Science, Toronto Metropolitan University

Science Rendezvous 2023 Highlights

Science Rendezvous 2023 at TMU took place on Saturday, May 13th in the heart of our campus with 16 dynamic booths. With an impressive gathering of over 500 participants and the dedication of 100 volunteers, this year's event was a resounding success.

Science Community at TMU

Participants from a diverse array of departments and research labs at TMU contributed to the programming. We featured work in physics, architectural science, computer science, urban water, food & soft matter materials to deliver a fusion of innovation and hands-on experiences that captivated the public’s imagination. Attendees explored topics ranging from cutting-edge research to practical applications in everyday life.

Our event offered a diverse range of educational experiences for participants. Physics students designed a lung model that provided valuable insights into lung function. Children engaged in an arts and crafts activity to learn about the fascinating workings of X-rays. The food science booth proved to be a hit, as attendees explored the world of slime-making, transforming ordinary food ingredients into a gooey masterpiece. Computer science students orchestrated two captivating VR Game booths, immersing participants in a virtual realm and showcasing the power of virtual reality.

Two children making yellow slime with their hands in a white container at the Food Science Now booth.

Children learn about the different properties of everyday food ingredients while making slime with starch, water and food colouring at the Food Science Now booth.

Photo by Clifton Li

A child applying glue to the lung outlined on an activity worksheet with two glue sticks.

At the Lung Function booth, children learn about how the lung functions while exploring their creativity with a fun colouring activity.

Photo by Clifton Li

Science Everywhere and Visions of Science

At the Science Everywhere booth, children loved the human piano activity, an extraordinary fusion of music and science that transformed their bodies into melodic instruments. Another highlight was Visions of Science’s  popular super bubble booth, where kids immersed themselves in a world of soapy spheres while learning about surface tension and the interaction of surfactants.

A kid smiling while making multiple giant bubbles on the street.

Children fill the street with giant bubbles as they learn about how bubbles are formed and how they can create the biggest bubbles.

Photo by Clifton Li

 

A volunteer engaging with participants in an activity called "Human Piano" where they each hold onto a metal device with one hand. As they tap on the other's empty hands, they complete a circuit and create sound.

At the Science Everywhere booth, a volunteer engages with several participants in an activity called "The Human Piano" where they each hold onto a metal device with one hand. As they tap on the other's empty hands, they complete a circuit and create sound.

Photo by Clifton Li

 

Stoodis Science

This was Stoodis Science’s first year at Science Rendezvous. They operated two booths at the events. The first booth was a land acknowledgment booth and it focused on educating the community about wampum belts, Indigenous treaties, and the science behind wampum belts. They taught folks about quahog shells, the dish with one spoon, two-row, and Hiawatha wampum belts. The intention for this booth was to shift how SciXchange and TMU conducts land acknowledgments and move them away from simple posted signs or scripts and bring them into the world of real education and impact! 

The second Stoodis booth focused on sharing some of the work that Stoodis Science had done in the 2022-2023 school year. They highlighted how they approach integrating Indigenous knowledge with science using the Ojiig the fisher lesson plan as an example. They distributed nearly 100 Ojiig the fisher lesson plans and materials kits for folks to build their own LED circuit boards and learn about the traditional Anishinaabe constellation Ojiig the fisher.

Indigenous science outreach coordinator Caleb Wesley is demonstrating the Indigenous loom beading at the Land Acknowledgement booth.

SciXchange's Indigenous Science Outreach Coordinator Caleb Wesley educates the particpants about Wampum Belts at the Land Acknowledgement booth.

Photo by Clifton Li

A participant trying traditionalIndigenous loom beading at the Land Acknowledgement booth.

The participants have the opportunity to try out traditional Indigenous loom beading at the Land Acknowledgement booth.

Photo by Clifton Li

Let’s Talk Science

The LTS Booth this year featured a Toronto breeding bird pair identification activity. This activity served multiple purposes, the main of which was to introduce people to the world of birding and to highlight the importance of community-sourced ecological data. In this activity, participants spun the wheel to select a bird, after which they matched the selected bird to its breeding mate card. The volunteers then shared a knowledge nugget about the bird pair selected such as their vocalization or preferred habitat.

A volunteer giving a blue thermosensotive pencil to a child after playing the bird identification activity at the booth.

During the bird identification activity, participants learn about different birds in Toronto, their breeding mate and their habitat.

Photo by Clifton Li

Take a look at all the interactive activities that took place at this year's event.

Video by Kathleen Espiritu

Science Rendezvous 2023 Activities

A digitally illustrated sitemap of Science Rendezvous 2023 which showcases the location of all the booths located on Gould Street at TMU.

Our sitemap for Science Rendezvous 2023 showcases the location of all the booths at our event this year.

Designed by Mikayla Li

  • Organized by SciXchange at TMU
  • Volunteers included Ariana Behroozi, Hiya Patel, Mohammed Patel, Makeba McRae and Chun Lam

  • Organized by Physics, Faculty of Science at TMU
  • Volunteers included Dr. Miranda Kirby, Sara Rezvanjou, Kalysta Makimoto, Daniel Genkin, Meghan Koo, Razieh Enjilela

  • Organized by Physics, Faculty of Science at TMU
  • Volunteers included Graham Ferrier, Veronica Kurkjian, Victoria Bulychev, Sarah Aubert, Mason Rock, Tyler Hornsby and Andrew Zwaniga

  • Organized by Physics, Faculty of Science at TMU
  • Volunteers included Dr. Dave Kirsh

  • Organized by Computer Science, Faculty of Science at TMU
  • Volunteers included Ye Liu, Samee Chowdhury, Roupen Kaloustian and Nabil Mansour

  • Organized by Architectural Science, Faculty of Science at TMU
  • Volunteers included Dr. Umberto Berardi, Dr. Shahrzad Soudian, Dr. Dagmawi Degefu, Khaled Khaled, Leila Abdulmaleki and Sina Rahimi

  • Organized by SciXchange at TMU
  • Volunteers included Adisa Julien, Krystal Henry-Mathieu, Fardad Sadri, Zayneb Al-Hantoshi, Sabesen Pathmanathan , Mohammad Kawas, Breanna Seto and Zion Yitbarek

  • Organized by Scixchange at TMU
  • Volunteers included Caleb Wesley, Allie Spangaro , Tamanna Nasseri, Ram Kanakamedala, Brigida Fernandes, Harnoor Gahir, Jay Jaimin Patel, Andrew Arizaga, Syeda Maliha Alam Meriyan

Volunteer Appreciation

Thank you to all our volunteers who made Science Rendezvous 2023 at TMU a success. Over 100 passionate individuals from diverse departments and associations at TMU, and local organizations, played an integral role in bringing the mesmerizing demonstrations and activities to life. Their relentless commitment to sharing scientific knowledge and engaging with the public exemplified the significance of science communication.

Group of about 50 people, wearing red t-shirts, posing for fun, with white event tents in the background

Our volunteers make Science Rendezvous 2023 a great success. Our volunteer team consists of numerous undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty members from different departments at TMU.

Photo by Clifton Li

 

Science Rendezvous 2023 By The Numbers

We engaged with 500+ adults and children in one day.

Over 100+ volunteers worked together to make Science Rendezvous 2023 possible.

We had 300+ event responses on Facebook and 3,000+ link clicks.

 

Our Sponsors and Supporters

  • Toronto Metropolitan University
  • Faculty of Science, TMU
  • Facilities Management and Development, TMU
  • Event & Space Reservations, TMU
  • Urban Water, TMU
  • Science Everywhere
  • Visions of Science
  • Science Rendezvous (part of NSERC's Science Odyssey)
The logos of SciXchange major supporters for Science Rendezvous including Science Everywhere, Visions of Science and Science Rendezvous by NSERC's Science Odyssey.

Science Rendezvous 2024

Science Rendezvous is a triumphant celebration of the marvels of scientific exploration. At SciXchange, we enjoy hosting Science Rendezvous where we make science engaging, comprehensible and accessible to the general public.

Join us on May 11, 2024 with a new line-up of captivating activities and demonstrations.