Food (and Drinks) for Thought- The School Year’s Inaugural Science Café

 The night of September 13th found me settling in at the Laughing Buddha with a pint and some friends for a bit of recreational science communication. Science North was hosting its first non-health related Science Café, a discussion of food safety, food security and food sovereignty with a particular focus on Sudbury’s local food system.

As a food scientist by training, I’m the first to admit that our current food system is fraught with problems. Luckily, there is a wealth of knowledge to draw on for improvements because everyone is part of our food system.  The Café gave the audience the opportunity to consider their role in the food system in a new way and to ask the panelists for their opinions and advice.

The Café consisted of a facilitated group discussion preceded by short presentations by Julie Poirier Mensinga, an Agricultural Business Specialist for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Amy Hallman, the Northern Ontario FarmON Coordinator for Eat Local Sudbury and  Doreen Ojala, the Project Manager for a local initiative known as the FoodShed Project. All panelists addressed the state of food and agriculture in Northern Ontario. Amy and Doreen are Sudbury residents with strong ties to the community. Their passion for their respective projects was an effective engagement tool for the audience of Sudbury locals.

The audience questions related largely to their point-of-purchase food decisions; baby steps to a better food system. Local foods can be expensive, what should I spend my money on to best benefit the community? Amy shared a quick cost comparison chart illustrating that everyday products like bread and peanut butter can be found at equal or lesser cost at the farmer’s market or local co-op. What can I do at home to help making local easier? Doreen brought a variety of produce that can be grown in Sudbury and speaks to the gardening prowess of local gardeners and FoodShed supporters.

Bigger picture questions were also asked by the audience, like what about products that just can’t grow in Northern Ontario? Do we import or go without? If we do import, what’s the best way to do so? The discussion that followed reflected that sometimes these decisions are tough to make; that one answer might not work for everyone. However by taking the time to consider the bigger picture of our food system, changes are already being made.

The current Science Communication class was only a week into the program at the time of the Café, but in addition to bringing some new observing skills to the night we were able to take a lot away. We were all very impressed with the moderating skills of Science Communication alumnus Leigha. Her ability to interpret audience questions for the panelists kept their responses as relevant and concise as possible.

What was apparent from the Café is that there are no one-size-fits-all solutions for our food system, but improvement is possible. There are over 6 billion people on this planet, all of whom are entitled to food as a basic human right. How to feed such a huge population in an efficient, nutritionally sound, safe and sustainable way is a huge and overwhelming undertaking. By taking a personal interest and having discussions like the one started at the Café, piece by piece we can build a brave, new food world.

For information on the panelists and upcoming science cafes, click here.

More information: Ontario Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs; Eat Local Sudbury;

FoodShed Sudbury

Hayley Rutherford

Science Café - "Stress: Too much, or never enough?"

From Margaret: 

On Wednesday April 27, I had the opportunity to moderate a Science Cafe that was organized by Science North (in partnership with CIHR). The theme of the Science Cafe was one that we can all identify with: stress. We had a stimulating array of researchers on the panel, and a curious and thoughtful audience that was totally engaged the entire night. It was great to see such a casual discussion among the panelists and audience. 

We were able to have such an interesting and diverse discussion partly because the researchers on our panel offered unique perspectives on the topic of stress. They were also really great science communicators! One of our panelists was Dr. TC Tai, from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. He is a professor and researcher at Laurentian University, and he studies the cellular and physiological mechanisms of stress. Our other panelist was Behdin Nowrouzi, a PhD candidate studying occupational stress at the School of Rural and Northern Health at Laurentian University. 

These two researchers gave us insight into how they view and study stress, which opened the floor to an interesting discussion. We talked about the chronic effects of stress and the importance of being in control of your stress. It was nice to see that people were interested in understanding why and how they experience stress. We also discussed the difference between positive and negative stressors, and some of the issues and solutions that revolve around stress and managing stress in the workplace.

Margaret moderates the science café, and discusses stress with panelists Dr. Tai and Behdin Nowrouzi.

Leigha and Josh were in the audience, showing support and enjoying the discussion.

Moderating this event was a rich experience for me in many ways. It was an excellent way of applying the skills I had learned in our SciComm program, particularly our Live Programming class. It was also a rich experience because I got to watch and listen to real scientists communicate to a general audience. The two panelists were great presenters - they were engaging, personal, funny - and it really made a difference in the quality of the discussion at the event.

I'm a huge fan of Science Cafes. They are a hip way of connecting researchers with the public. The environment, which in our case that night was the SRO Nightclub Lounge, was casual. People were eating and drinking. The topic of the event - stress - was one that everyone can connect to. We all experience stress. People were not only asking questions, but expressing opinions.

It was great to be a part of, and I encourage current and future Scommies to try it at some point!

Cafe Scientifique

A few weeks ago, we attended a Thursday forum regarding science outreach to aboriginal communities in the far north. This month, there was a cafe scientifique along the same topic.

Last week some of us attended a cafe scientifique hosted by the Canadian Diabetes association. It was on "Confronting the challenges of Aboriginal diabetes" and took place at the Librarie du Nouveau Ontario.

Cafe scientifiques are places where the public can come, have a cup of coffee and explore topics in science and technology. The cafes take place in cafes, bars, restaurants, or any informal setting. There are usually 2-3 'experts' in the area to provide information and discuss the topic, but the direction of the discussions are entirely citizen driven. Cafe scientifiques are very popular in europe and especially in UK where they began.

Our moderator for the evening was Dr. Darrell Manitowabi, Native Studies professor at Laurentian University. His PhD research was conducted on the holistic effects (employment, community and infastructure impacts) of Casino Rama on the Rama Mnjikaning First Nation near Orillia.

The two speakers were Dr. Marion Maar, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and Dr. Dawn Martin-Hill, Indigenous Studies professor at McMaster University. Dr. Maar's research is in aboriginal community health and research ethics in aboriginal communities. Dr. Martin-Hill's long list of research interests include indigenous knowledge & environmental conservation, Indigenous women, spirituality, colonialism’s impact on Indigenous people & medicine, and the contemporary practice of Indigenous traditionalism.

These highly qualified speakers started the discussion with a 10 minute "talk" to introduce the topic. Diabetes is a major issue for aboriginal communities. The occurrence of diabetes is three times higher in aboriginal communities than the national average. Children are being increasingly diagnosed with old-age onset diabetes (Type II diabetes). If left untreated, diabetes leads to heart, kidney, and eye problems. Diabetes-related nerve damage in the limbs can lead to gangrene and amputation.

Diet and exercise can help individuals manage diabetes. However, the psycho-social impacts of forced assimilation through residential schools, as well as poverty, have resulted in poor diets in aboriginals. Often food needs to be flown into far north communities and as I learned yesterday sometimes there is a pecking order. Youth are left to eat what hasn't already been picked by the adults, medical professionals and other higher ups in the community. What they are left with is junk food, which exacerbates the problem of diabetes.

Some aboriginal mothers admitted possibly over-feeding their children, so that they do not experience starvation as the parents once did.

Dr. Martin-Hill suggested that the solution lied in returning to traditional foods which met with nods of agreement around the room. It is not an easy task however as one man lamented about government imposed restrictions that made it challenging for him to hunt for moose, a traditional aboriginal prey. In addition it would be unsafe to eat large amounts of local fish due to toxic mercury build up in fish.

Aboriginal women told the stories of family members who had suffered or died from diabetes. The women explained that since diabetes is so common in their communities, people simply expect to get diabetes, at some point during their lives. This attitude may also come from the mistaken western idea that aboriginals are genetically prone to get diabetes. A few individuals are currently managing the disease well, through support groups and by integrating aboriginal and western medicines.

The health care professionals in attendance seemed grateful for the open dialogue. They thought that doctors and nurses who work with aboriginals required more training in order to improve their practice. The open dialogue that started that night will hopefully continue between the aboriginal communities and the health care professionals.

Café scientifiques are all about engagement. The objective behind them is collaboration; such that both scientific and public views are heard. Hopefully we will have more cafe scientifiques in Sudbury in the future.

- Justin