From robot sumo wrestling to the sweet science of chocolate, Ryerson will show off its science chops on May 9 when city-wide exhibit, Science Rendezvous, rolls around.
The event is in its second year, but this will be the first time that Ryerson will participate. Operating similar to Nuit Blanche, Science Rendezvous gives people a chance to see and take part in the most cutting-edge science research the city has to offer. The University of Toronto and York University will also be involved in the event, which runs from 10 a.m to 6 p.m.
The event means more than just a couple experiments will be on display.
Chris Evans, the associate dean of science, played a big hand in getting Ryerson involved this year and said the school’s participation means the public will get to see the more scientific side of the university.
“It’s a way to promote Ryerson as a science institution and to highlight the great research that we have going on here,” Evans said.
Science Rendezvous director Bill Bobek said it was important to have Ryerson participating.
“This was started to promote science to the general public and help students who are thinking about going into science,” he said. “Having Ryerson means that there’s really going to be a strong presence.”
Last year about 15,000 Torontonians took in the event, but Bobek said he expects it to be even bigger this year, with about 20,000 to 30,000 attending.
Ryerson is slated to house more than 20 different science-based exhibits, most of which will be found in the quad. The event is open to all ages.
Here is just sneak peak at what to look out for:
Rescue dogs: Helping the OPP save lives
It’ll be a team effort. Police, Provincial Emergency Response Team and canine teams will all be on hand to demonstrate how far along search and rescue equipment has come.
Rendezvous-goers will not only get to witness dogs navigate through obstacles, but will also see Ryerson researchers’ new state-of-the-art rescue equipment called Canine Augmentation Technology (CAT). The device, which would be worn by rescue dogs, has wireless video, audio and sensing systems.
Alex Ferworn, who researches public safety, will be hosting the exhibit. He said that presenting at Science Rendezvous is a great opportunity to show the technological advances Ryerson is responsible for.
“We’re not well-known. Other schools get more funding and we’re still seen as up-and-comers. This is a chance to show Ryerson is a good school with exceptional researchers,” Ferworn said.
Sumo wrestling – with massive robots
Get ready for some head-to-head robot combat, as assistant computer science professor Mark Fiala unveils his set of sumo-wrestling robots. Complete with a sumo ring, the robots will be ready for battle throughout the day.
Fiala, whose research is in computer vision and program reality, started the Ryerson Robotics Club last year and will be showcasing two large and two smaller robots, all of which were built at Ryerson. He and the members of his robotics club will also answer questions and discuss the research behind the construction of the sumo bots.
“It’s about getting them interested in programming and robots, and I figured the best way to do it was to make it a competition,” Fiala said.
The mathematics behind a Google search
There’s no question that Google’s search engine is one of the fastest of its kind.
But if you’ve ever wondered what is behind making it so speedy, mathematics professor Anthony Bonato will be presenting the math behind it.
“There is a lot of interesting web math,” Bonato said.
He added: “It’s important to know, since everyone is now using the internet.”
And just in case linear algebra isn’t exactly your strong point, Bonato ensures that he will explain all the formulas in layman’s terms, and base his talk on the graph structure Google uses to make its search that much faster.
Robots roundup
Get ready for some head-to-head robot combat, as assistant computer science professor Mark Fiala unveils his set of sumo-wrestling robots. Complete with a sumo ring, the robots will be ready for battle throughout the day.
Fiala, whose research is in computer vision and program reality, started the Ryerson Robotics Club last year and will be showcasing two large and two smaller robots, all of which were built at Ryerson. He and the members of his robotics club will also answer questions and discuss the research behind the construction of the sumo bots.
“It’s about getting them interested in programming and robots, and I figured the best way to do it was to make it a competition,” Fiala said.
Sci-chocolate
The Easter Bunny would be pleased. Researchers at Ryerson are hard at work in finding a solution to one of the most elusive (and delicious) predicaments facing the world – getting that yucky greyish film, known as “bloom,” off chocolate. Shane Hodge and Dr. Supratim Ghosh will host a lab to analyze bloom and the science behind the texture, flavour and colour of chocolate.
Hodge and his fellow researchers have been working with Cadbury’s to design a method which would rid the bloom for good. He said that solving the problem means chocolate companies will save more money and, of course, chocolate lovers would get to enjoy their sweet treats longer.
“It’s an expensive problem because batches start blooming and the chocolate-makers have to destroy or put them on discount. (To) reduce (this) problem would be a big step.”
