Nov
21
November Café
Posted by: Cafe Scientifique Vancouver | November 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Dear Café Scientifiquers,
Our next café will happen next Tuesday, November 23, 7:30pm at the Railway Club (579 Dunsmuir Street). The speaker that evening will be Dr. Kevin Allen, an expert on food microbiology.
Here is the abstract of the talk, and a couple of related links:
Food safety – How safe is our food?
Over the past decade there has been increasing media attention associated with recurring food safety issues in Canada. Recalls of deli meats, cheese, and produce have become common-place in media headlines and leave consumers uncertain as to the risks associated with their food. This begs a question – how safe is our food? Are they safer today than they were in yester-years? To address this, an historical perspective of food safety will be presented with the intent of examining how food safety issues have changed and how today’s food supply has created new risks with foods previously assumed risk-free.
Article in UBC Reports http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2010/07/01/boiled-salad-anyone/
Research homepage http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/faculty-members/kevin-allen
We hope to see you next Tuesday!
Oct
8
October Café Scientifique
Posted by: Cafe Scientifique Vancouver | October 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Hello!
Our next event will be on October 26th. This time we will have Dr. Jennifer Jacquet, a Post-doctoral fellow at the UBC Fisheries Centre. I read a bit about about Dr. Jacquet’s research from an article published in UBC Public Affairs about seafood stewardship and I thought this would be an interesting topic to discuss (because seafood is delicious and we’ve got lots of it in BC!). If you are interested in doing some homework before the Café, click on the hyperlink to UBC Public Affairs.
The abstract and title for the event is below:
The Comedy of Guilt in the Tragedy of the Commons
A lot of conservation initiatives today target consumers and largely appeal to guilt – an individual’s willingness to do the right thing. But working higher in the demand or pollution chain, with retailers, restaurants, and governments, is a more effective strategy and will likely require relying on shame, rather than guilt, as a tactic. Highlighting some theoretical research as well as examples from the real world, this talk will explore the use of guilt and shame in evolutionary psychology and in environmental efforts, focusing on seafood as well as other common resources.
Until then!
Carolina
Sep
21
Makeover!
Posted by: Cafe Scientifique Vancouver | September 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment
At last, UBC blogs has made its services open to students and we have opened a new page for Cafe Scientifique Vancouver. We hope you like our facelift!
Sep
21
September Café Scientifique
Posted by: Cafe Scientifique Vancouver | September 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment
Our next event will be Tuesday, September 28th at the Railway Club (579 Dunsmuir St.) from 7:30-8:30 pm.
Dr. Valdeir Arantes, a Post-doctoral fellow at the Forest Products Biotechnology Group at UBC will be speaking about bioethanol from lignocellulosics. Below is the abstract. We hope to see you there!
From waste to biofuels: Illusion or reality?
It is important for the health of our planet and the energy security of most countries that we find sustainable alternatives to current petroleum-based transportation fuels. In this matter, biofuels derived from the bioconversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks continues to attract more and more global interest as a potentially and environmentally compatible alternative to burning fossil fuels. As Biofuels R&D advance, so do the ethical, legal and social issues for widespread development of lignocellulosic biofuels. This time, we will have an opportunity to discuss the reality and myths/illusion about biofuels.
« go back