Loose Leaf Tea Robotics With TeaBOT Co-Founder Brian Lee
This is the extended edition of Kris Abel’s eBook Cafe chat with TeaBOT co-founder Brian Lee about his team’s robotic kiosks for grab-and-go loose leaf tea. For more info visit: teabot.com Brian book choice: Crossing The Chasm by Geoffrey Moore www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/crossi…-chasm-3rd-edition
The Wish Tree & Birds Art Life With Kyo Maclear
In this extended edition of our eBook Cafe Kris Abel chats with author Kyo Maclear about her children’s book The Wish Tree, illustrated by Chris Turnham, and her upcoming book for adults on bird-watching called Birds Art Life. For more info visit: kyomaclearkids.com/ The Wish Tree www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-wish-tree-1 Birds Art Life www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/birds-art-life Kyo’s Book Recommendation: Ways... Read More
Cat Selfies Using Candid Catmera With Jen Mete
This is the extended edition of Kris Abel’s interview with Jen Mete, integrated producer on the iOS app Candid Catmera, developed by Current Studios. For more info visit: www.candidcatmera.com/ www.currentstudios.ca/
The Stormwrack Trilogy With Alyx Dellamonica
Here’s the extended edition of Kris Abel’s talk with Stormwrack Trilogy author A. M. Dellamonica. Alyx discusses the third book in the trilogy, The Nature of a Pirate, her win for Best Novel at this year’s Aurora, and the balance of mixing science fiction with fantasy. Read the Stormwrack series: Child of a Hidden Sea... Read More
AGO Conservator Sherry Phillips On Art Made With Nature
Here’s the extended edition of Kris Abel’s interview with Sherry Phillips, AGO Conservator of Contemporary Art. More and more artists are looking to incorporate materials from nature within their art works. As a conservator at the Art Gallery of Ontario, its Sherry Phillip’s duty to leverage science to preserve these works according to the artists’... Read More
Secrets of Gems With Jewelry Maker Niki Kavakonis
Here’s the extended version of Kris Abel’s eBook Cafe interview with Toronto-based jewelry maker Niki Kavakonis. Niki designs rings, earrings, and necklaces inspired by science and the natural world that showcase the hidden features of precious stones. For more info visit: www.nikikavakonisdesigns.com/ Niki’s eBook Pick: Bang! by Brian May, Patrick Moore, and Chris Lintott www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/bang-1
Art & Science With Action Potential Lab’s Lisa Carrie Goldberg
Here we present the Extended Edition of Kris Abel’s interview with Action Potential Lab owner & director Lisa Carrie Goldberg Learn about the amazing activities created for kids programs and adult parties that mix science with food, drinks, and art. For more info: www.actionpotentiallab.ca/
Arthur Conan Doyle Collection’s Peggy Perdue On Rare Sherlock Books
This is the extended edition of Kris Abel’s eBook Cafe talk with Peggy Perdue, Librarian in Charge of the Arthur Conan Doyle Special Collection at the Toronto Public Library. For more info visit: www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/books-video…e-doyle.jsp www.bakerstreetirregulars.com/ Peggy’s eBook Choices: The Nero Wolfe stories by Rex Stout www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/fer-de-lance-2 Miss Mackenzie by Anthony Trollope www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/miss-mackenzie-6
Wildlife Photographer Of The Year PhotoJournalist Emily Garthwaite
This is the extended edition of Kris Abel’s interview with photojournalist Emily Garthwaite. Her photo of a chained Asian elephant was a finalist in last year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year and she continues to speak about opportunities to use the annual competition to put a spotlight on important issues and to attract more women... Read More
Climatologist David Phillips On Climate Change & Cloud Books
This is the extended edition of Kris Abel’s eBook Cafe talk with David Phillips, senior climatologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada. Just before giving a presentation for students at the Ontario Science Centre, David speaks with Kris about climate change, comments from the US President-Elect, and his favourite type of book. This episode’s eBook... Read More
Wildlife Photographer of the Year Finalist Jen Guyton On Conservation & Photography
This is the extended edition of Kris Abel’s interview with conservationist and wildlife photographer Jen Guyton. Her Meerkat photograph is a finalist in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit, currently on display at the Royal Ontario Museum. www.jenguyton.com/kalahari-meerkats For more info: www.jenguyton.com/ www.rom.on.ca/en/wildlife2016#/gallery/recent
Comic Book Creator Jenn Woodall On Zines, Magical Beatdown
<iframe width=”100%” height=”166″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”no” src=”https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/292900711&color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false”></iframe> Here’s the extended edition of Kris Abel’s interview with Jenn Woodall, comic book creator and artist. Recorded at the Canzine festival at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Jenn discusses Zine culture and her new series Magical Beatdown. Jenn’s eBook Pick: We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley... Read More
Arrival’s Movie Linguistics With Professor Jessica Coon
Here’s the extended edition of Kris Abel’s interview with Jessica Coon, associate professor of linguistics at McGill University. Prof. Coon share’s her experience as the scientific advisor for the movie Arrival, both during script development and on-set. You can learn more at: jessica.lingspace.org/ www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/arriva…s-of-your-life-mti www.arrivalmovie.com/
Leah Bobet on An Inheritance of Ashes & her Aurora Win
This is the extended edition of Kris Abel’s interview with author Leah Bobet from What She Said’s eBook Cafe series. Leah discusses her second novel and her Aurora Award win for Best Young Adult at the Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy awards this year. For more info visit: leahbobet.com/ An Inheritance of Ashes by Leah... Read More
Rocket Scientist Natalie Panek On Robots, Role-Models, And Space
This is the extended edition of Kris Abel’s interview with Natalie Panek from What She Said. Rocket scientist, explorer, space roboticist, Natalie Panek discusses her work on the ESA’s ExoMars mission to Mars taking place in 2020. Recorded at the Ontario Science Centre’s Innovator’s Ball, Natalie also discusses her role models growing up and the... Read More
Zooming Into The Boxwood Miniatures with AGO”s Lisa Ellis
To allow visitors to better explore the impossibly intricate, 500 year-old Boxwood prayer beads and alterpieces, the Art Gallery of Ontario has employed a range of technologies including CT scans, virtual reality, 3D printing, and exploded-view models. Kris Abel talks with Lisa Ellis, conservator of sculpture and decorative arts, at the opening of Small Wonders:... Read More
Black Widow Spiders With Arachnologist Catherine Scott
For our Halloween episode we visit entomologist and arachnologist Catherine Scott in her lab for a fun chat about Black Widow spiders and her favourite books. You can learn more about Catherine’s work and help fund her research by joining #TeamBlackWidow at: experiment.com/projects/performa…etitive-advantage Catherine’s book picks include: Oryx And Crake by Margaret Atwood store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/oryx-and-crake-1 Spider... Read More
Halloween At Toronto Zoo with Maria Franke & Lydia Atard
Welcome to the extended edition of our Halloween special recorded at the Toronto Zoo with Maria Franke, curator of mammals, and Lydia Attard, curatorial keeper of invertebrates. To celebrate Halloween we discuss masked mammals, bat conservation, glow-in-the-dark scorpions, spider phobias, glitter and science, and advice for those looking to study animals as a career. For... Read More
Sam Maggs On Her New Book, Wonder Women
In this extended edition of our eBook series, Kris Abel meets author Sam Maggs to explore her new book Wonder Women which profiles 25 trailblazing women on STEM throughout history. For more info visit: sammaggs.com/ Wonder Women the eBook: store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/wonder-women-8 Sam’s recommended read: The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/the…-angry-planet-2
Pickton Murders With Forensic Athropologist Tracy Rogers
Here we present the extended edition of Kris Abel’s interview with Dr. Tracy Rogers, Director of the forensic program at UofT’s Mississauga campus and the lead forensic anthropologist during the Robert Pickton serial murders in British Columbia. Dr. Rogers discusses that case, along with advances in 3D scanning technology, the high percentage of women in... Read More
Storm Chaser George Kourounis on Good Books & Severe Weather
In this extended edition of our eBook series, Kris Abel meets Storm Chaser George Kourounis just before he left for Hurricane Matthew to discuss his expanded work with volcanoes, how he protects his gadgets, and the books that inspire him in his work. For more info: stormchaser.ca www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/WildWeather George’s eBook Recommendations: The Martian by Andy... Read More
The Highway of Tears VR with Director Lisa Jackson
Here we present the full discussion between Kris Abel and filmmaker Lisa Jackson about her Virtual Reality documentary exploring the Highway of Tears murder cases in British Columbia, commissioned by the CBC’s The Current. You can try the experience at this year’s ImagineNATIVE film and media festival. For more info: www.imaginenative.org/ www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/ge…ce-george-1.3792165 lisajackson.ca/
Scanning Precious eBooks With John Shoesmith, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
In this extended edition of our eBook series, Kris Abel meets with John Shoesmith, outreach librarian at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library to understand the considerations made in scanning what is likely their oldest book, the Four Gospels In Greek (Codex Torontonensis), into a digital format for conservation. For more info visit: fisher.library.utoronto.ca/ archive.org/details/thomasfishercanadiana
Brainwave Expressions At Nuit Blanche With Artist Lisa Park
Here we present the extended version of Kris Abel’s interview with artist Lisa Park who uses biosensors to create her art. At this year’s Nuit Blanche in Toronto she presented Eunonia II, a piece where spectators can wear an EEG headset to send their brainwaves to an array of speakers and water bowls to give... Read More
Rachel Pohl, IMAX Adventurer, On Inspiring Reads
In this extended edition of our eBook series, Kris Abel meets painter and climber Rachel Pohl to talk about trying new things and finding inspiration to overcome tough climbs through her favourite eBooks. You can see Rachel in the IMAX adventure film America Wild: americawildfilm.com/ which is now playing at the Ontario Science Centre: www.ontariosciencecentre.ca... Read More
1st Female Video Game Programmer, Rima Break of Ubisoft Toronto
Here we present the extended version of Kris Abel’s interview with Rima Break, Studio Production Director of Ubisoft Toronto, who discusses her start in the video game industry at the first female programmer at Ubisoft Montreal (making her also the first in Canada). For more info: toronto.ubisoft.com/ montreal.ubisoft.com/en/
Flames! Flowers! Leslie Cramer of the Blazin’ Lily Gals
Here we present the extended version of Kris Abel’s interview with Leslie Cramer of The Blazin’ Lily Girls, a Calgary-based artistic collective who wowed the crowds at this year’s Beakerhead art & science festival with large, LED-decorated, flame-shooting metal flowers. For more info: www.facebook.com/blazinlilygals/ beakerhead.com/
OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Space Mission Special
In this look at a bold space mission to send a probe to bring back a piece of a primitive asteroid, Kris Abel speaks with Dr. Tim Haltigin of the Canadian Space Agency, Dr. Kim Tait, curator of mineralogy at the Royal Ontario Museum, and Dr. Rebecca Ghent, associate professor of Earth sciences at the... Read More
Interactive Fire Art With Trish Lamana
Here we present the full version of Kris Abel’s interview with Trish Lamanna of Site 3 Fire Arts about their RiskeeBall interactive flame experience at the Hamilton SuperCrawl festival. For more information visit: www.site3.ca/
Understanding Blue Whales Through Their Bones With Jacqui Miller
Here we present the full version of Kris Abel’s interview with Jacqueline Miller, mammalogist with the Royal Ontario Museum, on the process of preserving two blue whale skeletons and performing valuable scientific research. For more info visit: www.rom.on.ca/en/collections-res…rojects/blue-whale
Converting Animation Into VR with NFB Director Jelena Popovic
Here we present the full version of Kris Abel’s interview with Jelena Popovic, VR producer on Minotaur for The National Film Board of Canada. She shares the process of taking Munro Ferguson’s animated film Minotaur and Kid Koala’s soundtrack and converting them into a new virtual reality experience. See the trailer for Minotaur VR; vimeo.com/154227600... Read More
Edible insect Chef Caryn Goldin Of Entomo Farms
Here’s my interview with Chef Caryn Goldin, culinary manager at Entomo Farms, the largest edible insect farm in North America. From crickets and mealworms, in whole or powder form, she dishes on what is driving their growing adoption in our local food industry. For more information visit: entomofarms.com/
Jessica Ching On Her EveKit HPV Home Test
Here’s my interview with industrial designer and Eve Medical co-founder Jessica Ching who discusses her EveKit home test kit and HerSwab specimen collection device for HPV and sexually transmitted infections. For more information visit: evekit.com/ Here’s the full episode of What She Said
The Secret Lives Of Pokemon With Biologist Aaron Phillips
Evolutionary biologist and teacher at the Royal Ontario Museum Aaron Phillips has agreed to pretend that the creatures of Pokemon Go are real and, because we know so little about them, new to science. Here he studies the physiology of a selection of Pokemon to offer insights, much like his profession does animals of the... Read More
Tech Fashion Designer Wendy Ng’s Empowering Jackets
Here’s my interview with civil engineer and fashion designer Wendy Ng about her Dystropolis collaborations for conceptual tech clothing and her Hack-Your-T-Shirt workshop from this year’s Maker Festival. dystropolis.com/ www.facebook.com/Dystropolis.by.wendy.ng Watch her Soft Power runway display from MakeFashion.ca here: youtu.be/-ei3zOS8cIA Here’s the full episode of What She Said
Emma Mogus, Weston Youth Innovation Winner, On Tongue Tech
Here’s my interview with Emma Mogus, 17 year-old inventor from Oakville, Ontario and winner of the 2016 Weston Youth Innovation Award for her T.I.C. (Tongue Interface Communication) device. For more info visit: www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/innovationaward/ bookswithnobounds.com/ Here’s the full episode of What She Said
The Portrayal Of Scientists Within Ghostbusters With Alex Leitch & Rachel Ward-Maxwell
Here’s our Ghostbusters round table with astrophysicist Rachel Ward-Maxwell of the Ontario Science Centre and creative technologist Alex Leitch, co-founder of Site 3 coLaboratory. www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/ www.site3.ca/ Here’s the full episode of What She Said
Erin “RobotGrrl” Kennedy On Beach-Cleaning Robots
Here’s the extended version of my What She Said interview with Erin Kennedy who is leading an initiative to inspire makers and technologists to design robots that can assist in clean-up of public beaches and shorelines from the constant build-up of ecology-harming litter. For more visit: www.robotmissions.org/ shorelinecleanup.ca/ Here’s the full episode of What She Said... Read More
Scanning Sculptures With Art Gallery of Ontario’s Lisa Ellis
Lisa Ellis, conservator at the Art Gallery of Ontario, joins us to share her international investigation into the Boxwood micro-sculptures. Crafted 500 years ago, little is known about who made the astonishingly detailed wooden items that often bear a religious theme, and Lisa is working with NASA, the MET, the Rijksmuseum, and other institutions to... Read More
Science Fair Winner Rachel Brouwer On Water Filtration
Winner of both the Canada-Wide and World-Wide Science Fairs, Rachel Brouwer joins us from Nova Scotia to share her water filtration and purification system as action is being taken to test her design in Uganda and Kenya. cwsf.youthscience.ca/ We also celebrate David Saint-Jacques, the next Canadian astronaut selected for a mission to the International Space... Read More