SciBarCamp

Inspired by the wonderful SciFooCamp and BarCamps, I’m helping organize SciBarCamp, in Toronto, starting the evening of Friday, March 14, and continuing all day Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and 16.

The idea is to have a gathering of scientists, artists, and technologists for a weekend of talks and discussions. The goal is to create connections between science, entrepreneurs, arts and culture.

The themes are:

  • The edge of science (eg, synthetic biology, quantum gravity, cognitive science)
  • The edge of technology (eg, mobile web, ambient computing, nanotechnology, web 2.0)
  • Science 2.0 (eg open access, changing models of publication and collaboration)
  • Scientific literacy and public engagement (eg, one laptop per child project, policy and science, technology as legislation, science as culture, enfranchising the poor, the young, the old)
  • The interactions of science, art and culture: Scientists and artists as partners in the continuing evolution of the culture

The program will be decided by the participants at the beginning of the meeting, in the opening reception. Presentations and discussion topics can be proposed at the SciBarCamp website or on the opening night.

The talks will be informal and interactive; to encourage this, speakers who wish to give PowerPoint presentations will have ten minutes to present, while those without will have twenty minutes. Around half of the time will be dedicated to small group discussions on topics suggested by the participants. The social events and meals will make it easy to meet people from different fields and industries. The venue, Hart House, is a beautiful space in downtown Toronto, with plenty of informal areas to work or talk. There will be free wireless access throughout.

Our goals are:

  • Igniting new projects, collaborations, business opportunities, and further events.
  • Intellectual stimulation and good conversation.
  • Integrating science into Toronto’s cultural, entrepreneurial, and intellectual activites.
  • Protoyping a model that can be easily duplicated elsewhere.

Attendance is free, but there is only space for around 100 people, so please register by sending an email to Jen Dodd (dodd.jen@gmail.com) with your name and contact details. Please include a link to your blog or your organization’s webpage that we can display with your name on the participants list at www.SciBarCamp.org.

SciBarCamp is being organized by Eva Amsen, Jennifer Dodd, Jamie McQuay, Michael Nielsen, Karl Schroeder, and Lee Smolin. More information about the event can be found at www.SciBarCamp.org.