Canadian Museum of Nature Presents - 2004-09-15 at 09:55
Ottawa, September 3, 2004 -- Presentations by one of the world’s leading freshwater scientists and a Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer are among the highlights of the fourth season of the Canadian Museum of Nature's 2004-05 Perspectives on Nature series. The lineup for this monthly series will address topics ranging from sustainable living, threats to Canada’s water supply and biological differences between men and women.
The series will kick off on October 6, 2004, with a talk by writer and journalist Holly Dressel, who co-authored the 2002 book Good News for a Change: Hope for a Troubled Planet with David Suzuki. Dressel’s presentation, "How to Save a Planet: Making Honey without Hurting the Flowers", will offer global examples of sustainable living. Dressel and her family preserve an old dairy farm along the Quebec/New York border for animal habitat and organic production. She has been involved for the last ten years with local efforts to save the beautiful Châteauguay valley from outside exploitation in the form of water privatization, tire dumps and industrial hog farms.
On October 28, one of Nature's environmental specialists, Jean Lauriault, will present, in French, his work with Mexican conservationists on protecting the Monarch butterfly’s winter habitat. "Les derniers papillons monarques" ("The Last of the Monarchs") will explore the massive deforestation and climatic changes in Mexico that are affecting the survival of this vulnerable butterfly.
Canada’s water quality and supply will be the topic on November 4. "Second only to Americans in their demands, Canadians use about 1650 cubic metres of freshwater per capita each year...more than double the average European rate." This quote is taken from Threats to Water Availability in Canada, a 150-page national assessment co-edited by Dr. Alex Bielak, Chair of the National Water Research Institute's Science Liaison Branch. Dr. Bielak will use the report as the basis for his bilingual presentation, "Water Water Everywhere?...Will There Be a Drop to Drink?" (The report is available at www.nwri.ca).
Described by some as the 'world’s greatest living freshwater ecologist', Dr. David Schindler will give a presentation on December 2 on "The Myth of Abundance: Western Canada’s Water Supply". He will discuss how human demands, contaminants, climate warming and other threats will cause future severe water problems in western Canada. This multi-award-winning scientist was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2004.
On February 17, 2005, Dr. Gabrielle Boulianne will present "Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity", in English and French. A neurobiologist with Toronto’s Sick Kids Hospital, Dr. Boulianne is studying the aging process by examining the degenerative effect over time that oxygen has on cells. She led a team that inserted a human gene that is known to protect against oxidative damage into fruit flies, and extended their life span by 40%. This successful experiment has contributed to scientific understanding of both the aging process and degenerative diseases such as Lou Gehrig’s (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) and Alzheimer's.
"Sex on the Brain" is the topic of the March 24 lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Deborah Blum. She will report on a broad range of animal and human studies dealing with aggression, nurturing behaviour, infidelity, homosexuality, hormonal drives and sexual signals. Blum is the author of the well-received 1997 book, Sex on the Brain, which explores biological differences between men and women.
The 2004-2005 series will end with two panel discussions on "Breaking News! The Role of the Media in the Public’s Understanding of Science". Whether it’s Mad Cow disease, life on Mars or SARS, there are countless recent examples of science hitting the headlines. The French session on April 20 and the English one on April 21 will be moderated by Véronique Morin, President of the Canadian Science Writers' Association.
All lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for each presentation are $10 ($8 for seniors, students and members). For information and registration, call 613.566-4791. The Museum is located at 240 McLeod Street (at Metcalfe).
The Canadian Museum of Nature is a Crown corporation that promotes awareness of Canada’s natural heritage through permanent and travelling exhibitions, public education programmes, active scientific research and the maintenance of a 10-million-specimen collection. It recently developed a new vision and model of national service, which emphasizes partnerships to increase the capacity of Canadian natural history museums and to enhance their service, value and impact.
