Taken from The Campus Resident – May 2010
The newest ‘cafe’ at the University of British Columbia opens only once a month, and stays open for only 90 minutes at a time.
In these short sessions, however, the cafe offers members of the public looking for information about the latest scientific research (in the field of health sciences) a very tasty menu.
Welcome to the Cafe Scientifique at UBC, which held its third monthly session on May 25 (Understanding Cardiac Disease) and which looks forward to offering further intellectually-nutritious sessions on campus in the months to come!
The global phenomenon called ‘Cafe Scientifique’ began in the United Kingdom over ten years ago, and based on the earlier Philosophers’ Cafe movement founded in France, its popularity quickly spread.
In Canada, Cafe Scientifiques have opened in a dozen cities, including Vancouver where one has been held at the Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir Street for the last two years.
Now, the Life Sciences Institute (LSI) has opened a Cafe Scientifique at UBC with sessions held in a real UBC cafe, namely the Cafe Perugia, a 40-seat establishment located in the Life Sciences Centre, the largest building on campus, located at 2350 Health Sciences Mall.
The growing engagement of the public in science, particularly life science given its direct impact of health and life, provides the plausible basis for Cafe Scientifiques, says Christian Naus, LSI director. “In the midst of hearing about the devastating effect of many illnesses, people are seeking information about the causes of disease and improvements in treatment.
“The LSI Cafe Scientifique will provide meaningful opportunity for the public to interact with not only the expert scientists, but also ‘special guests’ who will share their personal experience with the illness discussed. ”
The prestigious Life Sciences Institute provides an ideal environment, both physically and scientifically, for a Cafe Scientifique. It stands at an easily-accessible part of campus, next to residential neighbourhoods which are home to a growing population of all age groups-including both elementary and high school students. Scientifically, research at the LSI spans a wide range of health-related scientific topics, and for these reasons, Dr. Naus and Associate Director Linda Matsuuchi successfully applied for funds to underwrite the Cafe program from the Canadian Institute of Health Research.
The innovative, multi-department LSI employs 87 principal investigators from fin departments in the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science, and its stated goal “is to generate and sustain interdisciplinary research dedicated to discover fundamental biological processes of life.”
The LSI research groups focus on several major themes, including cardiovascular systems, diabetes, oncology, developmental biology, microbiology, infectious diseases, immunity, inflammation, cell biology and gene expression. Dr. Matsuuchi says, “Most projects have a strong relevance to the public and are well suited for outreach activities such as the Cafe Scientifique.”
The noble objectives of the Cafe Scientifique at UBC, said its LSI promoters in their application for funding from the Canadian Institute for Health Research, “is to provide an integration point where the public will meet expert scientists, trainees and individuals who are suffering from the health concerns.”In an informal setting, the science behind the diseases and its impact will be discussed.
“As such, it is consistent with CHIR objectives to ‘establish an accessible/informal discussion between the general public and scientists about the value and impact of health research on the health of Canadians, the health care system and the economy as a whole.”
The first Cafe Scientifique at UBC on January 26 drew 30-40 people to the Cafe Perugia to hear two researchers from the LSI answer questions and provide the formation about ‘Diabetes: Causes, Consequences and Cures?’ A similar event followed April 13 when two LSI researchers reported the latest information from ‘inside the fight against the Flu pandemic’. The May 25 session-held after publication deadline-bears the title ‘Electric Signaling in the Heart and Body: Understanding Cardiac Disease.’
The newest cafe at UBC provides not only intellectual fare for free. Coffee/tea/juice and tasty sandwiches and cakes come with information about the latest news from the world of medical research. Those wishing to register for a Cafe Scientifique session should contact the Life Sciences Institute.
(Readers should contact Theresa Lung at tlung@interchange.ubc.ca or 604-827-4781 if they wish to get an invitation to attend a session at the Cafe.)
