Premier McGuinty and Youth Services Minister Chambers to open

15^th Visions Of Science Symposium

 

TORONTO, Ontario – Premier Dalton McGuinty and Mary Anne Chambers the Minister of Children and Youth Services will officially open Visions of Science Network for Learning’s (VoSNL) 15th annual science symposium on Saturday, May 27 at 1:45 p.m.

 

The two-day program at the University of Toronto, Medical Sciences Building, 1 King’s College Circle starts on Friday, May 26 and is directed toward middle school children in the GTA.  Teachers, school administrators and guidance counselors are encouraged to bring their students to this very unique and interactive symposium. 

 

The Saturday program caters to all ages and is open to the public.  Parents are encouraged to bring their families to this fun and innovative symposium, which highlights the many achievements of African Canadians in the fields of science and technology from the early 19th century to the present.

 

Visions 2006 will highlight exhibits and exhibitors who will showcase how science coexists with entertainment, recreation and everyday life.  The symposium will feature top quality science professionals, corporations and science education organizations that will provide stimulating presentations and exciting hands-on workshops for youth and adults.

 

A father and son duo will promote the symposium’s family aspect.  Dr. Frederick Ofosu, a Professor with McMaster University’s Department of Pathology & Molecular Medicine will speak about Blood: The River in Our Bodies.  His son, psychiatrist Kofi Ofosu, will talk about The Beauty and Mystery of the Brain.

 

“People of African descent have been contributing to the world of science in Canada from the mid 1800s to present, and Visions 2006 celebrates the continuum of African scientific excellence,” said VoSNL Executive Director, Francis Jeffers.  This contribution is promoted through the symposium’s International African Inventors Museum, which emphasizes African Canadian, African and Caribbean inventors.

 

“The Visions of Science symposium is a great way to encourage more young people to be curious about the world around them by learning about science and

technology,” said Minister Chambers. “Our children naturally dream of success. Visions of Science helps to inspire and persuade them to achieve those dreams.”

 

Participants include PDAC Mining Matters; the Children’s Activity Science Village; Let’s Talk Science; University of Toronto’s Science Outreach; York University’s Science Explorations; and Mount Sinai Hospital’s sciHigh Program.

 

 

 

 

Other presentations include:

·         Pre-programmed Pharmaceutical Pills. Is it Computer Science or Pharmaceutical Science? by Dr. Alexander MacGregor, president of Toronto Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology;

·         Let Food Be Thy Medicine by  nutritionist Dr. Sandra Romano Anthony;

·         The Office at 33,000 Feet & Our Legacy featuring African contributions  to aviation, Urban Pilots Network;

·         Editing on the web - A revolution in filmmaking, Formidable Technologies;

·         From Concept to the Marketplace by Grace Kennedy Product Manager Hjith Halahackone;

·         Do you have what it takes? Invention, Patent and more… by Marc Auguste Jr;

·         Relevance of 5000 year-old Mathematics Methods of Africa by Dr. Francis Ahia;

·         Bacteria how are they Transmitted by Helen Dedier, a molecular microbiology technologist, and

·         Clean Air with Nuclear Power by Dr. Jerry Cuttler, who is associated with the Council of the Canadian Nuclear Society.

 

Visions of Science Network for Learning is a Toronto based incorporated non-profit educational organization founded in 1991 to promote science and technology in the African Canadian, low income and other under-represented communities. The annual science symposium attracts over 1,500 people.

 

For more information please contact Francis Jeffers, Executive Director, Visions of Science Network for Learning at 416-266-6464, at: fajeffers@rogers.com, visionsofscience2002@hotmail.com or visit www.visionsofscience.org.