Many moons ago when I was but a grad student, my lab, which specialized in wildlife genetics, received an unusual request:  Run a DNA test on this hair, because we're pretty sure it's Sasquatch. To be clear, the sample did not ... Read More  

How did I research The Boreal Forest? I read 238 books, scientific articles, and websites, adding up to untold thousands of pages of research (I didn't actually count). I took 72,400 words of notes (those I did count, or ... Read More  

Last time, I talked about the purpose of the most popular form of academic writing - the argumentative essay. You can also read about the distinct (but closely related) purposes of lab reports and scientific papers here. If you're ... Read More  

So, you're a woman in science. Good for you! Have you thought about what you're going to wear? Nope, I'm not talking about latex gloves, hip waders, or safety goggles, although you do look very cute in those. I'm talking ... Read More  

It's the first ever I Read Canadian Day! Take 15 minutes out of your day today to read a Canadian book. Any Canadian book! And if you are so inspired: read out loud to your class, library, family, or pet post ... Read More  

I dread reading the news these days. It’s important to stay up to date with current affairs but what do you do when almost everything you read ratchets up the stress, the tension? I’ve figured it out. You keep your eyes ... Read More  

Last week, the news broke that Canadians who are being evacuated from China will be quarantined at Canadian Forces Base Trenton for two weeks, to ensure they're not infected with the new coronavirus. This got my attention because CFB ... Read More  

When Francis Bok was seven years old, his mother sent him to the market near his village in southern Sudan to sell hard-boiled eggs and peanuts. This was the first time she’d entrusted him with this responsibility, and he ... Read More  

Imagine it's the 1960s and you're a black person in the USA. Congratulations - you're twice as likely to be blind as a white person. I hope that fact makes you as mad as it makes me! It made Dr. ... Read More  

Sometimes I find it’s hard to stop being angry with yourself when you make a stupid mistake. Berating yourself then leads to a feeling of inadequacy which can easily morph into anxiety and a lack of confidence to try ... Read More  

I've been watching Murder Maps on Netflix recently (because what's more Christmasy than murder?) and if you're into forensic science, it's solid viewing - a sort of historical Forensic Files, but with more social context. So far, S1E4: The ... Read More  

Happy New Year, and welcome to January, also known as "the start of a new semester." Which means it's a perfect time to talk about the most common form of writing assigned by university professors - the essay. Students ... Read More  

As the holiday season kicks into high gear, we're going to take a brief hiatus here on ye olde blog. The blog-mistress is in dire need of a nap, and she's willing to bet a lot of you are, ... Read More  

Despite swearing off of live-action-remakes-of-Disney-movies-that-really-didn't-need-to-be-remade-to-begin-with, Tech Support and I recently watched the new version of The Lion King. Which isn't even "live action" so much as "slightly more advanced animation," but whatever. Read More  

If you're new to this column, we've spent the last couple months talking about the influence that our intended audience has on the way we approach a piece of writing, and now we're discussing purpose - the goal of ... Read More  

I learned about Dr. Patricia Bath - ophthalmologist and laser scientist - while researching my children's book, Innovations in Health. Of all the people I profiled, she's one of my favourites. Bath was not just a woman in science, ... Read More  

Welcome to Cantastic Authorpalooza, featuring posts by great Canadian children's writers! Today, something a little different - my friend, author, actress, singer, knitter, and all-around-amazing-talent Melanie Gall, discusses one of our favourite books, by legendary Canadian author L. M. ... Read More  

Did you miss the previous instalments in this series? Check the archives for posts on Martin Brenner, Sam Owens, and Dr. Alexei. Today, we're talking about my favourite character, never mind scientist, in all of Stranger Things: Mr. Clarke. Read More