Nerd Nite Toronto: The ROM is Coming!
School's out for Summer! NNTO is thrilled to cap the season with guest speakers from the Royal Ontario Museum!
Trivia is based on the ROM's collections and we have some delightfully nerdy things for the raffle. You might also get some goodies on the way in.
Presentation 1 – “Asteroids: Friend or Foe?” by Dr. Kim Tait
Asteroid impacts throughout Earth’s history have influenced the evolution of life as we know it. Samples from these objects can help answer questions that are central to the human experience: where did we come from? Looking to the future, should we fear a catastrophic impact event here on Earth? How often have large (and small) impact events happened over time? Large asteroids are currently tracked by space agencies. How can we protect ourselves from potential destruction? What is our destiny?
Dr. Kim Tait is Curator of Mineralogy at the Royal Ontario Museum and is a participating scientist in NASA's upcoming sample-return mission to the asteroid Bennu. She'll talk about the significance of this asteroid and Canada's contribution to the mission.
Kim’s “I am a Scientist” video here.
Presentation 2: “Trilobites – Everyone’s OTHER Favourite Fossils” by Dave Rudkin
From cryptic origins during the Cambrian Explosion over half-a-billion years ago, trilobites rose rapidly to prominence in the seas of the Earth. For the next 250 million years this dynamic array of three-lobed, armoured arthropods evolved an astounding array of shapes, sizes, and lifestyles. Their fortunes waxed and waned through two global mass extinction events, until their ultimate demise in the “Great Dying” at the close of the Paleozoic Era. So, what do we know about trilobites? HOW do we know about them? Why should we care?
Dave Rudkin, Assistant Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology at the Royal Ontario Museum and self-professed trilobitophile, will be your guide on an exploration of these long-extinct denizens of the depths.
Check out Dave’s “I am a Scientist” video here.
Doors open at 7:00pm
Who can attend: Everyone
Fee: $5
Registration: Not required
Organized by: Nerd Nite Toronto
Location: Tranzac Club, 292 Brunswick Ave., Toronto, ON M5S 2M7 (near Bathurst & Bloor)