Galápagos of the Coal Age': Joggins, Nova Scotia.

Did you know that the Redpath Museum has an intricate link with Canada’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site?

Are you aware that our own Sir William Dawson, fifth president of McGill and founder of the Redpath Museum, was one of Canada’s first paleoecologists?

If you didn’t (and even if you did), the Redpath Museum Club presents a talk that can answer all of your questions! On Wednesday, October 27th, we will be hosting a talk on ‘The Redpath-Joggins Connection’ at 3pm in the Redpath Auditorium.

Still not sold? Read on.

The Fossil Cliffs at Joggins, Nova Scotia became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. This property has played a vital role in the development of seminal geological and evolutionary principles, including through the work of Sir Charles Lyell and Charles Darwin, for which the site has been referred to as the “coal age Galápagos”.

During next Wednesday’s talk, Matt Stimson - a student at St. Mary’s University, Halifax and researcher at the Joggins Fossil Cliffs World Heritage site - will speak about the history of the site and about the vital role Sir William Dawson played in the monumental discoveries that occurred there. Some of the latest research currently being preformed at the site will also be presented.

On behalf of the Redpath Museum Club, I’d like to invite you to come out and see this enlightening talk. It should be very interesting from both a biological and historical perspective!

Thanks!

Emily.
(Internal Facilitator, Redpath Museum Club)

Pumpkin Carving Contest!!!

THERE IS STILL TIME TO SIGN UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HURRY UP - IT'S GOING TO BE EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey fellow biology enthusiasts,

Do you like pumpkins?

Do you enjoy carving pumpkins or other vegetables?

If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, then boy does the BGSA have the event for you!

Now that Thanksgiving weekend is almost over, it’s time to get jazzed about the second greatest event in October: the Annual Biology Department Pumpkin Carving Contest, or ABDPCC (just rolls off the tongue).

For those of you new to the Department or unfamiliar with the event, teams participating in the pumpkin carving contest sign-up in advance, and arrive the day of the event with tools in hand, and carve the greatest pumpkin of all time. Teams must pay $6/team, which covers the cost of the pumpkin (which we will provide for you), and prizes. Please sign-up by e-mailing Ria (ria{dot}ghai{at}mail{dot}mcgill{dot}ca) and getting your team’s $6 to her by Friday, October 22nd so we can purchase supplies. Teams will have 1 hour to carve the pumpkin, before our returning judges, Susan Bocti and Frank Scopeletti, analyze your pumpkin-carving skills. Judging criteria include: creativity, use of lab tools, originality, and participation of supervisor (which is worth extra points, so get on that).

Ok, summary of event details:

WHAT: I think that should be obvious by now.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 27 at 1pm (event is 1hr; teams should arrive 15 min early to prepare; onlookers welcome!)
WHERE: 4th floor lobby, Stuart Bio Building
WHO: Graduate students, postdocs, professors, anyone in the Department with an interest in pumpkins and/or squash carving.
WHY: Because October wouldn’t be complete without a pumpkin carving contest. And there will be prizes, and a trophy (yes, a TROPHY) for the winning team.

So, start harassing your supervisors, assembling a team, contact Ria to sign-up, and we’ll see you all on Wednesday, October 27th at 1pm for pumpkin fun! Teams, don’t forget to bring your own carving supplies!!