Programs and Events

Monthly Archive: December prog

An Afternoon With Weird Science at the ROM's 80-Year-Old Camp

Posted: October 24, 2018 - 11:50 , by Kiron Mukherjee
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Bethany Kempster sit with her science class observing rocks and minerals. Image: Michael Berger

On their quest, they find glow-in-the-dark rocks, which leads to a lesson about ultraviolet radiation. A lesson, Bethany admits that will not be taught in school until grade 12.⠀

From Poop to Plankton: Working Together to Conserve our Ocean’s Gardeners

Posted: November 6, 2017 - 16:41 , by ROM
Asha de Vos, P.h.D. holds two bottles of freshly collected blue whale poop off the coast of Sri Lanka. Photo Credit: Oceanswell

Guest blog written by Environmental Visual Communication student Meghan Callon

From the ROM’s recent “Out of the Depths” Blue Whale Exhibition to the upcoming Canada’s Oceans: Towards 2020 Symposium, the ROM has had a big focus on our oceans this year. In fact, there have been many eyes on Canada’s oceans recently. The Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference was held in Halifax, NS, just two weeks ago, bringing together some of the greatest ocean thinkers from around the world. There, Dr. Asha de Vos gave a keynote speech describing her journey to understanding how blue whales act as our ocean’s gardeners. Check out this blog to learn more about the incredible story of blue whale poop and the researcher who studies it!

5 reasons to be excited for BioBlitz Canada 150 in Rouge National Urban Park

Posted: June 2, 2017 - 21:07 , by ROM
Two young girls peer into a jar at the insect they just captured with a net during a bioblitz. Photo by David Coulson

While intensive biological surveying has taken place in the Rouge Valley before, this was before the creation of Rouge National Urban Park and a doubling in the park’s size. We are keen to make history by bringing this amazing citizen science event to Canada’s first and only national urban park for the very first time! 

Here are five reasons to be excited about Bioblitz Canada 150 in Rouge National Urban Park, written by Guest Author Omar McDadi from Parks Canada

Farms, Cities, Animals, and the Museum

Posted: November 8, 2016 - 15:05 , by ROM
A goat is milked in front of the ROM for "The Goat, the Honey, and the Museum" project by Bill Burns. Photo by Teghan Dodds

Guest blog by Environmental Visual Communication student Teghan Dodds

Goats are not something you’d expect to see within the confines of the city, and especially not on Toronto’s Bloor Street with its upscale shops and prestigious historical buildings. Read this blog written by 2016 Environmental Visual Communication student Teghan Dodds to find out why we had goats out in front of the ROM, and what that has to do with nature, art, and the ROM.

Behind the Blitz: Become the Biodiversity

Posted: June 9, 2016 - 15:08 , by ROM
Four children stand with monarch wing costumes in front of an exhibit in the Schad Gallery at the ROM. Photo by Fatima Ali

Blog by Stacey Lee Kerr, Biodiversity Storyteller / Creative Producer for the ROM's Centre for Biodiversity

At this year's Ontario BioBlitz, things are set to get a little wild... we've invited everyone to dress up as their favourite Ontario Species for our NatureFest Costume Contest. But what does it take to win a fabulous prize? Inside, in the final installment of our Behind the Blitz blog series, we've got some tips for how to come out on top, and "become the biodiversity"!

Behind the Blitz: The Heart of the Data

Posted: June 1, 2016 - 22:11 , by ROM
Angela Telfer, database coordinator for the Ontario BioBlitz program sits hard at work at a computer in the middle of the species depot during the 2015 event. Photo by Stacey Lee Kerr

Guest blog by Angela Telfer, the Data Management Lead for Bio-Inventory and Collections Unit of the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario (BIO), and Database Coordinator for the Ontario BioBlitz program

Ever wonder what happens to all those observations made at the Ontario BioBlitz? Where do your species lists and iNaturalist observations go? Angela has those answers and some tips for making sure that everyone's hard work collecting data in the field is preserved and accessible to everyone for years to come.

Behind the Blitz: Three Young Scientists

Posted: May 19, 2016 - 20:25 , by ROM
Wide view of the species depot at the 2015 Ontario BioBlitz, where scientists bring back specimens to examine and identify along tables with microscopes and field guides. Photo by Krystal Seedial

Blog by Nadine Leone, ROM Hands-on Biodiversity Gallery Assistant Coordinator 

The first of four blogs in our Ontario BioBlitz: Behind the Blitz series is an interview with three young ROM scientists, who share their favourite highlights from last year's event in the Don Watershed.

Museums and millennials: the secret may lie in video games

Posted: March 8, 2016 - 11:33 , by royal
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Photo: Visitor testing out Gam Jam games

ROM partners with indie video game developer Last Hour Games to engage Millennials through new media.

Fits like a Space Glove

Posted: December 24, 2015 - 09:39 , by ROM
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Orlan space gloves from Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield's collection.

Canadian Space Agency Chris Hadfield talks to us about the challenges of working with your hands in space.

REX Is Coming to Town

Posted: December 23, 2015 - 10:37 , by ROM
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Photo of Rex Rover, a Martian rover prototype

The ROM is a hotbed of Martian activity – along with our expansive collection of meteorites from Mars (out of only ~100 samples known on earth, we have pieces of 22 of them!), over the holidays we will play host to REX, a Mars rover prototype. REX (short for Robot EXplorer) is one of nine rovers developed by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), in collaboration with over 40 Canadian companies and universities, for testing lunar and planetary vehicular tools.