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Science Literacy Week, September 18-22, 2017

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Come and join us at the Burnaby Campus Library September 18th – 22nd for Science Literacy Week, a celebration of science in Canada.

Events

Wikipedia edit-a-thon

In partnership with BCCampus, UBC, SFU and Kwantlen, BCIT will be holding a Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon. The theme is Canada 150, and we plan to focus on science and scientists from BC.

 

Kick off event: Monday, September 18 | 1:00pm – 2:00pm | main floor of Library.
Light refreshments provided.

Never edited a Wikipedia entry before? We’ll be there for support. Check out this handout for more info and how to’s.

The Edit-A-Thon will continue through the end of the week, make your edits wherever you are, or join us in the library around 1:00pm through the week.

PRIZE!!!  Optional contest entry for BCIT Participants – once you’ve made an edit you can enter by sending an email with the subject line Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon to ebrarian@bcit.ca – include your Wikipedia username as the contents of the note. A random draw will be made at the end of the week for a $25 Tim Hortons gift card. The winner will be contacted via Wikipedia.

Smart Microgrid Card Game

Tuesday, September 19 | 11:30 – 12:30 | main floor of Library

Alan Stewart, BCIT’s Smart Microgrid Applied Research Team (SMART) Research Analyst, is a gamer.  Alan developed BCIT’s first card game, that is fast, simple, easy to teach, and also informative, which features all the various parts of BCIT’s SMART Microgrid research.  This game helps people not only understand but get excited about the technology – come and play!

 

BCIT Student Innovation Challenge

Wednesday, September 20 | 3:15 – 3:30pm | main floor of Library

Got a bright idea? Joe Boyd and Sandra Jette join us from the Applied Research Liaison Office to talk about the challenge, how to enter and available prizes.

 

Meet the Tutors

Wednesday, September 20 | 2:30 – 4:30pm| Learning Commons, main floor of Library

Meet the TutuorsJoin us to meet this year’s group of writing and peer tutors over coffee and a bite to eat.

Learn how tutoring can help you succeed at BCIT.

Free peer tutoring and writing support 7 days/week.

 

IEEE Xplore Digital Library

Wednesday, September 20 | 3:30 – 4:30pm | main floor of Library

Attention Engineering students and faculty!

Michael Shapiro from IEEE joins us again this year to demo advanced use of IEE Explore Digital Library.

The Presentation will show the importance of using professional search strategies (and please don’t think that Google is all you need), the value of professional organizations, IEEE Student Branches, and using IEEE to further career goals via networking and on-going technical education. Pizza will be provided.

Soundwalk

Friday, September 21 | 2:00 – 2:45 pm | meet in the foyer of the Library on the main floor. Tour departs at 2:05

A soundwalk is active engagement with the Soundscape. The main purpose is listening to our ecological context through which we move. Join Maureen Connelly from the Centre for Architectural Geology for this guided tour around the Burnaby Campus.

  • Footwear: prepare for wet walking surfaces.
  • Cell phones: off, not even on vibration.
  • 20 participants maximum – Register through the Loop or in the Library

Demo a Day

Monday – Friday | 12 noon – 2pm | main floor of Library

Curious about the new technology available in the Library?

Each day we’ll be featuring a new technology. Come out and see a 3D printer in action, test out the Hololens or Vive or see what the Raspberry Pi and Arduino kits are all about.

 

 

Contests

Spelements

Try your hand at creating a message using the chemical elements. Take a photo and tag us @bcitlib for a chance to WIN a $25 Tim Hortons gift card.

 

Displays

Canadians in Science (Glass display case on main floor)
Mechanical Engineering student projects
Got a bright idea? Learn how to enter the BCIT Student Innovation Challenge for a chance at a grand prize of $5,000!

Friday Favorites: An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English

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An Anthology of Canadian Native Literature in English

edited by Daniel David Moses, Terry Goldie and Armand Garnet Ruffo

Image result for An anthology of Canadian Native literature in English

Regarded as one of the best collections of contemporary Indigenous literature, An Anthology of Canadian Native literature in English, is a selection of essays, poems, short stories, songs and letters from First Nation, Inuit, and Metis communities across the country. It’s rare to find such a diverse collection of literature in one book.

Friday Favorites: The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante

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The Neapolitan Novels

by Elena Ferrante

Image result for my brilliant friend

Do you need some summer beach reading? The Neapolitan Novels, a four-part series following the decades-long friendship of two women born in 1950s Naples, can take you through the summer months.

My Brilliant Friend, the first book in the series, introduces Elena and Lila, and follows their changing friendship as each girl experiences riches, poverty, political turmoil and motherhood. Once you’re done the first book, check out The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of a Lost Child.

 

Friday Favorites: Making Simple Robots

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Making Simple Robots

by Kathy Ceceri

Image result for making simple robots book

It’s Fathers Day on the 18th. If you have a difficult time finding the perfect gift for your dad, why not make him a robot?

Making Simple Robots can help you learn to make robots using basic craft techniques. How cool is that!? Engineers and non-engineers alike will be able to follow each project’s clear, step-by-step instructions and benefit from the accompanying photographs.

 

 

Cindy, Sandra, and Faduma’s Pick

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Cindy, Sandra, Faduma

Name:        Cindy Chang
Position:    Senior Cataloguing Assistant

Name:        Sandra Matsuba
Position:   Marketing Coordinator

Name:        Faduma Khalaf
Position:   Operations and RM Coordinator

Which book did you choose?          

Instant Pot obsession by Janet A. Zimmerman

Shows exactly how you can make the most of your electric pressure cooker by using it to cook every meal, any day of the week.

Can you tell us why you chose this book?

Cindy: I recently got an Instant Pot and love trying out recipes for it. This book helps take the guess work out of figuring out the pressure, time, etc.

Sandra: I bought the Instant Pot a couple of years ago and was quickly drawn into the Instant Pot Cult joining their Facebook Group and reading every blog post and article on it. I have been amazed at how this must have gadget can cook oatmeal in 3 minutes, turn frozen ribs into fall off the bone tender in 90 minutes, make the most delicious salted caramel cheesecake, the most amazing risotto and turn a litre of milk into creamy yogurt overnight. I am definitely a fan and can’t wait to try some of the recipes in this book.

Faduma: To get as many recipes designed for the Instant Pot.

We’d love to hear more about the books you have read in the past. Could you share a few favorites?

Cindy:
In terms of cookbooks, you can’t go wrong with The Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything.

Sandra:
All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

Faduma:
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Smalls
All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Cindy: Watch movies, try new restaurants, and travel

Sandra: Sew, scrapbook, cook, spend time with family, travel

Faduma: Read

Can you tell us 3 items on your bucket list?

Cindy: Visit South America, go kayaking, make a perfect baguette

Sandra: Go to Japan, finish each of my 3 boy’s scrapbooks, make a mirror glaze cake

Faduma: Exercise, take French or Italian classes, as well as drawing and painting classes

Friday Favorites: Deliciously Ella: 100+ easy, healthy, and delicious plant-based, gluten-free recipes

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Deliciously Ella: 100+ easy, healthy, and delicious plant-based, gluten-free recipes

by Ella Woodward

Image result for deliciously ella book

Would you like to expand your repertoire of light, healthy meals, suitable for summertime? Deliciously Ella is a collection of clean, plant-based, gluten-free recipes that aim to help reduce consumption of processed foods. Evolving form a blog with the same name,  Deliciously Ella is filled with full colour photographs accompanying inventive and easy-to-follow recipes such as sweet potato brownies and roasted butternut squash risotto.

Deirdre’s Pick

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Name:       Deirdre Grace

Position:   Librarian, Energy, Environment & Business,

Coordinator, Engagement & Access

Which book did you choose?

My pick is Dodger (and his pick is me) and our pick is A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron.

 

Can you tell us why you chose this book?

I chose this book because I saw the preview for the movie, and really wanted to see it, but then there was the controversy about possible animal mistreatment during filming, and I felt like it might be better to read the book … the book’s always better than the movie anyway, right?

The book tells the story of a dog’s relationships with the people in his lives and his search for meaning and identity. It’s heartwarming and humorous, and even with a dog narrating through several incarnations it is surprisingly realistic and not corny. I love dogs and I loved this book. Dodger became part of my family when he was five years old, and I don’t know too much about his life before that – I wish he could write a book like this so I’d know more!

Technology Expo in the Library. *Please note time change for Tech Expo

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In celebration of Canada Learning Code Week, the Library will be hosting two FREE workshops on Thursday, June the 8th.

 

FREE Coding Basics

Learn simple coding using Scratch. No coding experience required.
June 8, 10am – 12pm
BCIT Library – Room 301
Register in person at the Library or on the Loop

 

 

FREE Tech Expo

Learn about new technology available in the Library.
Microsoft Hololens, Vive, Raspberry Pi, 3D printers and more.
June 8, 2-4pm
BCIT Library – Room 303
Register in person at the Library or on the Loop

Please note time change: Due to the All Staff Barbeque, we have moved the Tech Expo from 1:00-3:00 to 2:00-4:00 to allow everyone to attend both functions. We have also amended the agenda to be one hour of presentations on the new technology, followed by one hour of time to try them out, ask questions, etc.  So, if you still need to leave at 3:00, you can still attend! 

Friday Favorites: The Big Trip: your ultimate guide to gap years and overseas adventures

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The Big Trip: your ultimate guide to gap years and overseas adventures

by Lonely Planet Publications

Image result for The Big Trip: your ultimate guide to gap years and overseas adventures

It’s nearly summertime – are you planing your first big trip abroad? The Big Trip: your ultimate guide to gap years and overseas adventures can help you prepare for your trip with helpful suggestions and info on volunteer organizations, jobs and educational programs. The book is also loaded with colourful photography that will get you excited for your travels overseas!

Mari-Anne’s Pick

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Name:      Mari-Anne Dansereau

Position:  Interlibrary Loans and Media Technician

Which book did you choose?

Girl Runner by Carrie Snyder

As a young runner, Aganetha Smart defied everyone’s expectations to win a gold medal for Canada in the 1928 Olympics. It was a revolutionary victory, because this was the first Games in which women could compete in track events—and they did so despite opposition. But now Aganetha Smart is in a nursing home, and nobody realizes that the frail centenarian was once a bold pioneer.

When two young strangers appear asking to interview Aganetha for their film about female athletes, she readily agrees. Despite her frailty, she yearns for adventure and escape. And though her achievement may have been forgotten by history, her memories of chasing gold in Amsterdam remain sharp. But that triumph is only one thread in the rich tapestry of her life. Her remarkable story is colored by tragedy as well as joy, and in Girl Runner Carrie Snyder pulls back the layers of time to reveal how Aganetha’s amazing athleticism helped her escape from a family burdened by secrets and sorrow.

However, as much as Aganetha tries, she cannot outrun her past or the social conventions of her time. As the pieces of her life take shape, it becomes clear that these filmmakers may not be who they seem

Can you tell us why you chose this book?

I liked that it was based on some true facts about women in the Olympics and the book was easy to get in to.

We’d love to hear more about the books you have read in the past. Could you share a few favorites?

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Relax, relax, relax.

Can you tell us 3 items on your bucket list?

Travel, travel and more travel.