The latest article by Made by McGill explores the mission, diversity, and impact of McGill’s many science outreach initiatives. The collective efforts of outreach groups and departments not only expand the scope of the University itself, but also engage members of the public with accessible science. This fosters a sense of curiosity and opens a new world of possibilities to all.
Learn more about these science outreach initiatives.
Members of the media are invited to attend an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society.
Dr. Joe sits down with Bev Thomson on Canada AM and chats about his new book, "Monkeys, Myths, and Molecules."
Click here to see the full interview.
Vani Hari, who goes by the alias “The Food Babe” has become a real social phenomenon. She blogs, appears on TV and has just come out with a book that quickly made it to the New York Times best seller list. She has lots of followers and lots of critics, including myself. I don’t disagree with her goal of improving people’s eating habits. I just disagree with the methods used. Irrational fear-mongering is not the way to go. "There is just no acceptable level of any chemical to ingest, ever," she says.
I spent quite some time talking with the reporter who wrote this story about the Food Babe. She did quote me correctly but as far as having lots of fans and "some" critics goes...well those "some" consist of members of the scientific community who know a lot more about food science than the "fans."
Read More: Charlotte’s Food Babe has lots of fans – and some critics
Dr. Oz has absolutely gone haywire. In pushing the "alkaline" diet he takes a piece of kidney and pours acid on it to show how it disintegrates and infers this is happening in the body. This is insane. The pH of the blood is maintained at about 7.35 no matter what the diet. Oz has lost all perspective and is falling deeper and deeper into the abyss of quackery.
Mehmet Oz's followers believe he is a trustworthy, serious-minded (and hot) physician.
His equally fervent flock of critics say he is a fad-foisting, ratings-grubbing (and smart) TV celebrity.
In the 10 years since Oprah dubbed him "America's Doctor," the 53-year-old Oz has shown he is comfortable in both roles.
"Food for Thought" launches at exactly noon today! At 12:00 you can log on and watch the first lecture. The course is totally free but you have to register. We now have over 20,000 students registered in 150 countries.
https://www.edx.org/course/mcgillx/mcgillx-chem181x-food-thought-1213
What is it like to teach a class of more than 20,000 students? I don’t know, but I’m about to find out. Colleagues David Harpp and Ariel Fenster and I have been selected to offer McGill’s first “massive open online course,” known in the trade as a MOOC.
The year was 1982. "Food for Thought", a new and innovative course conceived by Drs. David Harpp, Joe Schwarcz & Ariel Fenster. Designed to provoke some thought, separate fact from fiction and of course, digest everything there is to know about food. And now, 17,000 students later, you too can take this course. FOR FREE. That's right. McGill presents its very-first MOOC (massive open online course), & the McGill Office for Science and Society (OSS) is up at bat. Are you ready for some Food for Thought?
Information is the key to life. We want to know what to eat, how to protect our environment, what risks to avoid and what to do if illness strikes. But when it comes to acquiring information, it is the best of times and the worst of times. It is the age of wisdom, it is the age of foolishness. Newspapers, television, radio and of course the Internet bombard us with information at an unprecedented rate, but when it comes to scientific issues the quality of the information is variable.
