Oct. 25, 2015

Telus Spark Science Centre: Monster Mash-up 2015

Article by Adam Shute and Tim Jayme; photos by Ale Young.

HPI DOES THE MONSTER MASH, AGAIN – October 24-25, 2015

On October 24^th and 25^th, HPI members (graduate students and postdocs) were invited by TELUS Spark Science Centre to host their third consecutive exhibit at the TELUS Spark Monster Mash Event. The Monster Mashup event is designed for children to not only have the chance to showoff their spooky Halloween costumes, but to also discover the creepy crawly side of science and the HPI parasite exhibit did not disappoint. Jars of preserved tapeworms and liver flukes along with a stuffed teddy bear with fleas revealed to the kids of all the macro and microscopic organisms that lay about their world. The worlds of “Awesome” and “Eww” filled the exhibit as kids (and adults) had the chance to learn about the life cycles of these parasites and how they pertain to their everyday environment.

Although this was a weekend event with many HPI trainees taking part, on Saturday morning, some new members of the HPI program including myself had the privilege to participate in our first HPI community event. It was gratifying to share with kids our knowledge and excitement for the parasites that HPI members work with everyday. It was even more gratifying to see how engaged the young HPI scientists were as they were flooded with keen and brilliant questions. That being said, the HPI Monster Mashup event was a complete success not only for inspiring the young minds of Calgary but also for showcasing the work and the HPI member involvement in educating the public about parasites over the years. I certainly hope to continue this community involvement with the HPI program as it has become increasingly clear how impactful this outreach can be.

Thanks to all of the HPI members who helped plan the event and volunteered to come out and support HPI and TELUS Spark over the weekend. Special thanks to Russell Avramenko and Christina Amat for leading yet another successful community engagement event. Last but not least, thanks to Jessica Knights from TELUS Spark for inviting us.