BioZone participates in the University of Toronto's annual Science Rendezvous event - a science outreach showcase held each May on the downtown campus - as well as the DEEP Summer Academy Course designed for high school students.
BioZone also regularly hosts tours and visits from summer camps, Guide troops, Take Our Kids To Work, and other organizations.
Science Rendezvous
For several years, BioZone has proudly participated in Science Rendezvous at the University of Toronto's St George Campus.
Since the return to in-person programming in 2023, BioZone has hosted a booth where participants are invited to paint agar plates with recombinant E. coli expressing colourful fluorescent proteins.
Thanks to the hard work of BioZone staff and students, this booth introduces the public to the world of applied microbiology in a fun and artistic context.
DEEP Summer Academy Course
The Da Vinci Engineering Enrichment Program (DEEP) invites high-achieving high school students to participate in five-day courses designed and executed by graduate students of the University of Toronto.
BioZone has taught Mighty Microbes, an intensive course that introduced students to microbiology and genetic engineering through five themes: microbial activity related to water, land, human health, air, and remediation.
In the past, BioZone has also animated a crash course in enzyme expression, from plasmid recovery to activity assays. Students joined us to learn the central dogma, PCR, principles of gel electrophoresis, elements of experimental design, and Michaelis-Menten kinetics, as well as getting exposure to lab techniques in the protein expression pipeline.
BioZone regularly participates in offering these courses. Participants get a glimpse into how the protocols they practice in the teaching lab are applied in a research setting.
Girl Guide Visit
BioZone hosted a local girl guide unit in Wallberg's teaching lab for a hands-on science experience relating to their yearly theme: Water.
Two of BioZone's postdoctoral fellows, Dr. Olivia Bulka and Dr. Katherine Picott, led the girls in several experiments to explore local water, including visualization of microscopic creatures from various water sources and comparison of water hardness across Canada.
The guides were also challenged to design, build, and test their own water filtration systems.
The girls had so much fun earning their science lab badges, and can't wait to do more science in the future!