VanBUG Seminar Series: Martin Krzywinski, BC Genome Sciences Centre - Sept. 15
Date:Thursday, September 15, 2016 - 18:00 to 19:30 PDT
Vancouver & online, British Columbia
In Person:
675 West 10th Avenue (BCCRC Building)
Gordon and Leslie Diamond Family Theatre
BC Cancer Agency
Vancouver
Online:
Webcast link:
http://vidyoreplay.computecanada.ca/replay/webcastShow.html?key=TAKdbjoDvIqKdLn
Speaker Info:
Martin Krzywinski
Staff Scientist, Bioinformatics
BC Genome Sciences Centre
Abstract:
“The great tragedy of science–the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact,” wrote Huxley, in a statement that is as much about how science works as about the irrepressible optimism required to practice it. But even greater is the tragedy of obfuscating facts with impenetrable figures and demoting their natural beauty by florid visuals.
The issue isn’t one of pure aesthetics—lack of clarity, precision and conciseness in science communication slows our efforts to move forward. In the field of disease research, this has fateful impact on lives. We want to get the visuals right—or at least, better—not just for the sake of communication but also to stir emotion and curiosity. Art gives us access to the quality of quantity by exposing the beauty and depth of highly technical knowledge, normally only accessible to specialists [1].
Milestones in scientific discovery may be inevitable but our personal reaction to the world they describe is not. Art allows us to find ourselves in the science. Using examples from my work and science-related art projects, I will make the case for a greater role of art in science, as a form of communication, education and inspiration and starting interesting conversations.
[1] Euler’s identity eiΠ=–1 is either beautiful or gibberish, depending on your education.
Bio:
Martin Krzywinski is known for his work in bioinformatics and data visualization. He created the Circos graph to display genomic data sets in a way that revealed their inner structure and served as a visually stunning emblem of the new field. His information graphics have appeared in the New York Times, Wired, Scientific American and covers of numerous books and scientific journals. Krzywinski’s work has set a new standard for the presentation of scientific results and established design as a tool of discovery in the research process itself.
Introductory Speaker:
Emma Griffiths
PhD Student, Dr. Fiona Brinkman’s Lab, Simon Fraser University
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Please Note:
Trainees are invited to meet with the VanBUG speaker for an open discussion about science and career paths. This takes place 5:00pm-5:45pm in the ground floor boardroom of the BCCRC. The seminar will be followed by complementary pizza, refreshments and great networking.
For updates on seminar topics and abstracts, please check out VanBUG's website at http://vanbug.org.
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About VanBUG:
VanBUG (Vancouver Bioinformatics Users Group) is an association of researchers, other professionals and students in the BC Lower Mainland who have an interest in the field of bioinformatics. VanBUG meets on the second Thursday of every month from September through April. Research presentations by bioinformatics leaders, students and industry representatives are followed by networking over pizza and refreshments.