Science Literacy Week is returning this year for its fifth anniversary and will take place from Monday, September 17 to Sunday, September 23. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Council has partnered with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to kick off this year’s celebration of science and to highlight space exploration. CSA astronaut David Saint-Jacques and his colleagues are set to launch on the International Space Station this December.

“More than anything this year I want people to see Science Literacy Week as a chance to get out and experience science in a new light,” wrote Science Literacy Week Founder and U of T alum Jesse Hildebrand. “Not as lectures or fact and figures to be memorized, but as an entrancing way of looking at the world.”

Platforms such as Science Literacy Week provide the opportunity for Canadians, experts and non-experts alike, to delve into science through a variety of creative outlets. The nationwide celebration appeals to a wide variety of subject interests within science, suitable for all ages.

Science Literacy Week was founded by Hildebrand with the goal of uniting science enthusiasts from across Canada to spread awareness about scientific breakthroughs, history, and literature through organized events.

Last year, there were over 800 events that occurred in 100 cities across Canada. Although this year will focus on astronomical activities, there will be hundreds of other events being offered that will make you feel grounded.

From making slime, understanding robotics, learning how to code, public talks, and science themed scavenger hunts, Science Literacy Week has got it all.

“Whether it’s peering into a microscope to see a thousand little creatures, hearing a talk that explains things in a way that finally makes sense or staring at the stars and marvelling at the immensity of the Cosmos, Science Literacy Week has something to inspire absolutely everyone with the magic and wonder of science,” wrote Hildebrand.

Here are some of this year’s notable events around U of T:

Makerspace Display

Come to the UTSC Library to learn about the technologies used to make objects and make your own space-themed button.

Date: Monday, September 17

Time: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Location: UTSC Library, 1265 Military Trail

Admission: Free

Explore the Universe in the ROM’s Travelling Planetarium

Staff from the Royal Ontario Museum will be at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) Library to display a planetarium in 30-minute sessions.

Date: Monday, September 17

Time: 12:00–5:00 pm

Location: OISE Library, 252 Bloor Street West

Admission: Free

Interactive Demos with the J. Tuzo Wilson Club

The J. Tuzo Wilson Geology Club will be demonstrating minerals under the microscope, how meteorites are tested, and more.

Date: Monday, September 17 to Friday, September 21

Time: 1:00–3:00 pm

Location: UTM Library, 1867 Inner Circle Road

Admission: Free

Interactive Geologic Time with Fossil Samples

UTM PhD student Katie Maloney will give insight into a geologist’s work and display some of UTM’s fossil collection. Maloney will also share how fossils are preserved and analyzed.

Date: Wednesday, September 19

Time: 12:00–1:00 pm

Location: Davis Building, 1867 Inner Circle Road, Room 2062

Admission: Free

From Euclid to Einstein: Milestones in the History of Science

This event is a self-guided tour of over 30 iconic scientific works of literature that have shaped the way science has evolved over the centuries. Works will include a Latin manuscript of Euclid’s Elements, dating back to the fourteenth century, and Copernicus’ work on planetary motion from the sixteenth century.

Date: Thursday, September 20

Time: 4:00–7:00 pm

Location: Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, 120 St. George Street

Admission: Free