Science Writers and Communicators of Canada
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Science Writers and Communicators of Canada
@swc-can.bsky.social
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We're the SWCC! We foster quality #scicomm & provide a community for science writers across #Canada. Become a member today!🔬✈️

Awards 2025 Submissions: https://sciencewriters.ca/bookawards/submissions

Website: https://sciencewriters.ca/
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Science Writers and Communicators of Canada @swc-can.bsky.social · Nov 6
📣 Great news! The 2025 SWCC Book Awards extended the submission deadline until November 7th. 📚 Don’t miss this opportunity!

Learn more about the submission process and eligibility here:
sciencewriters.ca/bookawards/s...

#canadianbookawards #scienceauthors #sciencebooks #scicomm
"The dark blue banner at the top reads: ""The 2025 SWCC Book Awards Submission Deadline Extended"". Green text in the bottom half of the banner reads, ""New Deadline: Nov 7, 2025"". Below is an image of the 2024 Book Awards entries on a bookshelf, with a brick wall in the background. The books are in all different colors, leaning slightly to the left."
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💡DEADLINE EXTENDED💡

Been meaning to submit an abstract for 🧬SWCC 2026 in Montréal (June 15–16)? You’ve got until Feb 14! 🗓️

👉 Apply here: shorturl.at/Svx4w

Share practical, creative, or student sci-comm work with our community.

#SWCC #Montreal2026 #SciComm #STEM
February 1, 2026 at 3:37 PM
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🚨 ONLY A FEW DAYS LEFT TO APPLY! 🚨

Present at our annual conference this June!

🗓 Abstract deadline: January 31, 2026 (11:59 PM EST)
📍 Conference: Montréal | June 15-16, 2026

Full details and submission guidelines:
👉 lnkd.in/gJXHDvDB

#ScienceCommunication #Journalism #STEM #SWCC #Montreal2026
January 30, 2026 at 1:08 AM
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We are saddened to learn of the passing of The Honourable Kirsty Duncan. Dr. Duncan was a passionate advocate for gender equity in STEM and a champion of science communication. Our deepest condolences go out to her family and friends.
January 28, 2026 at 8:05 PM
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📢 SciComm folks, big news!
The SWCC 50th Anniversary Yearbook is now available in print 📖

Explore how science writing & communication in Canada has evolved.

🛒Limited copies: $24 + HST
📩Order: office@sciencewriters.ca
📍 Free pickup in Ottawa
#SciComm #ScienceWriting #SWCC
Promotional graphic for the SWCC 50th Anniversary Yearbook. Green background with large text reading “SWCC 50th Anniversary Yearbook.” The graphic highlights a limited number of print copies for sale at $24 plus HST. It includes images of interior yearbook pages from different decades (1960s, 1980s) and the book cover titled “From Typewriters to Twitter: Celebrating 50 Years of Science Writing in Canada.” Text explains that the yearbook explores the origins of SWCC and changes in science journalism over the last half-century, with instructions to purchase by emailing office@sciencewriters.ca.
January 27, 2026 at 7:12 PM
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Based in Edmonton as Critical Fusion, Perry is a hands-on creative who is active in all aspects of visual media production.

“Throughout my career as a creative, I have always been involved in producing visuals for science-related content delivered in various formats”.
A poster advertising an immersive show with the title “The Impossible Journey from Earth and Beyond”. The subtitle at the bottom of the poster says “An immersive experience on the exploration and discovery of life in the universe”. The poster features a large planet, moon, and satellite in space at the top, and at the bottom of the poster are two alien creatures swimming underwater. At the very bottom of the poster is the company logo for Critical Fusion. A circular image of a 360° visual illustration depicting a reddish-brown planet at the centre surrounded by a complicated pattern of blue, red, and purple lines protruding outwards. A satellite is featured in the bottom left corner. A circular image of a 360° visual illustration depicting a circular grid pattern featuring colourful circles with mathematical symbols and numbers on them and a satellite in the bottom right corner. A circular image of a 360° visual illustration depicting blue and green shapes in a sphere with a satellite in the bottom right corner.
January 17, 2026 at 3:43 PM
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Perry attributes his work to his early days in university, where he majored in geology, geomorphology, and biogeography before transferring into visual communications.

A key component of his work involves developing science-based immersive 360° experiences for planetariums. 🪐
January 17, 2026 at 3:42 PM
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Perry’s work has been featured in print media, travelling exhibits, and immersive dome shows. Currently, “Legends of the Northern Sky”, a 360° show, is running at the Telus World of Science Edmonton and the Manitoba Museum.
January 17, 2026 at 3:42 PM
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The show has been translated to French and Mandarin, and has been featured abroad in China, France, and Romania. It has also been chosen by the Ecotarium in Massachusetts for a five-year run. His newest show in development, “The Impossible Journey”, explores the discovery of life.
January 17, 2026 at 3:42 PM
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“Creating visuals for science, for me, is about inspiring others to look deeper into the natural wonders that are all around us, and gain greater respect on how this complex weave has provided humanity the opportunity to observe, explore and discover.”
January 17, 2026 at 3:41 PM
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To see more of Perry’s work, visit his website at www.criticalfusion.com

Stay tuned for next month’s SciArt Spotlight! If you or a SciArtist you know would like to be featured, send us a DM! 📩

#SciArt #ScienceCommunication
Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Animation - Critical Fusion - Edmonton
Providing innovative creative for animated explainer videos, 3D animation and graphic design for print media resources in Edmonton.
www.criticalfusion.com
January 17, 2026 at 3:41 PM
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Welcome to the SWCC's 2026 SciArt Spotlight Series! 🎨🧬

To get us started, this month’s featured SciArtist is Perry Shulak, a creative director, writer, visual media designer, animator, and illustrator!
A poster advertising an immersive show with the title “Legends of the Northern Sky” over top of a purple aurora borealis. The subtitle below says “An Animated, Immersive Dome Production about First Nations Myths and Legends of the Night Sky”. The poster background features a wolf sitting on a frozen lake next to snow banks with fish swimming below the ice. Above this is a starry night sky with a constellation and bare trees in the foreground. At the top of the poster is a list of awards the show has won or been nominated for, and at the bottom is a list of companies involved in the production (Critical Fusion, Telus World of Science Edmonton, and Reef). A circular image of a 360° visual illustration depicting a fox-like animal walking on a frozen lake surrounded by bare trees, with fish below the ice, and a starry night sky above the snowy winter scene. A poster advertising an immersive show with the title “Rhythms of Gaia” and the subtitle “An immersive odyssey into the eternal self, rediscovering the ancient rhythms of the natural world”. The poster features a purple and blue butterfly on top of a blue and green circle and a sun within a 10-pointed star at the top. The background is black with small and faint blue and green writing. At the bottom of the poster is a list of companies involved in the production (Critical Fusion and Takka Katta). A circular image of a 360° visual illustration depicting a small Earth at the centre, surrounded by thin multi-coloured rings and large colourful circles that each have an astronomical symbol on them.
January 17, 2026 at 3:40 PM
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The SWCC is looking for SciArtists who would like to be featured on our social media platforms as part of our SciArt Spotlight Series! 🎨🧬

All forms of art that communicate science are welcome!

Interested? Send us a DM and we'll be in touch! 📩

#ScienceCommunication #SciArt
A promotional post from the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada. The graphic shows five cartoon paintbrushes at the top of the image with pink and green paint on them and their tips surrounding the large bolded heading that reads "Hey SciArtists!". Below the heading is a green scribbled line and the text "We want to feature your work on our SciArt Spotlight Series!" Below this text is the SWCC logo (a green wavey line with the acronym SWCC to the right of it). The background of the post is a pale green colour with three light green paint splashes and two light pink splashes.
December 14, 2025 at 12:09 AM
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Today she teaches and conducts research at the University of Waterloo, leading the Ultrafast Laser Group and continuing to inspire the next generation of scientists. (6/6)

#WomenInSTEM #LaserPhysics #CanadianScience
Graphic from the SWCC #ScientistSpotlight series featuring Donna Strickland. The upper half of the graphic shows a photo of the University of Waterloo's Engineering 7 Building. Below the photo, a text reads: "In 1997, she joined the University of Waterloo, where she now leads the Ultrafast Laser Group and serves as associate chair of physics. She has also served as president of the Optical Society of America and as a director with the Canadian Association of Physicists." The SWCC logo and hashtag #ScientistSpotlight appear at the bottom. Graphic from the SWCC #ScientistSpotlight series featuring Donna Strickland. The left half of the graphic shows a photo of Donna Strickland smiling with her left arm leaning over a laboratory optical table. She wears a colourful shirt and black pants. Besides the photo, a text reads: "A scientist, educator, innovator, and leader whose work reshaped modern technology and whose story inspires the next generation of innovators." The SWCC logo and hashtag #ScientistSpotlight appear at the bottom.
December 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
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After engineering physics at McMaster, she pursued her PhD at the University of Rochester with Gérard Mourou. About that time, she recalls: “It is the one time in my life that I worked very, very hard!” (5/6)
Graphic from the SWCC #ScientistSpotlight series featuring Donna Strickland. The upper half of the graphic shows a black-and-white photo of Donna Strickland as a PhD student, seated at a laboratory optical table surrounded by laser equipment and wearing large safety glasses. She appears to be adjusting a component of the setup. Below the photo, a text reads: "Strickland studied engineering physics at McMaster University, drawn to its laser-focused curriculum, and graduated in 1981 as one of only three women in a class of 25. After that, she joined the University of Rochester, where she worked with Gérard Mourou, completing her PhD in 1989." The SWCC logo and hashtag #ScientistSpotlight appear at the bottom.
December 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
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Born in Guelph, Ontario, she grew up loving school. Even when a teacher claimed math and physics were “boys’ subjects,” she resisted. As she wrote on nobelprize.org: “We girls were told we could do anything we wanted, and I believed it.” (4/6)
Graphic from the SWCC #ScientistSpotlight series featuring Donna Strickland. The upper half of the graphic shows a black-and-white photo of the Strickland family taken in November 1964: Edith and Lloyd Strickland are sitting on a sofa with their three children: Anne, Donna and Rob. Below the photo, a text reads: "Born on May 27, 1959, in Guelph, Ontario, Strickland grew up with an English teacher mother and an electrical engineering father. She was the middle child between her sister Anne and her brother Rob." The SWCC logo and hashtag #ScientistSpotlight appear at the bottom. Graphic from the SWCC #ScientistSpotlight series featuring Donna Strickland. The left half of the graphic shows the image of a green board with a polies diagram, several physics equations, and a hand holding a chalk that writes the last equation on the board. Besides this image, a text reads: "She loved school, and although a teacher once discouraged her from studying math and physics in high school because they were 'boys' subjects,' she refused to listen." The SWCC logo and hashtag #ScientistSpotlight appear at the bottom.
December 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
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CPA enabled high-intensity, ultra-short laser pulses used in eye surgery, industrial machining, medical imaging, and nearly all high-powered laser systems. (3/6)
Graphic from the SWCC #ScientistSpotlight series featuring Donna Strickland. The upper half of the graphic shows a diagram explaining chirped pulse amplification (CPA). Step 1 shows a short light pulse entering a grating pair that stretches the pulse. Step 2 notes that stretching reduces the pulse’s peak power. Step 3 shows the stretched pulse passing through an amplifier, increasing its energy. Step 4 shows the pulse entering another grating pair that compresses it, producing a much more intense, ultra-short laser pulse. Below the diagram, a text reads: "Donna Strickland won the 2018 Nobel Prize for developing CPA in her first scientific paper (1985), enabling high-intensity, ultra-short laser pulses used in eye surgery, industrial machining, medical imaging, and high-powered laser systems." The SWCC logo and hashtag #ScientistSpotlight appear at the bottom.
December 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
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Strickland was the first Canadian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics (2018), recognized for the development of chirped pulse amplification (CPA), first described in her 1985 paper, published exactly 40 years ago. (2/6)
Graphic from the SWCC #ScientistSpotlight series featuring Donna Strickland. The left half of the graphic shows the portrait of Donna Strickland sitting in an armchair and smiling. She wears a black suit and a white shirt. On the right half of the graphic, text reads: "Donna Strickland was the first Canadian woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, only the second Canadian woman to win any Nobel Prize, and just the third woman ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics." The SWCC logo and hashtag #ScientistSpotlight appear at the bottom.
December 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
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🧵December 10 is #NobelPrizeDay, and today #ScientistSpotlight highlights a trailblazing Canadian physicist: Donna Strickland. (1/6)
Graphic from the SWCC #ScientistSpotlight series featuring Donna Strickland. The upper half of the graphic shows the portrait of a woman scientist, Donna Strickland, smiling and leaning on her hand while sitting at a laboratory optical table filled with laser equipment. Below the portrait, there is a text that reads: "Donna Strickland, 10th Dec," a Nobel Prize Day emblem, and the words "Nobel Prize Day: Celebrating the brilliance, innovation, and compassion that inspire a better world." The SWCC logo and the hashtag #ScientistSpotlight appear at the bottom.
December 10, 2025 at 6:32 PM
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Stay tuned for more incredible artists in this series! If you want to be featured, or know a SciArtist who would be a great fit, make sure to tag them in the comments or send us a DM!
#SciArt #ScienceCommunication
November 30, 2025 at 4:20 AM
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"Ultimately, whatever my goal may be, both science and art play a pivotal role in helping me convey meaningful messages in my work."

🌍 Explore more of Nicole's #SciArt: vividsciences.squarespace.com
VIVID SCIENCES
vividsciences.squarespace.com
November 30, 2025 at 4:19 AM
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"Today my passion lies in combining these two fields to make scientific information more compelling and accessible for diverse audiences. Even in my artistic practice I often draw upon my scientific background for inspiration, whether through techniques, themes, or methods."
November 30, 2025 at 4:19 AM
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"Having a curiosity and capacity for the arts, I discovered how to incorporate artistic expression with my scientific work, uncovering how to better communicate the science I was engaging and working with."
November 30, 2025 at 4:19 AM
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Cell Proliferation with Ki-67 showing healthy and cancerous cells.
November 30, 2025 at 4:19 AM
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This week’s SciArt 🎨🧬 Spotlight is Nicole Mikulis!

"I always been captivated by the wonders of science and medicine, eventually leading me to pursue clinical research in neurosciences."
A yellow, semi-transluscent blob like structure depicting Crystal Structure of DILP5 Variant DB. Purple and pink blob like structure depicting Magnetosome-Associated Cytochrome MamP. Realistic depiction of red blood cell. Acute lymphocytic LEUKAEMIA (ALL) cells relying on plasma asparagine for protein synthesis.
November 30, 2025 at 4:17 AM
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🚀 Into sci-fi AND real science?
Join SWCC and Dr. Marty Kurylowicz, host of The Science in The Fiction, for a live talk + Q&A exploring the science behind your favourite sci-fi ideas.

📅 Dec 4 | 5 PM ET | Zoom
💵Free for members | $ 30 non-members
🔗 shorturl.at/xBZ4Z
A promotional graphic for an SWCC event titled “Using SciFi to Promote Science Curiosity & Vision.” At the top is the SWCC logo. Below it is a framed photo of the speaker, Marty Kurylowicz, wearing a suit and tie. Around the photo are green circuit-board–style design elements. Text beneath the image reads: “Join us for a presentation and live Q&A with Marty Kurylowicz, host of the podcast The Science in The Fiction!” At the bottom, a banner states: “Dec. 4th, 2025 | 5:00 pm ET | via Zoom.”
November 26, 2025 at 3:43 PM