On A Tangent

Fall 2026 marks the first year of a new undergraduate program within the Faculty of Science at TMU. An expansion on traditional cybersecurity training, the interdisciplinary Bachelor of Science in Cyber Science program covers much more than just technical skills. Not only will students learn to analyze system vulnerabilities and develop secure code, but they will also understand the legal, social,...

Mentorship can be a critical ingredient for success in the academic journey, offering students guidance, career opportunities, network connections, and sometimes even leading to lifelong relationships. Inspired by her own mentorship journey, Faculty of Science alumna Julia Pia (Chemistry ‘20) founded Ment Projects to provide accessible mentorship resources for students and professionals. Ment Proj...

Why does the computing industry struggle with representing Canada’s diversity? In this episode, Dr. Preeti Raman, Computer Science professor and pedagogy researcher at TMU, highlights the critical issues surrounding the gender and diversity gap in computer science. It starts early – a lack of support or exposure to computing in grade school can leave women and underrepresented groups feeling unsup...

While Indigenous Peoples can be considered the first scientists, the current Canadian curriculum is rooted in Euro-Western science, overlooking and excluding centuries of Indigenous Knowledges. In this episode, we sit down with Brooke Filsinger and Alacea Yerxa, two changemakers in the scientific and Indigenous community at TMU to learn about what decolonizing science education is and how they hop...

Every year on the last Saturday of March, millions of people across the world turn off their lights for Earth Hour to raise awareness for the urgency of nature loss and climate change. But is ‘awareness’ enough? In this episode, we ask: Is it too late to change course? Are we headed towards environmental disaster? Whose responsibility is it to help save our planet? Our conversation with Dr. Bryan...

Every year on January 28th, Canada and many countries around the world participate in Data Privacy Day. On this day in 1981, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection was signed. Today, we use the anniversary as an opportunity to bring forward discourse around the value of protecting personal privacy in our digital society. In this episode, Shadan Ghaf...

After community members raised concerns surrounding Ryerson’s namesake, the Mash Koh Wee Kah Pooh Win Standing Strong Task Force has come forward with 22 points of action on how the university can acknowledge and address its colonial legacy. The university has accepted all 22 recommendations, including a call to rename the university. In this episode, Task Force Co-Chair, Elder Joanne Dallaire, an...

As the world’s most popular drug, caffeine has been ritualized in daily routines all over the world. In this episode, Dr. Michael Olson chats about the effects of caffeine and its role in society. He also compares Canada’s coffee culture to what he observed while working and living in the UK. Dr. Olson studied Pharmacology in his PhD and is now a cell biologist and professor at Ryerson. The Scienc...

Hackathon: a hacking marathon where teams aim to develop a functioning software or hardware project by the end of a time constraint. Hackathons are the perfect opportunity for students to build their skills and work as a team before going into the real world. Ryerson’s very own hackathon has set about to do exactly that—host an event for students to build skills, make connections, and have fun whi...

By now, you’ve probably heard the hype surrounding Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Investors are profiting off the buzz of a “currency of the future” while corporations and governments are feeling pressure to acknowledge the growing technology. But do you really know what Bitcoin is and how it works? Computer Science alumna and blockchain expert Dr. Saeideh G. Motlagh gives us a crypto crash c...

Getting vaccinated is the first step to normalcy as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. While many people are more than eager to get vaxxed, others may feel hesitant due to misinformation, agendas, and conspiracies floating around. In this episode, Dr. Emily Agard, director of SciXchange at Ryerson, explains the science behind vaccines and busts COVID-19 vaccine misconceptions. Dr. Agard has he...

How is good quality alcohol produced? Why do you get sleepy after a big meal? What is the science between pairing alcohol with foods? With a passion for distilling and a research focus on separation science and analytical chemistry, Dr. Eric Da Silva of the Department of Physics talks about the science of alcohol in time for the holiday season. Disclaimer: The information in today’s episode is str...

In our first episode, Dr. Anthony Bonato of the Department of Mathematics reveals what he’s got in store for the LGBTQ+ Math Day on November 18th, 2020. He shares his experience as a gay man in the field of mathematics and the importance of creating an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ mathematicians. This event is open to LGBTQ+ community members in the math field, their allies, and anyone else wh...