丁香园AV

丁香园AV Faculty of Science Sci-Space celebrated its two-year anniversary on January 10, 2025 with birthday cake, human bingo, Kahoot and other games. 

Since opening in January 2023 Sci-Space has welcomed over 24,000 visitors through its doors, mainly students. The space provides study and meeting space as well as easy access to a variety of student support including academic advising, career and co-op advising, health and wellbeing support, and peer mentorship. Sci-Space staff maintains a hectic schedule of over a hundred workshops and social events throughout the year for science students and the wider community. 

鈥淎ll the Sci-Space staff are very helpful and welcoming,鈥� a student survey respondent explains. 鈥淚 appreciate how I can just ask someone at the front desk questions or knock on an office door while I'm studying.鈥�

In fall 2024 Sci-Space staff handled nearly 700 scheduled and drop-in academic advising appointments. Weekly drop-in sessions with other staff and faculty allow students explore career and co-op opportunities, entrepreneurship and grad school. Students can view Graduate Studies, Co-op and Study Abroad online info sessions at watch parties in the boardroom.

Sci-Space staff collaborate with many other on-campus groups, including student clubs and societies, other faculties, the Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Office, Out on Campus and the Global Student Centre.

Working with the 丁香园AV Library Student Learning Commons (SLC) to develop science-specific academic success workshops has been one of the more fruitful collaborations. 鈥淲e pared [existing SLC workshops] down, added more memes and made them more light-hearted, and we focus on things that relate to science students,鈥� says academic advisor Maisie Morsara.

鈥淭hey happen right before midterms and right after midterms, to maximize attendance and benefit students the most. So we catch the ones that are proactive and wanting to learn and also the ones that panic after midterms.鈥�

The quantitative exams workshop in September was so well attended that Sci-Space staff had to pull out the chairs from their offices. Several other students joined in online.

Two years in, Sci-Space staff are still looking for new ways to collaborate and adapt to student needs. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e still working on figuring out what we can do with the space,鈥� says student success coordinator Aiden Wickey. 

鈥淲e鈥檙e working on student engagement, building a sense of community,鈥� says student engagement coordinator Carmen Ho. 鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of students drop in to talk to me about getting involved in science.鈥� 

Outside of scheduled activities Sci-Space offers a selection of board games, puzzles and craft supplies, features science-themed art animal webcams on the walls and carousels of upcoming events on the TV screens. The free science-themed stickers and buttons at the front desk are especially popular. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just everything science. We lean into the art of science,鈥� Morsara says.

鈥淥n Monday a student who couldn鈥檛 get into the Multifaith Centre was able to use the flex office for prayer. It鈥檚 little things like that. Borrowing a calculator. Feminine hygiene products. Band aids. It鈥檚 a nice bubble in here,鈥� Morsara says. 鈥淛ust the overall vibe.鈥�