Doors Open McMaster returning to campus next week
Touring the innovative LIVE Lab at the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind is one of several options available during the fall edition of Doors Open McMaster. Campus tours at various locations will take place between Oct. 28 and Nov. 1.
This fun and engaging event gives the McMaster community an up-close and personal look at the many fascinating spaces on campus, and builds awareness about the importance of private financial support for the many initiatives at McMaster.
REGISTER Online
Monday, Oct. 28:
McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind – LIVE Lab
The McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind and the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour is soon to have a unique research-based performance theatre and testing centre. Come get a sneak peek at The LIVE (Large Interactive Virtual Environment) Performance Lab, which once completed will be the only facility of this exact kind in the world.
Highlights of the facility include:
• A 100-seat specially constructed performance hall with virtual acoustics (dense array of speakers and microphones) that can mimic virtually any acoustic environment, from train stations to music halls
• The ability to measure brain responses (dense array EEG) from several performers at a time to investigate, for example, how musicians play together during a performance
• Motion capture equipment to see how musicians and dancers coordinate movements
• The ability to measure physiological responses such as EEG, heart rate, breathing rate, and skins responses in audience members in order to understand how they react cognitively and emotionally to various aspects of performances
• A large LCD screen so interaction between visual and auditory information in performance can be assessed
• Sound recording equipment to analyze performances
• A rigged piano that records the timing and velocity of key presses
• Enabling the study of communication in realistic environments in people with tinnitus, hearing impairment or autism.
Tours: 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. (maximum of 15 people per tour)
Psychology Building, Second Floor
Wednesday Oct. 30:
McMaster Biology Greenhouse
Come visit McMaster’s Biology Greenhouse, home to more than 1,000 plants, including bamboo that was recently donated to the Toronto Zoo to feed two endangered giant pandas. Some of the plants are tiny; others are so tall their branches bend against the roof of the greenhouse. Some of the plants are edible including citrus, coffee and cocoa, others are poisonous. Some are common houseplants, while others date back to prehistoric time. Come take a look at the plants are used for research and the labs in biology, life sciences and geography.
Tours: 12 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. (maximum of 20 people per tour)
McMaster Biology Greenhouse (Entrance between Hamilton Hall and The Refectory)
Thursday, Oct. 31:
iSci Lab
The Integrated Science Teaching Lab is the latest addition to the Faculty of Science’s undergraduate learning spaces. The lab is designed to meet the multidisciplinary needs of the iSci Program and permits learning through exploration in the disciplines of life science, chemistry, physics, and earth science. This original lab features many unique elements to enhance the student experience, and is also the first University setting in Canada to feature a full suite of ductless fume hoods as part of its energy efficient design.
Tours: 12 p.m., 12:15 p.m., 12:30 p.m. and 12:45 p.m. (maximum of 15 people per tour)
General Sciences Building Room 114
Friday, Nov. 1:
McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC)
McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC) is the recently opened, state-of-the-art University lab where hundreds of researchers, students and industry professionals are working to resolve serious issues facing the automotive industry and design the future of human transportation. The 70,000 square foot facility includes commercial garage space, with multiple bays ready to receive cars for experiments and testing. It currently houses the Centre for Automotive Materials and Corrosion, the Centre for Mechatronics and Hybrid Technology and the Centre for Excellence Research Chair in Hybrid Powertrain Group.
Tours: 12 p.m. & 12:30 p.m. (limited to 30 people per tour)
200 Longwood Road South, across from McMaster Innovation Park
Parking is included in Lot 2 (west of MARC) and Lot 4 (north of the MARC) between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m.
