It isn’t very often flowers, philosophy and maggots are incorporated into a single event, but for organizers of the Burnaby Festival of Learning, diversity was key.
To cap off SFU’s 50th anniversary, the university has partnered with the City of Burnaby to create a week-long “celebration of learning,” from May 1 to 7. The festival, modeled after the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival in Ireland, features over 50 events, designed to be eclectic enough to appeal to any interest or age group. The event categories span from crime and punishment, to sports and recreation.
“This’ll kind of be the first of its kind in Burnaby,” according to Lindsay Sands, events and marketing coordinator for the festival. She believes such events are often tied to the Vancouver or Surrey campuses.
Celebrations begin with the City of Burnaby’s family-friendly Rhododendron Festival, followed by the kickoff to the Philosophers’ Café program’s summer series, asking,“Why Do Universities Matter?” The Burnaby Festival of Learning also has a scientific component, with an introduction to forensic entomology – the study of insects to determine time of death in homicide cases.
“Insects are usually the first witnesses to a dead body,” said Gail Anderson, co-director of SFU’s Centre for Forensic Sciences and speaker of the Bugs and Bodies event. “(Forensic entomology) can make or break an alibi.”
Anderson hopes the talk’s fascinating and gruesome nature will show attendees that science can be fun, while Sands hopes the festival as a whole will send a similar message about education.
“(Learning) can come from not so obvious places,” Sands said.
For a complete list of the events offered at the festival, visit festival-of-learning.ca
