Happy New Year! I hope that you had time to relax with friends and family during the break!
I am very sad to say that my (Linda's) time as coordinator has come to an end. I will still be around as a volunteer, but I will no longer be a coordinator. I would like to take a moment to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you! I am really going to miss working with all of you, but I'm looking forward to having the time to volunteer alongside you more often!
Please continue reading below for an introduction from Ann and Nancy (the new coordinators who will be joining Amanda!), announcements about the winter semester training dates (in case you have friends or labmates who would like to volunteer!), and some upcoming activities in the weeks to come.
Best wishes,
Linda
_____________________________________
Linda
_____________________________________
Hey Guelph Let's Talk Science Volunteers!
Nancy & Ann here! We are the two graduate students joining Amanda as coordinators for the Guelph Let's Talk Science site, and we wanted to take a moment to introduce ourselves!
Nancy:
My name is Nancy Stonos, and as one of the new Let's Talk Science coordinators here at the Guelph Site I look forward to getting to know each of you! As one of the new coordinators, I will be taking over as the main contact for booking activities and getting kits organized, while Ann will provide the site with some of the behind the scenes support that keeps everything running smoothly. To talk a little bit about my background, I am starting my PhD in the Animal and Poultry Science department, I have just finished my Masters degree by coursework in the Animal and Poultry Science department, and I previously graduated with an Animal Biology degree from Guelph. With my background in agriculture and coming from a rural Ontario community I have seen firsthand the need to improve the interest in Science in rural areas, so maintaining and further developing the rural outreach at the Guelph site is something I hope to achieve as one of the new coordinators.
Ann:
My name is Ann Vandergust, and I'm the other new coordinator at Guelph Let's Talk Science. I'm thrilled to be joining the Let's Talk Science team and am hoping that together Nancy and I can maintain the high standard Linda and Amanda have clearly established for the Guelph site! A little about myself? I'm a Masters student in the Chemistry Department with aspirations of defending soon (yay!). I did my undergrad in Chemistry at Guelph, with a minor in German Studies, (a combination that usually earns me a funny look or two at dinner parties!). With my experience with high school outreach for the Chemistry and Nanoscience programs, one of my areas of focus will be expanding Let's Talk Science involvement with secondary schools, so stay tuned in the fall for (hopefully!) more opportunities.
Nancy and I are looking forward to getting to know you, the volunteers, over the coming months. This semester we'll be having another volunteer appreciation night so you can let us introduce ourselves in person and meet some of your fellow volunteers! We haven't picked a date yet, but it'll be some time after Reading Week, so stay tuned for more details.
In addition to the volunteer appreciation night, we will be running two information and training sessions this semester for new volunteers, so encourage your friends to come out and join Let's Talk Science Guelph! For those interested in just learning more about what we do, we'll be offering 20-minute info sessions at 5 pm on Wednesday, January 23 (Science Complex Room 1504) and on Tuesday, February 12th (Science Complex Room 1511). For those who already know they want to join, we'll be following the info sessions with volunteer training sessions from 5:30-8:30 pm, including pizza dinner. So spread the word and encourage your friends and lab-mates to RSVP and join Let's Talk Science Guelph!
The new Let's Talk Science office hours will be Tuesdays from 2-3 pm in the Let's Talk Science Office OVC 2653. If you need to meet outside of these hours (to pick up or drop off kits, for example), email us to make other arrangements.
Best wishes,
Nancy and Ann
PS - As Linda enjoys her retirement from being a coordinator and resumes life as a Let's Talk Science volunteer, she is on our phone-a-friend speed-dial as we learn the ropes for running the site. If you need to pass a message to her, just let us know!
________________________________________
