U of Windsor bringing bird lovers and beer drinkers together
Ask bird expert Dan Mennill what Windsor and Essex County are known for and he'll give you two answers — birds (of course) ... and beer.
"We are a bird hotspot here in Essex County ... We see almost a billion animals pass through our skies during migration," said Mennill, an ornithologist, who's convinced people will want to hear about the bird research they're doing at the University of Windsor.
On Thursday, the faculty of science will host Birds and Beers, which Mennill calls "a special event for anybody who likes birds or beers — or both."
"In the faculty of science, we've changed our approach recently to have more events where the public and researchers from the University of Windsor can interact and talk about an interest that are common to people who live in Essex County."
The event is part of Science On Tap, a series of outreach activities to encourage members of the community to come and meet researchers and get a glimpse into the research happening on campus.
For Mennill, a lot of his peers' research concern issues of great public interest, including water quality and animal declines in the Great Lakes. He said a lot of work needs to be done to make sure the findings don't stay solely on the university's campus.
"These are issues that affect us as everyday people who live in Windsor and Essex County. This is a chance for us to showcase that research and engage the public and tell them about the work we're doing," he said.
"We've even had people become volunteers in our different laboratories in the faculty of science after finding out, from these events, the kind of research that we're doing on campus."
Graduate students and experts in the field will be on-hand Thursday to talk about their research, with members of the university's Avian Taxidermy Club joining them as well to show off their bird specimens.
The works of Science Meets Art — a new club at the university — will also be showcased at Birds and Beers.
A pair of binoculars will be given to the winner of a trivia contest, which includes questions about famous birds in pop culture and sports.
Birds and Beers will take place Thursday at the Walkerville Brewery from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $15.
