Science with an armchair and a drink: Julia Boughner and Café Scientifique

Researchers Under the Scope

Julia Boughner knows primates carry a deep-seated instinct to gather together. An associate professor of anatomy with the College of Medicine, Boughner is a biologist who specializes in evolutionary development. On the last Tuesday of the month, she also hosts Café Scientifique Saskatoon. The gathering is essentially a pub night where a scientists talk about their research, mingle with members of the public and answer questions. "I think a lot of speakers enjoyed the fact they could give a podium talk with a beer,” she laughed. “Researchers welcome the opportunity to be out there with the public, to share something that they care very deeply about.” The pandemic forced Café Scientifique Saskatoon to move online, but Boughner hopes to bring the events back downtown to Winston's Pub. “One of the missions of Cafe Sci is to personalize or humanize researchers," said Boughner. “I really hope that we get to go back into a face-to-face environment." In this episode, Boughner shares insight on the nights that drew the biggest crowds, and how the pandemic highlighted the need to build trust between research scientists and ordinary citizens.