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Toast a variety of topics during free lecture series

Thompson Rivers University is encouraging the public to raise a glass and toast a series of novel opportunities and venues for learning during the school’s 50th-anniversary celebrations.

Twice a month throughout 2020, TRU is hosting its Tap into Research events that feature instructors presenting lectures covering a wide range of topics - all done in the casual atmosphere inside one of several craft breweries and coffee houses around Kamloops.

“They (presenters) wanted an opportunity to share their research with everyone, not just audiences of their peers. So, we thought about how to facilitate that and decided on taking the researchers to where people go,” explains Danna Bach, Communications Officer for Research & Graduate Studies at TRU.

The free, “pop-up” lecture series kicked off to great success in early January with a capacity audience taking in a talk on solar energy.

“We couldn’t have had a better response to our first event,” Bach says. “We filled the venue, and people stayed for dinner, and long after to ask our researcher questions.

“It was a great opportunity to engage with people who may not have had the opportunity to come out to our campus. It really was just a fun night out.”

The next Tap into Research event is scheduled for March 11 at 7 p.m. inside The Noble Pig (650 Victoria St.) where TRU’s Dr. Karl Larson presents, “Cry for the serpent: Will we have rattlesnakes 100 years from now? And who really cares?”

“Dr. Larsen is recognized internationally for his research that explores ecology, conservation, and wildlife management,“ Bach says. “His most recent research, conducted alongside graduate student Stephanie Winton, explores the impact of road mortality on rattlesnakes, and predicts that without significant changes, these vipers may well become extinct.”

The Tap into Research series is one of many events TRU is holding as part of its Gifts of Learning, which is designed to give back to the community.

For more about how TRU is celebrating its 50th anniversary and a calendar of events including future Tap into Research topics, visit tru.ca/tru50.



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