Rosie French – Contributor 

The Natural Sciences and Mathematics Wine and Cheese was hosted last Tuesday, Feb. 3, and had a large turnout of over 60 people. 

This event is hosted annually and is a chance for students to connect with faculty from their department in an arguably more agreeable environment than classrooms, as well as to meet other students in their program. Alongside mingling over snacks and drinks, name tags and printed questions for students and faculty were provided to encourage conversation. Some students stayed for the whole 5 .p.m to 7 p.m. run, and others zipped in before or after their classes as they passed by The Gait. 

Image courtesy of Latoya Simms

Although this Wine and Cheese didn’t quite gain the same line-dancing notoriety that the Education Wine and Cheese reached back in the fall, students enjoyed playing pool and foosball, chattering and lingering around the bar. The Chemistry Club, Pre-Med Club, and Astronomy, Math and Physics Society were all present to connect with new students interested in getting involved. 

Serena Duperron, a biology student, had a positive experience. “It was good to catch up with others in my program, and the atmosphere was inviting,” she said. “The snacks were very satisfactory.” The delectable assortment included four varieties of cheese, radishes, dried cranberries and other charcuterie-adjacent foods. The cheese was the first to go. 

As students trickled in, a tally was set up for how many from each program were present. The final stats included the largest turnouts from physics and biology, a handful of people representing computer science, math and biochemistry, and a proportionally huge turnout from chemistry despite the small program size. Luminaries in attendance included Dr. John Ruan, Dr. Valerio Faraoni and Dr. Karl Gagnon. 

The event was hosted by me, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics senator, and Maya Gibson, the SRC Student Success Manager. “We were glad to see so many people show up and get conversations going,” Maya said. “It’s a great opportunity to meet new people and to talk with your teachers.” Students may be glad this event was held before the onslaught of midterms, when student-teacher rapport is still high. 

Snippets of conversations overheard gave some more insight into student perspectives on the event.

“Can I get another drink ticket?”

“I’m sick of this cold weather.”

“Did you finish Dr. Nelson’s assignment?”

“Imagine having all these people on LinkedIn, dude.” 

This type of high-brow conversation is expected of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics cohort. We look forward to the next opportunity to get these great minds all in one room.