Science North's latest exhibit includes millions of LEGO bricks
Science North CEO Ashley Larose describes the Sudbury science centre's latest exhibit, which features more than 100 sculptures made of LEGO pieces. 'Sean Kenney's Brick Masters Studio: Build with LEGO Bricks Like a Pro' opens on Valentine's Day.
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Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘Delegate and experiment'
Within a blink, a man turns into a Lego figurine. Not actually. The man's image is dancing in a video; via artificial intelligence, his face and body change into blocks, shifting with the song's beat. The clip garnered more than 928,000 views on TikTok. It's one of a few shorts Adam Fainman created that reached online viral status. PARISA SEPEHRI PHOTO Moonlite Labs' online platform Fainman saw the interest, read the comments — 'tutor pls' — and decided to turn the AI model he'd created into a user-friendly platform. Two years later, he and a team are launching the Moonlite Labs tool. When on the web platform, people can upload or record music and dictate AI-generated visuals to go alongside. The platform can pulse video graphics to song beats by detecting beats per minute. 'I think it's going to allow a lot of artists and creators to go much further with their art than they ever imagined,' said Fainman, who grew up in Manitoba. 'Ideally, they can delegate and experiment.' Nearly one-quarter of Canadian businesses in information and culture industries used generative AI in 2024's first quarter, Statistics Canada reported. The sector led other industries in generative AI use. Fainman, 32, started tinkering with AI as soon as he noticed it used for image creation. He's been toying with computers since childhood after his grandfather bought one for his family. The elder, Jacob T. Schwartz, is credited as a pioneering U.S. mathematician and the founder of New York University's computer science department. Schwartz taught Fainman about programming during a summer together. He died when Fainman was in high school. 'I wanted to lean into … computer science to honour him,' Fainman said. Meantime, he was building his beatboxing career. His mother — who goes by the stage name Rachel Kane — was making records and performing, and encouraging Fainman to beatbox with her. He's since output music under the name Beatox. 'Everything was always based around music,' Fainman said, considering his education. A University of Winnipeg computer science degree — a foundation to create websites for artists. Visual production courses at Red River College Polytechnic? A pathway to music video creation. While completing a masters degree at the University of Toronto in music technology and digital media, Fainman began using Vochlea's Dubler 2, a system and microphone where people use voice to control instruments digitally. Fainman recalled teaching the system what a snare drum was and a kick sound: 'You could work with tech to make this human expression fuller.' So when he saw the first images being created using artificial intelligence, he decided generative AI was a rabbit hole he wanted to fall down. Fainman used open source codes and math calculations to make AI-generated images that morphed with music beats. Once some videos went viral online, he pitched himself to the National Research Council. 'I basically proposed — how about we create the platform that does the calculating and does heavy lifting for people who aren't as math or technically savvy?' Fainman said. It worked. The NRC granted Moonlite Labs — also called Moonlite Media — several rounds of funding. Fainman hired developers, enrolled in a North Forge incubator program and saddled up to mentors like Bronuts' founder and the founding tech lead of SkipTheDishes. Months before its Wednesday launch, Moonlite Labs' concept won an audience choice award at the Manitoba AI Innovation Showcase. JOSH KIRSCHNER PHOTO Adam Fainman is the founder of Moonlite Labs. Fainman's mother was among the first clients. She and Fainman used the platform to create videos for songs on her new album, Holler at the Wind. 'That was really funny and cool,' Fainman said. 'She's maybe not the most tech-savvy person. My goal with the platform was like, if my mom can use it, then almost anyone can use it.' The platform — — is best on a laptop or desktop. Users can import music, record from the site or opt to go without audio, Fainman said. From there, people use text to describe scenes they want. Credits for video creation are available for purchase. Subscriptions for individual artists and corporations will come later, Fainman said. He's Paris-bound this month for Viva Technology, Europe's largest startup event. The conference — namely, its 165,000 attendees — is an opportunity to grow Moonlite Labs internationally, Fainman stated. '(They're) pretty scrappy,' said Harry Roy McLaughlin, founding chairman of the Manitoba Association of AI Professionals. 'That's what you need to be able to succeed.' Many AI startups want to leave Manitoba for Silicon Valley or Toronto. Moonlite Labs growing in Winnipeg is 'encouraging,' McLaughlin said. Joelle Foster, North Forge president and CEO, said she anticipates demand for Moonlite Labs. 'Most people require extensive engineering and design resources to do this,' she said. 'Now people who don't have that background … but have the ideas and the passion to do this will be able to use his platform.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Artificial intelligence will likely eliminate some jobs, Foster said. However, it could 'open up the world' to more creativity, mitigating losses, she predicted. Backlash came when people started using computers for music creation, Fainman recalled. He views AI, like computers, as a tool. 'It can't just do things on its own,' he said. 'It needs to be directed, it needs to be worked with … I believe that it just improves your ability.' Credits to Moonlite Labs will range from $10 to several hundred dollars. Subscription costs are still being finalized. Gabrielle PichéReporter Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle. Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CTV News
09-05-2025
- CTV News
Science North to receive new floating dock in June
Installation of the new dock at Science North is expected to be completed by the end of June, after which it will be open for public use (Science North photo)
CBC
20-03-2025
- CBC
Federal government pledges up to $20M for new Thunder Bay science centre
A proposed science centre to be built along Thunder Bay's waterfront took a major step toward reality on Tuesday, with federal government pledging up to $20 million in funding for the project. The centre would be built along the city's waterfront, and Science North hopes to see construction start by spring 2027, said Ashley Larose, the organization's CEO. "We have been visioning a science centre with the community in Thunder Bay since 2017, and this is really the next step in allowing us to bring that vision to reality," Larose said at a media event on Wednesday. "It will be right on the waterfront right next to the art gallery, which will create a beautiful cultural anchor down at that end of the waterfront," she said. "The power of a science centre is really in its relevance to the community, so this is going to be a science centre about Thunder Bay, for Thunder Bay, in Thunder Bay." "Using the same style of science communication that we do at our centre in Sudbury, we'll be bringing that here to Thunder Bay, but telling the stories that are relevant here." The facility's design is still being finalized, Larose said, but noted the funding was coming through the government's Green and Inclusive Community Buildings program, and would be built to the Canadian Green Building Council's Zero Carbon Building V4 standards. In a media release, the federal government said the centre will include a "heating and cooling system that uses geothermal power from Lake Superior." "It's really important that people in this day and age, maybe more than ever, really understand the world around them," Larose said. "We want to build critical thinking skills. We want to build the workforce of the future as well, and science centres play a really pivotal role in that." Northwood Coun. Dominic Pasqualino, who was at the event on Wednesday, said the centre would be a great thing for Thunder Bay. "City council is certainly interested in supporting this," he said. "We really very much want to see this here." "There have been land use studies for that area, and this would fit in really well in the waterfront," Pasqualino said. "So we're looking to make sure that there would be support from the city." "Now, what that entails, that has to be determined at this point." Larose said the final cost of the centre is yet to be determined, and Science North is currently working to secure the site. Science North currently runs its Thunder Bay operation out of the Boys and Girls Club building. "We've actually had that office for about 15 years, and that was really our first step in engaging with this community," Larose said. "Our mandate is to serve all of northern Ontario, so it's really important that we have a strong presence in northwestern Ontario. That office allows us to do that." "From that office, we also deliver summer camps, school programming, we do adult nerd nights on a regular basis here in the community, which we love to do," she said. "This next phase is going to allow us to also take that even further." Pool Six development study released The proposed science centre's location falls in an area that was the focus of a new economic study, a summary of which was released earlier this week by the Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC). The study looked at best uses of the Pool Six property and tugboat basin, which runs from the city's cruise ship dock north along the Lake Superior shoreline to the new Thunder Bay Art Gallery site. And the study shows the area has the potential to generate up to $15.4 million in tax revenue for the city annually. "The city has done a great job in terms of waterfront development," said CEDC CEO Jamie Taylor. "Pool Six was really the last remaining piece." "We understood the city was going to be undertaking an update to the Waterfront Master Plan, and we wanted to ensure that, at the time of the initiation of the study, that ... the economic impact would be considered as part of development." Thunder Bay waterfront - Pool 6 Lands 14 hours ago Duration 0:28 A new study says developing the area could bring in more than $15 million in tax revenue annually. The CEDC worked with Bain Smith Consulting and Book McIlroy on the study, which explored various potential developments, including hotels, condos, retail space, restaurants, a conference centre, and a Nordic spa. "The development options that were recommended that would provide the best tax return really were a mix of a few of these things," Taylor said, adding there's "definitely opportunity for apartments or condominiums with first floor commercial space availability within those buildings." There's room for one to two hotels on the property, and Taylor said a Nordic spa is also recommended. A conference centre may also be a good fit, but Taylor said more feasibility work needs to be done around how such a facility would be funded. Taylor said the cruise ship dock will remain in its current location, and any development would protect the habitat pond on the area. The Pool Six building, which is located near to the dock and currently houses city offices, would be torn down. Taylor said the study will be used to inform the development of the next phase of the city's Waterfront Master Plan. Kara Pratt, executive director of the Waterfront District BIA, said the potential developments at Pool Six are "wonderful." "Anything that can help maintain city services, city infrastructure, and brings people to our area is beyond great," she said. "We want to see more tourists in the waterfront district, more locals, and we want to see people brought through the city, not just using the Trans Canada Highway as a thoroughfare."
