Tomorrow, on November 30 we will host Cooperation, Stability, and Security in the Arctic? Strategies for Moving Forward.
This full-day conference brings together national and international expert panelists to address the question: how can we engage Russia in the shared pursuit of pan-Arctic security, stability and cooperation, while still holding it to account for its egregious violation of the international order in invading Ukraine?
We will hear from esteemed guests over the course of the day:
- Dr. Heather Exner-Pirot – Senior Fellow and Director of the Natural Resources, Energy and Environment Program, Macdonald-Laurier Institute (Chair)
- Dr. Andrew Chater – Assistant Professor of Political Studies, School of Humanities, Brescia University College; and Fellow, Polar Research and Policy Initiative
- Sara Olsvig – International Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council
- Bridget Larocque – Co-lead of the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network; and Chair of the Northern Advisory Board
- Ernie Regehr – Senior Fellow, The Simons Foundation Canada (Vancouver, BC); and Research Fellow at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, Conrad Grebel University College (Waterloo)(Chair)
- Dr. Marc Lanteigne – Associate Professor of Political Science, UiT (The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø)
- Dr. Kari Roberts – Associate Professor of Political Science, Department of Economics, Justice, and Policy Studies, Mount Royal University
- Dr. Sergey Sukhankin – Senior Fellow, Jamestown Foundation (Washington, DC); and Fellow, North American Arctic Defence and Security Network
- Lunch Keynote Speaker: Evan T. Bloom – Senior Fellow, Wilson Center
- Dr. Elizabeth Riddell-Dixon – Distinguished Senior Fellow, Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History, University of Toronto; Professor Emerita, Department of Political Science, Western University; Senior Fellow, Massey College (Chair)
- Dr. Heidemarie Kassens – Research Scientist, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel, Germany
- Dr. Harald Brekke – Project Coordinator/Geologist, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate; and Commissioner, Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf
- Dr. David Mosher – Commissioner, Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf; Senior Research Scientist (Emeritus), Geological Survey of Canada; and Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Hampshire
- With concluding remarks from Jennifer Spence, Senior Fellow Arctic Initiative, Belfer Centre, Harvard Kennedy School
STAFFING CHANGES AT MASSEY
At the end of this week, Catherine Fowler, our CAO & Bursar, will be leaving Massey College. I would like to thank her for the incredible work she has done, and wish her well on her new role as Chief Executive Officer of Enactus Canada.
I am happy to announce that we have promoted:
- Sarah Balm to Director of Catering and Events where she will manage catering and kitchen functions, High Tables and special events
- Matt Glandfield will be our Director of Facilities, Business Operations and IT Systems
- Wing Lee as Interim Bursar
- Emily Mockler will continue as Secretary to the Governing Board and Officer of Massey College, and she has been promoted to Senior Director, Communications, Partnerships and Programming.
JOIN US FOR THE LAST EVENTS OF 2023
Our annual kids and family holiday party will take place on Saturday, December 2 from 11:30am-1:00pm. We look forward to celebrating the festive season ahead.
Monday, December 4 – Chanukah Celebration
Everyone in the community is welcome to for our annual event to celebrate Chanukah with food and a discussion from 4:30-6:00pm in the Upper Library.
Monday, December 4 – Book Club
The Future is Disabled by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha will be discussed. Junior Fellow Rena Roussin will present.
Tuesday, December 5 – Reflecting on the 1989 CBC Massey Lecture by Senior Fellow Ursula Franklin The Real World of Technology
Join us for a talk from Junior Fellow Alum and Senior Fellow Jane Freeman. Jane worked closely with Ursula at Massey on the expanded version of the lectures which were updated 9 years after they were first published. Join us for lunch in the Upper Library and a talk from Jane on working with Ursula and the themes throughout her lectures.
Saturday, December 9 – Holiday Gaudy
‘Gaudy’ or ‘gaudie’ (from the Latin, ‘gaudium’, meaning enjoyment or merry-making) is a traditional term used to reflect the lighter side of university student life. Join us for this evening of music, merriment and holiday treats, featuring performances from our talented Junior Fellows, the annual Principal’s ghost story, and some special 60th anniversary surprises! It is not too late to enter the annual literary competition:
You are invited to turn your hand to a bit of creativity and whimsy to celebrate the season of fellowship and goodwill.
You may enter in either (or both) of two categories: Limerick or Haiku. The subject should be the 60th anniversary of the College.
The rules:
- all members of the community are eligible
- one entry per person per category
- entries should be sent to nominations@masseycollege.ca, with the subject heading ‘2023 Literary Competition’
- the deadline for submissions is Wednesday, December 6, 5:00pm
The judge will be Massey College alum and book historian Claire Battershill.
Monday, December 11 – Reflecting on the 2004 CBC Massey Lecture, Ronald Wright’s A Short History of Progress
From 5:00-6:00pm in the Upper Library, Ron will join us virtually from Salt Spring Island, for a live discussion with Senior Fellow Bernie Lucht.
Wednesday, December 13 – Reflecting on the 1993 CBC Massey Lecture by Jean Bethke Elshtain Democracy on Trial
11:45am – Join Senior Fellow and Acting Vice-Provost, Faculty & Academic Life at U of T, Randy Boyagoda and CBC Ideas producer Sean Foley for lunch and an interesting conversation.
A FOCUS ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AT MASSEY
Wednesday, December 13
We will begin with the Massey Dialogues AI in Healthcare: Challenges and Opportunities from 4:00-5:00pm. As artificial intelligence (AI) and foundation models continue to revolutionize healthcare, it’s crucial to explore the legal, ethical, theoretical, research, applications, and potential future directions of this transformative technology. We will be joined by Dr. Abraham Heifets, CEO and Co-Founder of Atomwise Inc. which uses AI to help discover new medicines and Professor Jessica Gronsbell, in Statistical Sciences. Moderated by Junior Fellows, Senthujan Senkaiahliyan (health administration) and Abhishek Moturu (computer science).
From 5:00-7:00pm, join the Royal Society of Canada Dialogues @ Massey – Creativity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Exploring the Intersection of Technology and Human Innovation.
This dialogue will be led by Steve DiPaola and Joelle Pineau, who will explore the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the human creative process, from the arts and music to scientific and medical discovery. Moderated by Omayra Issa.
JANUARY HIGH TABLES
Register early for our January 2024 High Tables!
RECAP
On November 20, International Children’s Day, we co-hosted the United for Justice Conference in Toronto, bringing together global leaders, experts in human rights and justice, and members of civil society to call for accountability for Russian war crimes and for the urgent and safe repatriation of abducted Ukrainian children.
We are proud to have partnered with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Global Affairs Canada, the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada, and The Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights in organizing this timely discussion.
Read a full recap here as well as links to the 5 sessions.
Watch the Massey Dialogues on Affordable Housing from November 28 moderated by Alum Drew Kaufman with Senior Fellow Armine Yalyiznan.
GRADUATE STUDENT RESOURCES
Join Grad Productivity or Grad Writing Groups!
Liz Cunningham, a recent alum of Massey, is facilitating two groups for grad students who identify as having an accessibility need and would like to work with other students who identify similarly. You do not need to be registered with Accessibility Services to join these groups, self identification of accessibility needs are welcome.
These groups are Accessibility Services’ joint sections of the Grad Writing and Grad Productivity Groups (GWG/GPG) which are offered through Academic Success. The groups are a place for grad students to work in a community setting. The Academic Success sections of the group are open to all grad students who would benefit from working with others.
For more information about the groups, group schedule, etc. feel free to contact Liz via email.
COMMUNITY NEWS
- Read Senior Fellow and Massey College Chair in Human Rights Payam Akhavan‘s most recent Op-ed in the Globe and Mail, here. Co-authored by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
- Alum Marc Desormeaux comments on Canada’s fall economic statement published last week on CBC.
- 2022-2023 William Southam Journalism Fellow Hannah Hoag, has joined CBC News as Senior Producer in their Health, Science and Climate Unit.
NOMINATION REMINDERS
Nominations for the Clarkson Laureateship for Public Service will close on December 1. Letters of nomination should be submitted to nominations@masseycollege.ca and should clearly indicate reasons for the nomination. Please see our website here for a list of past recipients with their award citations.
The deadline to nominate new Senior Fellows and Members of the Quadrangle Society is November 30. Please visit our website here for more information and nomination criteria.
À bientôt,
Nathalie
