Yesterday was International Disability Day, a day that we think about Christine Karcza who was a member of the Quadrangle Society, a member of the Disability Committee and a wonderful disability advocate. In her honor, the Book Club will discuss The Future is Disabled: Prophecies, Love Notes and Mourning Songs by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha tonight. Join in person or online.
The latest episode of The JCR: A Massey Podcast “Where Does Nuclear Waste Go?” is out now.
Listen to Junior Fellow Pranjal Tiwari, a graduate student in Condensed Matter Physics at University of Toronto, speak with Warwick Watt, a geoscientist at the Nuclear Waste Management Organization in Toronto, Canada. They talk about what is nuclear waste and how to safely handle and dispose of it. They also discuss how well Canada is doing in this and how safe the average Canadian is from dangerous radiation.
The next episode drops on December 8 – The Past, Present and Future of Higher Education.
This episode features a conversation between Junior Fellow Margaret de Leon, a PhD student in International Comparative Higher Education at University of Toronto, and Dr. George Fallis, Professor Emeritus of Economics and Social Science at York University. They discuss the historical role of universities and the economic, political, and cultural conditions that have shifted this role over time. They also share their perspectives on how these institutions might continue to evolve in the future.
Listen here or on your favourite podcast platform.
JOIN US FOR OUR REMAINING EVENTS OF 2023
Our Winter Gaudy is taking place on Saturday, December 9 at 7:00pm. Join us in the JCR for festive treats, to celebrate the winners of our literary competition and our annual ghost story. It isn’t too late to try your hand in our annual literary competition, send your Limerick or Haiku (or both) to news@masseycollege.ca by December 6.
Examining Artificial Intelligence at Massey
December 13 | 4:00pm | Upper Library
Massey Dialogues – AI in Healthcare: Challenges and Opportunities
This panel session will delve into the multifaceted realm of utilizing foundation models in the healthcare space. 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, Assistant Professor in Statistical Sciences.
December 13 | 5:00pm | Junior Common Room
This RSC Dialogues @ Massey College: Creativity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence 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. The discussion will be moderated by William Southam Journalism Fellow alum Omayra Issa.
CBC MASSEY LECTURE SERIES
We have a few remaining events in this series. Please join us for the following:
- December 11 – Ronald Wright discusses his lecture A Short History of Progress with Senior Fellow Bernie Lucht. RSVP
- December 13 – Senior Fellow Randy Boyagoda discusses Jean Bethke Elshain’s Democracy on Trial with CBC Producer Sean Foley. RSVP
- January 17 – Adam Gopnik discusses Winter with Senior Fellow Paul Kennedy. RSVP
RSVP EARLY FOR 2024 HIGH TABLES!
January 12 – Celebrating East Asian Communities
January 26 – Clarkson Laureates
February 9 – Celebrating Black History Month
March 1 – Celebrating International Women’s Day
March 22 – Convocation High Table
COMMUNITY NEWS
Our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of filmmaker, director, writer, actor and producer Charles Officer. He was a gifted trailblazer of untold stories. We had the pleasure of hosting a film screening and panel discussion of his film Akilla’s Escape in February 2022. You can watch a clip from the discussion here. Read more about him here.
Awards
- Junior Fellow Otuto Chukwu has been awarded the Massey / Rotary Bay-Bloor Scholarship.
- Junior Fellow Leighton Schreyer has been named one of the 2024 Rhodes Scholars.
- Alum Alice Zhu has been named one of Corporate Knights top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders.
Congratulations!
News
- Senior Fellow Payam Akhavan speaks about his climate change work at COP28.
- Senior Fellow Brett House talks about federal spending and black Friday discounts. You can also listen to his weekly Dollars and Cents spot on 1010, here.
- Senior Fellow Ali Kazimi has been elected as a member of The Royal Society of Canada.
- Senior Fellow Allison McGeer talks to CTV news about the start of flu season.
- Read Senior Fellow Danielle Martin in the Toronto Star on the crisis in primary care.
À bientôt,
Nathalie
