Wishing those of you celebrating, a Happy Nowruz!
The Junior Fellows are planning a special New Year celebration to bring in the spring on March 30. The event is open to the Massey community and will feature the arrangement of the Haftsin—a spread of seven symbolic items representing springtime—traditional Persian music, chai, food, dancing, and more.
The JCR Podcast:
Training new doctors through a community, diversity and inclusion lens
There’s a lot of buzz in the science and medical communities about the creation of a new medical school in Brampton, Ontario. It’s a collaboration between Toronto Metropolitan University and the William Osler Health system in Brampton and North Etobicoke. The med school promises students a new approach to medical education, one that puts community, diversity and inclusion at the heart of the training. Junior Fellow Setayesh Yazdani, a PhD student in Pharmacy, spoke with Dr. Teresa Chan, the founding Dean of the School of Medicine, about the exciting plans.
Massey Summer Rental Program 2024
Massey will be opening our residence to public bookings again this summer from May 6 to August 16. Starting March 22, bookings will be available through our website. Massey residence rooms are a fantastic option for visiting scholars, conference attendees, and summer program students. If you or someone you know is looking for central, affordable accommodation in the heart of U of T this summer, find out all the details here.
THIS WEEK
TODAY: March 20 | Massey Dialogues – Far and Widening: The Rise of Polarization in Canada in partnership with Public Policy Forum
Join the conversation on how polarization is affecting all of us with Junior Fellow Riley Yesno; Deputy Director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University Sonja Solomun, Assistant Professor in Political Science Eric Merkley and moderator Victoria Kuketz, PPF Fellow in Digital Democracy. RSVP.
March 21 | The Ethics of Protest: How Far Is Too Far?
Join the panel with theologian and artist Rev. Bob Haverluck; Massey’s Changemaker-in-Residence and former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly; and activist and Director of Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW) Emily Hines. Coordinated and moderated by Massey’s Chair in Public Policy Tom Axworthy. Online only.
March 22 | Convocation High Table
We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of the recently graduated alumni and soon-to graduate Junior Fellows. Tickets are sold out, but you can email the Porter to be added to the waitlist.
NEXT WEEK
March 26 | Fragments of Vulnerability: French Literature in the Age of AIDS
Junior Fellow Thomas Ayouti’s presentation examines the representation of vulnerability in AIDS literature by French gay writers in the ’80s and ’90s, questioning its relationship with literature and our understanding of vulnerability. All are welcome. RSVP.
March 26 | Ma thèse en 180 secondes / 3 Minute Thesis in French
Join us as doctoral and master’s students from Toronto and central-southwest Ontario compete to present their thesis in just 180 seconds. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn something new and support your fellow grad students! Reception to follow. RSVP.
APRIL EVENTS
April 1 | Massey Dialogues – Jewish Women Writers
Comparing twentieth and twenty-first century Jewish women authors, Visiting Scholar Ruth Panofsky and Junior Fellow Marissa Herzig aim to highlight and make visible some of the fantastic lesser-known Jewish women authors. In offering glimpses of how these transgressive authors varied across geographies, they will give insights into their lives, their works, and their literary legacies. RSVP.
April 1 | Book Club discusses the 2023 Cundill History Prize-winning book: Red Memory: Living, Remembering and Forgetting China’s Cultural Revolution by Tania Branigan RSVP.
April 2 | Science @ Massey informal lunch with guest speakers
S@M has three special guests: Deputy Mayor of Toronto Dr. Jennifer McKelvie, Senior Director of Projects at NWMO Dr. Sarah Hirschorn, and Principal of GeoSyntec Consulting Dr. Silvia Mancini all on the same day. They will join us in Ondaatje Hall for lunch to discuss various career paths in government, regulation, and consulting, in addition to academic outlets for a PhD or Masters. 12:00-1:30pm. All are welcome. No registration needed.
April 10 | Senior Fellow Luncheon with Kim Kierans – Journalism: To serve the public interest or make widgets?
Media climate change has created news deserts across Canada and threatens the democratic health of communities. How can citizens make informed decisions when there’s no independent coverage of municipal governments, school boards and institutions? Senior Resident Kim Kierans has documented the seismic changes in the media industry since 1970 in her forthcoming book Journalism for the Public Good: The Michener Awards at 50 (Bighorn Books, UCP, May 2024). She traces the industry’s decline through the lens of 50 years of award-winning journalism in the public interest. RSVP.
April 10 | Massey Dialogues – Plastics Policy in Canada
This conversation will delve into what Canada is doing on the plastics front with a focus on extended producer responsibility, Canada’s ban on single-use items, the myth of recycling, and the international agreement on plastic pollution currently being negotiated as part of UNEP. Panelists from academia (Dr. Chelsea Rochman), government (MP Julie Dabrusin) and industry will be joining us with alum Alice Zhu as moderator. RSVP.
April 15 | Book Launch – The Notwithstanding Clause and the Canadian Charter: Rights, Reforms, and Controversies (McGill-Queen’s University Press), edited by Senior Fellow Peter L. Biro with contributions from many of Canada’s leading constitutional scholars. RSVP.
April 17 | Rose Wolfe Seder (lunch) with Rabbi Yael Splansky
Please join our annual event in advance of Passover. We will have lunch with traditional foods and a facilitated discussion on themes from the holiday in celebration of the former Visitor. RSVP.
April 17 | Massey Dialogues – How At Risk Are Jobs to Generative AI?
APPLICATIONS
William Southam Journalism Fellowship applications are open until March 31.
Share the application today with passionate mid-career journalists. Fellows experience networking opportunities, mentorship, courses at UofT and an international trip.
MEMORIAL
Peter Russell was a longtime Senior Fellow and a past Principal of Innis College. On April 10 from 6:00-8:00pm, there will be a memorial held at Innis College celebrating his impactful career and remarkable life. See details here.
COMMUNITY NEWS
- Alum Florence Ashley was interviewed on conversion therapy practices continuing despite the ban.
- Junior Fellow Otuto Chukwu’s research paper “Understanding the training, mentorship, and professional development priorities of Embedded Early Career Researchers” has been accepted for oral presentation at the 2024 Canadian Association of Health Services and Policy Research conference.
- Alum Jack Cunningham commented on the crisis in Haiti. Listen here.
- Senior Fellow Raywat Deoandan was quoted in the Vancouver Sun.
- Senior Fellow Jeffrey Dvorkin comments on the media retracting a photo of the Princess of Wales.
- Acting Principal Jonathan Rose is quoted in the UofT Engineering News on research to help people stop smoking.
- Senior Fellow Shoshanna Saxe was quoted in The Local on the Metrolinx CEO.
- Junior Fellow Christine Tran weighs in on the future of content creators on digital platforms in Business Insider.
- Senior Fellow Carolyn Tuohy wrote an Op-Ed in Times Higher Education on the moral responsibility of the university.
See you at the College soon,
Jonathan
In case you missed it, watch the Junior Fellow led Walter Gordon Symposium on the Role of the Academy in the Public Policy Arena here.
P.S. MASSEY AT 60
Members of the Massey community shared their favourite or most memorable moment of their time here over the last 60 years. This week features Senior Fellow Lorna Marsden, former Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdesewell and Junior Fellow Leting Liu – watch here. All videos are available on our YouTube channel. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories.
