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Celebration of Research Excellence Lecture SeriesPresident's Impact Award 2017 Principal's Research Award 2018 Zindel Segal, Department of Psychology: Managing mood disorders through mindfulness meditation Mindfulness in clinical practice has captured the imagination of mental health professionals. Why? It may be the experiential learning during meditation practice, in which one intentionally faces emotional discomfort, or the ability to develop a “decentered” perspective on thoughts and feelings. Recent data emphasize the crucial role of these abilities in managing the chronic and recurrent nature of mood and anxiety disorders while simultaneously extending intervals of well-being. Date: Thursday, September 27, 2018 Location: Room AA160 / Time: 12:00 to 1:15 pm |
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Celebration of Research Excellence Lecture SeriesResearch Excellence Faculty Scholar 2017-2020 Myrna Simpson, Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences: How can we protect soil carbon in forests? Carbon is vital to soil health—but climate change is altering carbon levels. The loss of this element results in reduced soil fertility and health, and increased erosion. Managing carbon in soil is challenging, but we can better understand the mechanisms involved by using sophisticated molecular tools. This results in better management and protection of the world’s most valuable and understated natural resource. Date: Thursday, October 18, 2018 Location: Room AA160 / Time: 12:00 to 1:15 pm |
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Celebration of Research Excellence Lecture SeriesResearch Recognition Award 2018 Artur Izmaylov, Department of Physical & Environmental Sciences: Developments in quantum chemistry on a quantum computer Understanding electronic states in molecules is crucial to the design of new chemical compounds, but classical computers are quickly overwhelmed by the complex task. Recent methods attempting to solve this problem are either too demanding to be implemented with current hardware or insufficient for accessing the required molecular states. Professor Izmaylov’s research group resolved this issue using a quantum computer that allows molecular electronic states to be obtained at a higher quality—even when dealing with only 8 qubits of data! Date: Thursday, November 8, 2018 Location: Room AA160 / Time: 12:00 to 1:15 pm |
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Celebration of Research Excellence Lecture SeriesResearch Excellence Faculty Scholar 2017-2020 Jeffrey Pilcher, Department of Historical and Cultural Studies: Tasting the global city: How Scarborough became a mecca for multicultural food Scarborough is renowned for its diverse and delicious cuisine, which is no surprise, given its status as North America’s leading destination for immigrants and refugees. But to prepare family recipes, newcomers need culinary infrastructure such as supply chains and certification regimes for halal meats. Learn about research from U of T Scarborough’s new Food Studies program and the Culinaria Research Centre that is dedicated to mapping and analyzing Scarborough’s restaurants, groceries, gardens, festivals, and everyday home cooking. Date: Thursday, November 22, 2018 Location: Room AA160 / Time: 12:00 to 1:15 pm |
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Celebration of Research Excellence Lecture SeriesMember of the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists 2014 Natalie Rothman, Department of Historical and Cultural Studies: The Dragoman Renaissance: Diplomatic interpreters between Istanbul and Europe From the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, the Ottoman Empire ruled three quarters of the Mediterranean basin and exerted significant influence far beyond its borders. How did Europeans learn about the Ottomans and their diverse histories, languages, religions, and societies? Who were the people who mediated between Istanbul, its resident (yet sometimes clueless) foreign ambassadors, and a growing reading public deeply curious about the Ottoman world? This talk explores the little known careers and networks of Istanbul’s diplomatic interpreters, their surprising family connections, and their profound impact on Orientalism. Date: Thursday, January 31, 2019 Location: Room AA160 / Time: 12:00 to 1:15 pm |
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Celebration of Research Excellence Lecture SeriesRoyal Society of Canada Fellow 2014 Judith Teichman, Department of Political Science and Centre for Critical Development Studies: Twenty-first century populism: Insights from Latin America Governments widely labelled as populist have been on the rise everywhere in the world. Many observers have expressed concern that these regimes present a threat to liberal democratic institutions and norms. An examination of the experience of Latin America, a region with a long history of populism, suggests that populism signifies a crisis of representation within contexts of worsening political polarization, a reality that points to deep flaws in pre-existing political arrangements and practices. Date: Thursday, February 28, 2019 Location: Room AA160 / Time: 12:00 to 1:15 pm |
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Celebration of Research Excellence Lecture SeriesResearch Excellence Faculty Scholar 2017 Jennifer Jihye Chun, Department of Sociology: Spaces of protest: Challenging labor precarity in South Korea Protests have long been considered a weapon of the weak, enabling less powerful actors to rise up against more powerful entities. While many studies focus on the crucial role of tactics and strategy in developing effective protest repertoires, we still have much to learn about the importance of protest spaces themselves–as sites that can foster political agency, cultivate collective solidarity, and renew memories about past histories of resistance. This talk examines the protests of laid-off and precariously employed workers in South Korea to understand why fights over the use and transformation of space have become so central to contemporary struggles against capitalist injustice. Date: Thursday, March 21, 2019 Location: Room AA160 / Time: 12:00 to 1:15 pm |
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Celebration of Research Excellence Lecture SeriesCanada Research Chair in the Anthropology of Ethical Life 2006-2020 Michael Lambek, Department of Anthropology: Exotic ordinary: Spirit mediums in Madagascar In Madagascar many people find themselves intruded upon by the ancestors of living monarchs. These spirits speak through their hosts in lively and dramatic performances, and shape their lives in ways that can be enhancing or painful. In turn, spirit mediums creatively draw from the repertoire of ancestral figures to perform as others and to act in ways that have political, cultural, and deeply personal significance. The talk describes the experience of an educated, middle-class man and reflects on the ethical and aesthetic aspects both of living with spirits and of anthropological depiction. Date: Thursday, April 4, 2019 Location: Room AA160 / Time: 12:00 to 1:15 pm |
