Astra Speaker Series Fall 2013 / Winter 2014 | College of Arts

Astra Speaker Series Fall 2013 / Winter 2014

Censoring Science - A Panel Discussion

Dr. Jonathan Newman, School of Environmental Sciences
Dr. Coral Murrant, Human Health and Nutritional Sciences
Dr. Stuart McCook, Department of History

Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 4:15 p.m. in Academic Town Square, First Floor Library

There has been increasing debate in Canada about the rights and responsibilities of scientists to freely pursue inquiry and publicly disseminate their findings.  This panel discussion seeks to explore censorship and free expression in scientific and academic contexts.  The main goal is to give students an opportunity to form and express their own opinions about this important topic.
 


Noon Lecture Series

Imagining Possible Futures:
Expat Science-Fiction Writers Judith Merril and Anti-Vietnam War Activism in Toronto and Japan

with Dianne Newell

Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 12 noon in MacKinnon 020

Diane Newell is an Professor of History at the University of British Columbia. Her research interests span a range of subjects within these broad areas: Canadian social and economic history; science and technology in late industrial society; women in American Cold War science fiction and in Canadian 1970s radio documentaries; Aboriginal women in the industrial economy; and Pacific/Northwest Coast fisheries and anthropology.

She has authored, co-authored, and edited seven books, the latest of which is Judith Merril: A Critical Study (2012), co-authored with Victoria Lamont.  Recently she retired as Director of the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies at UBC.

 


We Are Water with Jill Heinerth and Showcasing Water Research at the University of Guelph

Tuesday, October 8, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.
Science Complex Atrium, University of Guelph
Students free with valid id.  General Admission is $10.

Poster displays of water research at the University of Guelph on view from 6:15 - 7:00 p.m. and again after the talk.

A pioneering underwater explorer and film maker, Jill Heinerth has dived deeper into caves than any woman in history.  Jill's photography and writing have been featured in prominent publications and major media outlets around the world.  She regularly contributes to the development of training materials for international dive organizations, and is the author of three books on cave diving and underwater photography.

Jill Heinerth's accolades include induction to the inaugural class of the Women Diver's Hall of Fame, being named Canadian Technical Diver of the Year and being recognized as a Fellow of the National Speleological Society and Explorer's Club.  Recognizing a lifetime devoted to water advocacy, Jill was recently awarded the National Association for Cave Diving Conservation Award.  In 2011 she received the Wyland Icon Award recognizing her passion for protecting the underwater world.  She shares that honor with past recipients including Dr. Sylvia Earle, Robert Ballard and Rachel Carson.  In 2012 she was recognized as the Boston Sea Rover's Diver of the Year.  Jill's formal education includes a degree in Fine Arts in Visual Communication and Design, and she has successfully combined her love for the underwater with her artistic talent, leading to scores of photography and filmmaking awards.

Jill's life passion is educating the public about fresh water issues.  She brings her unique perspective from deep inside the earth, helping us understand that our activities on the surface affect not only our drinking water, but also the health of rivers, lakes and ultimately the world's oceans.  Teaching people about their inter-connectivity with the natural world, Jill's current project, titled "We Are Water" combines documentary filmmaking, live presentation and social media to spread water literacy on a global scale.

Born in Canada, Jill lives with her husband Robert, in North Florida, where she starts most days with a refreshing swim in the clear water of her local spring.