BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//The Rotman Institute of Philosophy - ECPv6.11.0.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Rotman Institute of Philosophy
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/Toronto
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20251009
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20251121
DTSTAMP:20260407T023322
CREATED:20250912T125849Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251010T103042Z
UID:29378-1759968000-1763683199@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Connecting Research to the Public Good: 2025 Annual Fall Lecture Series
DESCRIPTION:EVENT DESCRIPTION\n\nEach year\, the Rotman Institute of Philosophy organizes a public lecture series open to the public.  The theme for this year’s lecture series is Connecting Research to the Public Good. \nAbstract\nThe Public Good and higher education are traversing constantly-shifting political\, economic\, and social terrain.\nWhat role do we have — as academic researchers\, teachers\, students\, leaders of research centers and institutes\, and members\nof our communities and society — to connect our work to the Public Good? How can we best attend to the needs and interests of\ncommunities and society? And how ought we envision the Public Good and the role of higher education within it? \nPlease join us in welcoming Dr. Brendon Samuels (Ecological Design Lab\, School of Urban and Regional Planning\, TMU)\, Dr. Cheryl Currie (UWO)\, Dr. Bri Watson (UWO)\, Dr. Jennifer Simpson (TMU)\, Dr.Treena Orchard (UWO)\, and others to be announced for this year’s series: Connecting Research to the Public Good. \n\nAll lectures will be held on Thursdays in October & November\, from 7:00 – 8:30 pm weekly. \n\nThis year’s event will take place at different venues: \n\nOctober 9th – Museum London\, Lecture Theatre\, 421 Ridout Street North\, London\, ON.\nOctober 16th – Innovation Works\, Community Room\, 201 King Street\, London\, ON.\nOctober 23rd – Innovation Works\, Community Room\, 201 King Street\, London\, ON.\nNovember 6th – Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory\, 1151 Richmond Street\, London\, ON.\nNovember 13th – Central Library\, Lawson Room\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, ON.\nNovember 20th – Central Library\, Lawson Room\, 251 Dundas St\, London\, ON.\n\n\nAttendance is free and open to the general public. Advance registration is not necessary. \nOctober 9thOctober 16thOctober 23rdNovember 6thNovember 13thNovember 20thOctober 9th\nRooting Resilience: a Call for Academics to Love Where We Live\n\nLecture Theatre\, Museum London\nThursday\, October 9\, 2025 | 7:00 – 8:30 pm\nIn this lecture\, Brendon Samuels will discuss how he applied his research locally during his doctoral studies to pursue nature-positive decision making. Building on these experiences\, he advocates for laying down roots and nurturing relationships beyond campus –radical acts that humanize the academy and steward the places academics call home. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \n \nBrendon Samuels holds a PhD in Biology and Master of Neuroscience from Western University and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Guelph. While studying at Western\, Brendon served as chair of the City of London’s Environmental Stewardship and Action Community Advisory Committee\, as the Society of Graduate Students Sustainability Coordinator and as a member of Western’s President’s Advisory Committee on Environment and Sustainability. Brendon founded and leads Bird Friendly London\, a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting and celebrating birds in the city. He is currently the vice chair of the Old North East Neighbourhood Association and teaching a graduate course about sustainability topics at Western. Brendon has received awards recognizing his research and service from Western University\, Nature London\, the London Environmental Network\, Nature Canada and the Urban League of London. \nOctober 16th\nLighthouse or Ivory Tower? Reclaiming Research as a Public Good\n\nCommunity Room\, Innovation Works\nThursday\, October 16\, 2025 | 7:00 – 8:30 pm\nResearch is often described as a public good\, like a lighthouse guiding knowledge forward. Yet in practice\, research straddles the line between a public and private good. Fueled by competing interests and shaped by growing complexity\, research can feel closed to public scrutiny\, participation\, and debate. This session will invite audience discussion on how research might be reclaimed as a genuine public good. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \n \nDr. Cheryl Currie is Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics and Director of the Interfaculty Program in Public Health at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. Her research and teaching focus on how science can better serve communities with integrity\, openness\, and impact. \nOctober 23rd\nA World Divided into Sheep & Goats: The Scientific Practice of Taxonomy and the Construction of Private Identity\n\nCommunity Room\, Innovation Works\nThursday\, October 23\, 2025 | 7:00 – 8:30 pm\nBased on work done for a book tentatively titled The Kinseys & the Myth of the Sexual Revolution\, this talk presents the results of an investigation into the Kinseys (the man and the Institute) in order to examine the profound influence of taxonomy and knowledge organization on the shaping of people’s most private interiorities: gender\, sexuality\, and personal identity. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \n \nB.M. Watson is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Information & Media Studies at Western University focusing on the (multiple) histories of information and how cultural heritage institutions like libraries\, archives\, and museums relate to marginalized communities through the practice of equitable cataloguing and knowledge work. Watson was one of UBC Library’s inaugural EDI Scholars-in-Residence\, a recipient of a Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship and a fellowship from the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics. They are a two-time awardee of the Public Scholar Initiative and the Nancy DeLaurier Award from the Visual Resources Association. \nNovember 6th\nMega Satellite Constellations\n\nCronyn Observatory\, Western University\nThursday\, November 6th\, 2025 | 7:00 – 8:30 pm\nIn the spring of 2025\, the Rotman Institute of Philosophy launched its annual Think Tank competition\, awarding research funding to Dr. Pauline Barmby and her interdisciplinary team – Dr. Sarah Gallagher\, Dr. Denis Vida\, Dr. Valerie Oosterveld\, and Dr. Eric Desjardins – for their project on satellite mega constellations. This presentation shares the team’s findings to date\, explores emerging and enduring questions\, and invites audience engagement through a live Q&A. \nProject details: \nFor nearly seven decades\, humans have launched satellites into orbit for communication\, defense\, science\, and navigation. In recent years\, however\, the number of satellites has surged – driven largely by mega constellations like Starlink. These vast networks offer transformative benefits\, such as expanding internet access to remote regions and enhancing Earth observation capabilities. Yet they also pose serious risks: environmental damage from rocket launches and atmospheric re-entry\, disruption of ground-based astronomical research\, and the growing threat of space debris that could jeopardize future missions.\nThis project brings together experts in environmental philosophy\, astronomy\, space technology\, and international law to critically examine the complex trade-offs of satellite constellations. The team aims to illuminate the ethical\, scientific\, and legal dimensions of this rapidly evolving frontier- and to propose thoughtful policy recommendations for governments and global stakeholders. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \n \nDr. Pauline Barmby is Professor and Chair of Physics & Astronomy at Western University and chairs the Board of the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy. She develops computational tools to analyze large astronomy datasets in order to study stars\, star clusters\, and their formation in nearby galaxies. \nNovember 13th\nThe Public Demands of a University Education\n\nLawson Room\, Central Library\nThursday\, November 13th\, 2025 | 7:00 – 8:30 pm\nThis lecture will focus on the purposes of a university education as related to the public good. The question of students’ capacities following graduation is a timely and relevant issue\, and under much debate. This talk will consider multiple views and will also offer a vision that speaks to the world in which we live. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \n \nJennifer Simpson is a Professor in the School of Professional Communication at Toronto Metropolitan University. She served as the chair of the university renaming committee at TMU from 2021-2022. She has over 20 years of teaching experience and has served in multiple senior leadership roles including that of Dean and Provost. Her work as a leader\, researcher\, author\, and teacher has for three decades focused on the challenges of equity and the obligations of universities to the public good. \nNovember 20th\nVulnerbro: Documenting the Tender Edges of Masculinity\n\nCentral Library\, Lawson Room\nThursday\, November 20\, 2025 | 7:00 – 8:30 pm\nThis talk traces the emergence of Dr. Orchard‘s sexual and cultural interest in men as partners\, figures to learn from\, and fascinating literary fodder. Specifically\, it unpacks the rhizomic connections about men and masculinity between her previous book about dating apps and what she is discovering about men\, dating\, and masculinity\, as she gathers data for her new book called Vulnerbro. Using surveys\, online interviews\, and snail mail letters from far flung places like Ottawa and a correctional facility in California\, it offers a tender analysis of how men are navigating gender\, subjectivity\, and who they are in our time of flaming culture wars hell bent on dividing us. Dr. Orchard also discusses the implications of these data as well as the research process more broadly for the public good\, which is something she reflects on frequently as a public scholar. \nSPEAKER PROFILE \n \nTreena Orchard is an anthropologist\, author\, and activist in the School of Health Studies at Western University. Her internationally recognized qualitative and arts-based research explores sexuality\, gender\, and health among diverse cultural and digital communities. Published last year\, her compelling memoir Sticky\, Sexy\, Sad: Swipe Culture & The Darker Side of Dating Apps was nominated for Book of the Year & People’s Choice Award by MindValley. She’s currently working on her next book that explores masculinity and vulnerability. \nCLICK TO VIEW EVENT POSTERThis event series is co-sponsored by the London Public Library\, the Faculty of Arts & Humanities\, the Faculty of Information & Media Studies\, the Faculty of Science\, the Faculty of Social Science\, and the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. \nEventsUpcoming Events | Event Videos | Past Events | Conferences & Workshops | Public Events \nUpcoming EventsRotman Graduate Student Conference (RGSC2026): Philosophical Issues in the Life Sciences2 May 2026 - 3 May 2026Knowledge in the 21st Century: Translating Knowledge Across Disciplines and Policy Contexts21 May 2026Event VideosMost of our events are recorded & videos are posted onto our YouTube channel. Watch some of our most popular videos in this playlist. \nVisit the Rotman Institute YouTube Channel \n  \nPast EventsBrowse our past events sorted by philosophical area.\n\nEcological Philosophy \n\nEthics \n\nHistory of Philosophy of Science \n\nPhilosophy of Biology \n\nPhilosophy of Mind & Cognitive Science \n\nPhilosophy of Physics \n\nPhilosophy of Science \n\nScience and Values \nConferences & WorkshopsKnowledge in the 21st Century: Translating Knowledge Across Disciplines and Policy Contexts21 May 2026Rotman Graduate Student Conference (RGSC2026): Philosophical Issues in the Life Sciences2 May 2026 - 3 May 20262025 Annual Philosophy of Physics Conferences25 May 2025 - 28 May 2025Research Retreat: Human-AI Relationships8 May 2025\,  8:30 am - 3:00 pm  EDT Load More Events12NextWith outreach a central part of our mission\, we host a number of public events. \nLearn about our interdisciplinary panel discussions\, public talks\, and an annual lecture series co-sponsored with the London Public Library and the Department of Philosophy here at Western University.\nView Rotman Public Events
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/connecting-research-to-the-public-good-2025/
LOCATION:Ontario
CATEGORIES:Library Lectures,panel discussions,Public Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/shane-rounce-DNkoNXQti3c-unsplash-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20251113T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20251113T140000
DTSTAMP:20260407T023322
CREATED:20251104T153123Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251111T150353Z
UID:29517-1763037000-1763042400@www.rotman.uwo.ca
SUMMARY:Research in Public Policy: Knowledge Translation for Academic Researchers
DESCRIPTION:EVENT DESCRIPTION\n\nThe Rotman Institute of Philosophy is hosting a research and policy panel exploring how academic research can meaningfully inform and shape public policy in Canada. In an era where complex social\, technological\, and environmental challenges require interdisciplinary approaches\, the connection between research and policy is vital. Researchers must navigate the differing timelines\, priorities\, and expectations of academic and policy worlds\, balancing scholarly rigor with the need for timely\, actionable insights. \nThis event will feature a panel discussion with three Western University researchers whose work spans diverse disciplines and levels of government: Dr. Alissa Centivany (FIMS)\, Prof. Sunil Gurmukh (Faculty of Law)\, Dr. Carolyn McLeod (Department of Philosophy)\, and Dr. Maxwell Smith (School of Health Studies). \nThe panel will address questions such as: What makes research findings most likely to be adopted by policymakers? How can researchers build enduring relationships with decision-makers at various levels of government? And how can academic institutions better incentivize and support policy-engaged scholarship? \nJoin us for this engaging discussion on academic research in public policy – All are welcome! This event will be hosted in person and virtually – select option in registration to be e-mailed a Zoom link in advance. \nThis panel is part of a series in knowledge translation for academic researchers. A discussion on making your research relevant to policymakers\, government officials\, and the public. \nQuestions? Reach out! Contact moderator Adam Koberinski at akoberin@uwo.ca \nPlease Register to Attend\nFeatured Panelists…\nDr. Alissa CentivanyProf. Sunil GurmukhDr. Carolyn McLeodDr. Maxwell SmithDr. Alissa Centivany\nDr. Alissa Centivany is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario\, specializing in technology policy\, law\, and ethics. She holds a PhD in Information and a JD with a focus on intellectual property and technology law. Her previous roles include Microsoft Research Fellow at UC Berkeley School of Law and researcher at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. She has taught at the University of Toronto and University of Michigan iSchools and is deeply engaged in interdisciplinary initiatives.\nDr. Centivany co-directs the Starling Centre for Just Technologies & Just Societies\, co-chairs the AI Insights for Policymakers Program\, and leads the Canadian Repair Coalition. She is a member of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy and a scientist delegate in the inaugural Science Meets Parliament – Ontario program. Her policy expertise is recognized nationally and internationally\, with contributions to Canadian parliamentary consultations and presentations before the G20. Outside academia\, she enjoys making art\, tending to living things\, playing pinball\, and occasionally co-hosting a late-night college radio show. \nProf. Sunil Gurmukh\nDr. Sunil Gurmukh\nSunil Gurmukh is an Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean (Equity\, Diversity\, Inclusion and Decolonization) at Western Law\, where he teaches courses on racial profiling in policing and hate speech. He has led initiatives such as the Hate Indicators: A Canadian Hate Crime Case Law Research Tool and the Hidden Racial Profiling Project. With over 13 years of experience as a human rights lawyer\, Sunil has appeared before the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario and all levels of court\, including the Supreme Court of Canada. His work spans litigation\, policy development\, partnerships\, and research addressing systemic discrimination.\nRecognized nationally for his contributions\, Sunil has received numerous awards\, including Western University’s Young Alumni Award and Precedent Magazine’s Precedent Setter Award\, and was named one of Canada’s top 25 most influential lawyers by Canadian Lawyer Magazine. Currently on leave from his role as Counsel at the Ontario Human Rights Commission\, he previously served as a Staff Lawyer at the African Canadian Legal Clinic. Sunil’s career reflects a deep commitment to advancing equity and human rights through advocacy\, education\, and collaboration. \nDr. Carolyn McLeod\nDr. Carolyn McCleod\nCarolyn McLeod is a professor of philosophy with expertise in applied ethics\, feminist philosophy\, and moral philosophy. Her research explores how moral concepts such as trust and conscience shape both personal decision-making and public institutions. She is particularly engaged with policy issues surrounding the formation and dissolution of families with children\, and the dynamics of trust or distrust in public systems. Carolyn has contributed directly to public debate and policymaking in Canada\, addressing topics such as conscientious objection in healthcare\, public funding for in vitro fertilization\, and improvements to adoption systems. From 2016 to 2019\, she served as Chair of the Board of Directors for Ontario’s Adoptive Parents Association (now Interwoven Connections).\nHer work is deeply informed by feminist philosophy\, which guides her research\, teaching\, and policy engagement. Carolyn is committed to applying a feminist lens to the ethical challenges she studies and to mentoring emerging scholars in feminist philosophy and bioethics. In recognition of her scholarly achievements and contributions to Canadian public life\, she was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2021 and a Distinguished University Professor at Western in 2024. \nDr. Maxwell Smith\nDr. Maxwell Smith \n \nDr. Maxwell Smith is a bioethicist and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Western University\, where he holds the CIHR Applied Public Health Chair in Ethics and Health Emergencies. He also serves as Associate Director of the Rotman Institute of Philosophy and maintains cross-appointments in the Department of Philosophy\, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics\, and the Schulich Interfaculty Program in Public Health. Additionally\, Dr. Smith is a faculty member of the Centre for Research on Health Equity and Social Inclusion and the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration. \nHis research focuses on public health ethics\, with particular attention to infectious disease ethics and the responsibilities of governments and institutions to uphold health equity and social justice. Through his work\, Dr. Smith examines the ethical dimensions of protecting and promoting population health\, especially during health emergencies\, and contributes to shaping policies that advance fairness and inclusion in public health systems. \nView the Event Poster
URL:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/event/research-in-public-policy/
LOCATION:Scholar’s Square\, D.B. Weldon Library\, 1151 Richmond Street\, London\, Ontario\, N6A3K7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:panel discussions,Public Policy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.rotman.uwo.ca/wp-content/uploads/hamid-siddiqi-uwlFAwI7ewE-unsplash-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR