Special CRAM Podcast! What happens when a biologist, cosmologist and political scientist walk into a room?

This is a special edition of the CRAM Podcast - a recording of “Big Ideas at U of T: Celebrating 50 Years of the Connaught Fund.”  Three remarkable researchers at the University of Toronto spoke about their innovative work:  evolutionary biologist Maydianne Andrade, political scientist Ronald Diebert and cosmologist Renee Hlozek.   Should scientists be activists?  How are you affected by cyber surveillance?  And when will the universe end?  They discuss some BIG questions with BIG ideas behind them, and then take part in a round table with host Mary Ito.

Info on Guests:

Renee Hlozek is a cosmologist with the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at U of T.   She studies the greatest puzzle of all - the universe, its structure and eventual fate.  Renee is also an Azrieli Global Scholar with the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and a Senior TED Fellow.  For more on Renee’s work: https://www.dunlap.utoronto.ca/dunlap-people/prof-renee-hlozek/

Watch her TED-ed video “The Death of the Universe:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSzCS_5qtVY

Maydianne Andrade is an evolutionary biologist in the Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto – Scarborough who’s an expert on black widow spiders.  She’s also the founder of The Toronto Initiative for Diversity and Excellence (TIDE), and the cofounder and president of The Canadian Black Scientists Network.

For more on Maydianne’s work: https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/biosci/maydianne-andrade

The Toronto Initiative for Diversity and Excellence: https://www.toronto-tide.ca/about-us/

Canadian Black Scientists Network: https://blackscientists.ca/

Ronald Diebert is a political scientist and Director of The Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, U of T.  Their work has been at the forefront of landmark research into cyber espionage, commercial spyware, internet censorship and human rights.

For more on Ron’s work: https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/person/ron-deibert

The Citizen Lab: https://citizenlab.ca/

His latest article “The Autocrat in your iPhone:  How mercenary spyware threatens democracy:

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/world/autocrat-in-your-iphone-mercenary-spyware-ronald-deibert

We appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast.  And subscribe and follow us on social!  @CRAMideas.   Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support.

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas. Thanks for listening!