…For Dr. Frederic Bertley, Vice-President of Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute
Four Burning QuestionsDr. Frederic Bertley graduated with a PhD from McGill and is currently the Vice-President of Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute, one of the oldest centres of science education and development in the Unites States. On Sunday, Feb. 19, as part of Black History Month, he will be giving a talk about contemporary black and brown scientists who are making significant contributions to science. The Reporter asked Dr. Bertley Four Burning Questions about the Colour Of Science.
…for newly knighted church scholar Diarmaid MacCulloch
Four Burning QuestionsDiarmaid MacCulloch is a Fellow of St. Cross College, Oxford, a Fellow of the British Academy, and professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University. A leading church historian, he won the 2010 Cundill Prize in History for his book, A History of Christianity: the First Three Thousand Years. Prof. MacCulloch, who was recently knighted in recognition of his services to scholarship, will deliver a lecture titled: Christianity and Islam: Way-Stations on a Journey on Monday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. at the McGill Faculty Club. He answered Four Burning Questions from the Reporter on his work and prize-winning book.
…for activist and Disability Studies scholar Colin Barnes
Four Burning QuestionsOn Nov. 10, Colin Barnes, a leading activist and scholar in Disability Studies at Leeds University in the UK, will deliver the second annual Rathlyn Lecture in Disability Studies. Barnes will address the development of disability studies as an internationally recognised academic discipline and raise important questions about its relevance beyond the academy and the quest for a meaningful and just society.
…for Antoni Cimolino, General Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival
Four Burning QuestionsWith the upcoming release of Roland Emmerich’s conspiracy thriller Anonymous, a film based on the premise that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford is the real author of the plays and sonnets of William Shakespeare, Hollywood has officially jumped on the Oxfordian bandwagon. The timing couldn’t be more perfect for the Annual Shakespeare Memorial Lecture on Oct. 24 titled “Why I Believe in Shakespeare,” to be delivered by Antoni Cimolino, General Director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Mr. Cimolino recently fielded Four Burning Questions from the Reporter.
…for Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer of Microsoft Corp
Four Burning QuestionsOn Oct. 7, the Office of the VP (Research and International Relations) will host Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer of Microsoft Corp., as he delivers a public lecture titled “Converging Worlds: A New Era in Computing.” Mundie will discuss what he calls a “fundamental transformation” in how we interact with computers and what we can expect from them.
Governor General’s Award-winning author Kate Pullinger
Four Burning QuestionsKate Pullinger’s novel, The Mistress of Nothing, won the GG in 2009; it’s a historical fiction, set in Egypt in the 1860s, based on a true story. As well as writing about the past, Pullinger’s work in the realm of digital fiction pushes toward the future of fiction, using new technologies to find new ways to tell stories. Join Pullinger on April 28 as she delivers the Hugh MacLennan Memorial Lecture 2011. The event will take place at 5:30 p.m. in Room 232 of the Leacock Building.
For Dr. Marla Shapiro, McGill alum, physician, survivor
Four Burning QuestionsTo say that Dr. Marla Shapiro is a busy woman is a colossal understatement. She’s a national medical consultant for CTV News and Canada AM; editor of Parents Canada; bestselling author; newspaper columnist; Associate Professor at the University of Toronto; Family physician; mother and wife; fundraiser and inspirational speaker. And yet, Shapiro nonetheless found time to answer The Reporter’s Four Burning Questions this week. On Monday, May 16, Shapiro will be back in Montreal to share her personal story and talk about surviving cancer as a chronic disease at The Goodman Cancer Research Centre’s Public Forum.
Gordon Harris: Building a Sustainable Community
Four Burning QuestionsOn March 1, Gordon Harris, President and CEO of Simon Fraser University (SFU) Community Trust and an urban planner with more than 30 years experience, will be the guest speaker for the prestigious Brenda and Samuel Gewurz Lectures on Urban Design at McGill at 5:30 p.m. in room G10, Macdonald-Harrington Building, 815 Sherbrooke West.
rosalind hampton: Empowering Montreal’s black community
Four Burning Questionsrosalind hampton is a cultural worker whose career has involved four inter-related fields: social services, community work, art and education. For 25 years, she has worked as a youth and family worker in both institutional and community settings and as an art educator. She will participate in a panel discussion, Empowerment through Expression in Community Work, at Black Histories, Black Futures, a conference hosted by McGill’s Social Equity and Diversity Education Office on Saturday., Feb. 12.
James Randi: Amazing pseudoscience debunker
Four Burning QuestionsJames Randi is one of the world’s best-known debunkers of paranormalists and pseudoscientists. A magician and an escape artist himself, Randi has been ruthlessly pursuing fraudsters and tricksters for decades. On Oct. 19, he will be speaking about “investigating pseudoscientific and paranormal claims” as part of this year’s Trottier Symposium. Read his answers to our Four Burning Questions here.