I’ll preface this blog by saying that I don’t believe my voice (that of a white woman) is one that needs to be amplified. I also believe that individuals who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) should not and cannot be the only ones acknowledging and speaking out against systemic racism and barriers to participation in academia and beyond. I am still learning […]
In not allowing #BlackLivesMatter to become a fading trend, we must keep learning about anti-Black racism. Anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism intersects with every aspect of our lives. Thus, we have to talk about it in the scientific community. Since #ShutDownAcademia trended on Twitter in June, many Black neuroscientists joined other academics and shared stories of […]
Think about the word nature. What sort of images come to your mind? A wild forest? A rugged mountain chain? These aren’t unusual responses to the prompt. Most Canadians think of nature as endless expanses of forest, crystal-clear mountain lakes and wild animals. Nature is spectacular, postcard-worthy places that leave us in awe. In contrast, cities are concrete jungles, not somewhere […]
Trigger warning: This blog contains a graphic discussion of sexual violence and forced containment. Oprah has seemingly coined the phrase, “What I know for sure, is…”, but her love affair with these few words really started back in 1998 when journalist and film critic Gene Siskel asked her what she knew for sure in an […]
In September 2016, a windstorm caused a power blackout across the entire state of South Australia, leaving every home, business, and factory without electricity for several hours to several days. Investigators later determined that this could have been avoided if the state didn’t have so much renewable energy. Yes, you read that right. Renewable energy […]
If you are currently active on a dating app, you are well aware that “quarantine and chill” is trending. Lots of people have updated their bios to let you know exactly what it means to them: “let’s meet up in public – 6 feet apart,” “virtual meet ups only,” “willing to break social distancing guidelines for you” (eye roll), “will […]
Thought experiments are the bread and butter of philosophy. We don’t have to look far to see examples of philosophers plumbing the depths of the human experience through what may seem to be the most trivial, if not completely far-fetched, examples. Thomas Nagel tried to figure out human consciousness by looking at the world through […]
Whenever you plug something into the wall, electricity is there for you. It’s easy to take it for granted, but there’s a lot going on behind the scenes to make the electricity grid reliable for everyone. Essentially, it all boils down to a balancing act of supply (power plants) and demand (electricity users). If supply […]
COVID-19 is a humbling example of our collective powerlessness and interdependence. Government institutions across the country have been doing their best to cope by implementing rigorous public health measures that have transformed our day-to-day lives. For those of us with jobs that provide flexibility, or those who qualify for the CERB, those measures have largely been a success. We’ve also seen a flourishing, in some places, of communal solidarity – neighbours helping other […]
The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food system sustainability are being discussed in a myriad of ways. These diverse narratives expose the complex mix of understandings and priorities that we bring to discussions about sustainability, and they also shine a light on the complexity of both local food systems and global food supply chains. This month’s blog teases out and explores some of the many ways that the pandemic is intersecting with, and shining […]