From the debate over AI consciousness to programs in support of Ukrainian students, scholars from a range of disciplines across the Faculty of Arts & Science are sharing their expertise on a variety of issues in the media.
Here’s some of what they had to say this week.
June 24, 2022
Department of Anthropology PhD student Joseph Wilson writes in The Globe & Mail (paywall) about the consciousness of machines.
Karina Vold, assistant professor at the Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology and the Department of Philosophy, tells CBC Science that the debate over AI consciousness and rights may inspire change in how humans treat other species that are known to be conscious.
Department of Biochemistry associate professor Joel Watts comments in the Toronto Star (paywall) about his work with prions — a type of protein found in the human body — and the controversy over low-temperature alkaline hydrolysis, a technology used in funeral homes instead of cremation.
June 25, 2022
CBC Radio: Quirks & Quarks asks Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology (EEB) assistant professor Caroline Parins-Fukuchi if and when humans once had tails.
Department of Economics professor emeritus Gustavo Indart writes in the Toronto Star (paywall) about the main source of today’s inflation.
EEB assistant professor Chelsea Rochman discusses with the Toronto Star (paywall) and Yahoo! News the pressing need for a global plastics treaty and new funding for the Experimental Lakes Area in western Ontario.
June 26, 2022
Department for the Study of Religion assistant professor Alexander Hampton and Faculty of Music student Nicole Percifield tell CBC Radio: Tapestry about the Dawn Chorus project, which blends birdsong with human voice and reflections to foster a deeper connection to nature.
June 29, 2022
EEB PhD candidate Lauren Lawson talks to The Narwhal about chloride levels in GTA waterways and the impact of melting winter ice on the environment.
The Pembroke Voice highlights Department of History and University of St. Michael’s College professor David Wilson’s new book called Canadian Spy Story: Irish Revolutionaries and the Secret Police.
July 1, 2022
Olivia Berkovits, PhD student at the Centre of Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, writes in the Toronto Star (paywall) about how abortions are not a constitutionally protected right in Canada.
Fortune highlights Economics professor Michael Baker’s research on gender pay gaps in an article about employees’ preferences for disclosing their salaries to others.
Matti Siemiatycki, professor in the Department of Geography & Planning and director of the Infrastructure Institute at the School of Cities, tells CBC News online that Toronto needs to act faster to allow multiplexes throughout more neighbourhoods.
In The New York Times (paywall), History professor emeritus Robert Bothwell explains the significance of flags during political movements, with reference to the “Freedom Convoy” and the meaning of Canada’s flag.
July 2, 2022
Philosophy professor Joseph Heath writes in the Toronto Star (paywall) about the relationship between passion and profitability.
July 3, 2022
The Globe & Mail (paywall) highlights Department of Physics professor Pierre Savard and his work with the ATLAS giant particle detector.
July 4, 2022
On CBC Radio: Here & Now, Department of Computer Science professor Michael Brudno and a student discuss the new summer research program for students fleeing Ukraine.
July 5, 2022
Geography & Planning professor Jason Hackworth talks to the Associated Press about the fate of Detroit’s long-vacant Packard Plant.
July 6, 2022
Department of Political Science professor emeritus Nelson Wiseman comments on the Conservative leadership race for Global News and The Hill Times (paywall).
Ron Deibert, director of the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy’s Citizen Lab and political science professor, discusses with The Washington Post (paywall), The Guardian and Business Insider his team’s discovery of an Apple cyber hack. He also talks about spyware’s role in intelligence and law enforcement with The Guardian.