August 18, 2023 by
A&S News
From wildfire devastation in Hawaii to levels of microplastics in the Great Lakes, experts 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.
August 11, 2023
- Professor Danny Harvey of the Department of Geography & Planning comments in CBC News on global mining corporation Rio Tinto’s plans to build a solar energy plant at the Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories.
- Department of Geography & Planning and Department of Earth Sciences professor Joe Desloges comments in CTV News on recent flooding in Nova Scotia.
- Loren Brandt, professor in the Department of Economics, explains in Voice of America how deflation in China may be a sign of a bigger problem in the country’s economy.
- Department of Anthropology professor emeritus Marcel Danesi comments in Women’s Health on the meaning and origins of writing “XOXO” to signify hugs and kisses when communicating with loved ones.
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology assistant professor Chelsea Rochman in Sea Wanderer describes how Seabins and WasteShark devices are ideal for capturing floating debris and small plastic pollution from the waters of Toronto’s harbour.
August 13, 2023
- Seva Gunitsky, associate professor in the Department of Political Science, explains in Toronto’s CityNews how authoritarian rulers limit contact with journalists and use social media to shape a narrative and strengthen their hold on power.
August 14, 2023
- Department of Geography & Planning professor Matti Siemiatycki, director of the Infrastructure Institute at the School of Cities, discusses on Newstalk 1010’s Moore in the Morning Toronto’s strategy to eliminate pedestrian and cyclist deaths on the city’s roads.
- Siemiatycki also examines housing affordability and availability in Toronto for Global News.
August 15, 2023
- Uahikea Maile, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science, tells CBC News that after the devastating wildfires in Hawaii, local people want recovery for citizens and residents to take precedence over tourism.
- Department of History and Centre for Caribbean Studies associate professor Melanie Newton comments in CBC News on efforts to rename Dundas Street in Toronto.
- Matti Siemiatycki’s comments on housing in Toronto are featured in a larger Global News examination of the impact of immigration on housing availability.
- Department of Geography & Planning professor and School of Cities director Karen Chapple speaks in Marketplace on the notion of reimagining downtown areas in cities as more than just office districts and tourist sites.
August 16, 2023
- Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics assistant professor Maya Fishbach comments in The Atlantic (paywall) on black holes in space.
August 17, 2023
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology PhD student Eden Hataley discusses in The Guardian research that found about 90 per cent of water samples taken over the last 10 years from the Great Lakes contain microplastic levels that are unsafe for wildlife.
- Uahikea Maile speaks in CBC News about the impact of wildfires in Hawaii on Indigenous residents and their cultural and political histories.
- Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources director Rafael Gomez comments in the Toronto Star (paywall) on the ongoing strike by workers at Toronto-area Metro grocery stores and what it says about organized labour in Canada.