July 21, 2023 by
A&S News
From psychedelic psychotherapy to plastic pollution, 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.
July 14, 2023
- Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics Professor Norman Murray and Department of Physics graduate student Hanbo Wu share with IFL Science, Toronto Star (paywall) and ScienceAlert new research on why a day on Earth is 24 hours long.
- Department of Psychology Associate Professor Romin Tafarodi comments for the London Free Press (paywall) on the positive aspects of people seeking a break on the internet from daily stress.
- Institute for the History & Philosophy of Science & Technology PhD candidate Andrew Jones discusses with IFL Science the history of psychedelic psychotherapy abuse and exploitation amid its current wave of interest.
- Department of Political Science PhD student Marc-Antoine Rancourt shares insights with iPolitics (paywall) from a study he co-authored that shows Israel is a wedge issue in Canadian electoral politics.
- Psychology Professor Nicholas Rule, who is also Vice-Principal, Academic and Dean at the University of Toronto Mississauga, shares insights with Them on his research exploring how people perceive others’ sexual orientation from minimal cues, colloquially known as “gaydar.”
- Department of East Asian Studies Assistant Professor Michelle Cho talks to WBUR Radio: On Point about how South Korea became a global beauty powerhouse.
July 15, 2023
- Department of Computer Science University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton is noted in Variety (paywall) for the May 2023 The New York Times (paywall) interview where he shared his decision to leave Google so he can speak freely to ensure AI technologies he helped invent are used for the good of humanity.
July 16, 2023
- University College Sessional Lecturer Shawn Micallef writes in the Toronto Star (paywall) about the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library’s collection.
- Aurel Braun, affiliated faculty at the Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, discusses with CTV News and Global News the latest news about Ukraine, including the looming expirations of the Black Sea grain deal and the Canada-Ukraine visa program.
July 17, 2023
- Woodsworth College graduate Omer Malikyar shares with Global News Toronto how he has overcome incredible odds to reach graduation day, and his goal to help newcomer refugees in his community.
- Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies PhD candidate Daniel Konikoff writes in The Hill Times (paywall) about Canada’s approach to AI governance.
- Department of History Assistant Professor and International Relations Program at Trinity College Director Timothy Sayle explains on The Globe and Mail: The Decibel the tension between NATO and Russia, and what more countries joining the alliance signifies about the current state of global affairs.
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology PhD candidate Danielle de Carle is highlighted in the San Diego Union-Tribune for her part on a Comic-Con panel that examines the creatures from the Star Trek universe and ponders the possibility that they could exist on Earth.
- Department of Philosophy Professor Lee Smolin is featured in Discover Magazine as among the most famous physicists alive today.
- Centre for Industrial Relations & Human Resources Director and Professor Rafael Gomez discusses with the Toronto Star (paywall) the GTA Metro workers’ strike.
- Department of Sociology Professor Robert Brym, who is also affiliated faculty at the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies, tells Canadian Jewish News that based on his 2018 Survey of Jews in Canada, younger Jews are less interested in becoming synagogue members because they are more assimilated than their parents and grandparents were.
- Political Science and Munk School Asian Institute Associate Professor Lynette Ong comments for South China Morning Post (paywall) on online content moderation in China.
July 18, 2023
- Munk School Master of Public Policy candidate David Jones writes in The Globe and Mail (paywall) about inflation and interest rates.
- Department of Anthropology Professor Emeritus Marcel Danesi talks to Salon about his new book Politics, Lies and Conspiracy Theories: A Cognitive Linguistic Perspective.
- Discoveries made by the Citizen Lab have led to the U.S. Commerce Department adding two Europe-based spyware companies to its technology export blacklist, as noted in the Associated Press, Reuters, The Washington Post (paywall), The Wall Street Journal (paywall) and Le Monde. Senior researcher John Scott-Railton comments on this for The Washington Post (paywall).
- Citizen Lab Director and Political Science Professor Ronald Deibert comments for The Guardian on the implications and impact of accepting investment from the Saudi Arabian government for social media.
July 19, 2023
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology artist-in-residence Emily Chudnovsky talks to CTV News online and CP24 about the waterfront art installation she created with plastic waste and other objects collected by the U of T Trash Team.
- Department of Earth Sciences and School of the Environment Professor Miriam L. Diamond is featured on CBC: Front Burner and CBC News online for her expertise on toxic “forever chemicals” called PFAS.
- School of Cities Director and Department of Geography & Planning Professor Karen Chapple receives continued coverage for her downtown recovery research by the Associated Press, Fast Company (paywall) and CTV News online.
- Jack Cunningham, program director of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History and fellow at Trinity College, discusses on CTV News the deployment of a nuclear-capable submarine by North Korea.
- Department of Computer Science Assistant Professor Jimmy Ba, who trained with Geoffrey Hinton, is one of 11 experts leading Elon Musk’s new AI company, as covered by The Guardian, Fast Company (paywall), Fast Company (paywall), The Hindu (paywall) and HypeBeast.
- Citizen Lab research fellow Lokman Tsui comments for Fortune (paywall) on how the website Hong Kong Leaks was involved in the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong in 2019.
July 20, 2023
- Department of Anthropology Professor Edward Banning comments for Jordan Times on the excavations at the Tell Rakan archaeological site.