So which belief is true: ‘accidents happen’ or ‘everything happens for a reason’? Behavioural sciences show that in the world of interpretation, human judgement is powerfully affected by how problems are initially framed. As humans, we are prone to subconsciously anchor on preconceived notions and then tend to find what we are looking for during an investigation.

The function of an engineered artifact is to deliver the desired fit, form and function to society. It is the purpose of engineering to postpone failure of an artifact for a safe design lifetime. The lecture will highlight the practice of forensic engineering investigation and illustrate methods to assess potential sources, causes and solutions for prevention of failure of engineered products, and of the investigation itself.

The Tulsa Race Massacre is believed to be the single worst discrete incident of racial violence in American history. During the course of eighteen bloody hours on May 31 and June 1, 1921, more than one thousand homes and businesses were destroyed, and as many as three hundred people killed. By the time the violence ended, Oklahoma’s second-largest African American community had been burned to the ground. As the Oklahoma Historical Society summarized: “The outbreak occurred during an era of acute racial tensions, characterized by the birth and rapid growth of the so-called second Ku Klux Klan and by the determined efforts of African Americans to resist attacks upon their communities, particularly in the matter of lynching.” So, what does a 1921 state-sponsored white massacre of a relatively wealthy Black community in America’s 48th state have to tell us about our own here and now? Join Amos Jones in a lecture that grapples with this and related questions and promises to offer what, to many, might seem to be some surprising answers.

One of the side-effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns in Ontario over the past year has been an increased interest in nature, spending time in parks and watching birds. The sale of birdseed and bird feeders increased last winter, attendance in parks grew significantly and people paid more attention to the birdlife in Toronto’s ravines, our waterfront and in our own backyards. In this lecture, David Lindsay, a lifelong birdwatcher and member of the Board of Ontario Parks and the Greenbelt Foundation will offer some tips and suggestions for birdwatching in Southern Ontario. Using his own photographs, he will introduce us to some of the common and not-so-common species to be found in our area. He will offer suggestions for where to go and what to look for during the different seasons of the year.

It is a truth almost universally acknowledged that British foreign policy in the 1930s, commonly described as ‘appeasement’, was a disaster that produced the second world war. Winston Churchill was one of the few who insisted that not standing up to Nazi Germany by threatening armed force would lead to war. But was appeasement simply a policy of weakness and fear? Why was it so supported by so many leaders in Britain, the dominions and elsewhere, including Mackenzie King, the prime minister of Canada? What exactly was Churchill arguing and why was it rejected for so long? Professor Thompson will continue the presentation into the war, when Churchill himself had to deal with the threats of Italy and Japan entering the war and the territorial claims of the allied Soviet Union, and will conclude with some reflections on appeasement and diplomacy.

“Not everyone is as lucky as I am,” says writer and hiker Nicola Ross. “Not only was I born in a spectacularly beautiful place: the Forks of the Credit, but I still live there!” In this lecture Ross invites you to join her on a hike along sections of the Bruce Trail that are filled with stories, memories and fabulous flora and fauna. She will take you back in time, catapult you into the future and then spend a moment admiring what the trail has to offer right now – today. From the legend of the Devil’s Pulpit to Canada Dry’s first bottling plant to killer cataract falls. From the mighty Niagara Escarpment to the hummocky Oak Ridges Moraine. From kettle lakes to rare walking ferns. Childhood picnics to red tinted limestone. A gold rush to a salt mine. Using great photos and a lifetime of getting to know her own back yard, Nicola Ross will take you along on a short adventure and invite you to come to know and love your back yard as well as she knows hers.

In this lecture, best-selling author Tim Cook will talk about his book, The Fight for History, and he will examine the strange way that Canadians ignored for decades their epic contributions during the Second World War. Despite 1.1 million Canadians who served in uniform, and millions more who supported the total war effort from the home front, Canada rapidly left the war behind, publishing few histories, building fewer monuments, and advancing into the prosperous second half of the twentieth century. Dr. Cook will talk about the neglect of our Second World War history until quite recently, and highlight the key role of veterans in reclaiming this important legacy of service and sacrifice.

The plays of William Shakespeare, the sculpture of Michelangelo, the poetry of Pablo Neruda. These are all considered pinnacles of human artistic achievement, and the nine symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) are included among them. They are the most famous and frequently-performed and recorded symphonies ever composed. But why are they still popular and what makes them so great? In this lecture with music examples, classical music writer and broadcaster Rick Phillips will uncover the reasons behind the undying legacy of the nine Beethoven symphonies, and what they can express and communicate to us today, in our busy, hectic lives, two hundred years later.

One hundred years ago, Frederick Banting, MD had an idea in the middle of the night that culminated in the discovery of insulin, a ‘cure’ for certain death in patients with Type 1 diabetes. In this lecture Professor Patricia Brubaker will trace the origins of this discovery, covering not only the science and the individuals involved in this ground-breaking discovery, but also the process that led to the commercialization of insulin, enabling worldwide access to this lifesaving treatment.

Afghanistan Six Months On: “Why are the Taliban back on top in Afghanistan? And how should the world respond?” Author and journalist Terry Glavin and former Canadian Ambassador to Afghanistan Chris Alexander will team up to offer their expert analysis of the situation in Afghanistan six months after the American withdrawal in August 2021. Their discussion will cover the origins of the Afghanistan conflict, the events leading to the Taliban’s restoration, and the consequences for Afghanistan and for the rest of the world. Glavin and Alexander will also provide an update on the ongoing humanitarian crisis as more than twenty million people face severe hunger through this cold Afghan winter.

Dr. Allison McGeer, Microbiologist and Infectious Disease Consultant
Professor Kate Choi, Associate Professor of Sociology, Western University
Professor Erica Di Ruggiero, Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, UofT
Professor Christopher Rutty, Historian

Two years on from the start of the pandemic, we invite four distinguished scholars from four different academic disciplines and research traditions to consider the pandemic in perspective. Each panelist will offer an opening statement summarising their particular approach to the pandemic, the kinds of questions they’ve been engaged in and what they have learned so far following which Dr. Allison McGeer will lead a panel discussion among the four guests digging more deeply into some of the key issues and themes. There will be time at the end of the presentation for questions from the audience.

The Notwithstanding clause is perhaps the most obscure part of Canada’s constitutional history that everyone loves to hate. Ever since 1982 critics have attacked Section 33 as an unfortunate compromise that negates the Charter’s great promise of human rights. When the Quebec government invoked Section 33 to allow them to pass otherwise unconstitutional language laws, many in the rest of Canada were irate. Ever since, each time a government invokes or threatens to invoke the Notwithstanding Clause, the same criticisms re-emerge. In this talk historian Christopher Dummitt explains the origins of the clause, including how pivotal it was to ensuring repatriation, and places it within the long and vital history of responsible and parliamentary government in Canada.

National best-selling author and professional adventurer Adam Shoalts takes us on the journey of a lifetime: a nearly 4,000 km solo odyssey by canoe across Canada’s Arctic. This harrowing expedition took almost four months to complete and years of preparation. Shoalts will share photos from his journey, which involved weaving through ice floes, facing down snarling bears and galloping musk-ox, and paddling under the midnight sun in a land as old as time. But also why we urgently need to save vast wild places while it’s still possible.