University Studies at Keyano College is proud to host a free lecture series open to the entire community. Join us after the lecture for refreshments!
TIME: All presentations start at 8 pm, unless otherwise noted.
LOCATION: Doug Schmit Lecture Hall, Keyano College
RSVP: Please tol alanna.bottrell@keyano.ca
September 25, 2011 (October 2 alternate)
Jean-Pierre De Villiers
Astronomical Vistas 2011
Come out and see the stars under a dark, moonless sky! Join astrophysicist and Keyano College instructor Jean-Pierre De Villiers, and scan the skies with astronomical binoculars and Keyano College’s new 10-inch Meade telescope.
Location: Vista Ridge All Seasons Park
Date: Sunday September 25, 2011 from 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm
Weather alternate: Sunday October 2, 2011 from 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm
The event is free, but we would like to know how many people to expect. If interested in attending, please email astronomy@keyano.ca before September 25 and let us know how many will be in your party.
Please call 780-791-4940 for information on the status of the event
October 28, 2011
Allan Rowe and Danna Schock
Diabolical Fungus: Witchcraft and Ergotism in the Early Modern World
In the 16th and 17th centuries, tens of thousands of women in Europe were tried and executed for practicing witchcraft. European emigrants brought their fear of witches with them across the Atlantic to North America, manifesting most famously in the Salem Witch Hunt of 1692. Historians have long debated the social, cultural, and other factors that led to this intense anti-witch hysteria in the early modern period. This talk will bring together the perspectives of an historian and a biologist to focus on one explanation in particular – ergot poisoning – and discuss how viewing witchcraft through the lens of science and medical history can help shed light on this fascinating topic.
November 18, 2011
Blair Hemstock
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Australian, 1994)
The cult film classic about three female impersonators who travel in a bus named Priscilla from Sydney to Alice Springs to put on a show.
Starring Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce and Terence Stamp, the film is credited with moving LGBT subject matter from the periphery into the spotlight of mainstream filmmaking.
The soundtrack will appeal to those who liked Mamma Mia.
Rated “R” for language and sexually suggestive scenes.
January 20, 2012
Blaine Legaree
Wonderdrugs and Superbugs: A Story of the Arms Race Between Us and Infectious Diseases
The discovery of penicillin is arguably one of the greatest medical discoveries in history and has altered how we view and treat infectious diseases. In fact, it was so successful that the US Surgeon General reported to Congress in 1969 that it was “time to close the book on infectious diseases”. We now know that as the Surgeon General was closing his books, bacteria were quietly acquiring mechanisms of resistance to our drugs. Hospitals now fight a multitude of germs that were unheard of years ago. Some of the scarier ones include: MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus), C. diff. (Clostridium difficile), multidrug resistant plague, multidrug resistant tuberculosis, and Salmonella.
The lecture will give an account of the fascinating history of the discovery of penicillin and other antibiotics, how microbes have evolved resistance to these drugs, a perspective on some new emerging infectious diseases, and some outlooks for the future.
Some tidbits. Did you know that:
• Penicillin was discovered accidentally
• Prior to 1900, about a third of all children died before the age of 5 due to infectious disease
• Out of all the types of bacteria out there, very few actually cause disease
• Bacteria are very skilled at adapting and acquiring resistance to drugs
• Tuberculosis is making a comeback in Canada’s north
• You should not take antibiotics for the cold or a flu (these are caused by viruses not bacteria)
February 10, 2012
Guy Harmer
The Ladder of Love
Everyone has experienced the feeling of love. Often it is intense, can take one over and make one do extraordinary things. The Greek philosophers, Plato especially, were curious about this emotion. What is it? What is its end or direction? Should we give in to it or should we be wary of it? In Plato’s Symposium seven people give speeches about the nature of love. Socrates, the last speaker, recounts a story told to him by Diotima, a woman who taught him the philosophy of Love. The story centers around an image of a ladder. Ladders allow one to access places they cannot otherwise get to. What does love allow us access to? What are the steps on the way? This will be the focus of this talk, a matter of interest to all.
March 23, 2012
Louis Dingley
The Art of Persuasion
In 1936 Dale Carnegie told us how to “win friends and influence people.” Our understanding of persuasion has grown a long way beyond the techniques of Carnegie. Over the past two decades Dr. Robert B. Cialdini has conducted numerous psychological research studies on persuasion and has studied with many masters of influence. From his scientific explorations, Dr. Cialdini identified six principles or laws of persuasion that can be applied with great success across a variety of situations from advertising to leadership. This lecture provides valuable information on these powerful psychological pressures that get you to say yes.
April 20, 2012
Neil O’Donnell
Earth’s Climate Over Geological Time at Fort McMurray
Throughout geological time, the earth has undergone incredible changes at its surface, and the current location of Fort McMurray is no exception. Journey with us back through time, and visualize the physical and chemical processes occurring below, on, and above the earth’s crust. Numerous periods of deposition, erosion, and glaciation have left their mark on North America, and you will see what evidence for this can be seen in the Fort McMurray area. The most recent Pleistocene glaciation and the climatic changes associated with it will be of special interest.
