Dr. Candi Bezte, Kevin Lamoureux,, Dr. Melanie Martin, Michael Dudley, Dr. Renée Douville, ©UWinnipeg
TEDx University of Winnipeg is presenting their talks on Saturday, March 16, 2019 in Eckhardt Gramatté Hall. This year’s theme is Freedom, What does freedom mean to you?
There are several UWinnipeg presenters including, Dr. Candi Bezte, biology and human concerns; Michael Dudley, community outreach librarian; Dr. Renée Douville, biology, Kevin Lamoureux, (education); and Dr. Melanie Martin (physics), director of the Magnetic Resonance Microscopy Centre.
Bezte is a UWinnipeg alumna who specializes in aquatic toxicology. She worked a decade in aquatic environmental consulting, ran a home-based business for 15 years, has accumulated a reasonable amount and variety of volunteer hours and loves speaking on all issues pertaining to the environment to anyone who will listen. She is currently living her passion by teaching biology and human concerns and human-environmental interactions at UWinnipeg. Her talk will be on the need to change the way we look at things so we can achieve the kind of future we want.
Dudley’s talk, “Liberating Shakespeare” recounts his personal journey of discovery regarding the mysterious poet-playwright’s problematic biography, and its marginalization in the academy. It examines the colonial, nationalistic origins of the mythic biography of “the Bard,” and the ways in which the academy reproduces dominant narratives about him, before mapping the lived experience of those who have transcended this myth to embrace a new paradigm of Shakespearean authorship.
Douville is a cellular immunologist, neurovirologist and a molecular biologist by training. The Douville lab specializes in the study of endogenous retroviruses which are genetic elements of viral origin found within the human genome. The team’s focus is on human endogenous retrovirus-K (ERVK) and its role in the progressive motor neuron disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), seeks to identify novel therapeutic drugs to control pathogenic ERVK expression in inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease.
Lamoureux is a faculty member at the University of Winnipeg and a well-known public speaker. He has served as associate vice president for the University of Winnipeg, education lead for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, and as scholar in residence for several school divisions. Lamoureux is an award-winning scholar with an impressive publication and research grant record, and has consulted for governments, organizations and institutions. His most recent book contribution, Ensouling Our Schools with Dr. Jennifer Katz, is being used by educators across Canada working to create inclusive spaces for all students. He has been seen on TV, in documentaries, in print, and in the media. More than anything, Lamoureux is committed to reconciliation and contributing to an even better Canada for all children to grow up in.
Martin specializes in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The human brain is one of science’s mysteries. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows us to create images of the brain with amazing contrast. This ubiquitous diagnostic tool, used at hospitals and clinics across Canada, allows us to see anatomical details of brain structures or tumors and to identify swelling and shrinkage. Martin applies the principles of fundamental physics to enhance MRI capabilities. Martin is developing new methods to see small tissue structures, those that are finer than one human hair or the silk in a spider’s web and distinguish them accurately with MRI. The research is enhancing our ability to diagnose conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and other central nervous system disorders as early as possible.
For tickets and information please visit TEDx University of Winnipeg.
TEDx University of Winnipeg started in September 2015. TEDx University of Winnipeg is a fully planned and coordinated independently by mostly UWinnipeg current students and alumni’s who are passionate about the theme and purpose of TED. They are a non-profit group consisting of volunteers looking to host an event aimed at bridging various academic disciplines together in the hopes of making them more accessible to the general public. The goal is to bring together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused, and on a wide range of subjects, to foster learning, inspiration, and wonder and provoke conversations that matter. The TEDx University of Winnipeg is an annual event with an audience of students, faculty members and members of the community.
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading”. Starting as a four-day conference in California 30 years ago, TED has grown to support its mission with multiple initiatives. The two annual TED conferences invite the world’s leading thinkers and doers to speak for 18 minutes or less. Many of these talks are then made available, free, at TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman. The TEDx initiative grants free licenses to people around the world to organize TED-style events in their communities with TED Talks and live speakers. Selected talks from these events are also turned into TED Talks videos.
