Past Lectures & Videos

To view some of the past lecture videos, please click here to visit our YouTube Channel.

2017 Lectures

Subject to Interpretation
Presented by Gemma New, Music Director, Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra

Patient Engagement in Chronic Pain Research
Presented by Norm Buckley, Prof Anaesthesia, McMaster University

Hamilton on the Cusp
Presented by Richard Harris, Prof Geography, McMaster University

The Ruin of the Twentieth Century Returns: Brexit and the Revival of European Exclusionary Nationalism
Presented by Stephen Heathorn, Prof History, McMaster University

Canada and the Two Freedoms
Presented by Hugh Segal, Master, Massey College, Univ Toronto

Living Islands: Coping with sea-level rise and climate change in the Pacific Islands
Presented by Simon Donner, Prof Geography, Univ British Columbia

Current Issues in Human Rights
Presented by Renu Mandhane, Ontario Human Rights Commissioner

Bacteria and Behavior: Curious Travel in Another World
Presented by John Bienenstock, Prof Medicine & Pathology, McMaster University

Life in the Greater Golden Horseshoe: The Next 25 Years
Presented by David Crombie, Toronto

Religion, Nationalism and Political Polarization in the Modern Middle East
Presented by James Reilly, Prof Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations, Univ Toronto

Fostering Resilient Aging through Creativity, Community and Contribution
Presented by Ellen Ryan, Prof Health, Aging & Society, McMaster Univ

Infrastructure Decision-Making in Ontario
Presented by Matti Siemiatycki, Prof Geography, Univ Toronto

2016 Lectures

A City is not Great…Until it is Great for Everyone.
Presented by Paul Johnson, City of Hamilton

On-line Health Management Systems
Presented by Norm Archer, Prof. of Business, McMaster University.

What’s all the Fuss about the Early Years?
Presented by Jean Clinton, Prof. of Psychiatry, McMaster University

India’s Rise: Implications for Canada
Presented by Kasi Rao, Asia Pacific Fdn. of Canada, Toronto

From Shorthand to Smartphones: How the World of Journalists and their Craft is Changing
Presented by Janice Neil, Prof. of Journalism, Ryerson University

Fracking: its Character and Consequences
Presented by Bob McNutt, Prof. Emeritus of Geology, McMaster University.

The Effects of Digital Disruption on Society
Presented by Dan Dunsky, Toronto

Jazz: Music of the People
Presented by Heather Bambrick, Toronto

Trade: Opportunity or Threat for Global Food Security
Presented by Jennifer Clapp, Prof. Waterloo University

Sectarianism in the Muslim World
Presented by Liyakat Takim, Prof. of Religious Studies, McMaster University

The Coming Plague
Presented by Ann Herring, Prof. of Anthropology, McMaster University

Medical Assistance in Dying: How Do I Respond Personally?
Presented by John Buttars, United Church, Guelph

2015 Lectures

The Elusive Pursuit of Integrated Care and Caring
Presented by Kevin Smith , President & CEO of St Joseph’s Health System.

An Innovation Agenda for the National Ballet of Canada
Presented by Barry Hughson, Executive Director of the National Ballet Canada.

Sticks and Carrots: Government and Labour in the Canadian Automotive Industry
Presented by Charlotte Yates, Provost at The University of Guelph.

The City We Need
Presented by Terry Cooke, President & CEO of The Hamilton Community Foundation.

Current and Future Applications of Robotics in Surgery
Presented by Mehran Anvari, Professor of Surgery at McMaster University.

Income Inequality: What Governments Can Do.
Presented by Bill Scarth, Professor of Economics at McMaster University.

The 2015 Federal Election: the Stakes for Ontario
Presented by Matthew Mendelsohn, Prof. Political Science, Univ. of Toronto

The Promise and Perils of Nanotechnology
Presented by John Preston, Prof. Engineering Physics, McMaster University

Victory and After
Presented by Antoni Cimolino, Artistic Director, Stratford Festival

Avoiding the Ostrich Syndrome to Climate Change
Presented by Savitri Jetoo, Postdoctoral scholar, McMaster University

The Internet After Snowden: Surveillance, Privacy and the Future of Global Communications
Presented by Ronald Deibert, Prof. Political Science, Director Citizen Lab, Univ of Toronto

Understanding Human Diversity in the 21st Century
Presented by Jack Pasternak, Prof. Emeritus of Biology, Univ. of Waterloo

2014 Lectures

The Future of Art Galleries
Presented by Louise Dompierre , President & CEO Art Gallery of Hamilton

Answering the University’s Critics
Presented by Patrick Deane, President of McMaster University

Human Stem Cells: Biology & Applications Toward the Clinic
Presented by Mickie Bhatia, Director Stem Cells & Cancer Research Inst., McMaster

Why Have Some Canadians Become Terrorists?
Presented by Lorne Dawson, Prof. of Sociology, Univ of Waterloo

Living in the City
Presented by Joe Berridge, partner Urban Strategies Inc., Toronto

Live Music in the 21st Century; Challenges & Opportunities
Presented by James Somerville, Music Director Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra

The Theatre: A Necessary Mirror for the 21st Century
Presented by Jackie Maxwell, Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival

Our Global Climate is Changing; Canadians’ Role in Addressing the Issue
Presented by Gordon McBean, Director of Western University’s Centre for Environment and Sustainability

Music that Moves Us: From Rhythm to Social Behaviour in Children
Presented by Laurel Trainor, Professor of Psychology at McMaster University

The Fear of Food
Presented by Harvey Levenstein, Prof Emeritus of History, McMaster University

China and the Challenge for Canadian Foreign Policy
Presented by David Mulroney, a former Canadian Ambassador to China

Navigating the Health Care System
Presented by Francesca Grosso, a Principal of Grosso McCarthy,Toronto

2013 Lectures

Understanding the European Economic Crisis
Presented by Martin Horn, Professor of History, McMaster University

High Hopes for Personalized Medicine
Presented by Jack Pasternak, Professor Emeritus of Biology, University of Waterloo

Religious Martyrdom in the Early Modern World: a 21st Century Perspective
Presented by Graham Roebuck, Professor Emeritus of English, McMaster University

What is the Universe Made of? New Evidence from the Very Large and Very Small
Presented by Cliff Burgess, Professor of Physics, McMaster University

The Social Media Revolution
Presented by Dan Dunsky, Executive Producer of TVO’s The Agenda

Sex Differences in the Brain: Their Consequences?
Presented by Sandra Witelson, Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University

Where Have All the Mass Media Gone?
Presented by Mr. Robert Harris, the classical music reviewer for The Globe and Mail

How Doctors Think: Models of Clinical Reasoning
Presented by Dr. Geoff Norman, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics at McMaster University

The Humanities in the 21st Century
Presented by Dr. Alvin Lee, President Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of English at McMaster University

An Earth Sciences Perspective on Global Climate Change
Presented by Dr. Andrew Miall, Professor of Geology at the University of Toronto

The Arab Spring: Illusive Seasonality or More Permanent Transformation?
Presented by Dr. Atif Kubursi, Professor Emeritus of Economics at McMaster University

Turkey in a Dangerous Neighborhood: the New Eastern Question
Presented by Dr. Virginia Aksan, Professor Emeritus of History at McMaster University