U of G News

ONLINE: Biological Science Career Night
2021-03-31 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Toronto) | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Meet and network with U of G Biological Science alumni!
The evening will include a brief welcome and four concurrent breakout rooms featuring themed-based panels showcasing alumni working in various industries:

Animal Panel and Q&A
Environment Panel and Q&A
Health Care Panel and Q&A
Private Sector and Public Policy Panel and Q&A

Learn more online.

ONLINE: Return to Campus Town Hall
2021-04-01 12:00 - 13:30 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Over the last year, we have all missed the vibrancy of our on-campus experiences, and we are looking forward to resuming more in-person activities on our campuses this fall.
In fall 2021, we will see many classes delivered face-to-face, increased capacity in our residences, expanded on-campus service delivery, and more staff and faculty at all of our facilities. As we make these plans, we will continue to closely follow all public health regulations and put the safety of our community first.
To give you a better picture of what our return will look like, and to answer your questions, the executive team is hosting a Return to Campus Town Hall discussion.
Thursday, April 1
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Microsoft Teams Live
Hosted by:

Dr. Charlotte Yates, president and vice-chancellor
Dr. Gwen Chapman, interim provost and vice-president (academic)
Dr. Malcolm Campbell, vice-president (research)
Daniel Atlin, vice-president (external)
Sharmilla Rasheed, vice-president (finance and operations)

We look forward to connecting with all of you soon.

ONLINE: Livestock From The Bullring - Jennifer Castle
2021-04-01 19:00 - 19:45 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
A presentation of the Central Student Association. Live streaming from The Bullring.
Jennifer Castle’s moon-suffused Monarch Season, “makes the case for listening as a revolutionary act of intimacy,” (Uncut).
Castle blends into the atmosphere of her piano and acoustic guitar, presenting her exceedingly intimate music as an inventive and subtly visceral experience.
Castle says that recently released album Monarch Season is meant to remind us to “cherish openly that which reflects off and onto [us].” It’s also a lesson, in its quiet and simple way, in how to give oneself over to changing tides, shifting moons, and the endless cycle of seasons that colour our lives.
Event supported by the Undergraduate Entertainment Media Fee.

ONLINE: Rental Housing Information Session
2021-04-05 13:00 - 14:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
This session is for students who are looking for rental housing in Guelph for the 2021-22 school year. Questions around where to find quality listings and roommates will be answered, and information about popular rental areas will be shared. This is an essential session to attend for the first-time Guelph student renter.

ONLINE: Senate Meeting
2021-04-05 16:00 | TBD – Check meeting package
Senate meetings are open to the public. Please e-mail univsec@uoguelph.ca to register.
For more information about the agenda, location and timing of the meeting please visit the Secretariat’s Governance Portal to access the agenda package.
Agenda packages are published approximately one week in advance of the meeting.

ONLINE: Grad Launch 2021
2021-04-06 | ImprovLab, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Join us for the Grad Launch 2021 virtual resource fair to help you prepare for graduation!
OPEN ALL DAY! Drop-in between 11:30 am. to 1 p.m. for our LIVE HOURS to chat with service representatives and find out what programs, services and benefits are available to you once you become a Guelph Grad.
Each attendee will have an opportunity to access information about OSAP repayment, how to access a career advisor after graduation and how to get involved with your alumni association.
Learn about:

Convocation
Perks of being a #GuelphGrad
Adulting
Graduate Studies
and more!

Everything you need to know as you transition from Gryph to Grad.
The best part? There will be TONS of prizes to be won! Registration is required to receive a link to the online event platform.
#ForeverAGryphon

ONLINE: Gryph-to-Grad: What's Next for Me?
2021-04-07 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Graduation is an exciting time where you can celebrate completing years of hard work and study! But are you worried about what comes next?
Whether you have a plan in mind or are just considering your options, the Experiential Learning Hub’s Career Advising Team is here to help! In this Gryph-to-Grad: What’s next for Me? series, career advisors will be offering webinars and presentations to assist you in taking those next steps.

ONLINE: Provost Dialogue - Budget Update
2021-04-07 12:00 - 13:30 | ImprovLab, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
An invitation to faculty, staff and students to attend the Provost Dialogue: Budget Update
Interim Provost and Vice-President (Academic), Dr. Gwen Chapman will host a public forum on the 2021-2022 Budget. This is an opportunity for the University community to ask questions regarding the current fiscal outlook.
Wednesday April 7, 2021
12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Click to Join the Event
Important Information:

Join the live stream here. This is link will also be posted on the Provost website.
Attendees can ask questions using the moderated Q&A.
This presentation will be recorded and posted on the Provost website for those unable to attend.
If you have questions after the presentation, please email budget@uoguelph.ca.

ONLINE: What is holding up advancing agricultural advisory services?
2021-04-09 10:00 - 12:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development is happy to bring together international and Ontario perspectives on “What’s holding up advancing agricultural advisory services?” In each of the three-part discussion series, several remarkable persons (international and Canadian scholars and practitioners) with diverse perspectives and backgrounds will join us to share their experiences with different aspects of agricultural advisory services and what we might do better for effective service delivery.
It is an excellent opportunity for anyone who wants to learn and contribute to the understanding of extension and advisory service in facilitating agricultural innovation and development processes in Ontario and beyond. Each part will feature various activities, such as panel and focus group discussions.
See the full description of the series . The first part of the series will focus on structure, coordination and collaboration of different stakeholders in emerging extension and advisory service delivery landscapes.
Read the speaker bios.

ONLINE: Thinking Spaces Speaker Series with Roger Dean
2021-04-09 17:00 - 18:30 | ImprovLab, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Thinking Spaces: The Reading Group and Speaker Series is pleased to present “AI and Improvisation: Virtual Improvisers, Virtual Pianos,” a talk by Roger Dean.
The event will take place on Friday, April 9, 2021, at 5 p.m. (ET) via Zoom (please note the slightly later-than-usual starting time). A moderated Q&A will follow the talk.
If you are interested in attending, please register online: uoguel.ph/RogerDean.
A Zoom link will be sent the day before the event.
Description from Roger Dean: I have engaged with computer-interactive improvisation since it became financially and practically accessible on desktop and portable computers, notably with the advent of the programming platform MAX, from 1992 or so onwards. MAX permits coding almost any kind of algorithmic process, and together with its later complements MSP and Jitter, allows analysis of incoming audio and visual data to be part of the algorithms. Such algorithms allow numerous unpredictable elements, that, a little like human collaborators, permit surprise, error, erasure and a variety of other inter-musician stimuli. Thus improvising solo together with a computer can sometimes mimic aspects of duetting with another improviser.
AI, or more specifically machine learning, is a very different process from normal musical algorithms, in part because it depends on the machine gaining prior knowledge of some corpus of work instead of depending on a user formulated algorithm. However, a trained musical machine, such as I aim to make my own Deep Improviser, can be manipulated by a user, but can also function autonomously, and like older algorithms, take note of musical or other inputs. I am exploring generative AI machine learning for purposes of both composition and improvisation, but more generally, in order to investigate a space of possibilities that is outside my normal contexts (i.e. outside both the contexts I provide myself, and those provided by collaborators). While this field, and particularly my own machines, have a long way to go (and indeed the Australian Research Council funded project I have is only approaching its half way point), I hope to point to some of the interesting outcomes and possibilities.
Roger Dean is a composer/improviser, and since 2007 a research professor in music cognition and computation at the MARCS Institute, Western Sydney University. His research folds into his creative work, currently particularly by means of deep learning computational models for music generation.
He founded and directs the sound and intermedia creative ensemble austraLYSIS, which has appeared in 30 countries. He has performed as bassist, pianist, piano accompanist and laptop computer artist in many contexts, from the Academy of Ancient Music and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, to the London Sinfonietta, and from Graham Collier Music to duetting with Derek Bailey and Evan Parker, and performing with leading improvisers particularly from Europe and Australia.
About 70 commercial recordings and numerous online digital intermedia pieces represent his creative work, and he has published more than 300 journal articles. Current research concerns improvisation and computational creativity, affect, roles of acoustic intensity and timbre, and rhythm generation and perception. With Hazel Smith and Will Luers, he won the 2018 international Robert Coover prize for a work of electronic literature. Currently austraLYSIS is preparing a duo album, of sound and intermedia, featuring diverse pairings: such as human/computer, human/environment, text/improviser, image/improviser.
Prior to 2007, he was a full professor of biochemistry in the UK, foundation CEO/Director of the Heart Research Institute, Sydney, researching on atherosclerosis, and then Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Canberra.
As always, Thinking Spaces is free and open to all.

PICK-UP: Spring Break Activity Kit
2021-04-12 10:00 - 17:00 | Arboretum Centre, 250 Arboretum Rd, Guelph, N1G 2W1, Canada
The Arboretum offers three kits to help engage kids with nature this spring break.
Three different kits are available:

Milkweed/Butterfly Starter Kit
Bird/Bird Feeder Kit
Sky and Space Kit

Cost: $20-$25 depending on the kit
Available for curbside pickup on April 12 or can be shipped for an additional $8.50

ONLINE: Spring Break for Kids Series
2021-04-12 16:00 - 17:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
The Arboretum is hosting a series of online workshops throughout Spring Break! Kids (ages 6-13) will have an opportunity to learn and ask questions about plants, animals, nature, and the importance of conservation with The Arboretum.
Fee: $10 (plus HST) per session, or register for all five sessions for $45 (plus HST). Registration closes eight days before the program begins, so register early to ensure your spot! The list of topics and presentation dates are below.
Nature and the Senses – Monday, April 12, 4 to 5 p.m.
Nature is spectacular, and it can be even more amazing when we use our different senses to explore it! What do birds sing about? Why do flowers smell so sweet? Learn more about our amazing world using our sense of hearing, smell, touch, sight, and taste!
A Land Before Time – Tuesday, April 13, 4 to 5 p.m.
Many plants and animals have roamed the Earth for much longer than we’ve been around. From trees that lived with mammoths to animals that walked alongside dinosaurs, join us on a journey to a land before time!
Things We Love to Hate – Wednesday, April 14, 4 to 5 p.m.
We love to hate a good villain in the movies, but some creatures have unfairly earned this title in real life! Snakes, spiders, bugs and more. They’re important parts of the ecosystem and all heroes in our story. Learn why you should love them just as much as we do!
Animal Adaptations – Thursday, April 15, 4 to 5 p.m.
Animals have different adaptations to help them survive in the wild. Why do owls have such big eyes? What does a turtle use its shell for? Join us in exploring some weird and wonderful animal adaptations!
Greener Footprints – Friday, April 16, 4 to 5 p.m.
It’s important to protect our environment for future generations to come! That’s why conservation of our biodiversity is something that we work hard to do here at The Arboretum. Learn more about what we do and what you can also do at home to leave greener footprints on our Earth!

ONLINE: Open Scholarship Open House ft. Philippe Mongeon
2021-04-13 10:00 - 14:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Join us for our Open Scholarship Open House! This online event will begin with a talk from prominent Open Access researcher Philippe Mongeon. Philippe will speak about his experience in scholarly communication as a researcher and practitioner and will present his vision for the transformation of scholarly communication.
We will also open the floor to questions, conversations, and collaboration around open scholarship. Additionally, we’ll have several scholarly communication content experts available to speak with you about your research, answer your questions, and help you open your research to the world!

ONLINE: New Age Warriors - In Conversation with Catherine Blackburn
2021-04-14 19:00 - 20:30 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Join the Art Gallery of Guelph on April 14 at 7 p.m. for a conversation with contemporary beadwork artist Catherine Blackburn. Of Dene and European ancestry, the work of the multidisciplinary artist is on view currently in New Age Warriors. Part dialogue, part studio visit, the discussion will explore her futuristic regalia and photographs that blend traditional materials and methods with elements of couture, hip-hop expression and cosplay aesthetics, as well as her current work.
There is no charge to attend this online event.
Register for New Age Warriors: In Conversation With Catherine Blackburn.
Learn more on the Art Gallery of Guelph website.
Image credit: Catherine Blackburn, The Waterhen Weaver, 2018, inkjet on Dibond

ONLINE: Dr. Hansaji First Lady Yoga Guru Speaks at 2021 Yoga Speaker Series
2021-04-17 09:30 - 10:30 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Dr. Hansa Yogendra (born 1947) is an Indian yoga guru, author, researcher, counsellor, and YouTube and TV personality (Yoga for Better Living). She is the director of The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, the oldest organized yoga center in the world founded in 1918.
The esteemed Ma Hansa Ji will be joining us on Saturday, April 17, 9:30 AM, ET Toronto (7:00 p.m. IST, Mumbai), as the fifth speaker of the UofG Yoga Speaker Series 2021.
She is the leading face of householder Yoga and has conducted over 100,000 theoretical and practical sessions of yoga to date. “Simple householders can be highly spiritual, and every human being has the potential to be divine” Ma Hansa Ji says.
As president of the International Board of Yoga, Chair of the Yoga Certification Committee for Quality Council of India (QCI), and Senior Vice-President of the Indian Yoga Association, Dr. Hansa Ji has made significant contributions in advancing Yoga education, research, experiential learning, and standardization of Yoga practices. She is the recipient of the Bharat Gaurav Award (Pride of India) for her extraordinary contributions and excellence in the field of yoga.
We recommend that you sit on your yoga mat as you listen to this inspiring talk with our honoured guest, Dr. Hansa Ji Yogendra!
Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/95484128908 Meeting ID: 954 8412 8908
Find further details on the U of G Yoga Speaker Series 2021 website https://uofgyss.wordpress.com/
This event is sponsored by the Wellness@Work U of Guelph and is hosted by UofG Yoga and Meditation Collective.

ONLINE: Beading Workshop with Erin Szikora
2021-04-17 13:00 - 16:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Join the Art Gallery of Guelph and learn how to make a floral keychain with curator and beadwork artist, Erin Szikora (Cayuga/Scottish/Hungarian). In this 3-hour adult workshop, participants will discuss the history of Haudenosaunee beadwork, learn the basics of one-needle flat stitch beading, and create a floral keychain using size 11 seed beads, felt, and stainless-steel elements. Basic sewing skills are recommended, but not required. The registration fee is $65 and includes a kit with all the supplies required to complete the keychain that can be picked up in Guelph, Hamilton or Toronto. Space is limited, register today!
Download registration form and submit your completed form to info@artgalleryofguelph.ca.
For more information, visit https://artgalleryofguelph.ca/.

ONLINE: Philosophy Spring Symposium 2021
2021-04-17 13:00 - 17:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
The Philosophy Graduate Student Association is excited to host a virtual conference featuring four grad student presentations on a variety of topics. Join us for an afternoon of new ideas and philosophical contributions as we support our peers and celebrate their hard work!
For details, please visit https://www.uoguelph.ca/arts/philosophy/pgsa2021

ONLINE: Workshop - How to Write for Conversation Canada
2021-04-22 10:30 - 12:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
U of G’s news service is hosting a workshop on “How to Write for Conversation Canada.”
The workshop will feature Conversation Canada editor Scott White, who will discuss effective commentaries and how to pitch and write for the publication.
Conversation Canada is a national online publication that delivers analysis and explanatory journalism from the academic and research community directly to the public. Professional editors work directly with academics and researchers to publish articles for a wide audience.
It is an effective venue for showcasing your research and expertise, as articles often attract national and sometimes international media interest.
Conversation Canada accepts commentaries written by faculty and PhD students.
To register, contact Deirdre Healey, manager, news service, at healeyd@uoguelph.ca.

ONLINE: Yoga Speaker Series - Panel Discussion and Q and A
2021-04-22 12:00 - 13:00 | ImprovLab, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
May the light of the sun
illuminate your mind removing all obstacles and filling
your heart with love and joy
your mind with pure compassionate thoughts
your body with virtuous actions
that raise up those around you to their highest potential
Join us on your yoga mat for our final event of the Yoga Speaker Series 2021 “Panel Discussion and Q and A” with all five of our 2021 speakers at noon ET (Toronto)/9:30 p.m. IST (Mumbai). Closing remarks for the series will be by Daniel Atlin, vice-president (external), University of Guelph.
Join the meeting at https://zoom.us/j/95484128908. Zoom meeting ID: 954 8412 8908.
Find a full schedule and details on our website https://uofgyss.wordpress.com/. You can also find the recordings, a feedback form and our social media accounts on our website. Please watch the recordings before the event, provide your feedback/comments, and send your questions in advance to our panellists at yoga@uoguelph.ca.
This is our last event of a long Yoga Speaker Series 2021. Please share this event with students, staff, faculty, friends, colleagues, etc. and all in your networks for multidimensional benefits from the Science of Yoga. And please join with family and friends.
This event is sponsored by Wellness@Work and is hosted by UofG Yoga and Meditation Collective.

ONLINE: Thinking Spaces Speaker Series with Harald Kisiedu
2021-04-23 15:00 - 16:30 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Thinking Spaces: The Reading Group and Speaker Series is pleased to present historical musicologist Harald Kisiedu for his talk “Living Ball of Fire: Peter Brötzmann, Black Experimentalism, and Politics in 1960s West Germany.”
This event will take place via Zoom. This presentation is the last Thinking Spaces event of the semester. A moderated Q&A will follow the talk.
If you are interested in attending, please register online at https://uoguel.ph/haraldkisiedu.
A Zoom link will be sent out the day before the event.
This talk is concerned with the experiences and musical practices of important saxophonist and improviser Peter Brötzmann. It illuminates the creative tension between the realms of music and politics that shaped his music’s production and reception during the latter half of the 1960s and situates his work within the larger context of the rise of the New Left and the West German student protest movement during this period. Moreover, the talk elucidates the building of alliances between segments of the West German student protest movement and the Black Freedom Movement in the US as an important backdrop for Brötzmann’s engagement with black experimentalism.
Harald Kisiedu is a historical musicologist and received his doctorate from Columbia University. His research interests include jazz as a global phenomenon, music of the African diaspora, Afrodiasporic composers, music and politics, improvisation, transnationalism, and Wagner. He has published on Peter Brötzmann, Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, Muhal Richard Abrams, Black composers, jazz and popular music in the Terezín concentration camp and the political reception of Wagner’s Meistersinger of Nuremberg in the National Socialist Regime. He is also a saxophonist and has performed with George Lewis, Branford Marsalis, Henry Grimes, Hannibal Lokumbe and Champion Jack Dupree. He has made recordings with the NY-based ensemble Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber and composer/improviser Jeff Morris.
Between 2015 and 2017, he was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation at the University of Guelph and at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Kisiedu is currently a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück’s Institute of Music. He is the author of European Echoes: Jazz Experimentalism in Germany, 1950-1975 published by Wolke Verlag.
As always, Thinking Spaces is free and open to all.

ONLINE: Virtual Interaction Conference
2021-04-28 09:00 - 12:00 | Ontario, Canada
Two-day conference introducing academic and student life opportunities to university-bound grade 10 and 11 students. Participants choose to attend one of the two days. Registration required. Free to attend. Learn more at admission.uoguelph.ca/events.

ONLINE: U of G Spring Social for Faculty and Staff
2021-04-29 10:00 - 10:45 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
The U of G Spring Social is a reimagined virtual event for staff and faculty to celebrate the end of the academic year.
Join President Charlotte Yates and the senior leadership team online for brief remarks and a little fun.
THERE WILL BE PRIZES!
RSVP for the event.

ONLINE: Rhyze Ventures Info Session
2021-04-29 12:00 - 12:30 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Attention entrepreneurs! Please join us for a virtual information session about Innovation Guelph’s programming. Our community partner from Innovation Guelph, Rama Walid, will provide information about Innovation Guelph’s Rhyze Ventures Program. This is a custom-designed program created by women entrepreneurs, for women entrepreneurs. They have crafted a balance of in-class learning, practical hands-on project work, mentorship, and peer-to-peer networking to address your biggest business challenges, push your boundaries, and see you through to implementation.
Agenda:

Welcome and introduction (2 minutes)
Overview of the Guelph Guide to Entrepreneurship resource (3 minutes)
Innovation Guelph’s Rhyze Ventures Program presentation (15 minutes)
Q&A and discussion (10 minutes)

Register online.
Questions? Contact accel@uoguelph.ca.

ONLINE: Arboretum Workshop - Virtual Constellation "Walk"
2021-04-29 19:00 - 20:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Learning the night sky is like getting to know a new neighborhood. At first, it may seem big and confusing, but as you strike out and become more and more familiar with prominent landmarks, the day comes when you realize that the neighborhood is no longer new. It’s home.
Join the Arboretum for monthly online sessions as we get to know the night sky a little better. Participants will be introduced to prominent stars and constellations, where to look for them and how the motions of planet Earth cause them to appear to shift from hour to hour and month to month. You will receive a downloadable star map to help you make your way through the stars. We’ll learn a half dozen or so constellations every month and you will be invited to discuss your observations with the group as we each get to know the neighborhood a little better.
Fee: $10 (plus HST) per person, per session.

ONLINE: Every Day is Earth Day - Imagining Climates Launch
2021-04-29 19:30 - 21:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Imagining Climates and the Guelph Institute for Environmental Research invite you to join us on April 29 at 7:30 p,m, ET as we celebrate the launch of Imagining Climates, a new interdisciplinary project exploring the role of imagination in our response to the climate crisis.
Register online.
Every Day is Earth Day: Imagining Climates Launch will be hosted by acclaimed climate fiction novelist and Imagining Climates team leader, Catherine Bush, and will feature short readings of micro-climate stories from award-winning writers and scientists Liz Howard, Canisia Lubrin, Sheung-King, and Dr. Alex Smith, and our first climate conversation between environmental artist Diane Borsato and interpretive biologist Chris Earley.

ONLINE: Library Workshop - Data Skills: Advanced Survey Creation in Qualtrics
2021-04-30 10:00 - 12:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
Data Skills: Advanced Survey Creation in Qualtrics is an online workshop that will explore the more advanced question types and features of Qualtrics.
Topics discussed in this workshop include: question types and methods like logic, piped text, loop and merge, timed questions, scoring, embedded data and randomization, how to use Survey Flow to meet complicated research designs, and how to create and edit messaging in your survey.
It is expected that attendees have attended Introduction to Qualtrics – Creating Data with Online Surveys or are already competent with the software.

ONLINE: Love and Liberation - Blueprints for a BIPOC Future with Keynote Robyn Maynard
2021-05-01 12:00 - 19:00 | ImprovLab, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Love and Liberation is a series of workshops and discussions that centre BIPOC student experiences as we develop concrete strategies for change within and between our communities. The conference will bring together community leaders, activists and those engaged in practices of liberation who will invite BIPOC students to deconstruct current realities while providing tools and resources for building an anti-racist future.
Participants will have the opportunity to choose from 10 interactive online dialogues that explore various themes including cultivating food justice, navigating racialized trauma, building Black and Indigenous solidarity, celebrating Black love, engaging in transformative justice and more.
Following the workshops, we welcome participants to engage in a wellness session led by anti-racist educator Selam Debs, who will guide us in a practice to embody movement and center our well-being as we engage in this work of decolonization.
Keynote | Looking Back to Look Forward: Beyond Police and Policing with Robyn Maynard
The conference will feature a keynote address by activist and author Robyn Maynard that explores the legacy of racialized violence in Canada and advocates a vision for a Black feminist and abolitionist future. Through critical dialogue and information-sharing, the Love and Liberation Conference will empower participants to develop sustainable approaches to driving systemic and intersectional change.
Event Schedule (EDT):

noon to 4 p.m. – Conference Sessions
4 to 5 p.m. – Debrief/Wellness Session
6 to 7 p.m. – Keynote by Robyn Maynard

This event is a collaboration between the Cultural Diversity Office within Student Experience along with the Experiential Learning Hub, Guelph Black Heritage Society, U of T Scarborough’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Office, and Wilfrid Laurier University’s Centre for Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

ONLINE: Teaching and Learning Innovations Conference 2021
2021-05-04 11:00 - 16:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
The Office of Teaching and Learning invites you to join us for the 2021 Teaching and Learning Innovations Conference.
Recognizing the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, the 2021 Teaching and Learning Innovations Conference will be delivered in a modified format. Instead of our usual two-day intensive concurrent sessions conference, we have put together a series of speakers and workshops to allow opportunities for Reflecting and Reconnecting on teaching and learning experiences this past year.
This year’s conference is free, with opportunities to engage in synchronous sessions distributed over several days, highlighting topics such as: Indigenization, Equity Diversity and Inclusion, Experiential Learning, Accessibility, Graduate Student Instructional Development, and opportunities to connect with initiatives emerging from the Provost’s Task force on Innovation.
We recognize that this continues to be a challenging period, and our speakers have designed opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to take time to reflect, to celebrate our successes, to acknowledge our challenges, and to identify how the post-pandemic university can become a more inclusive place of learning. Please register for any combination of sessions that you would like to attend by following the links in the session descriptions, or from the full registration page.
We are looking forward to reconnecting with you during TLI 2021!

ONLINE: U of GH Virtual Applied Business Conference "Evolution of Small and Medium Enterprises in the 21st Century and Beyond"
2021-05-06 - 2021-05-07 | University of Guelph-Humber
Evolution of Small and Medium Enterprises in the 21st Century and Beyond
https://www.guelphhumber.ca/Business-Conference2021
Email: businessconference@guelphhumber.ca
Important Dates:

Submission of Abstracts Deadline: March 29, 2021 – Please visit the conference website to submit abstract/paper/case study
Acceptance Notice Deadline: April 10, 2021
Early Bird Conference Registration Deadline: April 20, 2021 – Register on the conference website

As Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” While businesses constantly need to undergo regular transformations, there are some periods and incidents, such as the digital age and COVID-19, when businesses face an existential threat and need to drastically transform and evolve for their ultimate survival. Although the ability to successfully modernize an organization in our fast-paced, rapidly changing world is essential, most small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which make up over 98% of total businesses across the world and are a large contribution to value added and employment, are lacking any will and/or capacity to evolve, with most of them still following old business styles. Additionally, minorities, such as immigrants, women, BIPOC and LGBTQ2+ communities, etc., face relatively more barriers while exploring business opportunities.
In this backdrop, the University of Guelph Humber is pleased to host an international applied business conference on the evolution of small and medium enterprises. The conference will be held virtually on Zoom May 6 – 7, 2021.
This conference aims at bringing together academic scholars, researchers, entrepreneurs, policy makers and students from around the globe for an opportunity to present case studies and discuss applied research papers, as well as to foster research collaborations. It will be an international gathering where participants will explore possible ways for businesses to succeed in this continuously evolving and fast paced environment, while learning from successful case studies from various parts of the world and contributing to open innovation. Acknowledging the invaluable contributions of minority entrepreneurs to their communities, participants will also discuss the contribution and challenges of black communities, people of color and women in business.
Proposals for applied research papers, case studies and panel discussions in all fields of business are welcomed, especially, but not limited to, the following topics:

open innovation
impact of the Pandemic on SMEs
transformation and survival of SMEs during pandemic
role of government policies and financial sector in SMEs’ survival and growth
minorities (Black, Indigenous and women) entrepreneurship
entrepreneurship education
entrepreneurship in low income or emerging markets
international and transnational entrepreneurship
role of entrepreneurship in economic development
AI and other technology-based venturing

Please note: We welcome work in progress and unpublished working papers. Students are encouraged to submit their research papers or case studies to present in the students’ symposium.
Keynote Speakers:

Prof. Wim Vanhaverbeke, Professor of Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Surrey, UK
Dr. Nobuyoshi Yamori, Professor, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan
Dr. Wendy Cukier, Professor & Director, Diversity Institute, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada
Mr. Rocco Rossi, President & CEO, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Toronto, Canada

Awards:
The best papers will be awarded in each of the following categories:

Applied research
Case study
Student work

Publication Opportunities:

Selected papers will be reviewed for a possible publication in a SCOPUS indexed journal of Transnational Corporations Review, Taylor and Francis.
Papers can be submitted for a possible publication to the book ‘Disadvantaged Minorities in Business Entrepreneurship for Everyone’ published by Springer. See its Call for Chapters
Best papers and case studies will be considered for a possible publication in an edited book titled Impact of the Pandemic on Small and Medium Enterprises: International Case Studies, published by Routledge.
Full paper/abstract proceedings will be published in a digital format on the conference website.

Registration Fee:
There is no charge for authors with accepted papers to present in the conference, if they register by April 20.

Early Bird Registration (by April 20, 2021): Free
Regular Registration (after April 20): $100 CAD

For further inquiries about the conference, please feel free to contact Dr. Farkhanda Shamim at shamimf@guelphhumber.ca.

ONLINE: Arboretum Workshop -Spring Favourites: The Incredible Diversity of the genus Amelanchier (Serviceberries)
2021-05-11 12:00 - 13:00 | ONLINE, Ontario, Canada
While these beloved shrubs and small trees can be found in nearly every neighbourhood, the incredible diversity of serviceberries in the wild is a mystery to many (not to mention a bona fide identification challenge!). Come take a visual tour of some of the fascinating species that are hiding right under our noses, while also taking home a few tips and tricks about how to best distinguish them during your spring walks.
Fee: $10 (plus HST) per person.
