Fall 2022 Richmond Hill Speaker Series - In-person & Virtual

The Fall 2022 Speaker Series line up is set and tickets are now on sale!

The organizers, working with the professional staff at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, are pleased to be able to offer a "hybrid flex model".  A ticket purchase allows you to go in person or watch live virtually. You decide the day of.  No switching required! If you know that you would not be able to attend in person there is the virtual only option.  If the maximum number of the hybrid model tickets are sold, then there will be the virtual option only.

Here is the overview of the speakers and their talks. (Scroll down for detail descriptions)

• Sept. 22 - Alison Norman: A History of the Women from the Six Nations of Grand River, Ontario
• Sept. 29 - David Leyton-Brown: (How) Do Economic Sanctions Work?
• Oct. 6 - Gabriela Mastromonaco:  The Future of Conservation Science at Toronto Zoo
• Oct. 13 - Ian Shelton:  The Tom Bolton Story – Proving Black Holes Do Exist 
• Oct. 20 - Mark Kozak-Holland: Knowledge Transfer Between Projects/Lessons from History
• Oct. 27 - Alison Norman: Richmond Hill’s Treaty History

After a 2-year absence, the speakers are looking forward to presenting in person and relating to a live audience!

The talks are on Thursday mornings, from 10 am to noon. The speaker presents for about one hour which is followed by a break and Q & A.

Subscription Series Cost - $50 (+taxes and handling). Click HERE to order.
Tickets are by subscription only, not individual talks. 
 

September 22th - Alison Norman:  A History of the Women from the Six Nations of Grand River, Ontario

This talk will provide an overview of the unique gender dynamics in traditional Haudenosaunee culture, and specifically, the economic and political power that these women held. It will then examine how colonial forces, including Christian missionaries and the colonial state, disrupted their traditions and how women responded to these challenges. It will end with a discussion of women at the Six Nations of Grand River reserve in southwestern Ontario in the early twentieth century, and how those women maintained power within their community.
Alison Norman is a historian, researcher and historical consultant. She is currently faculty in the Frost Centre for Canadian Studies & Indigenous Studies at Trent University. She worked in the Ontario Ministry of Indigenous Affairs as a historian for six years. Alison earned her Ph.D. and B.Ed. from OISE/University of Toronto, and her dissertation focused on Six Nations women's work in the early 20th Century. She held a SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship at Trent University in which she researched the history of Indigenous teachers in 19th century southern Ontario, and she worked as a researcher for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She has published articles in Indigenous, culinary and commemoration history. Alison is currently the book review editor for Ontario History. She is also a member of the Mohawk Institute Research Group, and she is co-editing a book on the history of the Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario.

This talk is sponsored by the Richmond Hill Mayor & Council

September 29th - David Leyton-Brown:  (How) Do Economic Sanctions Work?

 
Economic sanctions are a principal response of Canada and other Western countries to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  But as the war in Ukraine continues to rage, there is widespread confusion and sometimes disappointment about what the sanctions have actually accomplished.  This talk will examine the history of economic sanctions, the various objectives which they have been intended to achieve, and the consequences that have resulted.  Many historical examples will be offered, but there will be particular focus on seeking to clarify the current experience with economic sanctions of Russia.
David Leyton-Brown did his undergraduate studies in Economics and Political Science at McGill, and his graduate work in Political Science at Harvard.  A specialist in International Relations, he taught initially at Carleton, and for many years at York University, where he is now Professor Emeritus of Politics (which is a polite academic term for retired).  Most of his work has been on Canada-United States relations, and he has spent many years interpreting Canada to American audiences, and the United States to Canadians.

This talk is sponsored by the Richmond Hill Mayor & Council
 
October 6th - Gabriela Mastromonaco:  The Future of Conservation Science at Toronto Zoo

It is often cited how the modern zoo, which focuses on its role in saving species rather than simply exhibiting them, evolved from simpler menageries of the past. However, as many wild species and spaces remain under pressure from either ongoing or novel threats, the modern zoo must continue to evolve. To keep up with this need, conservation science at the Toronto Zoo is changing. While our conservation activities can be less conspicuous than our guest-facing operations, we are shifting from independent science initiatives to multi-disciplinary technology-based approaches that will help us broaden our understanding of the health and welfare needs of wildlife species as they face ever-changing environments. Our science initiatives align with three pillars: Healthy Systems, Changing Environments, and Sustainable Future. With our key academic and governmental partners, we aim to establish a data-driven future within the science units and across the zoo that will enhance our stewardship of wild species and spaces as well as support our varied communities: guests, public, donors and more.

Gabriela Mastromonaco has spent more than 25 years working with assisted reproductive technologies in livestock and wildlife species. She graduated from the University of Guelph with a PhD in Biomedical Sciences, and subsequently joined the Toronto Zoo in 2007 as Manager of Reproductive Sciences where has been responsible for implementing research projects to investigate fundamental questions on the reproductive biology of non-domestic species and integrating results into conservation management programs. She recently took on the position of Senior Director, Wildlife Science, a role that allows her to build multi-disciplinary collaborations to enhance our understanding of wildlife health and welfare, and support species recovery strategies in human care and the wild. Gabriela currently maintains adjunct professor positions at four Canadian universities as part of her commitment to the training of graduate students in reproductive and conservation sciences.

 This talk is sponsored by Joseph Kreiner Real Estate Limited 

October 13th - Ian Shelton:  The Tom Bolton Story – Proving Black Holes Do Exist 

 
It was 50 years ago that University of Toronto Professor Tom Bolton provided the first definitive proof that Black Holes really do exist. But before 1972 when Professor Bolton published his landmark paper, most scientists were skeptical. The extreme predicted properties for Black Holes – their ability to effectively erase the existence of anything that ventures too close – seemed far too extreme for reality.  
Join the speaker on a journey of discovery beginning with the earliest thoughts about Black Holes in the 1600s, followed by the discoveries using radio telescopes and the very first Space Telescopes in the 1960s and 70s (decades before the Hubble Space Telescope) that inspired young Tom Bolton to turn his attention to study Cygnus X-1. You’ll learn how Tom used pre-digital era photographs taken with the David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) 74-inch telescope in Richmond Hill to prove Cygnus X-1 contains a Black Hole. We conclude by seeing how well theory matches reality as revealed in the very first images of a Black Hole obtained just three years ago. 
Dr. Shelton is a professional astronomer working in the field of stellar astrophysics. He has conducted research and been involved in the commissioning and operation of telescopes ranging in size from the 0.25-meter Astrograph at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile to the 8.3-metre Subaru Telescope in Hawaii. He has been teaching Astronomy at the University of Toronto for over 30 years and also provides courses at Toronto Metropolitan (aka Ryerson) University and Seneca College. Dr. Shelton is probably best known for his discovery of Supernova 1987A, which has become one of the most closely studied objects in the known Universe. 
Ian spends much of his time working with his wife Dr. Tuba Koktay actively sharing their love for astronomy and the natural world through their work with the David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) Defenders. This not-for-profit group helped save the Observatory for future generations and is delivering a wide range of Public Outreach and Science Education programs at the David Dunlap Observatory in partnership with the City of Richmond Hill. The DDO is home to the largest optical telescope in Canada and where Ian worked with Professor Bolton. 

     This talk is sponsored by Living Assistance Services

 
October 20th - Mark Kozak-Holland:  Knowledge Transfer Between Projects/Lessons from History

 
This presentation exemplifies how knowledge was transferred and transformed from one project to another with great success and demonstrates the great value in doing this. It narrates the construction project of the Florence Duomo by Fillipo Brunelleschi in the fifteenth century. This was the most significant dome project in Europe in 1300 years, and possibly the most significant, innovative and complex project of the Renaissance era. In order to achieve what seemed technically impossible at the time, Brunelleschi researched and adapted the construction and project management practices of the Pantheon in Rome in the second century.
Mark Kozak-Holland brings 40 years of experience as a consultant who helps Fortune-500 companies formulate projects that leverage emerging technologies. Since 1985 he has been straddling the business and IT worlds making these projects happen. He is a PMP, certified business consultant, the author of several books and a noted speaker. Mark has always been interested in tracing the evolution of technology and the 3 industrial revolutions of the last 300 years. As a historian, Mark seeks out the wisdom of the past to help others avoid repeating mistakes and to capture time-proven techniques. In 2002 Mark founded the “Lessons from History” series to help today’s business organizations find unique solutions to complex problems.
 
October 27th - Alison Norman:  Richmond Hill’s Treaty History

 
This talk will look at the history of the treaty that allowed for non-Indigenous settlement to take place in the Richmond Hill region – the Toronto Purchase of 1787. It will explain the history of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (our host First Nation), the multiple treaties for their lands in the GTA, and will briefly touch on the overall history of treaty-making in what is now Ontario by the British Crown.
Alison Norman is a historian, researcher and historical consultant. She is currently faculty in the Frost Centre for Canadian Studies & Indigenous Studies at Trent University. She worked in the Ontario Ministry of Indigenous Affairs as a historian for six years. Alison earned her Ph.D. and B.Ed. from OISE/University of Toronto, and her dissertation focused on Six Nations women's work in the early 20th Century. She held a SSHRC postdoctoral fellowship at Trent University in which she researched the history of Indigenous teachers in 19th century southern Ontario, and she worked as a researcher for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She has published articles in Indigenous, culinary and commemoration history. Alison is currently the book review editor for Ontario History. She is also a member of the Mohawk Institute Research Group, and she is co-editing a book on the history of the Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario.

Click HERE to order. Or call the box office (Mon. to Thurs. 10 am to 3 pm) at 905 787-8811

For more information please contact the co-producers:

For Marj Andre:
[email protected]
For Mary Kot:
[email protected]

www.www.richmondhillspeakerseries.ca