BrynStorming Podcast

(En: 0:00-4:36; Fr: 4:37-10:37) Many of us dread opening up our email program and complain — legitimately — about the unceasing and ever-increasing flow of messages that takes up so much of our time. Dealing with emails requires a good strategy (to whom, when and to what we respond), but also the managing of expectations of our colleagues and students, about when responses can be expected, and on...

(En: 0:00-4:07; Fr: 4:08-9:02) In this post with Antoine Boudreau LeBlanc, we argue that in a context of convergence and growing complexity of global health challenges — here, the case of veterinary medicine, a field at the intersection of medicine and ecology — VR Potter's Global Bioethics is particularly relevant. Instead of a classic individual or client-centred ethics (common in professional e...

(En: 0:00-2:17; Fr: 2:18-5:01) The PhD is a long journey, even a marathon, and it requires a good supervisor (or co-supervisors) to guide the project and the student’s intellectual journey. So it's very important to seek a good supervisor at the start - but that also means having a clear and realistic view of what a supervisor can and cannot be, and what they can or cannot do for their students, d...

(En: 0:00-5:20; Fr: 5:21-11:38) Academics are often passionate, even obsessive, about their work. This intensity and drive allows us to succeed in long-term research projects, and to inspire generations of students. But it can also be all-encompassing. I reflect here on the need to channel our energies outside of academia, surfing the big waves of our passions and staying on the board, while alway...

(En: 0:00-2:45; Fr: 2:46-3:47) Doing a PhD is hard, so it's important to help students ask the right questions, to know whether this journey is right for them, right now. Faire un doctorat est difficile, il est donc important d'aider les étudiants à se poser les bonnes questions, à savoir si ce parcours est fait pour eux, à l'heure actuelle. Original blog post / Billet de blogue original : Mar 14,...

(En: 0:00-6:58 ; Fr: 6:59-15:48) An interesting way to look at ChatGPT is through the concept of “dual-use”, and to then take a pragmatic approach to evaluating the risks, benefits, and mitigation strategies. Because the AI genie is already out of the bottle. Une façon intéressante d'envisager le ChatGPT est d'utiliser le concept de "double usage", puis d'adopter une approche pragmatique pour éval...

(En: 0:00-7:49 ; Fr: 7:50-17:23) Academia is a strange environment, occupied by weird people. The following post is a reflection on being neurodiverse, on the "need" to label and put people into boxes, and on the possibility to "normalize", reject, or transform these labels. Instead of feeling outcast, I argue that we should embrace our weirdness and diversity. Le monde universitaire est un enviro...

(En: 0:00-6:23; Fr: 6:24-14:04) We've collectively (bioethicists and the research community) made huge progress in establishing research ethics as part of normal practice in our research institutions. But a growing tendency towards extreme bureaucratization is rolling back decades of success, undermining the ethics in research ethics. We need to get back on track. Nous avons collectivement (les bi...

(En: 0:00-3:57; Fr: 3:58-9:08) Some thoughts on finding a work-life balance. Academia is intense and can be all-consuming. So take the time to disconnect, take up a hobby... and don't feel guilty about it. Quelques réflexions sur la recherche d'un équilibre entre vie professionnelle et vie privée. Le monde universitaire est intense et peut être dévorant. Prenez donc le temps de vous déconnecter, d...

(En: 0:00-6:55; Fr: 6:56-15:32) My reflections on how being open to taking different paths and seizing opportunities has allowed me to build my interdisciplinary bioethics identity. Mes réflexions sur la façon dont le fait d'être ouvert à des chemins différents et de saisir les opportunités m'a permis de construire mon identité interdisciplinaire en bioéthique. Original blog post / Billet de blogu...

Introduction to the BrynStorming project on Substack, a bilingual (English/French) reflection on themes at the interface of academia and bioethics, amongst others. With this first post, I share my experience as an academic and university professor engaging in blogging and media outreach. Introduction au projet BrynStorming sur Substack, une réflexion bilingue (anglais/français) sur des thèmes à l'...