Ethan Ward, Natalie Meisner

Definitely Not The Ivory Tower

Education EN ↓ 4 episodes

Does the world around you have you scratching your head right now? Wanting to know more? Desiring to unlock the mysteries that surround us. Maybe you feel that traditional research journals are too dense, too full of jargon. Then this podcast is for you. Definitely Not The Ivory Tower highlights the emergent research of professors and students at Mount Royal University whose research is making real change in the world around us. And we’re going to have some fun while doing it!

Author

Ethan Ward, Natalie Meisner

Episodes

Episode 4 - The Meat of the Matter: The History and Ethics of Livestock Farming 31.03.2026 57:35

Raising livestock and eating meat have been a crucial part of human society for thousands of years. Today, however, questions around the sustainability and ethics of livestock farming are being raised as highly industrialized processes contribute to climate change and animal welfare concerns. On this episode of Definitely Not the Ivory Tower, Natalie Meisner talks with Dr. Joe Anderson, a scholar...

Episode 3 - The Mad Hatter of It All: Trace Elements in the World Around Us 04.12.2025 1:02:24

Episode Summary: It’s no secret that industrialization has taken a heavy toll on the planet and our bodies. But just how extensive and pervasive is chemical exposure? On this episode of Definitely not the Ivory Tower, Natalie Meisner sits down with chemists Nausheen Sadiq and Catharina Venter to discuss how we are exposed to toxic chemicals and metals on a daily basis, through water, food and cos...

Episode 2 - Unraveling the way we discuss AI 22.04.2025 54:15

On this episode, host Natalie Meisner sits down with Mount Royal University researcher Crystal Chokshi and Mount Royal Information Design student Maren Walker. The use of AI technology has rapidly become a pervasive presence in people's lives today. Largely due to the huge push tech companies are making to market their AI products. AI is now being used for a range of applications, from mundane t...

Episode 1 - Breaking New Ground: Narrative and Nature-Based Healing 10.02.2025 1:00:20

On this first of episode of Definitely Not the Ivory Tower, host Natalie Meisner sits down with Mount Royal University researcher Sonya Jakubec and Mount Royal alum Erika Bloedorn to talk about nature-based and narrative-based healing. With her guests, Natalie discusses how nature and narrative help people cope with grief and loss. This episode will explore how different groups access nature for...