The JCR: A Massey Podcast

With our ever-growing reliance on generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Genesis, this episode of the JCR examines the complexities of generative AI. Rachel Tyli, a Junior Fellow at Massey speaks with Fernando Yanez, a PhD candidate in Computer Science about his research in generative AI and his newsletter, The GenAI Edge ( https://fernandoyanez.substack.com/ ). Check out his blog at  https://fernan...

In today’s episode, Shree Paradkar, social and racial justice columnist at the Toronto Star and Southam Fellow at Massey College, speaks with Nataliya Machalina, Massey College alumna, Scholar at Risk (2022-2024), and recent graduate of the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies (CEES) at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. They discuss the challenges faced by women sold...

In this episode, Junior Fellow Robbie Steele speaks with Haley Forgacs, a recent Massey alumna and a graduate of the Master’s in European and Russian Affairs at the Munk School of Global Affairs, about her research into the Russian disinformation in the war in Ukraine. They discuss how Russia’s disinformation narratives draw on long histories of Russian cultural memory and identity formation to su...

Junior Fellow Noah Khan along with graduate students Tuaha Mubarak and Isaac Giles take a deep dive into the unique ownership structure and rich history of the world’s oldest queer bookstore. This episode was originally produced for a graduate course, Introduction to Workplace, Organizational and Economic Democracy, at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). Noah, Tuaha, and Isaac t...

Suzan Ayas, a PhD student in Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto has spent the past six years in a lab trying to get drivers to fall asleep behind the wheel. She wants to know why and test new ways to keep drivers alert. As we hear in this interview with Massey alumnus, Dr. Pranjal Tiwari, when it comes to staying awake on the road, automated driving has yet to replace a nap. #mass...

In a rare interview, Dr. Fiona Miller – historian turned health policy professor turned climate champion – offers no simple answers to simple questions. She shares her “extraordinarily difficult” journey in academia and what motivates her to champion new ventures such as the Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health & Sustainable Care. #climatechange #climatepolicy #Clim...

In this wide-ranging conversation, Julia Caron, a Southam Journalism Fellow and host of CBC Quebec City AM, and Jane Zhao, a Health Policy PhD at UofT and Junior Fellow at Massey College explore the connectivity of arts, sciences, and humanities through Zhao’s studies and artistic practice. #JuliaCaron #JaneZhao #SouthamJournalismFellow #CBC #QuebecCityAM #UofT #UniversityofToronto #Arts #Sc...

With our ever expanding demand for information, we need to move to methods that allow for faster communication. Fiber optic cables offer a solution, but there are still challenges to overcome. Join Pranjal Tiwari, a PhD student in Physics at the University Toronto as he interviews Susanna Rumsey, a PhD student in Electrical Engineering at the University of Toronto and discuss the history that lead...

In this episode of JCR, Setayesh Yazdani, a Massey Junior Fellow and a Doctor of Pharmacy Student at the University of Toronto, interviews two clinical pharmacists. Dr. Linda Dresser and Dr. Doret Cheng ,  clinical pharmacists in the areas of infectious diseases and primary care, respectively, and teach at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.    They talk about their roles as pharmacists in global...

Massey College Junior Fellows, Delaram Farzanfar, PhD student in Psychology at the University of Toronto, graduate fellow at the School of Cities, and Ben Pulver, Art History PhD Student, join in conversation about research into the connection between architecture and our mental well-being. #SchoolofCities #MasseyCollege #UofT #environment #mentalhealth

There’s a lot of buzz in the science and medical communities about the creation of a  new medical school in Brampton, Ontario. It’s a collaboration between Toronto Metropolitan University and the William Osler Health system in Brampton and North Etobicoke. The med school promises students a new approach to medical education, one that puts community, diversity and inclusion at the heart...

This episode features a conversation between Margaret de Leon, PhD student and Junior Fellow, and Dr. Adrian de Leon, author of Bundok: A Hinterland History of Filipino America & Assistant Professor of History at New York University. They discuss Bundok , where de Leon traces the journey of Northern Luzon’s people through history, revealing how Filipino identity emerged from labour, resistance...

Join Margaret De Leon, a Junior Fellow and graduate student in education at the University of Toronto, in conversation with Jodesz Gavilan, the 2023 Marshall McLuhan Fellow, On a recent tour of Canada, Gavilan, an investigative journalist, researcher, and podcaster with the independent news outlet Rappler in the Philippines, advocated for journalists to go beyond evidence-based truth-telling to in...

The episode features a conversation between Pranjal Tiwari, a PhD student in physics at the University of Toronto and Leting Liu, a PhD candidate in the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and Junior Fellow at Massey College. They discuss the role companies play in protecting the environment and why it may be financially lucrative to appear greener. #environment #rotman #unive...

Join Pranjal Tiwari, a PhD student in Physics as he interviews Otuto Chukwu, a PhD student in Public Health Policy at the University of Toronto and Junior Fellow at Massey College. They discuss public health policy surrounding cancer treatment and focus on how the process can be improved to detect cancer in the earlier stages and some of the challenges of detection. #uoft #masseycollege #health #p...

Massey College, the home of “The JCR,” this podcast series, is a interdisciplinary residence for graduate students studying at the University of Toronto. To cap off the College’s 60 th anniversary, Junior Fellow, Leting Liu, a Ph. D. student in environmental accounting at the Rotman School of Management, takes a look at the College’s founding and how it’s developed. The interviews in this podcast...

This episode features a conversation between Margaret de Leon, a PhD student in International Comparative Higher Education at the University of Toronto, and Dr. George Fallis, Professor Emeritus of Economics and Social Science at York University. They discuss the historical role of universities and the economic, political, and cultural conditions that have shifted this role over time. They also sh...

Pranjal Tiwari, a graduate student in Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Toronto, speaks with Warwick Watt, a geoscientist at the nuclear waste management organization in Toronto, Canada. They talk about what is nuclear waste, how to safely handle and dispose of it. They also discuss how well Canada is doing in this and how safe the average Canadian is from the dangerous radiation. #Mas...

This episode features a conversation between Cheng Xu, a PhD candidate in political science studying rebel movements in the Philippines  and award-winning journalist Patricia Evangelista about her new book, “Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country.” WARNING: This interview contains strong language and descriptions of massacres and state-sanctioned killings in the dru...

Massey College Junior Fellows  Elizabeth Hicks,  an actor, playwright and law student, Zahida Rahemtulla , a playwright and MA student in adult education, and  Robbie Steele , a PhD student in English literature and the Book History & Print Culture program go behind the scenes at the Stratford Festival. They discuss the 2023 production of Shakespeare’s Richard II and the pros and cons of...

Aleksandra Dojnov a graduate student in bio-medical engineering at the University of Toronto discusses the stigma around overactive bladder with Senior Fellow Kim Kierans. Dojnov explains the treatments and the latest research to control the condition, including stimulating the saphenous nerve, near the ankle.  #masseycollege #uoft #overactivebladder #biomedical #engineering #health

Massey College Junior Fellows Omnia Elebyary and Sara Maqsood, students at the University of Toronto, talk about what it’s like to be visible Muslim women in a secular society and the importance of critical mass. #MasseyCollege #representation #muslim #secularity #law #dentistry #education #identity

Leighton Schreyer, a second- year medical student at Massey College speaks with Bonte Minnema, about his activism and advocacy for LGBT rights at the University of Toronto in the mid-1990s. #MasseyCollege #Uof T #LeightonSchreyer #LGBT #humanrights #BonteMinnema #Advocacy #Activisim #1990

Resident Physician Andrew Lam Speaks with Massey College Junior Fellow, PhD Student and CIHR Scholar Chukwunonso Nwabufo about his pioneering research on how patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection respond to medicines.

Massey College Junior Fellow Elizabeth Hicks speaks with Massey’s Southam Journalism Fellow, Wanja Gathu, about her experience advocating for human rights and her journalism career in Kenya even when faced with extreme adversity.