What's the Big Idea?

A thought-provoking discussion with Dr. David Gerhard, a leading AI researcher and computer scientist on the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, its potential to transform society, and the ethical challenges that come with it. In this conversation, interspersed with excerpts from AI pioneer and Nobel Laureate, Geoffrey Hinton’s Knight Distinguished Lecture, we hear how AI's decision-maki...

Season 4, Episode 6 Episode Summary: Our guest is Andrea Charron, Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies and an academic working closely with the Canadian Armed forces. In conversation with UM’s President Michael Bennaroch, she discusses the evolving security landscape facing North America and Canada's crucial role in Arctic security and U.S. defense needs. Charron details securit...

Season 4, Episode 5 Zahra Moussavi discusses her findings into using non-pharmaceutical interventions for Alzheimer's and dementia. With a background in electrical engineering, Moussavi’s groundbreaking research highlights the role of synapses and brain activity in cognitive health. Her innovative treatment strategies include electrical stimulation, VR navigation, and neurorehabilitation. These ha...

Season 4, Episode 4 Episode Summary: Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, globally. In conversation with the Director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and former Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiology, Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, this episode explores the significant differences in heart disease between men and women and the need for tailored research and treatment...

Season 4, Episode 3 Episode Summary: What are the challenges and the opportunities in creating a just and inclusive economic future?  Hosted by Angie Bruce, Vice President (Indigenous) at the University of Manitoba, this episode of "What's the Big Idea?" explores the theme of economic reconciliation. Featured are Indigenous leaders and experts, Diane Roussin, a member of Skownan First Nation and p...

  Season 4, Episode 2 Episode Summary: In a world where the wealth gap continues to widen, with the richest 5% reaping the vast majority of globalization's financial gains, it's crucial to rethink how businesses operate. This episode challenges the status quo, urging a shift towards business models that prioritize the well-being of society and the environment over mere profit maximization. In this...

  Season 4, Episode 1 Episode Summary: No longer just a frontier for governments and billionaires, space is a shared environment that needs protection. As companies like SpaceX and Amazon launch mega-constellations of satellites, the risk to our atmosphere and orbital space grows. How can we ensure that the future of space is sustainable, inclusive, and serving communities on Earth? In this episod...

Season 3, Episode 7 -  Business as Unusual: Risk, Research and Rethinking Productivity with Dave Angus   In the wake of Canada’s federal election—and amid renewed U.S. trade tensions—Canada is at a crossroads. How do we grow an economy that’s more resilient, more innovative, and more productive? In this timely episode, Dave Angus, President of Johnston Group, former head of the Winnipeg Chamber of...

Season 3, Episode 6 Healthcare systems across Manitoba—and Canada—are facing a critical challenge: a shortage of doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals. In this episode, we explore the root causes of this crisis, and dive into our guests’ big ideas to help solve it. Just as there is a family physician designation in Canada, Dr. Aaron Jattan argues that there should be one for rural docto...

"What's the Big Idea" is a new podcast featuring University of Manitoba President and Vice-Chancellor Michael Benarroch in conversation with some of today's big thinkers. Together, they’ll unpack “the big idea” their work explores. A series featuring an exciting and diverse array of voices from the UM community contributing to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of the people of Manitoba...

  Get Dying Right: Why Dignity in Care Matters with Dr. Harvey Chochinov   Season 3, Episode 5     How can we get dying right? In this episode, Distinguished Professor Dr. Harvey Chochinov helps answer this question by sharing stories and insights gained from decades of research in palliative care wards.    Dr. Chochinov pioneered “dignity therapy” and now he shares his bigger idea on how dignity-...

Gut Instincts: Unlocking the Microbiome’s Secrets to Health and Happiness with Dr. Heather Armstrong In this episode, UM president, Michael Benarroch, asks Dr. Heather Armstrong to unpack the big idea that we can treat diseases such as cancer, arthritis and MS by improving gut health.  As Canada Research Chair in Integrative Bioscience, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine with the University...

For the love of tariffs: Amanda Lang on how Trump’s re-election will impact Canada:  UM president, Michael Benarroch and renowned business and political journalist Amanda Lang [BES/91] discuss what Canadians should expect following the results of the US election. How will Trump’s America first approach impact our trade relationship? Will he takes steps to erode academic freedom or freedom of the p...

From Sea Ice to Shipping Lanes: Manitoba’s Maritime Future, with Feiyue Wang: S3, Episode 2   As Canada Research Chair in Arctic Environmental Chemistry, University of Manitoba ’s Dr. Feiyue Wang is the Lead researcher of the new Churchill Marine Observatory and Sea-Ice Environmental Research Facility where he studies current and emerging contaminants in the Arctic and their interactions with clim...

AI and the Future of Humanity: Work, Worship, and Relationships with Neil McArthur Named by Maclean’s Magazine as one of Canada’s leading experts on AI, Dr. Neil McArthur specializes in ethics and technology and his current research focuses especially on how artificial intelligence is used for companionship and intimacy. In 2023, he created a new course exploring issues ranging from humanity’s pot...

Michael Benarroch is joined by Professor Julienne Stroeve , a renowned climate change researcher. She is a professor in the University of Manitoba's Center for Earth Observation Science and a senior Canada 150 research chair in climate forcing of sea ice. Professor Stroeve has briefed US Vice President Al Gore, US congressional staff, and the World Economic Forum on her research. In this episode,...

Michael Benarroch is joined by Dr. Meghan Azad, Professor of Pediatrics and Child Health at the University of Manitoba with cross appointments in immunology and food and human nutritional sciences. Dr. Azad studies the science of breast milk and is one of the world's foremost experts on the wonderful substance.  In this episode, they explore why breast milk matters to all of us, and explain how Th...

Michael Benarroch sits down with Dr. Joss Reimer, Chief Medical Officer for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and someone who not only led Manitoba's COVID-19 vaccine implementation task force but has worked tirelessly to end the stigma around mental illness. Together, they explore how Dr. Reimer’s personal experiences have affected her work around mental health, and why we all need to create...

Show notes: How can you become a better leader? In this episode, Michael Benarroch explores this question with Dr. Suzanne Gagnon, the Associate Dean of Professional graduate programs at I.H. Asper School of Business, the inaugural director of the Burns Leadership Institute and the Canada Life Chair in Leadership Education. At the start of this episode, you hear clips from the following: Roselinde...

In this episode, Michael Benarroch speaks to Dr. Nazim Cicek whose big ideas are proving that it doesn't have to cost the earth to feed the world. He's a professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and Associate Dean Research in the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science. Michael and Nazim explore how research is advancing sustainable agriculture to address food shortages and the climat...

Michael Benarroch sits down with Professor Niigaan Sinclair, one of the most sought after national voices on education, politics and Reconciliation. Sinclair is the former head of the Department of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba, an indigenous content consultant and columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press. Their conversation explores whether the university is doing enough to attrac...

In this episode, guest host University of Manitoba's Chancellor Anne Mahon speaks to UM alum and New York Times best-selling author of the Vagina Bible and the Menopause Manifesto, Dr. Jen Gunter. As a board certified OB/GYN in both Canada and the United States, Dr. Gunter is a candid advocate for women and science. In this powerful conversation, she shares her mission to correct the masses of mis...

Why Guaranteed Income is affordable, effective and just with economist Evelyn Forget. University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch in conversation with economist and academic director of Manitoba Research Data Centre Evelyn Forget. Together they’ll discuss how a basic income guarantee is not only possible and affordable, but an effective and just way to reduce poverty in Canada. About the gu...

University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch in conversation with Dr. Nicole Wilson, Canada Research Chair in Arctic Environmental Change and Governance. Together they’ll discuss how Canada can better understand, govern, and enhance Indigenous self-determination over water rights. About the guest: Dr. Nicole Wilson is a scholar of settler origin whose research focuses on Indigenous peoples,...

University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch in conversation with Executive Director of the University of Manitoba’s Institute for Global Public Health, Dr. James Blanchard. Together they’ll discuss how the University of Manitoba can be at the center of engaging the academic sector in global public health and how Canada can become a world leader in this field.     About the guest: Dr. Blanch...