Public Design and Smart Cities
January 20, 2022, 6:30 p.m. – 7:20 p.m. ET
Join us with Saadia Muzaffar to participate in a light case study exploring how private corporations are pitching artificial intelligence-powered “public” design to governments, especially city governments around the world.
About the expert
Saadia Muzaffar is a tech entrepreneur, author, and passionate advocate of responsible innovation, decent work for everyone, and prosperity of immigrant talent in STEM. In 2017, she was featured in Canada 150 Women, a book about 150 of the most influential and groundbreaking women in Canada.
She is founder of TechGirls Canada, the hub for Canadian women in science, technology, engineering, and math – and co-founder of Tech Reset Canada, a group of business people, technologists, and other residents advocating for innovation that is focused on maximizing the public good. She serves on the board of Women’s Shelters Canada, and is an ambassador for GEM, a mentorship program for high school girls facing socio-economic barriers. She is on the steering committee of Toronto Open Smart Cities Forum, part of Canada Beyond 150: Policy for a diverse and inclusive future initiative, and part of Employment and Social Development Canada’s inaugural Advisory Committee on Women in the Economy: Removing Barriers to Employment. She also serves on the advisory board for the University of Guelph’s Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (CARE-AI)
Her work on modern leadership explores big ideas and impactful strategies that address growing challenges for business leaders in today’s connected & vigilant markets; and has been featured in CNNMoney, BBC World, Fortune Magazine, Globe & Mail, VICE, CBC, TVO, and Chatelaine.
Saadia is also a Pushcart Prize nominated short fiction writer. In February 2018, her work joined that of Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale), Gabby Rivera (America), Hope Larson (Batgirl), and Amy Chu (Wonder Woman) in Dark Horse Comics‘ anthology featuring comic and prose stories. in 2017, Saadia and her team released Change Together: A Diversity Guidebook for Startups and Scaleups.
The Curious Case of Canada’s Embryo Research Law, Information Deficits, Poorly Communicated Science, and the Deference Angst
January 27, 2022, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET
This is a case study of science communication issues leading up to and surrounding Canada’s embryo research legislation, the Assisted Human Reproduction Act of 2004. The case study will engage participants in a discussion of the following matters: public understanding of and engagement with cutting-edge scientific developments, problems with the so-called “information deficit” assumptions about scientific literacy (and related solutions), science communication deficits arising from how scientists communicate their work, and questions surrounding deference to scientific authority in democratic deliberation and policy-making.
About the expert
Dr. Ubaka Ogbogu is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Law and the Katz Research Fellow in Health Law and Science Policy at the University of Alberta. Dr. Ogbogu is a recipient of the Confederation of Alberta Faculty Associations Distinguished Academic Early Career Award. He holds a doctorate in law from the University of Toronto, a Master of Laws degree from the University of Alberta and undergraduate degrees in law from the University of Benin, Nigeria and the Nigerian Law School.
Dr. Ogbogu’s scholarly work is focused broadly on the ethical, legal and societal implications of novel and emerging biotechnologies and associated research. His publications have explored a diverse range of issues in this field, including the ethical and legal issues associated with stem cell research, gene and engineered cell therapies, biobanks, germline gene editing and assisted reproductive technologies. As a multidisciplinary scholar, his teaching and research activities explore and cut across various fields, including health law, bioethics, science policy, science and technology studies, public health, legal history and legal philosophy. He has led or been involved in many prominent national and international biotechnology policymaking activities and writes and comments frequently in the popular press on matters relating to the impacts of biotechnology and science on society.
Dr. Ogbogu has served as the Chair of the University of Alberta’s Research Ethics Board No. 2 and as a member of numerous boards and councils, including the Health Quality Council of Alberta, Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on Somatic Gene and Engineered Cell Therapies, the Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on Medical Assistance in Dying, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Stem Cell Oversight Committee, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Governing Council’s Standing Committee on Ethics, and the International Society for Stem Cell Research Task Force on Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation.
Booze, Cigarettes and Constitutional Dust-Ups: Interprovincial Free Trade and Why You Should Care
February 3, 2022, 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. ET
Join us for Booze, Cigarettes, and Constitutional-Dust-Ups: Interprovincial Free Trade and Why You Should Care with Ryan Manucha.
About the expert
Ryan Manucha has written extensively about interprovincial trade. His works on the topic have appeared in The Globe and Mail, The Ottawa Citizen, Maclean’s Magazine and the Canadian Lawyer Magazine, as well as in scholarly peer-reviewed publications including the Osgoode Hall Law Review, the Canadian Business Law Journal, the Canadian Journal of Administrative Law and Practice, and the Asper Review of International Business and Trade Law. He is also the author of the C.D. Howe publication entitled “Internal Trade in Focus: Ten Ways to Improve the Canadian Free Trade Agreement.” He received a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a B.A. in Economics from Yale University.
