During the open forum, Hach茅 will report back to the community about the consultations to date. He will introduce a draft of the eventual plan and begin the process of soliciting feedback on the document.

鈥淚 am pleased to report back to the 91亚色 community with respect to the Strategic Research Plan consultations to date that have broadly engaged the community and solicited an enthusiastic response.听 This open forum will provide an opportunity for us to share a first draft based on these consultations and to launch this next phase of consultation with the community on the Plan,鈥� said Hach茅.听 鈥淲e look forward to an engaging discussion.鈥�

Robert Hach茅

As part of the open forum, University community members will have an opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.听 All students, faculty, and staff are welcome.听 To RSVP for this event, click .

Hach茅 will be joined by the Strategic Research Plan facilitators: Gary Miller, instructor in the MBA Program at the Schulich School of Business, as well as at the Schulich Executive Education Centre and Celia Haig-Brown, professor in the Faculty of Education.

The SRP draft is expected to be available on the website on Monday, Feb. 11. The open forum will also be available via webcast on the听飞别产蝉颈迟别. Questions can be sent in advance by clicking or through听 using the hashtag #yuresearchplan.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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Join Robert Hach茅, vice-president research & innovation, as he conducts a series of workshops with University community members to probe values and perceptions听regarding research at 91亚色.听 The feedback and discussion arising from these workshops will be used to inform the Strategic Research Plan: 2013 鈥� 2018.听 All 91亚色 students, staff and faculty are invited to participate.

Robert Hach茅

"These workshops are an important and valuable feedback tool in the construction of the new plan,鈥� said Robert Hach茅, vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淚 look forward to continuing the discussion with members of the 91亚色 community, as we shape the future of 91亚色 research together, and to 听developing a new plan that each member of the 91亚色 research community can see themselves a part of.鈥�

During the workshops, participants will be asked to share their hopes and concerns with respect to the new Strategic Research Plan, highlight what they feel are the current and future core research values for 91亚色 as an institution, provide their feedback on areas of research excellence and identify future areas for continuous improvement.听 Participants will have an opportunity to share their thoughts in small groups and each group will present their feedback to the larger audience.

The workshops will be facilitated by Celia Haig-Brown, professor, Faculty of Education and Gary Miller, instructor,听Schulich School of Business MBA program and the Schulich Executive Education Centre.

Workshop dates are available below.听To RSVP for the workshops, .

The workshops will be held on:听

Hach茅 will also be hosting Community Chats to invite the 91亚色 community to participate in discussion on elements they feel are important for the development of the new plan.听 Meeting dates and times are available below.听 Please drop-in.

Community chats with the VPRI will be held on:

For more information on the development of the new .

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The community consultations are an important part of a process to develop the plan. More than 150 members of the 91亚色 community attended the open forum to discuss the plan that will articulate the priorities and vision for the听future of 91亚色 research over the next five years. The open forum provided an opportunity for community members to learn more about consultation process and the goals for the plan.

More than 150 members of the 91亚色 community attended the open forum, which was held in the University's Senate Chamber

In addition, there was a lively, open听and engaging discussion that saw participants share their thoughts听and听concerns.听听

Among the comments听offered by听those present at the open forum was the aspiration that the new Strategic Research Plan would help improve 91亚色's research reputation. Participants articulated the need to develop a strategy that empowers researchers by providing them with appropriate opportunities to focus their attention on research. Many of those welcomed the transparency of the open consultation process, highlighted the need for inclusiveness in defining research areas and stressed the importance of equitable research support.听

鈥�91亚色's new Strategic Research Plan will help us achieve our vision of becoming a more recognized research intensive University 鈥� an ambition reflected in the White Paper and University Academic Plan,鈥� said Hach茅.听听

Hach茅 chats with a community member

He explained that the goals of the consultation process are to engage the 91亚色 community in an open, collaborative and ongoing discussion about the University鈥檚 core research values to develop a plan that is meaningful to the community.

Hach茅 was joined in the open forum by 91亚色 President听& Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri, Strategic Research Plan Facilitators Celia Haig-Brown, who is a professor in the Faculty of Education, and Gary Miller, and instructor in the MBA program at the Schulich School of Business and Schulich Executive Education Centre, along with members of the .

As part of the ongoing nature of the consultation process, 91亚色 students, staff and faculty are invited to continue the discussion with Hach茅 through upcoming workshops and community chats. The workshops will seek to examine 91亚色鈥檚 core values with respect to research, understand perceptions and prioritize commitments to the support of research.听

The workshops will be held on:听

To RSVP for the consultation workshops, . For more information on the community chats and the Strategic Research Plan, .

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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The screening will take place听Wednesday, March 21 at 280N 91亚色 Lanes, Keele campus. A light lunch will be served starting at 12:30pm with the film beginning at 1pm. It鈥檚 free and open to the entire 91亚色 community.

[stream provider=youtube flv=http%3A//www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DFZzesdSPdeI%26feature%3Dplayer_embedded img=x:/img.youtube.com/vi/FZzesdSPdeI/0.jpg embed=false share=false width=400 height=300 dock=true controlbar=over bandwidth=high autostart=false /]

is an award-winning film that challenges viewers to re-examine how they think about race. The film follows youth leader and motivational speaker Anthony McLean as he runs a groundbreaking mentorship program for black teens in Brampton, the most demographically changing Canadian city. In doing so, McLean is forced to re-examine his own identity. The film deals with issues of racism, stereotyping, identity and what it really means to be 鈥渂lack鈥� or 鈥渨hite鈥�.

Following the screening of Colour Me, Sherien Barsoum, the film鈥檚 director, and McLean will lead the audience through a discussion, as well as answer questions about the film and its messages about diversity and identity.

International Day for the Elimination of Racism is observed annually on March 21, because it was on that date in South Africa in 1960 that police opened fire and killed 69 people as they were peacefully demonstrating against Apartheid.

For more information about the film, visit the website. To learn more about combatting racism, visit the 听飞别产蝉颈迟别.

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Students from 91亚色鈥檚 Osgoode Hall Law School will make their case in increments of 140 characters or less, in what鈥檚 billed as the world鈥檚 first Twitter moot court ().

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, five teams from law schools across Canada will argue a moot court case entirely on the popular social media platform. The event, hosted by West Coast Environmental Law, begins at 1pm EST; its hashtag is #twtmoot.

鈥淥ne hundred and forty听characters is a great way to focus legal arguments and ideas,鈥� says Osgoode Dean Lorne Sossin, himself an avid tweeter (). 鈥淭his is a novel and timely initiative. Congratulations to West Coast Environmental Law for initiating the project and good luck to the mooters, especially Team Osgoode. We鈥檒l be following this groundbreaking moot with great interest,鈥� he says.

The public is invited to participate by following @twtmoot, watching the action on the Twitter Moot list () or on its (no account required), and posting with the #twtmoot hashtag 鈥� comments, discussion and heckling welcome!

Teams of two students from law schools at Dalhousie University, University of Ottawa, University of British Columbia, University of Victoria and 91亚色 will argue a mock appeal of a recent precedent-setting environmental case, West Moberly First Nations vs. British Columbia. The case raises issues related to the survival of an endangered caribou herd threatened by coal mining and ongoing industrial development.

Osgoode students Nikki Petersen and Emelia Baack will represent the West Moberly First Nations in the appeal; they will argue that the nation鈥檚 treaty right to hunt should extend to protecting a particular herd of caribou from coal mining impacts.

Petersen hopes the social media aspect will help connect people who are passionate about issues stemming from the case.

鈥淭witter is a great way to let many people share their views. I see the moot as a spark to get a discussion going about environmental law issues in Canada. The response to Team Osgoode has been very positive,鈥� she says.

The Twitter Moot will be presided over by a panel of three judges: William Deverell, Omar Ha-Redeye, and Kathleen Mahoney.

For more information about the Twitter Moot and how to participate, . Team Osgoode is sponsored by Saxe Law Office.

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playGround, the annual juried fringe festival of 91亚色鈥檚 Department of Theatre, celebrates its 20th season with two dynamic programs running Feb. 14 to 17 in the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre,听139 Centre for Film & Theatre at91亚色鈥檚 Keele campus.

Well-known for its uncurbed spirit and risk-taking mindset, playGround is a student-produced seedbed for the next generation of theatre artists. It showcases original works conceived, written, performed and produced by up-and-coming playwrights, directors, designers and actors from all levels of91亚色鈥檚 undergraduate theatre program.

Meg Moran and Meara Tubman-Broeren, both fourth-year students studying devised theatre in the Department of Theatre鈥檚 Creative Ensemble, are the co-artistic directors of this year鈥檚 edition of playGround. With the help of a peer jury, they selected the most promising ideas from the almost four dozen proposals submitted.

鈥淣ot only does the festival showcase the work of emerging artists of our generation and community, it also deals with what鈥檚 important to us as students right now,鈥� said Tubman-Broeren. 鈥淲hat unifies all the pieces is our mandate, which is to foster innovative and experimental theatrical work which engages its audience and ignites thought and discussion.鈥�

鈥淧roducing the festival has been a challenging and lengthy process, with its share of ups and downs, but overall it鈥檚 been very rewarding,鈥� said Moran. 鈥淭his is a unique opportunity for us as students to work so independently. It鈥檚 been a real learning experience for Meara and me.鈥�

The old adage:, 鈥渨hen you want a job done well, give it to a busy person鈥�, rings true for this duo. In addition to their work with playGround, they are collaborating with other members of the fourth-year Creative Ensemble on a show slated to run March 27 to 30.听 Moran is also assistant-directing the upcoming Theatre @ 91亚色 production of Edward Bond鈥檚 Restoration, which will run March 18 to 24.听 And Tubman-Broeren is performing in a physical theatre adaptation of Shakespeare鈥檚 King John, which will be playing downtown this summer.

playGround 2012 ranges from light comedies to dark dramas, and from staunch realism to dance theatre.听Here鈥檚 an overview of the featured productions:

Series A听

Meat is a dystopic romance in which a young doctor鈥檚 morality is put to the test when his work forces him to explore, sacrifice and examine what it truly means to be human.听

Belly Doll is imagined and choreographed as a unique melding of traditional belly dance and theatrical performance.听

The Doorstep 鈥� In every relationship, there are conversations. These conversations are intimate, emotionally driven, and personal, and have the potential to be the beginning, or the end, of something beautiful.听

Old Town explores the nature of familial responsibility and sibling dynamics framed within the question: When is it time to grow up?听

The Watching Game is a raunchy comedy revolving around people watching.听

A Working Woman follows the story of a prostitute on the precipice of a life-changing decision.听

Emerging Artists Collective 鈥� 鈥淎 lowbrow commentary on highbrow art鈥�, exploring the challenges and pitfalls faced by the current generation of young artists.听

Womb - What if we weren鈥檛 told the whole story? Before there was Adam and his wife, Eve, there was Adam and his equal, Lilith. Womb explores the possibilities of a world where Lilith was the first mother.听

Series B听

Danny and Annie looks at the different ways love comes in and out of our lives.听

Drafts - Everybody is looking, but is anybody really seeing?听

Wonder鈥檚 Lost Where Wonder鈥檚 Found 鈥� A woman winds her way through the ridiculous annals of compulsion and the heart-aching longings of loneliness while seeking to remember the miracle of life.听听

The Abstraction 鈥� Two men in a gallery contemplate an abstract work of art and decide what it means to each of them.听

The Vagina Dialogues is a verbatim piece composed of interviews with91亚色University students about the misconceptions and mysteries surrounding the vagina.听

Da Capo explores a composer, his muse and the various layers of their relationship through movement.听

Cracked - At the end of her life, Ida Hookman must finally face the consequences of her self-obsessed lifestyle and defend her autonomy in the process.听

Emerging Artists Collective presents a new devised work that examines the artist鈥檚 place in the city of Toronto.听

Each program is presented three times over playGround鈥檚 four-day run. Series A plays Tuesday, Feb. 14 and Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7:30pm, with a matinee Friday, Feb. 17 at 1pm. Series B has a matinee Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 1pm, and runs Thursday, Feb. 17 and Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:30pm.

Moran and Tubman-Broeren encourage patrons to purchase their tickets in advance, as performances do sell out. Tickets are $7 per show and are available through the 91亚色 Box Office website or by calling 416-736-5888.

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Environmental studies PhD candidate Andrew Mark knows what鈥檚 it鈥檚 like to have a long commute to campus, but he tries to use this time productively by thinking about and listening to podcasts.

In fact, he likes podcasts so much, he and a fellow student have created a podcast series he hopes other 91亚色 commuters will find intriguing and thought-provoking.

This week, Mark and Amanda Di Battista, also an environmental studies PhD candidate at 91亚色, will launch CoHearence, a new podcast series exploring the connections between the environment and history and culture.

The first episode will explore mourning,听loss and the environment听

On Thursday, Feb. 9, 91亚色鈥檚 Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) will host a screening and discussion based on the first episode of CoHearence as part of the FES Lecture Series at 12:45pm at 141 Health, Nursing & Environmental Studies building. Mark and Di Battista, along with other participants from the episode, will be on hand for a Q&A period.

Funded by (Network in Canadian History & Environment) and the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES), CoHearence is a six-part, monthly audio program free to the general public. Part one of the pilot podcast is 鈥淢elancholy, Mourning and Environmental Thought: Making Loss the Centre鈥� and it looks at the loss involved in today鈥檚 changing environment.

Cohearance will also look at protests and the environment

For anyone not familiar with podcasts, they are similar to radio broadcasts with a difference in the delivery system. Instead of tuning in via radio, listeners download episodes digitally and listen to them through a computer or personal media device, such as an iPod or cellphone. 鈥淲e think [podcasting] is ideally suited to talking about complex environmental issues,鈥� says Di Battista. Mark agrees, saying 鈥淲e hope this medium can create a new venue for information dissemination, beyond the written word, the lecture, the conference or an advising session.鈥�

Di Battista says her goal in creating CoHearence is to 鈥渇acilitate interesting discussion about the relationship between culture and environment. We work really hard to make each episode interesting both to those within the academy and the general public.鈥�

Mark hopes the project will also reach an audience outside of the University. 鈥淥ur primary objective is to improve the interdisciplinary discussion happening within our Faculty. We can [also] create narratives that are engaging to people outside of our community. For example, not only does our Faculty have theoretical ideas about the G20 protests, but we also have lived knowledge of those events.鈥�

Each podcast episode will highlight current FES research. Di Battista says the reason for choosing melancholy and mourning as the topic for the first podcast is that 鈥渋n the wake of the huge amount of environmental loss we talk, teach and learn about each day here in [FES], thinking about the ways that we might deal with the grief and anger that come out of those experiences seemed like a great place to start.鈥�

Subsequent episodes will address a range of topics, including food justice, protest and resistance, and even highlights from the held last October at the Gladstone Hotel.

Di Battista and Mark hope that series will endure on the airwaves for a long time. To help ensure this, they are offering workshops on podcasting through the (CAP) program so future generations of FES students may continue to produce CoHearence. 鈥淧eople will discover and rediscover the series as a document of our times,鈥� says Mark. 鈥淭hey might listen to our shows to hear about the topics or merely to come to know the people we interview better.鈥�

CoHearence is available now on as a part of Sean Kheraj鈥檚 established podcast called Nature鈥檚 Past. It is also available on the website, which currently features a short preview video.

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