Around Campus

AROUND CAMPUS

Safdie returns!

In the 1960s, Moshe Safdie vaulted from anonymous McGill architecture grad student to internationally acclaimed wunderkind when his masters thesis was selected to be constructed as part of Montreal's Expo 67 festivities. Habitat 67, a striking complex of housing units stacked like so many Leggo blocks, still stands as one of Canada's most distinctive architectural projects. Forty years later, Safdie will return to McGill to deliver the David J. Azrieli Lecture in Architecture. During the Oct. 15 lecture, titled "Megascale, Order & Complexity," the great builder will discuss some of his past constructions as well as those he is currently working on.

Megascale, Order & Complexity; Oct. 15, 7:30 p.m.; Leacock 132. Vernissage of "Safdie's Sixties: Looking Forward to Looking Back" and reception precedes the lecture: Exhibition Room of the School of Architecture at 6:00 p.m. Info: 398-6704 or www.mcgill.ca/architecture/lectures/

Manguel headlines Massey

Internationally acclaimed anthologist, translator, essayist, novelist and editor, Alberto Manguel will be delivering the 2007 Massey Lectures, "The City of Words," in a five-city, cross-country tour, including an Oct. 24 stop at McGill. Armed with his trademark wit and erudition, Manguel explores why the world's multicultural experiment has gone so awry, as witnessed by the ethnic-based conflicts that rage all around us. Ever the man of letters, Manguel suggests that writers, not politicians or social planners, may hold the key to peaceful coexistence and that their stories hold the secrets that bind us together.

The City of Words; Oct 24; 8 p.m.; Pollack Music Hall, Strathconna Music Building, 555 Sherbrooke St. West; $19 admission, $13 for students and seniors. Information: 514-398-4547 or http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey.html

Making environment matter

McGill and CBC team up again this year for Montreal Matters, the annual month-long public exploration of issues relevant to the community. In its sixth year as a partner in Montreal Matters, McGill has a plethora of offerings, beginning with a seminar for teachers organized by The McGill Centre for Educational Leadership, "Media Literacy and Climate Change: What Al Gore did and what you and your students can do" on Oct. 18. A storytelling weekend, La randonnée contée" at the Mont St. Hilaire Nature Centre at the Gault Nature Reserve takes place on October 20 and 21, when twelve storytellers from Canada and abroad tell fairy tales "under the stars," around six camp fires spread out throughout the mountain. A public lecture presented by the McGill School of the Environment, by leading environmental scientist David Orr, author of Earth in Mind is slated for October 25 at Moyse Hall.

For more information on Montreal Matters and a complete list of McGill events, http://www.mcgill.ca/montrealmatters/

Gimme some R-E-S-P-E-C-T

The jolly fat guy, dumb blondes, women drivers—like it or not, many of us buy into stereotypes far more than we would care to admit. In an effort to shed light on the detrimental, far-reaching effects of stereotyping while encouraging communication and the creation of healthy, respectful interactions, McGill's Social Equity and Diversity Education Office is launching it's second annual Cultivate Respect campaign. The highlight of the campaign, which runs from Oct. 22-26, is Do you really know me?, a one-hour interactive play which explores the issues of stereotypes and prejudice and how this can play out in our daily interactions on a University campus.

Do you really know me? Oct. 24, 12:30 (refreshments served at noon); Moyse Hall (Arts Building). Info: www.mcgill.ca/equity_diversity/

PROJECTS AND POSTERS AND PRIZES, OH MY!

On Friday, Oct. 19, the spotlight will be on Faculty of Science undergrads as they present the results of their research projects at the third annual Undergraduate Research Conference (URC). "The URC is a great opportunity for undergraduates interested in getting involved in research to talk with some of their peers who have already "been there and done that"-to ask them questions about what it's like working in a lab, how they got involved, what kinds of projects they work on in different departments," explains Victor Chisholm, Science Undergraduate Research Officer. A panel of distinguished McGill judges will be on hand to adjudicate the vast spectrum of projects that run the gamut from machine learning for stock market prediction to the psychology of terrorism to the biology of proteins. Once the prizes have been handed out, Prof. Jonathan Foley, Director of the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE) at the University of Wisconsin, will present the URC keynote, Living on a Shrinking Planet: Challenges and Opportunities for a Sustainable Future. The day will culminate with a reception for students and alumni. All are welcome!

The research projects will be on public display starting on October 19th at 10:00 a.m. in the Arts Building Lobby. Prof. Foley's lecture will be presented in Moyse Hall at 4:00 p.m. For more information, please contact Victor Chisholm at 514-398-5964.