RAQ Speaker Series
RAQ offers an interesting and popular speakers’ series at the University Club for RAQ members and guests, from September to June each year. The Lunchtime Guest Speaker Series is an informal discussion with an invited speaker.
Currently, we offer live in-person as well as the option to join the event via Zoom. When possible, we will post the Zoom recording after the event.
The in-person events follow Queen's and the University Club's COVID protocols. Reservations are required for each format.
All our Speaker Series events are held at the University Club and start at 1pm.
To reserve for December 12th, please click here choose either in-person or via Zoom:
Fall 2024, 1-2PM
Date: December 12, 2024
Speaker: Dr. Ryan Grant
Department: Electrical and Computing Engineering
Title: An Introduction to Supercomputing: AI infrastructure for the benefit of Canada at Queen’s
Dr. Ryan Grant has ‘modest’ objectives for Queen’s: he wants to turn Canada into a global supercomputing leader. He graduated from Queen’s with a PhD in Computer Engineering in 2012 and joined Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), a global leader in supercomputer design in Albuquerque NM. He was Principal Member of Technical Staff and a Research Assistant/Adjunct Professor at the University of New Mexico. The team he built and led there developed a software specification now integral to networking hardware used in all the world’s most powerful supercomputers. In 2021, Dr. Grant returned to Canada into the in Smith Engineering. He leads a research group that focuses on high performance networking and power management for extreme scale systems. Several of his software projects are used by industry including the Open Compute Project (Facebook), Amazon EC2, Intel and others. Dr. Grant has won several awards for his research including a “Research Oscar” R&D100 award, a US defense program award with exceptional distinction and best paper awards. We look forward to gaining some insight into this rapidly developing area.
SAVE THE DATE: TBA for January - June 2025
Links to previous speaker event broadcasts
Date: November 14, 2024
Speaker: Dr. David Lyon
Department: Professor Emeritus, Sociology, Law
Title: Surveillance and the Eye of God
Surveillance, and questions about it, are all around us, but it is not new. Originally arising out of the notion of the Eye of God, as a representation of divine watchfulness, the notion has become secularized. This secularization of the Eye-of-God holds special fascination, partly because its original human-centred, relational and flourishing-oriented dynamic contrasts with the technique-oriented, divisive and coercive features of today’s surveillance. Medieval historians have uncovered valuable information on a range of surveillance practices, relating directly and indirectly to the Eye-of-God. Dr. Lyon believes that the historical sociology effort is important to get some sense of what modern-day surveillance could aspire to, and to gain a perspective that is missing from contemporary thinking. We look forward to gaining new insight into this important area.
Passcode: 1X1?eeVy
Date: October 24, 2024
Speaker: Dr. Herb Helmstaedt
Department: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering
Title: A Geological History of the Kingston Area and the Frontenac Arch: How did the Kingston area become part of North America?
We are delighted that Dr. Herwart (Herb) Helmstaedt is returning to talk to us about the very interesting geology around Kingston. Last season he and colleague Dugald Carmichael led us on a wonderful tour of the area. Dr. Helmstaedt is a geologist and Earth historian who studied at Martin-Luther-University, Halle, and the University of Munich, in Germany, before coming to Canada in 1964 for doctoral studies at UNB. He worked as a research associate at Lamont Geological Observatory of Columbia, then joined the Geological Survey of Canada, in Ottawa, then taught for three years at McGill before coming to Queen’s. He continued to work for the Geological Survey of Canada during the summer months, mainly in northern Canada. At Queen’s he taught structural geology and geo-tectonics and supervised more than 60 graduate students as well as being head of the department. His main research interests were Precambrian field studies in the Archean Slave and Superior provinces of the Canadian Shield, structural and tectonic controls of mineral deposits, and all things related to kimberlites and diamonds. He consulted widely in Canada and abroad and was a leader in the LITHOPROBE project which is the largest Earth science project ever undertaken in Canada. He is now Professor Emeritus.
Passcode: J83=ZR!6
Date: September 26, 2024
Speaker: Dr. Robert Ross
Department: School of Kinesiology and Health Studies
Title: Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults: An integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep
Passcode: 0T^3sT4F
Dr. Ross: An eminent, highly publicized Exercise Physiologist, Dr. Ross has provided extraordinary leadership in Canada and the world. His many positions included chairing the Canadian Consensus Panel that was tasked with the generation of movement guidelines for adults, the topic of his presentation. In October of 2020 Canada launched the first-ever 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults and Older Adults. First time observations within the guidelines represent important advances in knowledge and ultimately empower seniors with unique opportunities to engage in movement behaviours in ways that reflect and respect individuality and personal preferences. The session will highlight the importance of light intensity physical activity often referred to as activities of daily living and will provide a hands-on approach to the dissemination and implementation of the guidelines.
PowerPoint slides to Dr. Ross' presentation: