Lecture

In recognition of National Indigenous Languages Day, the Office of Indigenous Relations is hosting a special event featuring Susan Aglukark, the award-winning Inuk singer-songwriter.

Susan Aglukark is one of Canada’s most distinctive artists—an award-winning Inuk singer-songwriter who blends Inuktitut and English with contemporary pop music.

Manulife presents CareNext Collective, a monthly virtual forum hosted by the CareNext Coalition.

Primary care sits at the foundation of the health system — yet it is often the hardest place to innovate. Join Dr. Neil Naik, primary care physician at the Waterloo Regional Health Network, as he shares how his clinic has evolved into a living lab for primary care innovation, built around a virtual-first, patient-centered model that treats technology as an enabler rather than a barrier.

The Bechtel Lectures provide the opportunity for representatives of a variety of disciplines and professions to explore topics that reflect the breadth and depth of Mennonite history, identity, faith and culture. Conrad Grebel University College is pleased to host this annual event. The 2026 Bechtel Lecturer is Isaac Villegas, MDiv.

Researchers in Waterloo Region are doing amazing work when it comes to the renewable energy. From minerals to exploring machine learning impact on renewable energy technologies Waterloo researchers are focused on finding solutions. Join us to explore some of the great things happening right in your backyard at the University of Waterloo.

The Indigenous Speakers Series is honoured to present Dr. Kim TallBear, professor, author, and expert in historical and ongoing roles of science and technology in the colonization of Indigenous peoples.

Talk Title: When Love and Hate Collide: Poo and Zombies in Leisure and Leisure Studies

Abstract: Poo and zombies are loved and hated in society. We put manure on our gardens to help the plants of our leisure places grow while we ban human and dog poo from the public leisurescape. Our televised leisure is replete with zombies, the bad guys we love to see being killed. Leisure studies is also filled with research enslaved by zombie paradigms that dominate thinking and ways of being as researchers. The result is research outputs that smell of roses or resemble something that is a shade of brown and slightly squishy depending on your perspective.

The final CareNext Collective event for 2025 showcases one of the most meaningful operational shifts at WRHN this year: the sustained reduction of ambulance offload times across both the Queen’s Blvd and Midtown sites. The initiative demonstrates how targeted, system-level innovation can emerge from cross-sector collaboration between emergency department leadership, paramedic services, informatics teams, patient partners, and frontline staff.

Guest lecturer Rev. Dr. Braxton D. Shelley explores the worldview—the history, aesthetics and theology—that gives rise to Black gospel music. Surveying a diverse array of gospel selections, this presentation will clarify what this tradition shares: the belief that musical sound can turn spiritual power into a physical reality.

This free public lecture is on Wednesday, November 19, at 7:30 PM, in the Grebel Chapel. Reception to follow.

The Indigenous Speakers Series is honoured to present Mary Spencer, member of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation and former WBA super welterweight world champion.

In partnership with Canadian Jesuits International, St. Jerome’s University is thrilled to welcome Sister Laura Vicuna Pereira Manso to speak about her incredible experience working with Indigenous communities of Brazil championing human rights and environmental protection of the Brazilian Amazon. Sister Laura will join us on November 20, 2025 from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. in the SJU Notre Dame Chapel.