What's the Big Idea

A thought-provoking discussion with Dr. David Gerhard, a leading AI researcher and computer scientist on the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, its potential to transform society, and the ethical challenges that come with it. In this conversation, interspersed with excerpts from AI pioneer and Nobel Laureate, Geoffrey Hinton’s Knight Distinguished Lecture, we hear how AI's decision-making processes differ from human cognition, about the risks and benefits of large language models, the role of governance, regulation, and international cooperation in shaping AI development, and the importance of designing AI to serve human values.
About David Gerhard: 
Professor and Department Head of Computer Science, University of Manitoba;
2018 & 2014 Paragon Award of Innovation, University of Regina / Regina Chamber of Commerce);
2016 Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of Regina Alumni Association;
 Co-founder; Co-owner; Head of research and applied innovation, Shiverware Interactive Software Developments, Inc;
About Geoffrey Hinton
Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, University of Toronto; 
Fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research;
Set up the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at University College London;
Director of "Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception" program funded by the
          Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (2004-2013);
Worked at Google where he became a Vice President and Engineering Fellow (2013-2023);
Fellow of the UK Royal Society, the Royal Society of Canada, the Association for the
        Advancement of Artificial Intelligence;
One of researchers who introduced the back-propagation algorithm and first to use
         backpropagation for learning word embeddings;
His research group in Toronto made major breakthroughs in deep learning that have
         revolutionized speech recognition and object classification;
Awards include the David E. Rumelhart prize, the IJCAI award for research excellence,
         the Killam prize for Engineering, The NSERC Herzberg Gold Medal, the IEEE Frank Rosenblatt
         medal, the IEEE James Clerk Maxwell Gold medal, the NEC C&C award, the BBVA award, the
         Honda Prize, the Princess of Asturias Award, the ACM Turing Award and the Queen Elizabeth
          Prize for Engineering;
About Michael Benarroch
President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manitoba since July 2020;
Professor in Department of Economics, Toronto Metropolitan University (2017-2020);
Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at Toronto Metropolitan University (2017-2020), acting as the institution’s chief academic and operating officer;
Dean of the I.H. Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba (2011-2017);
For more information about Michael Benarroch, see here.

About What’s the Big Idea?

What’s the Big Idea? is an award-winning podcast hosted by University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch. Each episode features conversations with big thinkers from the UM community who are contributing to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of people everywhere. It is produced by the University of Manitoba in partnership with Everything Podcasts.

Links and Resources
Q&A with David Gerhard and Geoffrey Hinton. 
Dr. David Gerhard at the University of Manitoba
Can Machines Think? David Gerhard | TEDxFort Garry
Geoffrey Hinton - Nobel Prize in Physics 2024
University of Manitoba: Discover programs and opportunities
Alumni Relations: Stay connected with UM
UM News: Read more about UM events and research
Help make big ideas possible
Research at the University of Manitoba is driven by curiosity and made possible through partnership and philanthropy. If this conversation sparked your curiosity, we’d love to connect you with opportunities to support world-class research and discovery at UM.
Learn more or get in touch today.
Music

Adrenaline Rush by Will Bonness, Associate Professor, Desautels Faculty of Music.
Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Help us spread the big ideas from the UM community.

#podcast #Education

Season 4, Episode 6

Episode Summary:
Our guest is Andrea Charron, Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies and an academic working closely with the Canadian Armed forces. In conversation with UM’s President Michael Bennaroch, she discusses the evolving security landscape facing North America and Canada's crucial role in Arctic security and U.S. defense needs. Charron details security risks such as cyber threats and foreign interference and sheds light concerning NORAD modernization and the importance of international partnerships, including with Greenland, Denmark, the UK and Mexico.

About Andrea Charron: 
Professor of Political Science at the University of Manitoba
Director of the Centre for Defense and Security Studies
Network Co-Lead for the North American and Arctic Security Network NAADSN
Operations Node Co-Lead for the Canadian Defence and Security Network
Featured twice in the Economist for her Canadian foreign policy and NORAD expertise (2019 and 2021) and on the CBC radio show Ideas (2020)
About What’s the Big Idea?
What’s the Big Idea? is an award-winning podcast hosted by University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch. Each episode features conversations with big thinkers from the UM community who are contributing to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of people everywhere. It is produced by the University of Manitoba in partnership with Everything Podcasts.

Links and Resources
Golden Dome for America (map)
Centre for Defence and Security Studies
NATO Parliamentary Assembly
NORAD modernization project timelines
Fact sheet about the Golden Dome
University of Manitoba: Discover programs and opportunities
Alumni Relations: Stay connected with UM
UM News: Read more about UM events and research
Help make big ideas possible
Research at the University of Manitoba is driven by curiosity and made possible through partnership and philanthropy. If this conversation sparked your curiosity, we’d love to connect you with opportunities to support world-class research and discovery at UM.
Learn more or get in touch today.

Music
Adrenaline Rush by Will Bonness, Associate Professor, Desautels Faculty of Music.
Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Help us spread the big ideas from the UM community.

Season 4, Episode 5

Zahra Moussavi discusses her findings into using non-pharmaceutical interventions for Alzheimer's and dementia. With a background in electrical engineering, Moussavi’s groundbreaking research highlights the role of synapses and brain activity in cognitive health. Her innovative treatment strategies include electrical stimulation, VR navigation, and neurorehabilitation. These have shown success in potentially slowing, stabilizing, and reversing cognitive decline. In her conversation with UM President Michael Bennaroch, she emphasizes the importance of early detection and the need for innovative approaches to manage dementia as a chronic condition rather than a progressive one.

About Zahra Moussavi: 
Canada Research Chair Tier I.
Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Manitoba.
Founder and former director, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, University of Manitoba.
Recipient of the 2018 Technical Excellence Award.
Awarded IEEE EMBS Distinguished Lecturer, 2014 and 2019. 
About What’s the Big Idea?
What’s the Big Idea? is an award-winning podcast hosted by University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch. Each episode features conversations with big thinkers from the UM community who are contributing to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of people everywhere. It is produced by the University of Manitoba in partnership with Everything Podcasts.

Links and Resources
Professor Zahra Moussavi
Contact: [email protected]
Agewell – Canada’s Technology and Aging Network
University of Manitoba: Discover programs and opportunities
Alumni Relations: Stay connected with UM
UM News: Read more about UM events and research

Help make big ideas possible
Research at the University of Manitoba is driven by curiosity and made possible through partnership and philanthropy. If this conversation sparked your curiosity, we’d love to connect you with opportunities to support world-class research and discovery at UM.
Learn more or get in touch today.

Music
Adrenaline Rush by Will Bonness, Associate Professor, Desautels Faculty of Music.
Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Help us spread the big ideas from the UM community.

Season 4, Episode 4

Episode Summary:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, globally. In conversation with the Director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and former Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiology, Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum, this episode explores the significant differences in heart disease between men and women and the need for tailored research and treatment approaches. Dr. Kirshenbaum is a proud University of Manitoba researcher, and a major focus of his research is understanding the underlying sex specific difference in heart failure. He describes some of these mechanisms, the role of specific proteins in heart health and cancer treatment, and how research from NASA space flights provided unique insights into heart health. Also highlighted are the importance of holistic approaches to women's heart health and the impact of local research initiatives in Manitoba.
 
 About Dr. Lorrie Kirshenbaum: 
Director of Research Development, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba
Director, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre
Principal Investigator, Cardiac Gene Biology, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre
Professor, Department of Physiology & Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba
Former Canada Research Chair in Molecular Cardiology, University of Manitoba

 About What’s the Big Idea?
What’s the Big Idea? is an award-winning podcast hosted by University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch. Each episode features conversations with big thinkers from the UM community who are contributing to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of people everywhere. It is produced by the University of Manitoba in partnership with Everything Podcasts.

Links and Resources
Professor Lorrie Kirshenbaum, PhD
Funding paves way for drug discovery platform for heart research at UM
Max Rady College of Medicine
Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences
St. Boniface Hospital Albrechtsen Research Centre
University of Manitoba: Discover programs and opportunities
Alumni Relations: Stay connected with UM
UM News: Read more about UM events and research

Help make big ideas possible
Research at the University of Manitoba is driven by curiosity and made possible through partnership and philanthropy. If this conversation sparked your curiosity, we’d love to connect you with opportunities to support world-class research and discovery at UM.
Learn more or get in touch today.

Music
Adrenaline Rush by Will Bonness, Associate Professor, Desautels Faculty of Music.
Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Help us spread the big ideas from the UM community.

Season 4, Episode 3

Episode Summary:
What are the challenges and the opportunities in creating a just and inclusive economic future?  Hosted by Angie Bruce, Vice President (Indigenous) at the University of Manitoba, this episode of "What's the Big Idea?" explores the theme of economic reconciliation. Featured are Indigenous leaders and experts, Diane Roussin, a member of Skownan First Nation and project director of the Winnipeg Boldness Project, Kathleen BlueSky, a Cree Ikwe from Nisichiwasik Cree Nation and CEO of Treaty One Development Corporation, and Dr. Peter Pomart, a member of Mathias Cologne First Nation, an Asper School of Business lecturer and the former director of Indigenous Business Education Partners. Their public conversation considers the impact of racist policies like the Indian Act, the complexity of building Canadian sovereignty without infringing on Indigenous rights, the Carney government’s Bill C-5 or Building Canada Act and the relationship-building that is fundamental to successful economic reconciliation.
 
 Host and panelists: 

About Angie Bruce:
Red River Métis from St. Laurent, Manitoba. 
Vice-President (Indigenous) of University of Manitoba, since February 2024.
MBA from UM’s Asper School of Business and a PhD from Nipissing University.
Former Assistant Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada's Nókwewashk sector.
Former Deputy Minister in Manitoba's Indigenous and Northern Relations and Municipal Relations departments.
Grew the Indigenous Natural Resource Program to $100 million.
Led the development of an Indigenous Research Ethics policy.
Led the highest number of Treaty Land Entitlement land transfers in Manitoba's history
Has held senior positions with the Legacy of Hope Foundation and the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
 
About Diane Roussin:
Anishinaabe and member of the Skownan First Nation.
Passionate advocate for Mino bimaadiziwin (the good life) for all families and children.
Holds Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Social Work degrees.
Project Director of the Winnipeg Boldness Project, seeking to empower the Point Douglas community and create large-scale, systemic change for children and families living there.
Former Executive Director of the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre. 
Former Co-Director of Community Education Development Association.
Former Coordinator of The Winnipeg Foundation’s Centennial Neighbourhood Project.
Received the 2018 Governor General’s Award for Outstanding Indigenous Leadership.

 Kathleen BlueSky:
A Cree and Anishinaabe Ikwe from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and Minegoziibe  Anishinabe First Nation.
CEO of Treaty One Development Corporation, leading a major economic development project at Naawi-Oodena, a Treaty One Joint Reserve lands located in Winnipeg, MB.
MBA from Asper School of Business. 
Founder of Seven Feathers Consulting
Former CEO of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation.
Serves as the Vice-Chairperson of the $300M First Nation Market Housing Fund 
Co-founded Wiijii’idiwag Ikwewag, securing Manitoba’s first Social Impact Bond in 2019.
 
About Peter Pomart:
A member of Mathias Colomb First Nation - and a second-generation residential school survivor - Pomart is dedicated to advancing reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. 
Lecturer at the I.H. Asper School of Business
Completing his doctoral studies in Business Administration.
His primary research aims to provide an Indigenous-centered perspective on how industry actors may better align their engagement practices with Article 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. 

 About What’s the Big Idea?
What’s the Big Idea? is an award-winning podcast hosted by University of Manitoba President Michael Benarroch. Each episode features conversations with big thinkers from the UM community who are contributing to the cultural, social, and economic well-being of people everywhere. It is produced by the University of Manitoba in partnership with Everything Podcasts.

Links and Resources
The Winnipeg Boldness Project
Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre
Treaty One Development Corporation
National Indigenous Economic Development Board: Naawi-Oodena
Seven Feathers Consulting
First Nations Market Housing Fund
University of Manitoba: Discover programs and opportunities
Alumni Relations: Stay connected with UM
UM News: Read more about UM events and research

Help make big ideas possible
Research at the University of Manitoba is driven by curiosity and made possible through partnership and philanthropy. If this conversation sparked your curiosity, we’d love to connect you with opportunities to support world-class research and discovery at UM.
Learn more or get in touch today.

Music
Adrenaline Rush by Will Bonness, Associate Professor, Desautels Faculty of Music.
Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe, share, and leave a review on your favorite podcast platform. Help us spread the big ideas from the UM community.
 
What’s the Big Idea? is a University of Manitoba production, created in partnership with Everything Podcasts.