By Peter Ibbott, Kristin Lozanski and Graham Broad. CAUT’s censure will harm the reputation and academic freedom of the very faculty CAUT purports to defend. In May, the Canadian Association of University Teachers will seek a motion of censure against King’s University College in London, Ontario. CAUT claims that King’s administration violated Ken Luckhardt’s academic freedom by banning him from King’s. King’s University College Faculty Association (KUCFA) will oppose this motion because censuring King’s will undermine the academic freedom of King’s faculty. More...

By Marie Lambert-Chan. Gathering slated for June 10 as part of the Conference of Montreal. A handful of countries and regions have a chief scientist within their government, including the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Israel. In Canada, Quebec is the only province or territory to have created this position. Rémi Quirion was appointed as the Quebec’s first chief scientist in 2011, when he gave up his position as scientific director of the Douglas Institute Research Centre at McGill University to take on the new post. More...

By Dayna Catropa. I recently saw the “Air Orchestra” from Soul Pancake, which immediately jumped out as an interesting way to break the ice in a classroom environment, especially one in which student participation and interaction are critical. Read more...

By G. Rendell. Two emails landed in my inbox today.
The first one came from The Royal Society, in partnership with the National Academies of Science.  It announced the publication of a joint guide to inform a public debate around climate change which both academies proclaim to be both necessary and urgent.  In a sense, it documents for non-scientific readers that we as a species are one stop closer to both understanding and experiencing a planet inhospitable to human habitation.  The news the guide presents, I strongly suspect, will still be couched in terms too indefinite, and will tell a story advancing too glacially, to hold the attention of folks who get their news primarily from Facebook or "Inside Hollywood".
The second came from greenbiz.com, a newsletter advising business folks on sustainability issues.  In "One Minute Manager" fashion, it proposed a 3-step sustainability action plan which any firm can implement. Read more...