Established in 1841 and one of Canada’s oldest degree-granting institutions, Queen’s today is a mid-sized university that provides a transformative student learning experience within a research-intensive environment A member of the prestigious U15 group of research-intensive Canadian universities, Queen’s conducts leading-edge research in areas of critical concern. Queen’s is also a member of the Matariki Network, an international group of research-intensive universities with a strong shared commitment to the undergraduate and graduate student learning experience.
People hold rally signs during a Toronto rally raising concerns and opposition to the Ontario provincial government’s plans to expand mining operations in the so-called Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario in July 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Ontario’s Ring of Fire could make Canada a minerals superpower, but Indigenous consultation is essential to ensure doing so does not harm reconciliation or Canada’s global reputation.
Health information is increasingly being shared online, and often the borders between legitimate health expertise and pseudoscience aren’t clear.
(Shutterstock)
How do we distinguish between valuable information from legitimate health experts, and pseudoscientific nonsense from unscrupulous wellness influencers?
Throughout time, eclipses have inspired societies to understand the cosmos and its events.
(Shutterstock)
Eclipses have inspired myths, predictions and scientific discoveries. The total solar eclipse occurring on April 8 provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engage with science and the cosmos.
A photograph of the 2017 total solar eclipse, taken at the Oregon State Fair Grounds, Salem, Ore.
(Dominic Hart/NASA)
Mentions of total solar eclipses in ancient history help researchers pinpoint precise dates of notable events.
On June 11, 1963, Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk, burns himself to death on a Saigon street to protest persecution of Buddhists by the South Vietnamese government.
(AP/Malcolm Browne)
Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation is an example of ‘spectacular agency,’ a form of attention-grabbing but costly protest. And, it is uncertain how the public will perceive such protests.
Homes under construction in a new suburb of Ottawa in October 2021.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Following the Second World War, the federal government led the country’s transformation from a rural to a suburban nation, despite lacking any constitutional jurisdiction in community planning.
‘Back to basics’ language used by the government distracts from the importance of continuously updating and revising curriculum.
(Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages)
We need to ensure the best scientific research in play-based learning and early reading is leveraged, and teachers receive supports to meet children’s developmental and academic needs.
A U.S. Air Force fighter jet takes off from RAF Lakenheath in the U.K. in 2018. American nuclear weapons may soon be hosted there.
(Shutterstock)
NATO members, particularly those in eastern Europe, fear a Russian invasion of their territory. By stationing some of its nuclear weapons in the U.K. again, the U.S. could ease those fears.
A UNRWA staff member registers a Palestinian family who fled their house in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh to an UNRWA school, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Sept. 12, 2023.
(AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Recent moves to cut UNRWA’s funding are not the first time the UN agency has come under threat.
A woman fills up her vehicle with gas in Toronto in 2019. Governments the world over are stuck between being accused of doing nothing to address climate change or taking actions which often incur a political backlash.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
We look to politicians to provide climate change solutions, but there is only so much they can do. Beyond regulation, governments should remember the key role they play in promoting innovation.
Birds fly past at sunset as smoke emits from a chimney at a factory in Ahmadabad, India, on Dec. 8, 2014.
(AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)
Carbon pricing can be a powerful tool to combat climate change and reduce emissions, but it needs to be accompanied by improved regulations, clean technology subsidies and financing mechanisms.
Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs Chair Senator David Richards and Deputy Chair Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu at a news conference releasing the committee’s report on the need for psychedelic-assisted therapy for veterans on Nov. 8, 2023 in Ottawa.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
One in seven Canadian veterans is living with PTSD. Developing a psychedelics research program for veterans should be a public health priority.
The use of food banks has skyrocketed. Here Prime Minister Justin Trudeau helps prepare a food box at Seva Food Bank in Mississauga, Ont., on Nov. 4, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Tijana Martin
With food insecurity at an all-time high and food banks buckling under high demand as we head into this holiday season, experts say we need to focus on long-term solutions to tackle the issue at its root.
Psilocybin is showing promise for treating mental disorders, but cautious optimism is required while researching safe doses.
(Shutterstock)
Can psychedelics assist in recovery from eating disorders? The findings are promising, but patients and doctors need to proceed with caution until there is additional and extensive research.
British soldiers stand behind barbed wire in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1970. Critics of the new law say it will not aid reconciliation and risks deepening divisions.
(AP Photo)
Opponents of the U.K. government’s Northern Ireland Troubles Act argue it violates the Good Friday Agreement by denying victims their right to justice.
Attendees clap as they listen during a ‘teach-in on Gaza’ lecture at Rutgers University on Oct. 27, 2023, in New Brunswick, N.J.
(AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
In Ontario and in Alberta, university decisions about balancing free expression and protection from harm will be an important test of recent university policy shifts pertaining to free expression.
Corruption is a serious issue and costly threat to Canada’s foreign trade and international reputation.
(Shutterstock)
Laureen Snider, Queen's University, Ontario; Jennifer Quaid, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa; Jon Frauley, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa, and Steven Bittle, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
If Canada wants to fix its reputation for being weak on corruption, it needs to confront the harms associated with globalization and bring multinational corporations under democratic control.
A young girl learning how to use a speech-generating device.
(Shutterstock)
Increased acceptance of the use of alternative and augmentative communication technologies in general society can enhance the quality of life for people with speech impairment.
Understanding how and why conflicts around devices and screen time are unfolding will help families foster healthy relationships with each other and with digital technologies.
(Shutterstock)
Navigating disagreements about screens can provide parents with valuable opportunities to foster quality relationships and raise children who can manage themselves responsibly.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Oct. 17, 2023.
(AP Photo/Hatem Ali)
The term terrorist often conjures images of monstrous and inhumane groups, and can often dehumanize people. Governments and journalists must be cautious in how they use the term.
Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science, OCAD University/Associate Professor of Sociology, Gender Studies and Cultural Studies (retired), Queen's University, Ontario