MCLL Spring Lecture Program
We offer a program of lectures both online and on campus, presented by MCLL members, other lifelong learning centers and faculty members who share their research on a variety of topics. The fee is $10 per lecture, and does not include MCLL membership benefits.
Spring Term Duration: April 17 - June 12, 2026
Spring Registration is now open.
💡 New!
MCLL On the Road brings signature lectures to Montreal's seniors’ residences, retirement clubs, and independent-living apartment buildings.
⚠️ Important
To register for a lecture you'll need your McGill Athena login name and password, so keep them handy. If you forget or don't yet have them, get them now at the Athena Login Page.
Useful Links
Useful Notes
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Maximum in-person attendance is 17 unless otherwise specified.
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Registration closes at midnight two days before the lecture date. The Zoom link for online lectures will be sent to attendees the previous day.
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In case of technical problems, an emergency, or an illness, a refund is available through your Athena account until one day after the lecture.
📍Location
All on-campus lectures take place on the second floor of
MCLL Spring 2026 Lectures |
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YCLML 989 Katalin Karikó: COVID Vaccine Heroine
Time: Friday, April 17, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Michael Allen
Attendance: Online
From a mud-walled cottage in Hungary to the Nobel Prize stage, Katalin Karikó’s journey is one of extraordinary persistence. Her breakthrough in mRNA technology became a cornerstone of the COVID-19 vaccines, saving millions of lives. Her path was anything but traditional. Michael Allen will explore the science behind the COVID-19 vaccines and Karikó’s remarkable personal story—one that includes raising an Olympic champion and the unlikely, pivotal role of a 900-pound teddy bear.
YCLML 990 India’s Way Forward
Time: Friday, April 17, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Ronji Borooah
Attendance: Online
India-born Borooah will explain that his home country is best understood as “many Indias”: a vast, diverse democracy shaped by regional, linguistic, caste, and economic divisions. Politics is driven by caste and the pursuit of power, enabling the dominance of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. Rapid GDP growth masks low per-capita income, weak manufacturing, job scarcity, inequality, and impending urbanization, while foreign policy has shifted from strict non-alignment to pragmatic multi-alignment amid security pressures.
YCLML 991 Shanghai: Refuge from the Nazis
Time: Friday, April 17, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Paul Kuai-Yu Leong
Attendance: In person
This Yom HaShoah lecture is dedicated to the Jewish refugees' saga in WW2 Shanghai. In the Evian Conference (France, July 1938), all 32 participant countries expressed sympathy for the Jewish refugees from the Nazis but refused to admit more (except the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica). However, over 20,000 Jews fled the Nazis and found refuge in Shanghai. See: "In Shanghai, a refuge for Jews fleeing Nazi Europe" (Forward; 2020.07.23).
YCLML 992 Lake Constance
Time: Friday, April 24, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Harald von Cramon
Attendance: In person
We will explore the history of Der Bodensee, or Lake Constance, which borders on Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Attracted by the generally mild climate, monastic establishments were founded by Irish monks in and around the lake as early as 612 AD. Emperor Napoleon III grew up on its shores. The town of Konstanz hosted the important General Church Council from 1414 to 1418.
YCLML 993 Understanding Today’s Middle East
Time: Friday, April 24, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Jo Whitehead
Attendance: Online
This talk seeks to explain the current situation in the Middle East based on its history and to provide a foundation for thinking about how it may develop in future. The speaker proposes a framework for understanding the region by reviewing the geography, colonial legacies, oil wealth, individual leaders and other factors. Iran will be used as an illustrative case study of how all these factors can play out at a local level, inviting discussion of how the same factors have played out differently in other countries.
YCLML 994 AI - What is It and How Does It Work?
Time: Friday, April 24, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Martin Coles
Attendance: In person
Nowadays, everyone is talking about artificial intelligence (AI). This lecture will provide some answers to key questions such as: How important is AI? Is it harmful? What are the risks? Is it going to kill us all? How do neural networks process mountains of data to provide such remarkable results? How can I benefit from AI?
YCLML 995 Write Nonfiction: The Personal Essay
Time: Friday, April 24, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Maxine Ruvinsky
Attendance: In person
This lecture will begin with a brief presentation on the techniques employed by professional writers to compose works of creative nonfiction (also sometimes called “narrative nonfiction”). It will then proceed to the main portion, in which participants will employ some of these techniques to produce a paragraph or two of writing, and then read their work aloud to get feedback from the other members of the group. At the end of the lecture, I will provide some brief tips on how to submit articles for publication (i.e., the query letter) to magazines.
YCLML 996 Longevity: Science and Imagination
Time: Friday, May 1, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Ron Vexler
Attendance: Online
Longevity science explores the mechanisms that drive aging, investigating how genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors influence how we age. How has humanity dealt with aging in the past? The new field of longevity science encompasses three main research approaches: one, slowing aging; two, reversing aging; and three, understanding senescence with the ultimate goal of extending not just how long people live, but how long they live in good health.
YCLML 997 Post-growth & Sustainable Well-being
Time: Friday, May 1, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Elizabeth Robinson
Attendance: In person
“There are increasing concerns that continued economic growth in high-income countries might not be environmentally sustainable, socially beneficial, or economically achievable”. This is the first sentence of an article entitled Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries published in 2025 in the medical journal Lancet Planetary Health. In this lecture, we will walk through the article and discuss the findings reported. NB: it is not necessary to have read it in advance to attend the lecture!
YCLML 998 Ancient Greek and Roman Architecture
Time: Friday, May 1, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Raymond Stern
Attendance: Online
There were significant differences between Ancient Greek and Roman architecture, from the buildings to the contrasting cultures and social values which became expressed in stone. The Ancient Greeks sought sublimity in design; the Ancient Romans strove for an expression of power. Each had three basic design concepts, which explain their priorities. These periods greatly affected all walks of life, particularly that taken by architecture, and still affect us today. This lecture will have a dynamic image-driven format.
YCLML 999 Canada’s Prime Ministers Revisited
Time: Friday, May 1, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: J.D.M. Stewart
Attendance: Online
This talk will be about Canada's significant prime ministers, beginning with Sir John A. Macdonald and concluding with Mark Carney. Drawing on insights from his 2025 book The Prime Ministers: Canada's Leaders and the Nation They Shaped, Stewart will lay out not only the achievements of leaders such as Wilfrid Laurier, William Lyon Mackenzie King and Lester B. Pearson, but also prime ministers’ failings, the imprint their decisions left on our country, and the way they are remembered by Canadians today.
YCLML 1000 Harry Kessler: The Lifetime Observer
Time: Friday, May 8, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Russell Chapman
Attendance: In person
Count Harry Graf Kessler (1868-1937) lived a remarkable life. His diaries record the intellectual, historical, and artistic events of the times. He spends time with Auguste Rodin, Vaslav Nijinsky, Sergei Diaghilev. Kessler works on a Nietzsche archive and planned monument, collaborates on The Rosenkavalier, is patron to artists, meets with imprisoned Polish leader Jozef Pilsudski just prior to his release in 1918. This is a remarkable record of La Belle Époque, World War I, and post-war tumult in Germany.
YCLML 1001 Early Peace Successes: N.A. & Europe
Time: Friday, May 8, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Mark G. Peacock
Attendance: Online
Brutal warfare plagued 17th century north-eastern North America and 18th century Napoleonic Europe. Two very different contexts produced two lasting peace agreements. Firstly, the Great Peace of Montreal (1701) was the chef-d'oeuvre of New France’s Governor L-H de Callieres. Through negotiation and compulsory mediation, it secured peace between 39 Indigenous nations and the French up to 1760. Secondly, the post-Napoleonic Congress of Vienna (1815) became a model for subsequent European peace summits.
YCLML 1002 An Engineer's Take on Dieppe
Time: Friday, May 8, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Jean-Pierre Raymond
Attendance: In person
The Dieppe Raid of 1942 remains highly contested: Some view it as a tragic, avoidable failure, while others argue it provided essential lessons for the Normandy landings. This lecture explores the debate through an engineer’s lens.
YCLML 1003 Evolution & the Earth Magnetic Field
Time: Friday, May 8, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: John Felvinci
Attendance: Online
The Earth Magnetic Field shields all living things from harmful radiation from the Sun. The strength of the magnetic field depends on the unpredictable movements of the molten core of the Earth. During Earth’s history the magnetic field reversed many times, and on one occasion around 600 million years ago it nearly disappeared. The increase of radiation during the period may have caused genetic changes and thus affected evolution by enabling the development of multicellular organisms.
YCLML 1004 The Smartest Man You Never Knew
Time: Friday, May 15, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Michael Allen
Attendance: Online
John von Neumann, a Hungarian polymath, sometimes called the smartest man of the 20th century, made major contributions to mathematics, physics, game theory, computers, and economics. Though less famous than Einstein or Oppenheimer, he shaped the Manhattan Project and laid the foundations of the digital age. We still live in his world. A bon vivant who loved fast cars, late-night parties, and loud music, he died still full of ideas. See: https://youtu.be/Oh31I1F2vds?si=UVd_OEUxc--BGDo0 (4 minutes).
YCLML 1005 Canada’s Architectural Styles
Time: Friday, May 15, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Don Mikel
Attendance: Online
In this beautifully illustrated lecture, based on his book, Canadian Architectural Styles: A Field Guide, Don Mikel will explain how architectural styles have developed in Canada over the last four centuries, from log houses and the buildings of New France, to Gothic Revival and Romanesque in the 19th-century, on to Art Deco, Internationalist and now Post-Modern. Don will explain how to recognize defining features, regional variations and historical influences, helping us better understand our built environment.
YCLML 1006 In Memoriam: JOSE MUJICA (1935-2025)
Time: Friday, May 15, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Paul Kuai-Yu Leong
Attendance: In person
The late (40th) president of Uruguay, Jose "Pepe" Mujica, was the opposite of Donald Trump in terms of FRUGALITY, HUMILITY, PROGRESSIVENESS, PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING... He was an ex-guerrilla who spent 13+ harsh years in military captivity (where he used to speak with the ants to avoid craziness). Please see this BBC article: "Uruguay's Jose Mujica, world's 'Poorest president' dies" (2025.5.13), and come to discuss this unusual person.
YCLML 1007 Conflicting Approaches to Peace?
Time: Friday, May 15, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Mark G. Peacock
Attendance: Online
It has been said that there is a price to pay for peace. If so, what price can be morally and pragmatically justified? This lecture analyzes two different approaches. The first was engineered by German Chancellor Count Otto von Bismarck using war and intimidation (1864-1890). The second, through the WWI-ending Treaty of Versailles, had the victors use punishment of the vanquished as one means to establish long-lasting peace. Are there lessons to be learned for today’s highly conflicted world?
YCLML 1008 Transformation via Personal Narratives
Time: Friday, May 22, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Robert Paris
Attendance: In person
The lecturer will present new knowledge of the brain focused on research that concludes that the majority of us are unaware of our authentic personal stories. The lecturer will demonstrate the power of storytelling by telling his own genuine narrative and guide the group to become comfortable telling their own genuine stories. The lecturer will then relate the power of personal storytelling to self-leadership and fulfilment.
YCLML 1009 Puccini’s La Bohème & Troubled Life
Time: Friday, May 22, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Sharon Harris
Attendance: Online
Step into the world of Giovanni Puccini’s La Bohème and the turbulent life behind its music. This lecture delves into the passion, heartbreak, and creative genius of Puccini, revealing how his loves, losses, and recurring personal struggles shaped his greatest works. Explore the inspiration behind his unforgettable melodies, the Parisian world of the opera, and discover why La Bohème remains one of the most moving and enduring achievements in the operatic repertoire.
YCLML 1010 Consciousness and Prehistoric Art
Time: Friday, May 22, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Raymond Stern
Attendance: Online
The breathtaking cave art from prehistoric times evokes awe. How did this major transition into becoming “human” come about? What do these symbols and animal images reveal about the ancestral mind? How was this large-scale, universal art produced? What are the theories to explain the development of this phenomenon? The integration of art and rock combined with anthropological and neurological content was unique and gives insights into the human need to make art. This presentation will be image-driven.
YCLML 1011 Understanding Hearing Loss
Time: Friday, May 22, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Dale Bonnycastle and Debra Fisher
Attendance: In person
Hearing loss is common in people over 65, but it often develops slowly and can be hard to recognize. This talk will explain what hearing loss is, how it affects everyday life and communication, and why it is often misunderstood. We will also share practical information about available services, hearing devices, and simple strategies that can make communication easier.
YCLML 1012 Why Do Fish Have Lungs?
Time: Friday, May 29, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Eduardo Cabrera
Attendance: In person
Among evolution's most effective tools, "repurposing" (known as “exaptation”) is perhaps one of the most fascinating and counterintuitive. It challenges our natural perception of things, which might lead us to believe that, since every part of our body seems so efficient, nature originally designed it that way. But we would be wrong. Let's examine the origin of the lungs and other essential parts of our anatomy to discover how nature excels at the art of repurposing.
YCLML 1013 AI Support for Retired Learners
Time: Friday, May 29, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Romano DeSantis and Giovanna DeSantis
Attendance: Online
Drawing on the experience gained from moderating several study groups concerning AI (artificial intelligence) — Introduction to Digital Art, From Creative Writing to Visual Art and Back, How Can AI Chatbots Help Lifelong Learners?, and Creative and Mundane Writing with AI Chatbots — this lecture will present concrete examples of how AI tools can support and enrich the learning experience of retired adults.
YCLML 1014 Justinian and Theodora
Time: Friday, May 29, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: John Felvinci
Attendance: Online
This lecture follows the unusual lives of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian (482-565) and his wife Theodora (490/500-548). Their rise from poverty to great power is exceptional. We will describe Justinian’s achievement in reconstituting the Roman Empire, his building program, his legal code and the plague which occurred during his reign. Some of the sources used include the controversial three books by Procopius, their contemporary.
YCLML 1015 [AI]tuning Into the Current State
Time: Friday, June 5, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Michael Moore
Attendance: Online
1995: In my initial involvement, I used artificial intelligence (AI) in simulations and in 3D spatial “walkthroughs”. Fast forward to 2025: I probed and practised the constructive use of AI in writing research; at the same time, as an educator, I was concerned about AI confusion. This lecture will provide a comparative review of state-of-the-art of current AI delivery vehicles and provide an update of what might come next. I will present visual examples of a variety of AI applications and challenges.
YCLML 1016 The Bayeux Tapestry - Survival!
Time: Friday, June 5, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Alana Gowdy
Attendance: Online
Created after the 1066 Battle of Hastings, the Bayeux Tapestry has survived nearly a thousand years, enduring war, political upheaval, and the many hazards of history. This remarkable artifact remains one of our greatest cultural treasures. In 2026, it will once again draw international attention when France lends it to the British Museum — its first return to England since the 11th century. Join us to explore the tapestry’s extraordinary survival and the long, improbable journey that brought it to the present day.
YCMS 1017 The Genesis Paradox
Time: Friday, June 5, 1:00 p.m.
Presenter: Jean-Denis Gingras and Philip Ehrensaft
Attendance: Online
The Genesis Paradox consists of balancing the immense promise of the biotech revolution with existential risks. Biotech simultaneously creates something wonderful but also inherent contradictions and dangers. Plus, biotech is inherently dual use: civilian benefits, and high impact military applications.
YCLML 1018 Years from Hell: Montreal 1848-1853
Time: Friday, June 12, 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Robert N. Wilkins
Attendance: In person
From the burning of the Canadian Parliament Buildings in Youville Square, to the ominous threat of annexation to the USA, to the violent municipal election madness of 1851, to the Great Fire of July 1852 that lamentably destroyed nearly a quarter of the town, to the bloody Gavazzi Riot of 1853, this five-year period dramatically pushed Montreal to the breaking point. Not to be missed!!
