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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for EASE Lab
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250224T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250224T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20241108T205700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250224T142733Z
UID:269-1740409200-1740416400@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:EASE research meeting
DESCRIPTION:Join us for our monthly research meeting (plus snacks and social time)\, with presentations by Alex Djedovic and Shebonti Khandaker. \nLocation: Wilson Hall\, Room 2053 and Online (Register here for Zoom link) \nAlex Djedovic\, PhD\, is a philosopher working at the intersection of biology\, cognitive science\, and social issues. Focused on how the sciences of life and the sciences of mind inform (and sometimes mislead) each other\, Alex writes on embodied cognition and theories of living organisms. An interdisciplinary scholar\, he is also interested in how cognitive science influences society\, non-Western approaches to cognition and their intersection with psychological and social health\, the role of theory in making a better world\, and the intersection of politics\, history\, and science. \nAlex teaches the popular BPMH course “Buddhism and Psychology.” In this talk\, he reflects on lessons learned and the state of the Buddhism-psychology dialogue as he has come to see it. He also discusses two areas of research interest that have developed from teaching this course: (1) the philosophy of attention\, and (2) the search for sustainably cosmopolitan dialogue ethics. \nShebonti Khandaker is a 4th-year undergraduate in Cognitive Science\, History\, and Semiotics. Her work explores the relationship between technology\, cognition\, and selfhood. She recently completed her undergraduate thesis with Prof. Mark Miller\, titled “Extended Minds in the Attention Economy”\, and has previously published on digital self-making in the essay “Social Media and Semiosis: Constructing the Self with Signs Online”. She is an awardee of the 2023 UofT Excellence Award for her work on Prof. Ivan Kalmar’s research project “Illiberal Discourses at the Periphery: Eastern and Southern Europe”\, and the 2022 Meyer Greenstein Award for Writing Excellence for her publication “Tracing the Colonial Roots of Hijra Treatment in Bangladesh”. \nShebonti’s presentation will explore the psychological and political implications of the smartphone as a cognitive extension tool\, in the context of agency\, selfhood\, and attention/reward dynamics in predictive brains.
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/february-research-meeting/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250313T130000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250313T150000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20250206T163113Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250226T172243Z
UID:412-1741870800-1741878000@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:Coexistentialism: Living after the End of the World
DESCRIPTION:This event will take place on Zoom – please register here for a link. \nExistentialism is a renewable resource. What began as a literary and philosophical movement in the 19th century has undergone a profound transformation in recent years\, as the conditions of habitats and inhabitants of Earth have been altered by the rapid growth of industrial societies. Sam Mickey articulates ways in which the ideas\, attitudes\, styles\, and practices associated with existentialism are being renewed in response to the historically unprecedented ecological challenges facing humans and all life on Earth. An ecological existentialism or coexistentialism has emerged in the work of scholars who engage with what remains after the ends of the world\, a sense of ”after” associated with what can be called “post” discourses\, like postmodernism\, postsecularism\, postcolonialism\, and posthumanism. Ecological existentialism seeks ways of existing after the end of the world. In our current moment of crisis\, we are called to renew our engagement in questions of freedom\, agency\, anxiety\, meaning\, humanity\, life\, and the very nature of existence. \nSam Mickey\, PhD\, is a teacher\, author\, and editor working at the intersection of philosophical\, religious\, and scientific perspectives on human-Earth relations. He is an adjunct professor in the Theology and Religious Studies department and the Environmental Studies program at the University of San Francisco\, in San Francisco\, California. He is also a research associate for the Yale Forumon Religion and Ecology\, and an author of several books\, including On the Verge of a Planetary Civilization: A Philosophy of Integral Ecology (2014)\, Coexistentialism and the Unbearable Intimacy of Ecological Emergency (Lexington Books\, 2016)\, and New Materialism and Theology (Brill\, 2022).
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/living-after-the-end-of-the-world/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250317T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250317T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20241108T205728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250311T180624Z
UID:271-1742223600-1742230800@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:EASE research meeting
DESCRIPTION:Join us for our monthly research meeting (plus snacks and social time)\, with presentation by Marybel Menzies\, plus an open discussion of the Lab’s future\, and an info session about this summer’s Plum Village science retreat. \nLocation: Wilson Hall\, Room 2053 and Online ( https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/86203812030 Meeting ID: 862 0381 2030\, Passcode: 423431) \nMarybel Menzies is a graduate student pursuing her PhD in the Department of Philosophy. Her primary research interests include work at the intersection of philosophy of mind and value theory. Specifically\, she is interested in the value of consciousness and its application to biomedical conditions such as vegetative states and locked-in syndrome. Outside of academia\, she enjoys swimming\, dancing\, perusing natural landscapes\, listening to music\, photography\, and travel. \nMarybel Menzies’ presentation abstract: \n“In this talk\, I argue for the ethical significance of the minimally conscious state (MCS). To do this\, I respond to a position I name the “fate worse than death view”. I then analyze current neuroscientific evidence for mental state activity in patients diagnosed MCS\, as well as perform a value theoretical analysis of these mental states to determine whether they are prudentially valuable. I show that research suggests MCS patients retain significant neural activity in regions associated with emotional processing. This preserved neural activity correlated with specific mental states that have prudential value—particularly\, I argue that emotional states are prudentially valuable. To establish my position\, I address two objections\, including the inverse inference and adaptive preference objection. The conclusion has implications for clinical ethics and treatment decisions because it suggests that prudentially valuable mental states give rise to interests\, which ought to be factored into decision-making by clinicians. Thus\, while the ethical challenges surrounding MCS remain complex\, I suggest the presence of prudentially valuable mental states in these patients must be appreciated.”
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/march-research-meeting/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250318T170000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250318T190000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20250220T181101Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250306T143714Z
UID:427-1742317200-1742324400@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:"Flourishing Kin" Indigenous Lifeways to Collective Flourishing
DESCRIPTION:Register for this event here \nOur world faces crises that require a focus on community and planetary health and well-being\, but the Western mindfulness movement is primarily focused on individual self-improvement. How can Western and Indigenous sciences work together to recalibrate current practices in service of global well-being? Yuria Celidwen shares insights from her recent book Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Wisdom for Collective Well-Being\, bridging Indigenous ontologies and methodologies\, academic research\, and poetic expression to cultivate sustainable collective flourishing through Indigenous contemplative spiritualities and sciences. Celidwen defines relationality and flourishing as a spiritual-aesthetic arrest only possible in community through cultivating relationships toward all kin\, from human to more-than-human\, and the living Earth. Through poetic expression and authentic truth-telling\, Celidwen invites a path that meets the world’s complexity with reverence and joyous participation in the flourishing of all living beings. \nA lecture by Dr Yuria Celidwen\, with support from the New College Initiatives Fund\, the Buddhism\, Psychology and Mental Health Program\, the Khyentse Foundation\, Trinity College’s Integrated Sustainability Initiative\, the School of the Environment\, and the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies \nBiographical introduction from Yuria Celidwen\, Ph.D.: \nI am a native of the Indigenous Nahua and Maya lineages from the cloud forests of Chiapas\, Mexico. I am of Earth; my heart is on fire. My family is one of mystics\, healers\, poets\, and explorers of the soil and the soul of life’s strength\, tenderness\, and fragility. I grew up with one wing in the wilderness and another in the magical realism of Indigenous dreamlands and stories. My Elders’ songs enthralled my childhood and enhanced my mythic imagination and emotional intuition. They’ve become the fertile soils and waters where the seeds of reverence\, play\, and wonder dig their roots. I am a Truth-bearer\, trickster dreamer\, and culture-shifter. As a scholar\, I research Indigenous forms of contemplation and the transcendent experience embodied in prosocial behavior (reverence\, ethics\, compassion\, and a sense of awe\, love\, and sacredness).‎ I call my research broader statement the “Ethics of Belonging\,” encouraging awareness\, intention\, and relational actions toward planetary flourishing and a path of meaning and participation rooted in honoring Life. I am affiliated with the Department of Psychology at the University of California\, Berkeley\, where I research Earth-based contemplation and collective flourishing in Indigenous traditions of the world. Alongside this\, I am a senior fellow at the Othering and Belonging Institute; and for the American Academy of Religion\, I co-chair the Indigenous Religious Traditions Unit and am on the steering committee of the Contemplative Studies Unit.
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/flourishing-kin/
LOCATION:Seely Hall\, 6 Hoskin Avenue\, Toronto\, ON\, M5S 1H8\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250414T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250414T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20250318T193114Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250403T155523Z
UID:470-1744642800-1744650000@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:EASE Lab research meeting
DESCRIPTION:This month’s meeting is themed “Compassion in Medicine\,” featuring a discussion of barriers and challenges in shifting medical education and culture with Dr. Kenneth Fung\, Director of Global Mental Health\, Department of Psychiatry U of T\,  and Claire Zhang\, U of T Medical Student. \nCome by to learn their research insights\, engage in conversation\, and enjoy some snacks! \nJoin us in person or on zoom at https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/87358103692 (Meeting ID: 873 5810 3692\, Passcode: 584274)
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/april2025-meeting/
LOCATION:Wilson Hall Room 2053\, 40 Willcocks Street\, Toronto\, ON\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250512T163000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250512T180000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20250318T193254Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250509T165300Z
UID:472-1747067400-1747072800@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:UPAYA journal (re)launch
DESCRIPTION:We’re thrilled to announce the official launch of the UPAYA Journal – and you’re invited! \nThe UPAYA journal is a student-led journal dedicated to exploring the nature of contemplative science\, which emphasizes collaborative and interdisciplinary thinking across various fields including\, but not limited to\, Psychology\, Buddhist Studies\, Psychotherapy\, Philosophy\, Sociology and History. \nMonday\, May 12 \nNEW TIME: 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM \nWilson Hall Room 2053 + Zoom (link below) \nJoin us for: \n\nOpening remarks from our journal editor\nPresentations from three featured authors\nDelicious food & snacks\nA chance to connect and celebrate!\n\nDon’t miss this milestone with the EASE Lab U of T community! \nOpen to all UofT faculty\, students\, and staff. Please come by to enjoy food\, company\, and celebrate with us! \nJoin Zoom Meeting \nhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/8035170480?pwd=NmZWOEQzbVVyWWRRcEdFb3VRL2lLQT09&omn=89885438526 \nMeeting ID: 803 517 0480 \nPasscode: 990052
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/may-meeting/
LOCATION:Wilson Hall Room 2053\, 40 Willcocks Street\, Toronto\, ON\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20250917T123000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20250917T143000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20250902T162610Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250905T163045Z
UID:529-1758112200-1758119400@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:EASE Lab Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:  \nJoin Zoom Meeting\nhttps://utoronto.zoom.us/j/87335581527 \nMeeting ID: 873 3558 1527\nPasscode: 288054
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/ease-lab-monthly-meeting/
LOCATION:Wilson Hall Room 2002\, 40 Willcocks Street\, Toronto\, ON\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251007T140000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251007T160000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20251001T192002Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T192002Z
UID:556-1759845600-1759852800@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:Logan Mitchell on “Mindfulness\, Aversion\, and Morality”
DESCRIPTION:Visiting Lecturer & PhD Candidate: Logan Mitchell\, Philosopher & Contemplative Scientist \n“Mindfulness\, Aversion\, and Morality” \nTuesday Oct 7th\, 2pm-4pm \nRoom BF 323\, 4 Bancroft Avenue \nLogan Mitchell is a Philosophy PhD Candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill whose research explores how attention\, emotion\, and institutional norms shape moral and political life\, with a special focus on the ethical dimensions of mindfulness. Their work bridges ethics\, social and political philosophy\, and Buddhist philosophy. As a mindfulness teacher\, Logan integrates contemplative practice with ethical reflection to emphasize the transformative potential of living a mindful life.
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/logan-mitchell-on-mindfulness-aversion-and-morality/
LOCATION:4 Bancroft Ave\, 4 Bancroft Ave\, Toronto
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251009T100000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251009T120000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20251001T192215Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251001T192215Z
UID:560-1760004000-1760011200@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:Logan Mitchell on “Ethics and Happiness: A Cross-Cultural Perspective”
DESCRIPTION:Visiting Lecturer & PhD Candidate: Logan Mitchell\, Philosopher & Contemplative Scientist \n“Ethics and Happiness: A Cross-Cultural Perspective” \nThursday Oct 9th\, 10am-12pm \nRoom VC 115\, Victoria College \n  \nLogan Mitchell is a Philosophy PhD Candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill whose research explores how attention\, emotion\, and institutional norms shape moral and political life\, with a special focus on the ethical dimensions of mindfulness. Their work bridges ethics\, social and political philosophy\, and Buddhist philosophy. As a mindfulness teacher\, Logan integrates contemplative practice with ethical reflection to emphasize the transformative potential of living a mindful life.
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/ethics-and-happiness/
LOCATION:Victoria College
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251015T123000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251015T143000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20250902T162711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251009T133947Z
UID:531-1760531400-1760538600@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:EASE Lab Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:October EASE Lab Meeting – Join us Wednesday\, October 15th from 12:30-2 pm to hear research presentations by Dr. Nadav Amir and Dr. Andrew Jones. Pizza and refreshments will be provided. We welcome to all U of T Students\, Faculty\, and Staff! \nLocation: New College\, Wilson Hall\, Room 2002 (40 Wilcocks St) \nOr online at https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/85115750403 (Meeting ID: 851 1575 0403 / Passcode: 775237) \nDr. Nadav Amir: “Buddhist models of agency in cognitive systems” \nNadav Amir is a visiting fellow at the Fields Institute for Research in the Mathematical Sciences. Previously\, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute where he developed computational models of goal-directed state representations in cognitive agents. He is interested in engaging Buddhist and scientific perspective in dialogue surrounding topics of agency and experience in cognitive systems. \nDr. Andrew Jones: “Rebirth Behind Bars: Empathy\, Human Potential\, and Psychedelic Experimentation at a Canadian Maximum Security Psychiatric Hospital\, 1965-1977” \nAndrew recently completed his PhD at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at the University of Toronto. His research explores the history of psychopharmacology\, autism\, and hallucinogenic drugs in North America. He is especially interested in using critical historical approaches to understand cases of experimental abuse in the history of LSD research.
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/oct-2025/
LOCATION:Wilson Hall Room 2002\, 40 Willcocks Street\, Toronto\, ON\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251017T160000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251017T180000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20251010T150320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251010T150916Z
UID:571-1760716800-1760724000@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:Philosophy and Cognitive Science of Attention Reading Group
DESCRIPTION:Join us for a reading group led by Professor Alex Djedovic focused broadly on philosophical issues with attention\, ranging from high-level theories\, to relevant empirical data\, to applications of theory. The vision is to focus\, as much as possible\, on the most general\, high-level phenomena—the very metaphysical and empirical frames we use to pose questions about attention. \nTo begin the discussion\, on October 17\, the group will read the Introduction and Chapter 1 of Wayne Wu’s “Attention.” \nMeetings will take place in person on Fridays from 4-6 PM at UC D301\, starting on October 17.
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/philosophy-of-attention/
LOCATION:UC D301\, 15 King's College Circle\, Toronto
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251119T123000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251119T143000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20250902T162802Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251111T205639Z
UID:533-1763555400-1763562600@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:EASE Lab Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Join us Wednesday\, November 19th\, 12:30-2:30 pm for two presentations \nIn person at \nOn Zoom at https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/84833201437 (Meeting ID: 848 3320 1437\, Passcode: 308188) \n“Citations as a Community Building Gratitude Practice” \nJeff Newman\, New College Librarian \n“Meaningful Attentiveness to the Environment in Psychological Interventions” \nHonour Stahl\, MA\, Environment and Sustainability \nMore about our speakers: \nJeff Newman is the College Librarian at New College. His work as a librarian has covered many areas of the information ecosystem\, from digitization projects to information literacy and online pedagogies\, emerging forms of scholarly communication\, digital humanities projects\, and more recently work on large language models\, bias\, and their implications for the University and society in general. \nHonour Stahl (she/her) is a recent graduate of the Master of Environment and Sustainability program at the University of Toronto. Her research explores attentiveness to the natural and social environment in environmental psychology\, focusing on Nature-Based Therapy interventions. Her leadership and work with environmental non-profits further ground her practice in intersectional\, community-based knowledge translation that supports both environmental and social wellbeing.
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/nov-2025/
LOCATION:Wilson Hall Room 2002\, 40 Willcocks Street\, Toronto\, ON\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20251217T123000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20251217T143000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20250902T162850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T171246Z
UID:535-1765974600-1765981800@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:EASE Lab Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Join Zoom Meeting\nhttps://utoronto.zoom.us/j/85729777370 \nMeeting ID: 857 2977 7370\nPasscode: 653017 \nThis month’s presentations: \n“What is mad studies and what can it bring to mental health research?” \nLucy Costa is deputy executive director of a non-profit service user rights-based organization in Toronto\, Canada. She works as an advocate promoting the rights of mental health service users\, as well as encouraging critical analysis about service user inclusion  practices in the mental health sector.  She is co-editor of Madness\, Violence\, and Power: A Critical Collection (University of Toronto Press)  as well as a special edition of the Journal of Ethics and Mental Health (2019). She is also a longtime meditator and member of the Board of Directors at Satipaññā Insight Meditation Toronto. \nLori Ross is Associate Professor in the Division of Social & Behavioural Health Sciences\, Dalla Lana School of Public Health\, University of Toronto. She is an interdisciplinary mixed methods researcher with a particular interest in research methodologies for social justice. Lori is particularly interested in drawing from Mad Studies and other critical approaches to study mental health among 2SLGBTQ+ and other communities impacted by intersecting structural oppressions. You can learn about her research at www.lgbtqhealth.ca. \n“Pagbabalik ng Nawalay: Madness\, Forgiveness\, and the Affective Politics of Return” \nWalter Rafael Villanueva is a PhD candidate in the Department of English and the New College Senior Doctoral Fellow in Buddhism\, Psychology and Mental Health. He has managed major grant programs and research projects with the Department of Health & Society\, the Centre for Global Disability Studies\, and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. His doctoral research explores Asian North American narratives of madness and\, in particular\, how Asian North American writers use storytelling as a counter or supplement to formal psychiatric diagnosis. He is currently working on an autoethnography that details his mother’s journey as a Filipina care worker in Canada who later develops vascular dementia and returns to the Philippines to make amends with her family\, her relationship with whom had become fractured after she became disabled. Enmeshed within his mother’s story is his experience being her Mad primary caregiver.
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/dec-2025/
LOCATION:Wilson Hall Room 2002\, 40 Willcocks Street\, Toronto\, ON\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260120T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260120T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20260112T171813Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260112T172352Z
UID:589-1768921200-1768928400@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:EASE Lab Monthly Meeting
DESCRIPTION:Join us in 2026 for our EASE Lab Monthly Meetings! These are open to all U of T faculty\, students\, and staff. \nLocation: New College\, Wilson Hall\, Room 2007D – 40 Wilcocks Street. Enter the front sliding doors\, up the stairs\, and curve right around the staircase. \nOr on Zoom: https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/85072398524 (Meeting ID: 850 7239 8524\, Passcode: 101210) \nThis month’s presentation: \nFor January’s meeting\, we have two special guests! Geshe Sonam Ngodrup will tell us about the four close placements of mindfulness (dran pa nyer bzhag bzhi/ smṛtyupasthāna)\, a core meditation practice within most of the world’s Buddhist traditions. In these practices\, one can develop insight by developing mindfulness of the body\, feelings\, mind\, and phenomena. Geshe Sonam will begin with gentle awareness exercises to develop our concentration\, and then help us explore the four close placements through explanation and guided meditation. \n \nAt the age of 13\, Geshe Sonam Ngodrup left Kham\, Tibet for India to join Sera Jey monastery. After graduating as a Geshe Lharampa (the most distinguished of the four geshe degrees) at the top of his class\, Geshe-la began teaching. As one of the monastery’s most popular scripture teachers (dpe khrid dge rgan)\, Geshe-la spent a decade guiding over a hundred monastic students through the key scriptures of the tradition. From 2010 to 2018\, Geshe taught in Europe\, and since 2019\, he has been a resident teacher at Lama Yeshe Ling in Burlington\, Ontario. \n  \nRory Tasker (Venerable Khedrup) has been a Buddhist monk since 2004 and graduated from the Lotsawa Rinchen Zangpo Translator Program in Dharamsala\, India\, in 2010. He has served Geshe Sonam and several other respected Himalayan teachers as their Tibetan-English interpreter since 2011. He completed an MA in Buddhist studies at McMaster in 2019 and had his PhD thesis accepted at the University of Toronto\, OISE in 2025. His research focused on the experiences and pedagogies of Tibetan and Himalayan teachers of Buddhism in North America.
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/january-2026/
LOCATION:40 Willcocks St\, Toronto\, ON M5S 1C6\, 40 Willcocks St\, Toronto\, ON\, M5S 1C6\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260224T123000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260224T143000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20260122T144253Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T172507Z
UID:601-1771936200-1771943400@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:Monthly meeting
DESCRIPTION:February Meeting Research Presentations \nJoin us February 24th 12:30-2:30 pm for student presentations\, followed by a discussion panel! Open to all students\, faculty\, and staff. Food and refreshments will be provided. \nNew College\, Wilson Hall\, Room 2007D – 40 Wilcocks Street. Enter the front sliding doors\, up the stairs\, and curve right around the staircase \n   \n“Somakai: Embodiment Revolutions”\nMitsuko Noguchi\, UTSG undergraduate \nMitsuko Noguchi is a Canadian intermedia artist\, dancer\, and performer exploring (dis)embodiment in immersive media technologies and the reverberations of trauma in the corporal and spiritual body. Mitsuko is in their final year of undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto as a Visual Studies Specialist in the Studio Stream\, and has worked as a research assistant and fellow for three years with the Japanese Canadian Arts and Activism Project (JCAAP). Mitsuko is also a commercial and VR actor represented by Inclusive Model and Talent Management (IMTM)\, and their foundation in circus arts fuses with stunts\, martial arts\, butoh dance\, and somatic arts training. \n“You May Never Get Better: A Review of Myself Reviewing the Literature on Anxiety Disorders and Autonomic Dysfunction”\nLinnea Sander\, UTM undergraduate \nLinnea Sander (he/they/xil) is a third-year Chemistry student at UTM minoring in Professional Writing and Communication as well as Drama and Dramaturgy Studies. He is also a multidisciplinary theatre artist with a degree in Professional Acting from John Abbott College in Montreal. Linnea firmly believes art and science benefit from each other and hopes to see more scientific creativity and artistic research. When it comes to his future\, Linnea hopes to construct his career around projects that combine science and the humanities. His last major project was a play featuring space science\, robots\, and dance. Linnea hopes he gets to do that type of thing for the rest of his life. \n“Why Healthcare Needs the Humanities”\nGillian Marr\, UTM undergraduate \nGillian Marr is a second-year undergraduate student studying English at UTM. She is heavily involved with the English and Drama Department as an LIA! executive\, a poetry editor for Folia Literary\, and the events associate for English with EDSS. Gillian is an avid reader and writer\, and aspires to become a published author. She intends to use her writing to encourage social change that creates an inclusive and beautiful world. \n 
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/february-meeting/
LOCATION:40 Willcocks St\, Toronto\, ON M5S 1C6\, 40 Willcocks St\, Toronto\, ON\, M5S 1C6\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260317T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260317T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20260122T144328Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260313T201459Z
UID:603-1773759600-1773766800@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:Monthly meeting
DESCRIPTION:Join us March 17th from 3-5pm for student presentations and discussion panel! Open to all students\, faculty\, and staff. Food and refreshments will be provided. \nJoin us in person at New College\, Wilson Hall\, Room 2007D – 40 Wilcocks Street \nOr on Zoom\, https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/86718836726 (Meeting ID: 867 1883 6726\, Passcode: 827181) \n  \nThis month we look forward to the following presentations: \n“Supporting Our Students’ Mental Health” \nDr. Lauren Brown \nVic One Faculty & Health Promotion Liaison \nDr. Lauren Brown is a scholar-practitioner working in the field of post-secondary student mental health with an emphasis on mental health literacy and education. She has been recognized by the University of Toronto for her excellence in research through the Inlight Student Mental Health Research Fellowship and her contribution to the institution through the Exemplary University of Toronto Ambassador Award. She is a Faculty member at Victoria College and a Health Promotion Liaison at Health & Wellness at the University of Toronto. \n“Look Again: A Meditative Museum Experience” \nMridula Sathyanarayanan \nUofT Undergraduate & Founder of Look Again ROM \nMridula is the creator behind Look Again. The collaboration with ROM only happened because someone from the museum attended her talk at the very first EASE lab presentation! After pitching the idea of meditative museum experience\, she spent a year researching and developing the experience through an independent study at New College — development of the Look Again program and the independent study was Supervised by Elli Weisbaum\, Asst. Professor Buddhism\, Psychology & Mental Health Program. \nMridula is in her fourth year at the University of Toronto\, studying neuroscience\, philosophy\, and Buddhist psychology\, an interdisciplinary combination that reflects her core interest in how meditation practices support individual and collective wellbeing. She has led a funded qualitative study with longtime Buddhist meditators in Toronto\, contributed to a mixed-methods project in Plum Village\, France\, and is collaborating with graduate students to edit an upcoming anthology of student-written mindfulness poems. \n 
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/march-meeting/
LOCATION:40 Willcocks St\, Toronto\, ON M5S 1C6\, 40 Willcocks St\, Toronto\, ON\, M5S 1C6\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260421T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260421T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20260122T144406Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260418T134822Z
UID:605-1776783600-1776790800@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:Monthly meeting
DESCRIPTION:We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday\, April 21\, 3-5 pm for our next EASE Lab presentation and discussion session! \nJoin us in person at New College\, Wilson Hall\, Room 2007D – 40 Wilcocks Street \nOr online via zoom (https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/83454298467 | Meeting ID: 834 5429 8467 | Passcode: 723612) \nOpen to all students\, faculty\, and staff. Food and refreshments will be provided. \nThis month\, we feature the following presentations: \nDr. Henry Shiu: “Engaging the Heart Sūtra as a Resource for Buddhist Contemplative Care” \nHenry Shiu is the Shi Wu De Professor in Chinese Buddhism at the University of Toronto. He has a strong research interest in Mahāyāna Buddhism in India\, China and Tibet\, with particular emphasis on historical and doctrinal studies of the Madhyamaka and Yogācāra traditions. \nThis presentation engages the Heart Sūtra as a living text with practical relevance for contemporary contexts\, particularly in the domain of contemplative care. This interpretive approach is informed by the hermeneutical theory of Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834) and shaped by\, and adapted from\, Tibetan Buddhist meditative traditions\, particularly the Dzogchen tradition. \nKyobin Hwang: “Illuminating the Culture of Medicine: Burnout and the Role of Applied Mindfulness Among Physicians Who Serve and Identify with Equity-Deserving Groups” \nGrounded in her interest in improving physician wellness\, Kyobin’s work explores how burnout is shaped by the culture of medicine\, particularly among physicians who serve and identify with equity-deserving communities. Through a qualitative study of a 5-week applied mindfulness program\, this project examines how intentional practices like reflection\, presence\, and self-compassion can help physicians navigate emotional strain\, systemic challenges\, and competing roles. Kyobin is a medical student at U of T.
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/april-meeting/
LOCATION:40 Willcocks St\, Toronto\, ON M5S 1C6\, 40 Willcocks St\, Toronto\, ON\, M5S 1C6\, Canada
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20260519T150000
DTEND;TZID=UTC:20260519T170000
DTSTAMP:20260421T232007
CREATED:20260122T144444Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260122T144444Z
UID:607-1779202800-1779210000@easelab.ca
SUMMARY:Monthly meeting
DESCRIPTION:Hold the date!
URL:https://easelab.ca/event/may-meeting-2/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR