Podcast - CRAM Ideas

The CRAM Podcast

The CRAM Podcast was born out of the CRAM learning festival launched in 2019. The goal is the same: to bring novel and innovative research and ideas to the public. Journalist Mary Ito interviews leading researchers and big thinkers from across Canada. We look at the evolution of work, the re-imagining of home and community, and our changing relationship to the world.

Link to your favourite podcast platform below:

Apple Podcast

What the media is saying about the CRAM Podcast!

The CRAM Learning Festival

On April 5, 2019, CRAM was born. The first learning festival of its kind in Canada, the goal of CRAM was to bridge the gap between research and the public. Universities are brimming with innovations and novel ideas yet most of this knowledge never reaches the public. CRAM enabled Toronto's four universities to open their doors and invite everyone to participate in a free night of new ideas. An opportunity to learn about bold concepts that are revolutionizing the way we live and work. We hope to mount another CRAM festival when it's safe to do so. In the meantime, check out a recap of some of our events below:

*PLEASE NOTE: Ryerson University changed its name to Toronto Metropolitan University in April 2022.

Coralee McLaren

Dancers and Nurses – When Their Worlds Intersect

Ryerson University*

Cherry Ng

Unravelling the History and Mysteries of Our Universe

University of Toronto

Amro Zayed

Busy Bees: The Secret Obsession of Nature’s Neatniks

York University

Doug Van Nort

Soundpainting: More Than Meets the Ear

York University

Patricia O’Campo

What Really Creates Better Mental Health?

University of Toronto

Hayden King

Welcome to My Territory, Please Leave: Politics of a Land Acknowledgement

Ryerson University*

Michele Mastroeni

Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Reversing Our Throwaway Culture

OCAD University

Alexis Morris

Will Our Future Be A+? Avatars, Agents and Adaptive A.I. Assistants

OCAD University

Testimonials from Participants

Couldn’t find one thing to be improved. Every aspect of this day was excellent.

I think CRAM is an antidote to cynicism, social isolation, anti-intellectualism, and intellectual elitism. It is civilizing in the best sense of the word.

The topics on offer this year were fascinating. More of the same next year!

It was so well organized! Bravo! I was impressed!

Incredible effort to put something like that together – so smoothly executed

Thank You to Our Founding Universities

CRAM would like to acknowledge the Leads from each university who were part of our core organizing committee that worked on every aspect of CRAM. We thank them for their vision, commitment - and a lot of hard work!

OCAD University
Karen Kwon, Project Manager, Office of Research & Innovation
Christine Crosbie, Manager, Communications & Media

Ryerson University
Naomi Adelson, Associate Vice-President, Research & Innovation
Natasha Ramnath, Project & Administrative Coordinator

University of Toronto
Stephannie Roy, Director, Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation
Helen Lasthiotakis, Executive Director, Strategic Partnerships & Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation.

York University
Rebecca Pillai Riddell, Associate Vice-President, Research
Shawna Teper, Government & Community Relations Officer, Office of the President

We'd also like to thank the many important people behind the scenes who were instrumental in supporting CRAM.

Thank You from Our Founding Universities

RYERSON UNIVERSITY
- Dr. Steven Liss: Vice President, Research and Innovation.
- Melanie Martin-Griem: Executive Director - Office of Vice President, Research and Innovation.
- Dr. Pamela Sugiman: Dean, Faculty of Arts.
- Dr. Kelly MacKay: Vice Provost Academic.
- Ralston Kwan: Event Management System Administrator - Ted Rogers School of Management.
- University Relations Communications, Marketing & Creatives Services.
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
- The many U of T colleagues who provided advice, support and helped promote CRAM.
- Academic and Campus Events.
- School of Cities, University of Toronto.
- The Jackman Humanities Institute, University of Toronto.
- The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Toronto.
- The Dunlap Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto Science Rendezvous.
OCAD UNIVERSITY
- Everyone in the Office of Research & Innovation for their ongoing support.
- The OCAD Marketing & Communications department, Facilities & Studio Services, Security Services, our Galleries System, and the President’s Office.
- Our speakers and all those involved that helped to make this event great!
YORK UNIVERSITY
- Dr. Rhonda Lenton, President and Vice Chancellor.
- Dr. Rob Haché, Vice President Research & Innovation.
- Ijade Maxwell Rodrigues, Chief, Community & Government Relations.
- Jeff O’Hagan, Vice President Advancement.
- Carol McAulay, Vice President Finance & Administration.
- Lisa Philipps, Provost and Vice President Academic.
- Liz McMahan, Senior Planner, Ceremonies & Events Operations, Advancement Services and Operations.
- Melanie Wilmink, PhD Student, York University.
- Everyone in Communications & Public Affairs.
- Our speakers, community partners and all those who helped to make this event a success.

About The Founder

Mary Ito

CRAM Founder

Friends are great. And sometimes big, crazy ideas can happen when you’re talking with a friend. That’s how CRAM was born. The idea that every university in Toronto would open their doors for one night and “unleash” novel research and big ideas to the public. Maybe the seed was always there with my work as a journalist. I’m turned on by knowledge but I think most people are - we have a huge appetite for discovery. I see CRAM as a way for people, no matter what their education or financial status, to come together, learn as a community, and celebrate a city bursting with ideas and the possibilities of tomorrow.

Mary Ito has been a Toronto based broadcast journalist for over 30 years

Additional Thank Yous

OUR FABULOUS SPEAKERS!
Taien Ng-Chan, Patrick Alcedo, Doug Van Nort, Laurence Harris, Amro Zayed, Rhonda Lenton, Jenny Foster, Shannon Holness, Karen Burke, Richard Marsella, Celia Haig-Brown, Graham Wakefield, Alison Humphrey, Evan Light, Coralee McLaren, Vicki St. Denys, Anatoliy Gruzd, Jonathan Farrar, Eliza Chandler, Alex Ferworn, Blake Fitzpatrick, Vid Ingelevics, Hayden King, Alexandra Fiocco, Annette Bailey, Renee Bailey, Art Blake, Sowmya Somanath, Michael Mastroeni, Alexis Morris, James Miller, Peter Coppin, Andrea Most, Goldie Nejat, Patricia O’Campo, Sarah Kaplan, Cherry Ng, Mario Grech, David Wolfe, Mark Fox, Peter Wittek, Jeffrey Rosenthal, Kathleen Gallagher, Scott Mealey, Christine Balt, Sherry Bie, Brooke Charlebois, Nancy Cardwell, Matt Russo, Stephen Hwang.

OUR UNIVERSITIES!
Please see our Founding Universities acknowledgement and school leads Rebecca Pillai Riddell, Shawna Teper, Stephannie Roy, Helen Lasthiotakis, Naomi Adelson, Natasha Ramnath, Karen Kwon and Christine Crosbie who were instrumental in the creation of CRAM. We also want to recognize all the people at OCAD U, Ryerson, U of T and York who worked hard to support CRAM.

OUR DONORS AND SPONSORS!
Founding Partners: Marilyn and Charles Baillie, The Delaney Family, The Michael and Sonja Koerner Charitable Foundation. Official Media Sponsor CBC Toronto – thanks to the many folks both on-air and off at CBC Radio, Television and Online. Special thanks to Liana Peart and Alan Habbick. Community Media Partner: StarMetroland Media In-kind Sponsors: TTC, D’Angela Sorrenti, The Printing House, Harper Collins Canada

OUR CRAM ADVISORY BOARD!
Chief Adviser Rupert Duchesne, Tony Caldwell, Nick Davis, Karen Webb, Amy Hoffman, Christine Terashita, Ashley Prime.

OTHER ADVISERS!
Kelly Peckham, Dan Dunsky, Ann Jansen, Alison Fryer, Ken LeClair, Liz Kohn, Art Ito, Cheryl Kim. Special thanks to Janice Fukakusa, Chancellor at Ryerson, and Prof. Kent Harber of Rutgers University.

OTHER SUPPORTERS!
Cary Rothbart, Marichka Melnyk, Shawn St. Michael, Mary Gordon, Martha Durdin, Alan Sears, Keith Vanderlinde, Alison Liphardt, Kathryn Lee, Dina Pugliese, Dennis Findlay, Cameron Bailey, Noreen Taylor, Patrick Crean, Peter Herndorrf, Geoffrey Chown, Gary Kawaguchi, James Heron, Samantha Yammine, Sherry Naylor, Amy Cook, John Preece, Lisa Zarzeczny, Cort Egan, Sean Bettam, Mike Evans, Alice Ko, Becky Fong, Meeling Lum, Johnny Wong, Donna Letchford, Shannon Kyles, Monda Rosenberg, Sylvie Maclean, Steve Paikin, Sarah Michaelis, Joy Takahashi, Alex Koh, Kevin Imrie, Sandra Gionas, Zeelaf Majeed, Steve Tzemis, Dalton Higgins, Michael and Valerie Bonacini. Toronto Public Libraries, the ROM, the AGO, the Gardiner Museum, the ArQuives and all the other organizations, groups and people who helped promote CRAM.

FLUID EVENTS with a special thank you to Sabrina Roy for her incredible event know-how and commitment to CRAM.

The team at PUBLIC INC. whose expertise and imagination elevated every aspect of the event.

The many VOLUNTEERS who donated their precious time and energy

And of course EVERYONE who came! We truly hope you learned something new and inspiring.

I know I’ve forgotten someone! Thank you for helping make CRAM a reality in 2019!!

Mary
PS Thanks Carlo, Michael, Mark and Sarah. You’ll see more of me I promise!

The CRAM Podcast

The CRAM Learning Festival

Coralee McLaren

Cherry Ng

Amro Zayed

Doug Van Nort

Patricia O’Campo

Hayden King

Michele Mastroeni

Alexis Morris

Testimonials from Participants

RYERSON UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

OCAD UNIVERSITY

YORK UNIVERSITY

Additional Thank Yous