International Engagement
Culture
How Michel Tremblay became a Scottish sensation
Playwright Michel Tremblay is one of Quebec’s most revered artists, but his works have also been celebrated in Scotland, thanks to the Scots translations of his plays by Martin Bowman, BA’67, MA’69, and Bill Findlay. Those translations were recently collected in the two-volume Michel Tremblay: Plays in Scots.
Society
Determined to give them back their names
Forensic scientist Cristina Cattaneo, BSc’87, heads up an effort in Italy to identify migrants who have perished in their attempts to reach Europe. “It’s important for the living, not just for the dignity of the dead.”
People
Levelling the playing field
As its director-general, Olivier Niggli, MBA’06, leads the World Anti-Doping Agency’s efforts to promote fair play and punish cheating at international sports events.
Discovery
A more inclusive vision of law
Over the course of her career, McGill law professor Adelle Blackett has never been shy about questioning the status quo. Her work has altered the landscape for domestic workers in dozens of countries and for Black academics in Canada.
Discovery
This top marine ecologist puts an emphasis on hope
Don’t tell Carlos Duarte, PhD’87, the oceans are dying. He’s heard it before, as one of the world’s most respected marine ecologists, and he has a clear message for those who lament about the state of marine ecosystems: “We’re within reach to achieve a positive future for our oceans but we have to stop focusing on […]
People
“My career started here”
Moshe Safdie, BArch’61, LLD’82, is one of the world’s most celebrated architects. It all began with Montreal’s iconic Habitat 67, a bold housing complex that started off as a McGill thesis project. It made Safdie a star – but it almost derailed his promising career.
Society
How an award-winning school in Uganda began as a McGill student project
While studying at McGill, Andrea Charbonneau and Farah Williamson created a student group to help children in a war-torn, poverty-stricken area of northern Uganda. Years later, those efforts have resulted in Wakadogo, a school that is changing young lives and earning international accolades.
People
From McGill law to Canadian business leaders in Asia
Caroline Bérubé set out to find her niche in the legal profession and became a serial entrepreneur along the way. Amélie Dionne-Charest became an entrepreneur “by accident”.
People
Redefining architecture for a new era
Thanks to her firm’s imaginative designs, her focus on the implications of climate change, and her inclusive vision for her profession’s future, Amale Andraos, BSc(Arch)’94, BArch’96, has been winning acclaim as both an architect and an educator.
Culture
A recipe for bridging differences
Breaking Bread, a new documentary by Beth Elise Hawk, BA’89, shines a spotlight on a unique food festival in Israel in which Arab and Jewish chefs join forces to bring new life to old recipes. The word “mouthwatering” appears frequently in reviews of the film.
Discovery
The case for Solidarity in the battle against COVID-19
In February, as the evidence mounted that SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, was spreading to a growing number of countries across the globe, a select group of medical experts travelled to the World Health Organization's headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, for a special planning session.
Society
A potential “turning point” for international human rights
McGill law professor Payam Akhavan has been serving as legal counsel for the government of Bangladesh, a country that has received a million Rohingyan refugees from Myanmar. Most of those refugees are occupying Kutupalong, a former wildlife refuge, which became the world’s largest refugee camp in 2018. In April of that year, Akhavan drafted legal […]