Curiosity in Focus

Daniel sat down with fellow archaeologist Sarah Ranlett to learn about the discovery of the earliest art created by humans in Europe!

Daniel sat down with science communicator Kiron Mukherjee to reflect on their experiences at the 2017 Ontario BioBlitz - an outreach citizen science event where scientists and the public get together and survey biodiversity in habitats of importance. This year's event was set in the Rouge National Urban Park!

Daniel sat down with Conor McDonnell - a pediatric anesthesiologist, poet, and martial arts practitioner. Conor has published writing and poetry in the Montreal Review, the Steel Chisel, poetryrepairs.com, Paul Vermeersch’s Sunrise with Sunmonsters project, the Fiddlehead, Carousel magazine, and the Scrivener Creative Review. In 2016, he published The Book of Retaliations with Anstruther Press. In 2017, he plans to publish his second book, Safe Spaces.

Andrew Graham, an archaeologist currently working in the Republic of Georgia, called in to Curiosity in Focus to discuss his work with the GRAPE project. GRAPE (Gadachrili Gora Regional Archaeological Project Expedition) is an international multidisciplinary research project investigating the emergence of farming economies in the South Caucasus. Daniel and Andrew talked about archaeology, the current plight of the social sciences, and what scholars should be doing to save the discipline!

Daniel sat down with Richard Zane Smith, Catherine Tammaro, Steven Dorland, and Lindi Masur at the Gardiner museum to talk about traditional Wyandot pottery, cultural revitalization, resistance, and the importance of tradition. 

Music: Joakim Karud - Waves (Vlog No Copyright Music)

Music provided by Vlog No Copyright Music.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/VMghJ_civuM

Daniel had the opportunity to chat with Canadian actor, writer, director, and stuntman Simu Liu. Simu is a Canadian Screen Award nominee best known for his role as Jung on the CBC TV sitcom Kim's Convenience. They talked about whitewashing, problematic castings in mainstream media, the broader trend of Asian erasure in pop culture, and the world of online dating.

Music: Joakim Karud - Waves 

Joakim Karud - https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud

https://facebook.com/joakimkarudmusic

https://twitter.com/JoakimKarud

https://youtube.com/user/JoakimKarud

Daniel sat down with Mario Garisto, the owner of Sorella Toronto - a restaurant that offers traditional, homemade Italian sausages using a recipe passed down from his great grandmother. They discussed the importance of food, Italian culture, and community in Toronto!

Music: Joakim Karud - Waves 

Joakim Karud - https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud

https://facebook.com/joakimkarudmusic

https://twitter.com/JoakimKarud

https://youtube.com/user/JoakimKarud

Daniel sat down with fellow podcaster Christopher Sims to talk about the Go Dig a Hole podcast, archaeology, building a brand outside of academia, and how to start your own podcast!

Welcome back to season three of Curiosity in Focus! For this episode, Daniel sat down with Vincent Luk, a Toronto-based photographer and videographer. Vincent's work has been used extensively at the Royal Ontario Museum. He is also the Program Manager and instructor for the Fleming College Environmental Visual Communication Post-Graduate Program, co-founder of Hello Foto Inc, owner of Hello Studios, and founder/organizer of the Parkdale Flea. 

Music: Joakim Karud - Waves 

Joakim Karud - https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud

https://facebook.com/joakimkarudmusic

https://twitter.com/JoakimKarud

https://youtube.com/user/JoakimKarud

Science is under attack. Censorship, budget cuts, disappearing data, and threats to shut down government agencies put the pursuit of knowledge at risk. On April 22nd, people who support science are taking a public stand. Daniel sat down with Michelle Cameron and Sarah-Louise Decrausaz of Humans in 5 - an educational series that explores the story of humanity - to discuss the nature and importance of science.