Talks

"Prompt/completion: Entextualizing and purifying multilingual training data in an open science project." Society for the social Studies of Science (4S) Annual Conference. Sept. 6, 2025.
“We Just Need to Run This By the Lawyers: Corporate Ethnography and the Reification of ‘Intellectual Property’” American Anthropological Association, Transitions 2023. Toronto, Nov. 15, 2023.
“A Linguistic Anthropologist Lost in the Wilds of NLP” at UBC Computational Linguistic Reading Group with Vered Shwartz. Sept. 14. (online).
“What Python Can’t Do: Language Ideologies in Programming Courses for Natural Language Processing ” at Technolinguistics in Practice: Socially Situating Language in AI Systems. University of Siegen, Germany, May 25, 2023.
“The Anthropology of Outer Space: An interdisciplinary approach to engaging undergraduates in space studies” at Astronomy Education 2023. Toronto, May 10-12, 2023.
“Local Contingencies: Modelling ‘Artificial Intelligence’ in Mid-Century America” at Big Data and the History and Philosophy of Science. (Online conference). Toronto, May 18-19, 2023.
“The Teenage Gaze: A Visual History of Moral Panics About Adolescent Behaviour” at Why the World Needs Anthropologists: Re/Generation. (Online contribution). Berlin, Sept. 23-25, 2022.
“The Metapragmatic Function of Machine Learning Algorithms” part of “Programming Anthropology: Coding and Culture in the Age of AI” at Anthropology, AI and the Future of Human Society, Royal Anthropological Institute. (Online Conference). June 10, 2022.
“Self-directed Online Learning of the Long Division Algorithm During the COVID Pandemic” at Centre for Science, Mathematics & Technology Education, OISE, University of Toronto (Online meeting). April 8, 2022.
“Semiosis in the Lab: Translating the Language of Practising Scientists” at Society for the Social Studies of Science, Annual Conference (Online conference), Oct 6 2021.
“The Aporia of Risk: Rejecting Health Care in the Age of Pharmaceutical Dominance” at American Anthropological Association Annual Conference, (Online conference), Baltimore, November 20, 2021.
“Emergent Metaphors of ‘Virtual’ and ‘Artificial’ in Computer Science in the 1950s” at Epistemology of the Large Hadron Collider, CERN. (Online workshop) March 19, 2021.
“Linguistic Anthropology Panel ‘Doing/Undoing Language’—The Ghost in the Production: Speaking of Time and Agency in an Archaeology Lab,” at Canadian Anthropology Society, London, Ontario. June 1, 2021 (Online workshop).
“Decomposing Master Texts: A Note on Language and Evolution” part of “Roundtable: Changing Worlds Through Material, Embodied Texts” at Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) 2021. (Online conference) March 2021.
“Three-Minute Thesis” at American Anthropological Association, Raising Our Voices. (Online conference). November 2020.
“The Network Effect: The Role of Institutional Ethnography in Tracing the Making of Facts” at American Anthropological Association Raising Our Voices. (Online conference). November 2020.
“The Ghost in the Machine: Structural Metaphors in the ‘Golden Age’ of Artificial Intelligence Research, 1956-1976,” at Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, U.K. (Online workshop) May 15, 2020.
“The Aporia of Risk: Rejecting Health Care in the Age of Pharmaceutical Dominance,” at Medusa: University of Toronto Anthropology Graduate Student Conference, Toronto, March 5, 2020
“The Ghost in the Production: Speaking of Time and Agency in an Archaeology Lab” for Time at the University, Ethnography Lab, University of Toronto, Toronto, Dec 5, 2019.
“The Extended Life of Things: The Life and Afterlife of Words” for the American Anthropological Association & Canadian Anthropological Society Joint Conference, Vancouver, Nov. 20, 2019
“The Future is in Teenage Hands: Using semiotics to reveal our existential fear of the next generation” for Medusa, University of Toronto Anthropology Graduate Student Conference, March 28, 2019
“Using Video Games to Teach Inquiry in the Science Classroom” for the Science Teachers Association of Ontario Conference, Toronto, Nov 10-11, 2017
“Forward Vision Games: Building Financial Capacity” for First Nations Economic Advancement Conference, Toronto, October 10-12, 2017
“How Do You Build VR to Teach?” for VRTO Annual Conference, Toronto, June 26, 2017
“Game Jam: Using Games to Explore Advocacy and Engagement” for Ontario Library Association Digital Odyssey, Toronto, June 9, 2017
“Is Virtual Reality Ready for the Science Centre Exhibit Floor?” for Canadian Association of Science Centres, 15th Annual Conference, Toronto, May 6, 2017
“Elearning: Boring People Since 1992” for Online Learning Consortium: Innovate, New Orleans, April 6, 2017
“Create Blended Learning That Works” for Online Learning Consortium: Innovate, New Orleans, April 5, 2017
“Game Jam: Using Games to Explore Advocacy and Engagement” for Canadian Association of Science Centres, 14th Annual Conference, Vancouver, May 7, 2016
“Panel: Designing for DIY” for Transitions: Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, Toronto, March 24, 2016
Compass For Success Working Group Roundtable, Feb 18, 2016
“From Idea to Market” for Les Tablettistes, Toronto, Feb 17, 2016
Science Coordinators and Consultants of Ontario, Annual Meeting, Nov 11, 2015
6th Annual Canadian Edtech Leadership Summit, Mindshare Learning, Oct 27, 2015
“No More Vanity Metrics: Granular Assessment Within STEM Games” for STEMfest, Saskatoon, Sept 29, 2015
“Telling Stories Through Online Games” for Hawaiian Science Teachers Association, Honolulu, Sept 12, 2015
“How to Prove Your Edtech Product Works” for Impact 8: Work & Learning, Centre for Impact Investing, MaRS, Toronto, April 24, 2015
“Changing the Education System in Ontario”, Systems Thinking Ontario, OCADU, Toronto, ON, April 15, 2015
“Inquiry-based Learning and the Lean Startup Model” at Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educations Professional Development Program, University of Toronto Faculty of Astronomy & Astrophysics, Toronto, ON, April 15, 2015
“Possible Canadas: Education” at RECODE Summit, McConnell Foundation, Toronto, ON, Jan 19, 2015
Judge, Innovation Incubator, SIIA EdTech Industry Summit, New York City, Dec 9, 2014
“Badges for Learning: Creating Your Own Path” Panel discussion, MaRS Best Practices, Toronto, ON, Oct 10, 2014
“The MaRS Model for Change in EDU”, Google Apps for Education Summit, Toronto, ON, May 28, 2014
“Can-Am Partnerships in Education Technology”, Panel Discussion at CONNECT 2014, Niagara Falls, ON, May 9, 2014
“State of the Nation: Education Innovation in Canada,” ORION Think Conference, Toronto, ON, April 15, 2014
The Agenda Meetup with Steve Paikin, TVO, MaRS, Toronto, ON, April 3, 2014
EdTech Canada SXSWedu After-Party, SXSWedu, Austin, TX, March 5, 2014
Innovation Bootcamp for Educators, SXSWedu, Austin, TX, March 3, 2014
Judge, Innovation Incubator, SIIA EdTech Industry Summit, New York City, Dec 11, 2013
“Nature or nurture: Can you teach entrepreneurship?”, Higher Ed: Beyond the Buzzwords”, HEQCO, Toronto, ON, Nov 7, 2013
“Value Proposition” at Entrepreneurship 101, MaRSDD, Toronto, ON, Oct 30, 2013
“Learn With Your Hands – EdTechTO/Hive Toronto Meetup” at Mozilla, Toronto, ON, July 22, 2013
“Crowd sourcing: Innovations bred by austerity” at Worldviews Conference on Media and Higher Education, Toronto, ON, June 20, 2013
“Who are the MOOC users? Insights from media and higher education” at Worldviews Conference on Media and Higher Education, Toronto, ON, June 21, 2013
“State of EdTech start-ups in Canada” at CONNECT2013: Canada’s Learning and Technology Conference, Niagara Falls ON, May 7, 2013
“Identifying Albertan and Canadian edtech innovators” at EdInnovation, Calgary, AB, May 2, 2013
“Future Leaders” at The British Council Roundtable Discussion on Higher Education’s Role in Entrepreneurship and Employability, Toronto, ON, March 25, 2013
“The Double Bottom Line for Education Entrepreneurs” at SXSWEdu, Austin TX, March 5, 2013
Conference Chair at Educational Strategies for K-12 Schools, Colleges and Universities, Toronto, ON, Feb 26-27, 2013
“How do Education Entrepreneurs Measure Their Impact on Student Learning?” Ontario Education Research Symposium, Toronto, ON, Feb 14, 2013
Tea Talk at I.c.stars, Chicago, IL, Feb 4, 2013
“Becoming an Education Entrepreneur” at Kellogg School of Management (http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu ), Chicago, IL, Feb 5, 2013
“Lean Workshop: Venture in an Hour” at Lean Startup Conference, Toronto, ON, Dec 3, 2012
“Grassroots Opportunities” at Mobilize Desire2Learn Symposium, Kitchener, ON, Nov 27, 2012
“Online, Open, Creative Communities: ArtsSmarts Open” at Cultivating Creative Communities: Arts, Education and Spaces for Successful 21st Century Learning, Calgary, AB, Nov 15, 2012
“Entrepreneur’s Toolkit: Business Model Generation for K-12 Business Teachers” at OBEA Conference, Kitchener, ON, Nov 3, 2012
“Designing a Value Proposition” at Entrepreneurship 101, Toronto, ON, Oct 31, 2012
“EduConnect #ECTO” at XConnect (Third Ocean), Toronto, ON, May 30, 2012
Liberal Party of Canada, Annual General Meeting, Ottawa, ON, Sept 29, 2012
Conference Chair at Art, Science and the Brain: New Methods of Learning for the 21st Century, Toronto, ON, Oct 31-Nov 2, 2011
Event Chair at MaRS Education Cluster Venture Pitch Day, Toronto, ON, Nov 3, 2011
“How do researchers adapt to the media” at WorldViews Conference on Media and Higher Education, Toronto, ON, Jun 17, 2011
“Changing the Education System in Ontario” at GovCamp, Toronto ON, June 8, 2011