Jane Koustas, Academic Convenor for Congress 2014, Brock University

It is my pleasure as Academic Convener for Congress 2014 to welcome you to Brock University and the Niagara region this May to explore borders without boundaries.

As host institution for this year’s gathering, we’ve been hard at work preparing a robust academic and cultural program that we hope will be as intellectually provoking as it is entertaining.

This is the made-at-Brock component of Congress 2014. Or what we like to call, “Congress Plus.”

On the academic side, we’re pleased to be hosting several interdisciplinary Canada-U.S. panels that will tackle such cross-border issues as the PhD surplus crisis, talent mobility and transnational research collaboration. We’re also pleased to be presenting a panel discussion that will examine WNED-TV Buffalo-Toronto’s The War of 1812 documentary from First Nations’, Canadian and American perspectives. 

Additionally, we’ve pulled together a debate series that will closely examine the sticky subject of copyright in academia. The series will touch upon such burning issues as fair dealing, open access, academic publishing and access copyright.

We’ve also curated a stimulating Thinkers Beyond Boundaries series that will showcase the breadth of our institution’s research culture, including creative work in the arts.

Our cultural program will feature Poetry Beyond Borders, live theatre and cabaret, and an augmented reality installation of computer-generated visual and musical art derived from multiple data sources including DNA and text — just to name a few.

And what visit to Niagara would be complete without an opportunity to sip some Niagara wines and check out the Shaw Festival? Don’t worry we’ve got it covered.

I look forward to you joining us as we celebrate scholarship and creativity in the academy and community, across disciplinary boundaries and geo-political borders, and as we create new spaces, real and virtual, in which we demonstrate that “ideas can.”