Some of the world’s leading experts in their respective fields have taken part in the Hopper Lecture at the University of Guelph.
The Guelph Institute of Development Studies (GIDS) is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the lecture in the month of October. The Institute is marking the occasion with speaker Leanne Betasamosake Simpson on Thurs. Oct. 19 who will deliver a lecture titled ‘Theories of Water’.
The Hopper Lecture began in 1993 and was named after David Hopper, the president of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). Hopper is a former agriculture economics professor at the university.
“We discovered that a number of people who were affiliated with IDRC also had University of Guelph connections,” said Andrea Paras, a director at GIDS.
“The university has hosted one the oldest international development studies programs in the country. So it made sense that the collaboration started.”
One of the more famous speakers to appear at the Hopper Lecture was in 1999 when Francisco Sagasti, an engineer from Lima, Peru, spoke about the future of development cooperation. He would become the President of Peru in 2020.
An endowment by the IDRC allowed the university to invite many high-profile speakers from around the world. The topics focus mostly on the more challenging issues facing the world today.
“The environment, poverty, and equality, and to help us think through how to tackle these issues,” Paras said.
The Hopper Lecture is free for the public to attend regardless of whether you are a student at the University of Guelph. Guest speakers can also speak on the subject at a second university of their choice.
“It’s an opportunity for us to reach out to audiences both within the university and beyond,” said Paras who added the lectures are always very well attended.
More information on the Hopper Lecture can be found by going to their website.
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