Summer conferences brought visitors

Concordia was among the host institutions at the 14th annual World Congress of Sociology, which brought about 4,500 scholars to Montreal's Palais de Congrès from all over the world.

Professor William Reimer was a member of the organizing committee, and in the weeks leading up to the event, held July 26 to August 1, Professor Susan Hoecker-Drysdale and graduate student Jennifer
Perzow seemed to be everywhere
at once.

They organized a festival of Canadian film in the J.A. DeSève Cinema, an innovation that is likely to be taken up at future conferences. They also arranged for students to provide incidental music every evening as delegates gathered to relax.

Reimer was delighted with all the positive feedback he received from delegates, and with the excellent coverage by local media, particularly francophone broadcasters and press. Conference sessions covered many topics, but common issues were those of language and ethnic relations, and the future of work.

Back in May, the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute sponsored a summer session in Canadian studies at Concordia for a group of visiting Indian academics about to tour Canada on Shastri research fellowships.

Among the Concordia faculty who took part in the week-long orientation session were Professors Reeta Tremblay, Daniel Salée, Guy Lachapelle, Balbir Sahni, Lucy Lequin, Sherry Simon, Bill Reimer, and Diane Sauvé (Libraries).

The North American Congress of Educators for Peace held a three-day conference at Concordia in August. Religion Professor Sheila McDonough, a member of the organization, helped to host the event.

The Second Joint Canada-Japan Workshop on Composites was held here August 19 to 21, and Mechanical Engineering Professor S.V. Hoa, one of Concordia's busiest researchers, was the organizing chair.

This growing field of versatile building materials includes thermoplastics, smart composites, textiles, and ceramic/metal/polymer hybrids. The conference was sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Bombardier/Canadair Military Division, Kyoto Institute of Technology and Concordia's Centre for Composites.