#5 Nerd Nite Hamilton – 8th January, 2024
Talk #1: The Personality Landscape & the Search for Meaning
What is human personality and why does it matter? I address this question in my talk by introducing the audience to some of the big ideas in contemporary personality psychology. I begin by reviewing what is arguably the most widely researched model of personality in all of psychology, the Big Five, along with the related notion of “personality traits.” Through a series of vignettes, I demonstrate some useful ways of thinking about personality traits and how these exist in our everyday lives. Backed by scientific research and clinical experience, this talk aims to highlight the importance of knowing one’s personality type in leading a meaningful life.
Speaker Info: Dr. Garri Hovhannisyan, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in supervised practice at the Centre for Interpersonal Relationships and the Centre for Psychology and Emotional Health in downtown Toronto. Garri provides adult individual and couples psychotherapy services and psychological assessments for a wide range of difficulties. Garri’s clinical approach is grounded in the existential, humanistic, and psychoanalytic traditions, and his research is on the relationship between human personality and perception. You can learn more about Garri and his work in the world of psychology by visiting his webpage here: https://garrihovha.ca/
Talk #2: Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings? Why Sensation Matters in an Age of Symbols
In our youth, we are taught to hold reason above ‘base’ visceral urges. As adults, we can paradoxically find ourselves feeling numb and joyless, languishing when to the outside eye we ought to content and happy. It seems like the modern understanding of mental life is missing a critical ingredient for happiness- the role of sensation in promoting mental balance. In this presentation, Prof. Farb will discuss a series of studies that recast feeling depressed as a state of sensory deactivation. Conversely, many evidence-based therapies including mindfulness training and cognitive therapy, appear to promote sensory engagement. This evidence raises the question: does a mature curriculum for living include practices in sense foraging and toggling between sensory and conceptual modes of being?
Speaker Info: Norman Farb, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where he directs the Regulatory and Affective Dynamics laboratory (www.radlab.zone). He studies the psychology of well-being, focusing on mental habits, such as how we think about ourselves and interpret our emotions. He is particularly interested in why people differ in their resilience to stress, depression, and anxiety. Prof. Farb’s work currently explores online training to support wellbeing, as well as neuroimaging to understand how emotional reactions predict wellbeing across the lifespan.
Talk #3: Electric Power Grids: Facts, Myths and Sustainability.
Understanding the requirements of a power grid and its infrastructure. What are the sources of our
electrical power supplies and are they sustainable, clean and renewable. How electricity is actual made in abundance to supply a city’s needs and when demand goes up. Including the role of Ontario’s GA (Global Adjustment) policy to help supplement power demands. Energy recovery usage from prime power off grid facilities.
Speaker Info: Aurel Carina has a degree in Engineering from McMaster University, in addition to holding two professional journeymen licenses; mechanical and EPG (electric power generation). Aurel has worked in the energy sectors for approximately 30 years. He started his career on oil platforms and in various roles worldwide, until he took a role with the local Caterpillar dealership, (where he was a technical instructor). Throughout the last 15 years, he has been involved with the Power Systems group, where he has been installing, commissioning and maintaining electric power systems in both commercial marine, and land base.