As a tribute to former Trent University president Dr. Leo Groarke ’24 (hon), the Philosophy department established the Groarke Debates. This biannual event brings two high-profile intellectuals to Trent to debate an urgent interdisciplinary topic of wide interest to the Trent and Peterborough communities. The debates are funded by the Groarke Philosophy Endowment.
The Next Debate
Speakers:
Dr. Klaas Kraay, Professor, Department of Philosophy, Toronto Metropolitan University
Dr. Paul Draper, Professor, Department of Philosophy, Purdue University
Topic:
Does God Exist?
Date and Time:
Thursday, March 5th, 2026
Time and Location To Be Announced
The Inaugural Groarke Debate 2024: "Artificial Intelligence-- Friend of Foe?"
The inaugural debate, "Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe?", will focus on the theme of the promises and perils of artificial intelligence. Two AI experts, Dr. Lai-Tze Fan and Dr. Makhan Virdi, will debate these issues from different perspectives.
Dr. Lai-Tze Fan
Dr. Lai-Tze Fan is the Canada Research Chair of Technology and Social Change, and an associate professor of Sociology & Legal Studies and English Literature at the University of Waterloo. She is also an associate professor II at the Center for Digital Narrative in the University of Bergen, Norway, and the founder and director of the U&AI Lab at Waterloo, which uses research-creation methods for enhanced EDI outcomes in AI design.
Fan’s work focuses on systemic inequities in technological design and labour, digital storytelling, research-creation, critical making, and media theory and infrastructure. She is on the board of directors of Waterloo’s TRuST scholarly network, targeting misinformation and trust in AI. Fan serves as an editor of the open-access journals electronic book review and the digital review.
Dr. Makhan Virdi
Dr. Makhan Virdi is a leading earth scientist and AI specialist with over a decade of experience at NASA, where he focused on earth and space sciences. Currently a lead research scientist at Science Systems and Applications, Inc., Virdi spearheads the development of AI-based frameworks for scientific analysis. He plays a key role in capacity building through his contributions to curriculum development and mentorship in the Data Science and AI Lab, Software Carpentry, and NASA-Openscapes initiatives.
Additionally, Virdi serves on the executive committee of the TRuST Scholarly Network at the University of Waterloo, which examines public trust in scientific research impacting medical, technological, and other domains crucial to daily life.
Passionate about the intersection of emerging technologies and societal impacts, Virdi’s research spans a broad range of applications of AI in fields such as earth science, climate extremes, hydrological forecasting, and atmospheric science. His prior role as science advisor at NASA's Atmospheric Science Data Center at Langley Research Center involved providing scientific direction and enhancing collaboration among NASA’s atmospheric science missions and the scientific community at large.
Watch the full debate here:
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