The Blue Hour
The Blue Hour is a dialogue-driven podcast about life, literature, science, philosophy, and everything in between. It features thoughtful conversations that explore ideas across disciplines and everyday experience. The show is produced in association with CiTR and Discorder Magazine.
Episodes
Evolution in a Rapidly Changing World — Dr. Sally Otto
In this conversation, I speak with Sally Otto, University Killam Professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia, Fellow of both the Royal Society of Canada and the United Kingdom’s Royal Society, member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. We discuss the possibilities and limits of evolution through three recent research
AI Art and Artists: A Conversation with Dr. Dominic McIver Lopes
In this conversation, I speak with Dominic McIver Lopes, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and University Killam Professor at UBC. In a dozen books and around eighty articles, he has offered new conceptions of aesthetic value, art, and the relationship between art and technology, especially new information technologies. He advocates for pluralism about artistic and aesthetic value and is cur
Strengthening X̱aad Kíl: Haida Language Immersion with Dr. Jasḵwaan Bedard
In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Jasḵwaan Bedard, a Haida language educator and advocate from G̱aw Tlagée, Massett, Haida Gwaii, and Assistant Professor in the Indigenous Languages Program in the Department of Linguistics at Simon Fraser University. Jasḵwaan’s work centres on X̱aad Kíl, the Old Massett or Northern Haida language, and on immersion, pedagogy, translation, transcription and
Stella Harvey: The Writing Life and Her New Novel, Disruption
In this conversation, I speak with writer Stella Harvey about her newest novel, Disruption, a story set in a fractured future shaped by pandemic, environmental damage, political division, surveillance and fear. At its centre is Kitianna, a young woman whose desire to write, ask questions and understand what lies beyond the wall surrounding her world gradually becomes dangerous. Through her story,
Dr. Leigh VanHandel on How Music Works — and How We Understand It
In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Leigh VanHandel, Associate Professor of Music Theory at UBC’s School of Music, whose research brings together music theory, music cognition, rhythm and meter, the relationship between music and language, and the ways we teach and learn music. Leigh began university as a science major, intending to pursue genetic engineering, before returning to the music tha
Hrishabh Srivastava: Probing Dark Matter with Nature’s Magnifying Glass
In this conversation, I speak with Hrishabh Srivastava, a PhD student in Astronomy at the University of British Columbia and a member of the Euclid Strong Lensing Science Working Group. Originally trained in materials engineering and data science at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Hrishabh transitioned into astrophysics, where his research focuses on strong gravitational lensing, dark m
The Psychology of Climbing — Patrick Boudreau on Flow, Performance and Nature
In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Patrick Boudreau, a postdoctoral fellow at the Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre and Concordia University, about the psychology of climbing and our experiences of physical activity in nature. We discuss flow and other psychological states associated with excellent performance, why outdoor climbing can feel psychologically different from climbing indoors, a
Perpetual Evolution — A Conversation with Federica Mingolla, One of Italy’s Most Renowned Climbers
In this conversation, I speak with Federica Mingolla, one of Italy’s most renowned climbers, about climbing, freedom, ambition, motherhood, and the ways our lives and identities continue to evolve. Federica is an Italian professional climber, alpinist and mountain guide. Born in Turin in 1994, she began climbing as a teenager and went on to build a career spanning sport climbing, multi-pitch rout
Why We Climb: Sophie Alexander on Identity and Belonging
In this conversation, I speak with Sophie Alexander, a Master’s student in Kinesiology at the University of Victoria, whose research explores the relationship between climbing, physical activity, identity development and belonging. Sophie Alexander is a Master’s student in Kinesiology at the University of Victoria, where her research examines how climbing, social experience and a sense of belongi
Why Consumers Reject Cheaper, Cleaner Cars — Dr. Werner Antweiler on the Economics of Electric-Vehicle Adoption
In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Werner Antweiler, an economist and Associate Professor at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, where he holds the Chair in International Trade Policy and chairs the Strategy and Business Economics Division. He is also an associate editor of the journal *Resource and Energy Economics* and a faculty member of UBC’s Clean Energy Research Centre. Educated at the Uni
Dr. Jennifer Kramer on Nuxalk Strong: Dancing Down the Eyelashes of the Sun
In this conversation, I speak with Jennifer Kramer. She is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia and Curator of the Pacific Northwest at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology. She holds a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Columbia University and has worked with the Nuxalk Nation since 1994. For more than two decades, she has worked alongside Indigenous artists, knowledg
Inside the Audain Art Museum: In Conversation with Dr. Curtis Collins
In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Curtis Collins, Executive Director of the Audain Art Museum in Whistler, British Columbia. Few museum directors have experienced Canada’s artistic and cultural life as broadly as Curtis Collins. Over more than three decades, he has led galleries, museums and arts institutions across six provinces and one territory—from Fredericton to Dawson City, from Regina
In Conversation with Dr. Sonia Del Re: The Intimate Life of Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Canada
In this conversation, I speak with Sonia Del Re, Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings at the National Gallery of Canada. Sonia Del Re holds a Master’s degree in Museology and a PhD in Art History. She first interned at the National Gallery of Canada in 2004–05 and officially joined its curatorial team in 2006. Today, she oversees a remarkable collection of more than 27,000 works of art on paper
In Conversation with Professor Philip Stamp: Superfluid Helium and Quantum Vacuum Tunnelling
Professor Philip Stamp is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of British Columbia and Director of the Pacific Institute of Theoretical Physics, known as PITP, which he returned to Canada to establish in 2002. Mostly raised in New Zealand and educated in the United Kingdom, Professor Stamp began his academic life in philosophy and literature before turning to theoretical physics. He
When Bells Spoke: A Conversation with Musicologist Dr. Alex Fisher
The Blue Hour: Sackbuts, Soundscapes, Bells, and Reformation Germany My interview with Professor Alex Fisher is now available as a podcast. In this conversation, I speak with Professor Fisher about bells, early music, soundscapes, weather, ritual, and the religious worlds of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Germany. Alex Fisher is Professor in the UBC School of Music, where he coordinates Ear
In Conversation with Dr. Paul Bartha: Precautionary Reasoning and Analogical Reasoning
In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Paul Bartha, Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, about precautionary reasoning and analogical reasoning. Dr. Bartha works in Logic, Decision Theory and Philosophy of Science, and is one of the leading philosophers of analogical reasoning. He is the author of *By Parallel Reasoning: The Construction and Evaluation of Analogical Argu
Opera, Vienna, and Cultural Exchange: In Conversation with Claudio Vellutini
In this conversation, I speak with Dr. Claudio Vellutini, Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of British Columbia School of Music, about opera in Vienna and the cultural exchanges that shaped one of Europe’s most influential musical centres. Drawing on his recent chapter in *Vienna: A Musical History* and his book *Entangled Histories: Opera and Cultural Exchange between Vienna an
A Life in Motion: In Conversation with Dr. Tom DeMarco
This was one of those conversations that unfolded naturally — not as a formal interview, but as a beautiful and generous talk about a life lived with curiosity, discipline, and a commitment to practice. Dr. Tom DeMarco is a family physician in Whistler, but our conversation moved far beyond medicine. We spoke about rural health, the intimacy of family practice, decades of work in Canadian communi
In the Words of Dr. Jasḵwaan Bedard: X̱aad Kíl, Memory, and the Resurgence of the Haida Language
In this episode of The Blue Hour, Farha Guerrero introduces Gyaahlaang G̱udee, an episode from X̱aad Kast, the podcast of Dr. Jasḵwaan Bedard, featuring her own reflections, research, and teaching on X̱aad Kíl, the Old Massett / Northern Haida language. Dr. Bedard is a Haida language educator and advocate from G̱aw Tlagée, Massett, Haida Gwaii. She is an Assistant Professor in the Indigenous Lan
Dr. Ève Podrier on Francophone Folk songs
Ève Poudrier is an Associate Professor in the School of Music at the University of British Columbia. In this episode, we discuss francophone folk songs, oral traditions, and the preservation of French-language musical heritage.
Dr. Jaymie Matthews on Stars, Exoplanets, and Canada’s MOST Telescope
Jaymie Matthews is an astrophysicist and Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia. His work focuses on stellar seismology — the study of star vibrations — and he is closely associated with MOST, the Microvariability and Oscillations of STars telescope, Canada’s first space telescope. In this conversation, we discuss how astronomers study
Dr. Michelle Kunimoto: Kepler, TESS, and the New Age of Exoplanet Discovery
Michelle Kunimoto is an astrophysicist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of British Columbia. Her research focuses on exoplanets — planets beyond our solar system — using data from missions such as NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope and TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. In this conversation, we discuss exoplanet demographics, occurrence
Dr. Robert Komaniecki - UBC School of Music
A conversation about music theory, popular music, and the history of music notation as an object of aesthetic and visual significance.
Tina Loo - On Canadian History
Why are certain people and places vulnerable? Who is responsible for remedying the situation? And what is fair? Why is historical research important? Tina Loo is a professor in the department of history at the University of British Columbia. She is a leading scholar of Canadian and environmental history. Her work has focused on the nature and impacts of the state’s actions to manage human and non
Rashid Sumaila - On Fisheries and Economics
Why are the health of our oceans important for our survival? Why does it matter to find creative ways of protecting them? Rashid Sumaila is a Professor and Canada Research Chair in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia. His research focuses on bioeconomics, ma
Dominique Weis on Geochemistry
How do geochemists study the chemical composition of earth? How do geochemists better our understanding of the earth's interior, natural resources, climate change, human impacts on the environments, and hazards like earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes? Dominique Weis is a professor in the UBC Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of British Columbia. She is a renow
Janice Eng on Stroke Recovery
What strategies are used to improve physical activity following a stroke? How is stroke research put into practise? What kinds of stroke recovery programs see the best outcomes?Janice Eng is a professor in the UBC Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia. She is a world leader in stroke recovery research, from basic neurobiology to novel clinical interventions and treat
Janice Eng - On Stroke Recovery
What strategies are used to improve physical activity following a stroke? How is stroke research put into practise? What kinds of stroke recovery programs see the best outcomes?Janice Eng is a professor in the UBC Department of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia. She is a world leader in stroke recovery research, from basic neurobiology to novel clinical interventions and treat
Katherine Bowers - On Dostoevsky
Who was Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky? Why did he have such an important influence in world literature? How is his work still revered and interpreted today? Why is Russian literature of the 19th century still on many best-seller lists?Katherine Bowers is an expert in Russian literature and culture. Her research interests include genre, narrative, and imagined geography. Her first monograph, Writi
Jerilynn Prior on Perimenopause & Menopause
What is Perimenopause? What are later life ovulation disturbances? How can women better understand their menstrual cycles during all phases of their life?Jerilynn C. Prior is a Professor of Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of British Columbia, working on women’s health. She studies menstrual cycles, the effects of ovulation and its later life disturbances. She is the Scientific Direc
Shari Forbes - On Forensic taphonomy
Shari L. Forbes is the Canada 150 Research Chair in Forensic Thanatology at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR). She is the Director of the first human taphonomy facility in Canada for Recherche en Sciences Thanatologiques [Expérimentales et Sociales], also referred to as REST[ES]. She is an advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) and has a deep commitment to the implemen
Bonny Norton - On multilingual literacy and identity
Born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the turbulent apartheid years, Dr. Bonny Norton learnt at an early age the complex relationship between language, power, and identity. Now a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Distinguished University Scholar in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at UBC,her passion for social justice and the role of language education in soc
Dolph Schluter
Dolph Schluter is an evolutionary biologist who studies adaptive radiation — the evolution of ecological diversity in groups of organisms that are multiplying rapidly. Dolph’s research suggests that ecologically induced adaptation can result in the evolution of new species. He has worked on Darwin’s finches and helped to develop the three-spined stickleback as an experimental model for studies of
Leslie Anthony
Leslie Anthony is a Whistler-based writer, editor, biologist and occasional filmmaker. A former editor at Powder, Bike and SKIER magazines, he continues his residence on the masthead of numerous ski and outdoor publications globally. At home, Anthony oversees award-winning Mountain Life Annual, pens a weekly column in Pique Newsmagazine, and writes broadly on travel, adventure, science and the env
Carlo Rovelli
How does literature nourish science? When does physics become poetry? An event of cosmic proportions from 5x15, as masterful storyteller Carlo Rovelli discusses life & the universe. Readings from The Order of Time & Seven Brief Lessons of Physics.
Dr. Nora Angeles
Dr. Nora Angeles
Dr. Jaymie Matthews
Dr. Jaymie Matthews
Dr. Dietrich Jung
Dr. Dietrich Jung
Dr. Julio Montaner
Dr. Julio Montaner
Dr. Rosie Redfield
Dr. Rosie Redfield
Dr. Andrew Wallace-Hadrill
Andrew Wallace-Hadrill - On Herculaneum
On Herculaneum
Dr. Rashid Sumaila
Rashid Sumaila - On fisheries and economics
On fisheries and economics
Dr. Kim Schonert-Reichl
Dr. Kim Schonert-Reichl
Dr. Mark Vessey
Dr. Mark Vessey
Dr. Courtney Booker
Courtney Booker - On medieval history
On medieval history
Dr. Werner Antweiler
Dr. Werner Antweiler
Dr. Alejandra Bronfman
Dr. Alejandra Bronfman
Dr. Erica Frank
Dr. Erica Frank
Dr. James Tansey
James Tansey - On social innovation and sustainability
On social innovation and sustainability
Dr. Emilio Gonz?lez Ferr?n
Emilio González Ferrín - On Al-Andalus
On Al-Andalus
Dr. Robert Daum
Robert Daum - On the Iona Pacific Inter-Religious Centre
On the Iona Pacific Inter-Religious Centre
Dr. Rumee Ahmed
Dr. Rumee Ahmed
Dr. Sunera Thobani
Sunera Thobani - On the UBC Centre for Women's and Gender Studies
On the UBC Centre for Women's and Gender Studies
Dr. Don Baker
Dr. Don Baker
Dr. Gerald Marquette
Dr. Gerry Marquette, Clinical Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology from the Faculty of Medicine will provide an overview of the clinical field perinatology and maternal-fetal health medicine.
Dr. Gerald Marquette
Dr. Gerry Marquette, Clinical Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology from the Faculty of Medicine will provide an overview of the clinical field perinatology and maternal-fetal health medicine.
Professor Daniel Vickers
Dr. Daniel Vickers, Department Head and Professor from the Department of History will discuss the subject of history as a field of study as well as his research on Early America, social history of seafaring, work and economic culture.
Daniel Vickers - On the UBC department of history
On the department of history Dr. Daniel Vickers, Department Head and Professor from the UBC Department of History will discuss the subject of history as a field of study as well as his research on Early America, social history of seafaring, work and economic culture.
Professor Jeffrey James Byrne
Dr. Jeffrey Byrne, Assistant Professor from the Department of History will discuss his research on revolutionary Algeria in the 1960s in the context of some of the North African uprisings today.
Professor Jeffrey James Byrne
Dr. Jeffrey Byrne, Assistant Professor from the Department of History will discuss his research on revolutionary Algeria in the 1960s in the context of some of the North African uprisings today.
Professor Mauricio Drelichman
Dr. Mauricio Drelichman, Assistant Professor from the Department of Economics discusses economic history as a field of study as well as his research on the economic history of Early Modern Spain
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