The Water Within: A journey of Growth and Security – Palash Sanyal
What is it about:
The Water Within: A Journey of Growth and Security is all about how working in the water sector has shaped Palash’s life, both personally and professionally. He’ll share stories from his experiences that have deepened his understanding of adaptability, sustainability, and connection. From confronting climate change denial to tackling water scarcity, you’ll hear how water has both divided and united us. Palash will share how the qualities of water—its ability to flow, adapt, and sustain life—have influenced his approach to leadership, relationships, and lifelong learning, helping him to focus on becoming the best version of himself. He’ll also explore why water is so crucial, the challenges we face, and how we can create meaningful change in our approach to water security
Palash’s multidisciplinary approach is evident in his founding of Governing Water Inc., where he combines his extensive expertise in governance, sustainability, and water security. His credentials, including PMP, GCB.D, MEng, MSc, Certified Emotional Intelligence Coach among others, reflect his commitment to continuous learning and his belief in the importance of understanding the many facets of any challenge. Beyond his professional endeavours, Palash serves on several boards (Trans Canada Trail, Royal College International, Sandbox Mutual Insurance), where he brings a unique blend of strategic insight, relationship-building, and a deep commitment to sustainability.
Shocking and Brainless ways to Move. -Dr Jonathan Norton
When we are too busy to know what to do we describe ourselves as ‘running around like a headless chicken’. How realistic is that metaphor? Do headless chickens really run around? Shockingly the answer is yes they do..(with some caveats). A long dead Physiology professor is renowned for keeping headless rats in a desk drawer (long before animal rights were considered). These rats ran around the drawer and were kept for many months. How does this happen?
The key to both the rat and the chicken story is twofold, with the brainstem being responsible for most of the neural functions required to keep us alive (breathing, circulation etc.) and the brainstem and spinal cord together containing much of the neural circuitry controlling movement. Yet, when an individual suffers a spinal cord injury the factor that strikes most people is that they cannot move on their own.
In this talk we will examine some of the advances being made in understanding how the spinal cord controls movement at a basic level, and how we can use electrical stimulation of the spinal cord to restore some movements for those with a spinal cord injury.
Jonathan Norton received degrees in Physiology, Engineering and Neuroscience from University College London in the UK before undertaking fellowships in Edmonton, AB. He has been in Saskatoon since 2013 as a faculty member at the University of Saskatchewan and Clinical Scientist at the Saskatchewan Health Authority. He has research interests in reducing neurological injuries and the use of electrical stimulation to restore neurological functions and alleviate suffering. He has a particular interest in how the nervous system interacts with external stimuli.
Third Speaker TBD, but will be amazing too! Updates to follow…..