Transcript for Chapter 2:
The Path Forward
Concordia’s 50th-anniversary walking tour podcast
Narrated by Emily Brass, BA 12
Welcome to Forever Forward, an audio-based walking tour to celebrate our present and past as we mark Concordia’s 50th anniversary.
This audio tour can be enjoyed anywhere — you don’t need to be on campus.
To follow along on site, consult our online map and feel free to pause between sites when you hear this musical interlude.
(MUSICAL INTERLUDE)
This is Chapter 2: The Path Forward
I’m your host Emily Brass. I’m an anchor and reporter at CBC Manitoba and a Department of Journalism grad. I specialized in science journalism during my studies, and I put out a health-related podcast a few years ago called Type Taboo: Diary of a New Diabetic, so I’m excited to explore some of the new facilities and areas of research that mark Loyola’s revitalization, a period of tremendous growth for Concordia’s west-end Montreal campus.
Ready? Let’s begin.
Let’s start with a little back story. In the late 1990s, Loyola entered an uncertain period. The first woman to chair Concordia’s Board of Governors alumna Lillian Vineberg, BFA 83, led a task force that recommended a revitalization of the campus.
This vision of modernization was the driving force behind a wave of construction.
The new millennium introduced impressive facilities to advance the sciences, preventive health care, sustainability and community engagement. All are central to Concordia’s forward-looking vision.
The building central to Loyola’s revitalization is the Richard J. Renaud Science Pavilion. Known as the SP, it was opened in 2003 to house public gathering spaces, classrooms, labs, offices and more.
The building is named after Loyola grad, philanthropist and long serving Concordia volunteer Richard Renaud, BComm 69, LLD 09, who with his wife Caroline, made the lead gift towards its construction.
DID YOU KNOW? The $85-million SP was an early example of sustainable green architecture. The building’s mechanical systems consume less than 70 per cent of the energy required to maintain a comparably sized traditional building.
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The Applied Science Hub, certified LEED Gold after meeting the rigorous standards of the Canada Green Building Council. It opened in 2020.
Purpose-built, the hub is where biologists, nanotechnology scientists, engineers and other researchers gather to help solve real-world problems.
The hub is strategically designed to physically connect researchers and encourage collaboration across departments. The hub’s approach to research is guided by the UN’s sustainable development goals, affordable and clean energy, industry, innovation, and infrastructure, and climate action.
Here’s John Capobianco, professor and Concordia University Research Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry, speaking at the launch of the Applied Science Hub in 2020.
[Excerpt] Voice of John Capobianco: “It’s really a pleasure for me, after all these years, to see that in one building we have already created an atmosphere which is very conducive to research.”
DID YOU KNOW? Concordia recently ranked number one in North America in the 2024 Times Higher Education Young University Rankings, a list of the world’s best universities that are less than 50 years old!
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Concordia’s Genome Foundry opened in 2018. A pioneering facility in synthetic biology — the design of biological systems — it is the first of its kind in Canada. The foundry uses robots to perform repetitive gene manipulation tasks quickly and accurately.
DID YOU KNOW? In 2024, researchers in Concordia’s Department of Biology received a $2-million grant for the Genome Foundry and Bioprocessing Centre. These funds support biomanufacturing research, which uses living organisms — such as plants or bacteria — to make products including therapeutic drugs and renewable fuels.
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Concordia’s new School of Health launched in 2023 is on the south side of Sherbrooke Street in the PERFORM Centre building which opened in 2011.
As part of Concordia’s commitment to community engagement, many of the School of Health’s activities are open to the public. Services include access to a gym, fitness classes, wellness assessments and nutrition programs directed by registered dieticians.
Using next-generation technologies, including an imaging suite, a cardiopulmonary suite and a sleep lab, the School of Health educates practitioners to deliver programs that reduce pressure on health-care systems.
[Excerpt] Voice of Veronique Pepin, interim dean of the School of Health: “The School of Health has been created to support, leverage and build on core, but also emerging strengths, in health research, education and community engagement at Concordia University.”
DID YOU KNOW? In 2024, Concordia researchers found that cranberries can significantly benefit high-performance athletes. Their study concluded that endurance runners who consumed cranberries for 28 consecutive days improved their speed. In competitive running, even a one or two per cent increase in performance can make all the difference!
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The Concordia Centre for the Arts in Human Development (CAHD) is located on Terrebonne Street, just off Loyola Campus. Established in 1996, it is an educational, clinical and research centre that offers internships to postgraduate students. In turn, students provide creative arts, drama, music and dance movement therapies to adults with disabilities and neurodivergent needs. Many of these programs and services are Canadian firsts.
DID YOU KNOW? In 2022, the CAHD launched a program for francophone adults with special needs. This pilot project offers therapies to Quebec’s linguistic majority and further illustrates Concordia’s responsive approach to community engagement.
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The Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability is housed in the Central Building and opened in 2002. Staffed by professors from the sciences, socials sciences and humanities, it is focused on one of the major challenges of our time — how to better promote diversity among Concordia’s student population and across society.
Loyola’s Sustainability Research Centre has been part of the college since 2012. Its mission is to integrate the study of science, policy and values in the pursuit of environmental sustainability.
DID YOU KNOW? The NDG Tree Project is an initiative led by Concordia Biology Professor Carly Ziter. It invites residents living near Loyola to explore and document their trees. Researchers distributed simple tools and asked the community to do the rest. The project seeks to better understand the benefits of biodiversity for urban residents.
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The L-shaped Psychology Building, formerly known as the High School or Junior Building, was one of the original Loyola buildings.
In 1969, a modern addition was constructed by Loyola High School. Following its transfer to Concordia in the early 1990s, the building was completely renovated to accommodate the Psychology department.
The Department of Psychology is a research powerhouse and its faculty study four key areas: clinical health, cognitive science, human development and behavioural neuroscience.
That’s the end of Chapter 2: The Path Forward. I really enjoyed exploring some of Loyola’s centres of excellence in health, science and the humanities with you.
