Political bots in a democracy. 'Inferno'. Lost (and found) stories. Peddling away stress.

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• Fenwick McKelvey, assistant professor of communication studies in the Faculty of Arts and Science, and Elizabeth Dubois of the University of Ottawa, co-author an opinion piece in The Toronto Star (online and paper edition) about political bots and what they mean for the future of democracy in Canada. McKelvey and Dubois reference their recent study on the subject: Computational Propaganda in Canada: The Use of Political Bots.
• LaPresse.ca features the robotic performance piece, 'Inferno', co-created by Bill Vorn, professor in the Department of Studio Arts, and fellow-artist and academic Louis-Philippe Demers. The performance piece was on show for two days at the Elektra festival in Montreal. Le Journal de Montréal also features 'Inferno', but without naming its creators, and includes a video of a reporter as he participates in the immersive show.
• Ronald Rudin, history professor in the Faculty of Arts and Science and co-director of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling, joins Radio Canada International host Lynne Desjardins for a discussion of the Lost Stories project, where little-known stories about Canadian people, places and events are uncovered and artists are asked to use the lost stories as the basis for works of public art. Rudin and his team chose four from 150 story submissions from across Canada, to help mark the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Rudin was also interviewed on CBC Radio in Toronto this morning (no link available).
• Media outlets continue to pick up news of a new study from Concordia that looks at the benefits of cycling, particularly among workers. Researchers in the John Molson School of Business, led by Stéphane Brutus, professor of management and RBC Professor of Motivation and Employee Performance, associate professor of management Alexandra Panaccio and JMSB research assistant Roshan Javadian (MSc 14,) found that employees can reduce their stress levels by cycling to work, with lower stress levels likely to result in greater productivity. The study was published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management: Men's Fitness, Actualités du jour, La dépêche, L'indépendant, CSR.id (in Indonesian), Huis Genoot (in Afrikaans).

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