The word 'smart' usually refers to infrastructure that is networked and communicates efficiently and effectively with other components to bring together an integrated view. Various academics are investigating the concept of 'smart cities'. But in many parts of the world, including Canada and the US, there are communities that are outside of urban areas. These 'villages' are home to a significant percentage of the world's population. This naturally leads us to ask whether there is a concept of a 'smart village'. As rural environments have their own challenges and opportunities, this is not just a question of scale, but a rethinking of the basic approach.

In this conference, we shall explore the concept of 'smart village' through several themes, including cities and villages, government institutions and policy, the discovery process, mathematical modelling and measurement, the role of technology, case studies, training programs for the architecture of smart villages, and the future village.

The conference will be a highly interdisciplinary event, bringing together academic researchers from the mathematical and physical sciences, the social sciences and engineering, as well as from industry.

List of Speakers

Terry Beaubois (Architect, Stanford University, Guest Lecturer, Smart Communities (Homes, Towns & Villages, Cities))
Dinesh Bhatia (Consul General of India, Toronto)
Arun Chockalingam (Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto)
Julie Cookson (ED, Anishnawbe Health Foundation)
Pawan Jit Singh Dadhwal (Village of Bhanowal, Punjab)
Angelina Fisher (Institute for International Law and Justice, NYU Law)
Mark Fox (Enterprise Integration Labratory, University of Toronto)
Vivek Goel (Vice President (Research and Innovation), University of Toronto)
Renuka Gupta (Director, Pardada Pardadi Educational Society)
V. I. Lakshmanan (CEO, Process Research Ortech Inc.)
Lawrence Martin (Grand Chief of Mushkegowuk Council)
Robert McCann (Depertment of Mathematics, University of Toronto)
K. Jules McCusker (Chief Creative Officer of MixBlood Inc.)
Anita McGahan (Rotman, Munk, and Medical Schools, University of Toronto)
Kumar Murty (Department of Math, University of Toronto)
V. Ponraj (Abdul Kalam Vision India Movement)
Mariana Prado (Faculty of Law, University of Toronto)
Jay Pratt (Vice-Dean, Research & Infrastructure, Faculty of Arts and Science, University of Toronto)
Ranjita Rajan (CEO and Founder, The Karta Initiative)
Luis Seco (Depertment of Mathematics, University of Toronto)
Anupam Sibal (Group Medical Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, India)
David Simailak (formerly of the Government of Nunavut)
Zac Skeith (VP Strategy and Social Impact at Three Lefts Inc.)
Enid Slack (Inst of Municipal Finance, University of Toronto)
Michael Trebilcock (Faculty of Law, University of Toronto)
Ponraj V. (Abdul Kalam Vision India Movement)
Joseph Wong ( Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto)