Summit
Conference Information
Tentative Programme
University of Toronto
Student Research Initiative
University of Toronto
Student Research Initiative
Summit
Conference Information
Alien Encounter Scientific Consortium
Decide how Humans Interact with Aliens
Crisis Simulation and Management
High School
10-15
Space agencies across the globe have detected a suspicious signal from outer space. After extensive testing and data cross-referencing, they have uncovered that it is, in fact, a message from an intelligent extra-terrestrial life form.
World governments and powerful agencies around the globe rushed to create a committee to discuss this situation. They chose representatives of a wide group of interested parties, including you. The committee includes scientific experts representing different fields, representatives of powerful governments and companies, as well as a representative of the international press.
Once you are inducted into the committee, you are given a top-secret briefing. The fact that a message had been received had already been leaked to the press, but there is more to this issue. The signal does not come from a planet, but from an object rapidly approaching the Earth. There can only be one explanation: the aliens are coming to Earth. (We could tell them this immediately, or if this information could come from decrypting the “signal”, which they will do during the committee)
Committee members will have to decide on how to interpret the alien’s message, respond to it, and prepare for their arrival.
Email the Dais here: summit26-alien@utsri.ca
Operation Firewall: Cyber Attack Special Ops
Respond to a Cyber Attack on Critical Infrastructure
Crisis Simulation and Management
High School
10-15
As a member of the special forces cyber division, you are tasked with responding to any cyber attacks on critical infrastructure.
Your team covers anything from government systems to nuclear reactors, banks or hospitals. This committee will simulate such a situation, in which a cyber attack occurs, and you are asked to respond to this impromptu situation. You will need to utilise your skills and quick thinking to foil the hacker’s plans and restore the system to standard operations. Quick decision making will be necessary to choose which objectives to prioritise. You will need to limit the damage the hackers cause. In the example of a nuclear reactor, hackers might pull out the control rods and attempt to make the reactor overheat, in which case regaining control of those rods becomes the immediate top priority.
Your government also wants you to understand the attacker’s goals, what group they are a part of and who they work for. This information would be crucial in preventing similar future attacks and understanding who seeks to harm your country.
Email the Dias here: summit26-firewall@utsri.ca
AI and Neurodegeneration
Balancing Digital Innovation with Brain Health for Future Generations
Ethics & Policy
Undergraduate
10-15
The accelerating rise of AI-driven content delivery has reshaped how we think, learn, and interact.
Evidence suggests that prolonged exposure to personalized, AI-curated digital environments may come with serious neurological costs. From young people to adults spending hours on social media, researchers are finding links between screen overuse and heightened risks of mental health disorders such as addiction, depression, and anxiety, and even early-onset neurodegeneration.
This committee will critically examine the intersection of artificial intelligence, brain health, and ethics. Delegates will debate the responsibilities of tech companies in mitigating cognitive harms and the importance of international public health guidelines through questions such as: “should states push for stronger regulation of algorithm design?” or “should educational institutions integrate preventative health policies for youth?”
The panel challenges delegates to balance technological progress with the duty to safeguard neurological well-being while crafting global solutions that protect vulnerable populations. Participants will be responsible for developing policies that address these competing priorities through ethical and practical measures. By the end of the session, they will present evidence-based proposals that refine the future of digital health, ensuring that innovation advances without compromising neurological well-being.
Email the Dias here: summit26-aineuro@utsri.ca