Activities/Events
Upcoming events
Science and Philosophy – Consciousness in Coma, Near-Death Experience, Dream, Meditation, and Supercomputers
January 28, 2026
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Location: Pavillon Félix-Antoine-Savard, Room 140-Z
For information: luc.langlois@fp.ulaval.ca
Additional Details
Attend the lecture titled Science and Philosophy – Consciousness in Coma, Near-Death Experience, Dream, Meditation, and Supercomputers, presented by Steven Laureys, holder of the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Neuroplasticity (Université Laval, CERVO, CIUSSS, CHUL) and Research Director at the National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS – University of Liège).
This lecture is offered as part of the public lecture series of the Chair in Philosophy in the Contemporary World.
Come and attend, engage in discussion with Professor Laureys, and take the opportunity to purchase some of his books, available on site.
Abstract
Understanding consciousness remains one of the greatest mysteries in science. How does our mind work? Will we ever be able to understand the possible existence of an afterlife? How can we know whether certain patients, after a coma, are conscious—and how can we communicate with them? How should we define the near-death experience (NDE)? What is brain death? And what does the brain reveal during dreaming or meditation?
No one yet understands how matter (our trillions of neural connections) becomes perception, emotion, and thought. These questions have fascinated philosophers since Antiquity. Today, new brain imaging technologies are gradually lifting the veil. The study of coma, anesthesia, sleep, and hypnosis helps us identify which brain networks are essential for human consciousness.
Scientific research into near-death experiences highlights how uncertain and poorly understood—yet deeply fascinating—the boundaries of consciousness remain. It is essential to examine these experiences critically but openly, without dogmatic preconceptions, confronting what we believe we know with what we can actually measure.
Speaker Biography
Steven Laureys, MD, PhD, is an internationally recognized neurologist known for his research on consciousness, perception, thought, and emotion.
He founded the Coma Science Group and the GIGA Consciousness Research Unit at the University of Liège. He is also a visiting professor at Harvard Medical School (BIDMC, Boston).
Author of more than 600 scientific publications, he has also written several popular science books for the general public, including:
- Near-Death Experience: Science and Spirituality – Éditions Odile Jacob
- A Brilliant Mind: The Border States of Consciousness – Éditions Odile Jacob
- Meditation Is Good for the Brain – Éditions Odile Jacob
- Caring for Life (with Matthieu Ricard, Christophe André, Alexandre Jollien) – L’Iconoclaste
- When Death Sheds Light on Life (with Matthieu Ricard, Christophe André, Christophe Fauré) – L’Iconoclaste
Special screenings of the documentary Billy
When mental health is neither recognized nor treated,
it is not concepts that collapse — it is lives.
On January 21 and 22 in Québec City, we invite you to special screenings of the documentary Billy, an essential film for anyone working in healthcare, justice, or the community or institutional sectors.
🎬 Directed by Lawrence Côté-Collins, Billy plunges into a reality our systems encounter far too often, without always understanding it:
a man living with undiagnosed, untreated schizophrenia, whose most severe crisis resulted in two deaths.
This film does not seek to excuse or to simplify.
It documents blind spots, questions our practices, and sheds light on the human consequences of fragmented care, judicialization, and stigma.
📅 Tuesday, January 21
🕒 3:00 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. – Open screening
💲 $15
📅 Wednesday, January 22
🕕 6:00 p.m. – Special screening
💲 $20
🕗 8:00 p.m. – EXPERT PANEL | Cross-perspectives on health, justice, and the community
🎙️ Panel moderated by Luc Vigneault, with:
• Lawrence Côté-Collins, director
• Dr. Sébastien Proulx, forensic psychiatrist (IUSMQ) and administrative judge at the TAQ
• Marie-Jo Labrecque, Executive Director, Le Cercle Polaire
• Doris Gendreau-Rodrigue, family peer support worker, Le Cercle Polaire
👉 This evening is intended for those who:
– work with people living with severe mental health disorders;
– intervene in contexts of judicialization or crisis;
– wish to reflect differently on responsibility, prevention, and recovery.
⚠️ This film is dedicated to the victims.
It invites us to move beyond simplistic answers and to open a rigorous, humane, and necessary dialogue between our systems.
🎟️ Limited seating – registration required
January 21: https://www.schizophrenie.qc.ca/fr/evenements/detail/sensibilisation-billy-a-quebec-projections-du-21-janvier-2026/80666
January 22: https://www.schizophrenie.qc.ca/fr/evenements/detail/sensibilisation-billy-a-quebec-projection-speciale-du-22-janvier-2026/80707
Understanding our collective failures is a prerequisite to better prevention.
An invitation from: Le Cercle Polaire, Luc Vigneault – Mental Health Speaker and Trainer, and the Quebec Schizophrenia Society.
Past events
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9th
[GENERAL PUBLIC] LUNCHTIME WEBINAR – Dr. Amélie Achim: Schizophrenia: Challenges in Social Interactions and Verbal Communication
2025-12-09 @ 12:00 – 13:00
Virtual Event – FREE FOR ALL!
Dr. Achim will explain her work in the field of social cognition, verbal communication, and social interactions in people living with schizophrenia.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED
THE SPEAKER
Amélie Achim – Full Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences (Université Laval)
Registration
The activity will take place in a VIRTUAL SESSION. A Zoom link will be sent to you upon registration.
The webinar will also be streamed live on our Facebook page! No registration is required to watch it on that platform.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19th
📢 It’s time to register for the first public event titled Let’s demystify obesity—together!
🗓 November 19, 2025, starting at 6:00 p.m.
📍 Auditorium of the Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec – Université Laval (or online, via live streaming)
Organized by the Fonds Denis Richard en mobilisation et transfert des connaissances en #obésité (Fondation IUCPQ), this event aims to inform the public about the causes, complications, treatment, and prevention of obesity.
A panel of scientists and citizen partners – including Jean-Pierre Després, Benoit Arsenault, Andréanne Michaud, Virginie Blanchette, and Guy Poulin – will engage with the audience to debunk myths and, most importantly, explore practical solutions.
👉 Dr Alexandre Caron will have the pleasure of moderating the discussion in collaboration with Obesity Matters (Parlons Obésité).
✨ An event not to be missed!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25th
2025-10-25 @ 14:00 – 17:00
3rd edition of Vulgariser pour discuter
Irish Pub Chez Murphy’s – 2nd floor, 1095 Saint-Jean Street, Old Québec
This year, several scientists, students, researchers, and health professionals from different research centers in Québec will take on the challenge of making science accessible to everyone.
The event is free and open to the general public. Register here
TUESDAY OCTOBRE 21RST, VIRTUAL EVENT
Scientific webinar – October 21rst, virtual event
Role of the Blood–Brain Barrier in Parkinson’s Disease
What if the key to the progression of the disease lies beyond the neurons?
Dr. Aurélie de Rus Jacquet invites us to explore two key factors involved in the progression of Parkinson’s disease: the blood–brain barrier, an essential structure that protects the brain and regulates its exchanges with the rest of the body, and non-neuronal cells, whose role is increasingly recognized.
Using advanced technologies such as 3D models and stem cells, she will present discoveries that shed light on the mechanisms behind the deterioration of brain cells and open the way to new therapeutic approaches.
An unmissable conference to understand the latest scientific breakthroughs.
FROM SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 TO OCTOBER 17 AT THE UNIVERSITÉ LAVAL LIBRARY
An exhibition to reflect on the impacts of artificial intelligence in everyday life
This initiative by the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technology will run until October 27 at the Library
Click here to learn more
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26th:
Orchestre Symphonique de Québec: Brain and music conference by Dr Andréanne Sharp
2025-09-26 @ 16:00 – 20:00
September 26, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. at the Telus Studio, Grand Théâtre de Québec.
Free activity, but registration required
This lecture by researcher and professor Andréanne Sharp will allow you to learn more about the benefits of music on the brain, as well as on hearing protection. The event will be hosted by Marie-Ève Paquin, Cultural Mediation Coordinator at the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, and will conclude with a public Q&A session.
Location: STUDIOTELUS, Grand Théâtre de Québec
Music is a real workout for the brain! Playing a musical instrument engages several senses: sight (to read sheet music), touch (to feel the instrument’s vibrations), movement (to play the notes), and of course, hearing. This multisensory training improves the ability to process and integrate information from different senses.
It is also a great source of pleasure in human life, capable of triggering a wide range of emotions. Music accompanies life’s milestones and can even help maintain hearing abilities as we age. Excessive sound exposure—whether linked to amplified listening or professional music practice—can, however, cause irreversible hearing damage.
This lecture offers a reflection on the balance to be maintained between musical enjoyment and hearing protection. Through scientific data, concrete examples, and practical advice, we will explore how to listen to music better, prevent the risks of hearing loss, and make music a long-lasting ally for well-being and quality of life.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2025 starting at 5:00 p.m.
Date:
September 25
Time:
5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Location:
Galerie Vincent & moi, Room G-1343,
2601 chemin de la Canardière, Québec
Join us for the OPENING RECEPTION of the new annual exhibition Les Tournesols de Vincent.
In the presence of the exhibiting artists, come discover the 38 new works that will be added to the Vincent et moi Collection.
website: https://vincentetmoi.com/
Participating Artists:
Caroline Audet · Danielle Beaulieu · Denis Belleau · Pauline Bolduc · Mireille Bourque · Mélissa Butler · Hélène Cloutier · Réjean Côté · Claudette Anne Dallaire · Maria Luisa Dias · Fanny Dubé · Jean-Claude Duval · Rémy Gagnon · Annie Gervais · GODAIN · Yorick Godin · Chantale Guillemette alias CHANTE · Dany Hokayem · Suzie Houde · Karine Labbé · Karine Labrie · Claire Lafrance · Suzanne Morin alias ZANNE · Lorraine Pelchat alias LAURA · PÉYO · Michel Potvin · Danielle Provost alias PROVO · Marie-Dominique Rouleau · Enrico Sanna · SANTIAGO · Isabelle St-Pierre alias ZAZAROXY · Carol-Ann Taillefer · Barbara Thibaudeau · Christian Watters
Photo Exhibit: Aging with a Traumatic Brain Injury
📸 FREE EXHIBIT | Aging with a Traumatic Brain Injury: An Intergenerational Dialogue
What if aging with a traumatic brain injury became a space for connection, dialogue… and creation?
Born from a collaboration between individuals living with TBI, researchers from Cirris, and the organization Servio, this unique photo exhibition gives a voice to intergenerational pairs who have chosen to share their experiences, perspectives, and humanity.
Through sensitive images and moving testimonials, discover the richness of life journeys and the power of intergenerational bonds.
An encounter between science, art, and social engagement not to be missed!
June 12, 2025, starting at 6:15 p.m. at the Musée de la Civilisation (525 Dalhousie Street, Québec City)
InterG Exhibition: FREE
Multi-arts Show:
- $15 presale (from May 23 to June 10 at the Servio offices)
- $20 at the door on the day of the event
(All proceeds will help fund Servio’s activities)
Please let us know if you require accessible seating (limited availability)
For more information: j.jolivet@servio.ca
SoapBox Science Quebec city
Soirée Parlons Santé mentale 2025
march 24th, 2025
Théâtre Impérial de Québec
