Michael Persinger - Psychotropic Drugs and the Nature of Consciousness [3 of 4]

Persinger wins TVO's 2007 Big Ideas' Best Lecturer Competition

Students and TVO viewers across Ontario voted Persinger Ontario's Best Lecturer. The announcement was made on Big Ideas, TVO's lecture series, on Saturday February 17, 2007.

In addition to having the title of Best Lecturer bestowed on one of its faculty, Dr. Persinger's school was awarded a $10,000 scholarship by TD Meloche Monnex, the competition's sole corporate sponsor. "TD Meloche Monnex is very proud to be part of this very unique [sic] lecturer competition as we have been a strong supporter of higher education in Ontario for over two decades," said Paul Douglas, Vice-President, TD Meloche Monnex. "It is part of our corporate philosophy to provide meaningful support to education, as provider of home and auto insurance products to almost all Ontario-based university alumni and college alumni associations." "It's a privilege to win," says Dr. Persinger. "I'd like to thank the long-term commitment of TVO to education, and the individuals who put together the competition."

Dr. Persinger is the only professor to be nominated by students for two consecutive competitions. Students conveyed their high regard through comments such as: "No one has ever suffered from the common 'boredom syndrome' (in Professor Persinger's lectures). He manages to captivate everyone's attention,and at the end of a lecture, I am even more enthused about the subject matter."

Dr. Persinger's winning lecture, which focused on psychotropic drugs, investigated the nature of consciousness: what it is and how it can be modified by drugs, particularly those that have political and economic impact. When asked about his teaching style, Dr. Persinger explains: "Just because you have a PhD does not make you an effective professor. You have to be able to perform, to practise, and to take it seriously. This is not a nonchalant process."

Dr. Persinger acknowledges the important influence students have had on him: "My creativity is primarily when I lecture in front of my students, because of the questions they ask. Actually they should be getting the award, because in many respects they're the ones that have allowed me to develop."

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