DAN RISKIN KEYNOTE | Effective Collectives: What can human teams learn from bees?

Bees, like other social insects, function as superorganisms, capable of group behaviours that put those of humans to shame. And they’re not alone -- murmurations of starlings, schools of fishes and even swarms of locusts have a great deal to teach us about effective group performance.

In this talk, I’ll dive into the evolutionary origins of effective groups -- why the bees had an unfair advantage over humans in developing their group dynamics and how group dynamics work across the animal kingdom. I’ll show videos and animations from multiple studies, demonstrating just how impressive animal groups can be -- from cockroach colonies that do math to fish that respond to predators they never even saw -- effectively using The Force!

Renowned evolutionary biologist, award-winning television presenter and bestselling author Dan Riskin is an expert on the power of collective intelligence in social insects like bees. Whether he’s inspiring viewers as the co-host of Discovery Canada’s Daily Planet or covering the latest news as CTV’s Science and Technology Specialist, Riskin’s passion and curiosity have made him an unparalleled source of science inspiration for audiences worldwide.

Famous for his infectious humour and charismatic presence, Riskin has been interviewed about science by Anderson Cooper, Gayle King, Lisa LaFlamme, Don Lemon, Jay Leno, Charlie Rose, Peter Sagal and many others. Craig Ferguson, who had Riskin as a guest on The Late Late Show eight times, once called him “my favourite scientist.” He has also hosted science specials for Science Channel, National Geographic, and CTV’s W5.

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