Will people retire from their jobs at an older age? Will employees receive incentives for later retirement, rather than early retirement? Will the system of Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) and Registered Pension Plans (RPPs) balance the cost of increased demand for health care by aging baby boomers? These are some of the issues to be addressed by a mathematician with a specialty in gerontology at the 44th Basterfield Lecture, Thursday, March 27 at the University of Regina.

The lecture, “Retirement Security and Population Aging,” will be presented by Dr. Robert L. Brown, a professor of Actuarial Science and director of the Institute of Insurance and Pension Research at the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Ont.

The lecture begins at 8 p.m. in Room 110 of the Classroom Building on campus. All are welcome, admission is free, and free parking is available from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. in Lot 10 (except for stalls labelled “Reserved At All Times.”)

In his lecture, Brown will report on two of his research projects dealing with the economic impacts of population aging on retirement systems. Brown, who has a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s and PhD in gerontology, has a research focus on the evolution of financial security programs in times of rapidly shifting demographics. His particular interest is in the financing of social security in an aging population. He has written six books and published 39 articles in refereed journals on these topics. Brown is a former president of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries, and was a city councillor in Waterloo from 1988 to 1994.

The Basterfield Lecture is sponsored by the Faculty of Science and the University of Regina. The lecture series was established in honour and memory of Dr. Steward S. Basterfield, former Dean of Regina College, the precursor of the University of Regina. The lecture brings outstanding scientists and engineers to campus to present their ideas relating to the impact of science on people’s lives.