_{Photo of Amanda van Beinum}

What are your main areas of interest and how did you move into this area of social inquiry?

I continue to be interested in using social science approaches to study health, healthcare, and medicine. Having spent several years working and doing research in the intensive care unit, one of my current areas of focus is on the development and use of technologies as part of medical practice. At present, my work focuses on neurotechnologies, electronic devices which interface with the brain either directly or indirectly. These devices are being tested for various clinical and commercial applications ranging from treatment of mental illness to assisting people with paralysis to trans-humanist techno-enhancement. The overarching question driving my research across several different projects is to figure out whether and how neurotechnology can promote human empowerment without contributing to widening inequalities in health and social status.

Another major area of focus which emerges from my work in critical posthuman theory is a project on the use of antibiotics in agriculture. This interdisciplinary project examines biosecurity practices on farms and their impacts on planetary health, as well as potential policy implications of re-imagining antibiotic use in farming through a relational ecology lens. The overarching question driving this research work is both theoretical and practical and centers around understand how critical posthumanism can be used to drive material changes in the applied world of agriculture.

How do you work and get writing done amidst competing responsibilities as an academic who teaches and undertakes service work, as well as scholarship?

I have built a habit of writing every work day for at least 30 minutes. I start my most productive period of the day with writing, which ensures that I make time for this important part of my work with a clear and focused mind. I set and track quarterly goals, which helps me to remain focused on larger projects instead of getting buried in smaller tasks.  I am also adamant about the need for rest. Combined with my family caregiving responsibilities this means that I try not to work on weekends, and I take regular dedicated vacation time to disconnect. I have found that I can do more in 2 hours when I am well rested and have clear goals than with a full day when I am burnt out and lacking direction.

I like to think about big writing projects like making a sculpture, where the shape and the details only come together as part of the process of working with the material. There are so many ways to communicate ideas, and it is very satisfying when the final figure of a project becomes clear. Thinking about writing as shaping a tangible, applied contribution to a better understanding of the world makes it into a very satisfying as well as creative activity.   

What do you like about being a sociologist — and an interdisciplinary scholar?

My favorite thing about being a sociologist and interdisciplinary scholar is that pretty much any topic can be studied. Everything in the world, from farming to medical technologies, interacts with social relations in a multitude of ways. Some of these have been well studied in the social science world and new things can be understood by bringing them into conversation with ongoing work in science and medicine. Sometimes issues are just emerging in the science and medicine world and haven’t yet been discussed in the social sciences – again, bringing these two fields into contact can reveal a whole new area of questions and social implications. My work has taken me into laboratories, board rooms, grazing fields, medical clinics, conference halls, hospital wards, milking parlours, and of course many classrooms. I love having a job that allows me to continue to learn about the world so broadly, to work with many different types of people, and to share interdisciplinary insights with others.

What advice would you give to early career academics/PhD students?

My advice would be to focus on skills development. Skills like developing a research project, collecting and analyzing data, writing, presenting results, working with others, and teaching are valuable across different sectors and will allow you to pivot to different opportunities that arise. The specific sociological skills of being able understand and analyze the world through social relations, characteristics, and distributions of power will be useful in many different places. Finding work in academia requires flexibility – you may end up working in a department or academic-adjacent position which requires your skills more so than your content expertise. This flexibility not only opens doors to diverse career paths but also allows you to find meaningful and rewarding work that draws on the core strengths of sociological inquiry—making a real impact by understanding and engaging with the complexities of society.

The post This Much I Know with Professor Amanda van Beinum appeared first on Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS).

Master’s Thesis Prizes

Abdul Basit (MASc, civil engineering) for “Impact of Climate Change on Thermal Behaviour of Pavement Structures in Ontario.” Basit’s cutting-edge study was motivated by rapid alterations to the climate, the particular consequences of which can be seen in the performance of road infrastructure systems. Through his research, Basit developed a critical evaluation for anticipated climate change and how this could potentially cause changes to asphalt binder grades and variations in spring load restriction (SLR) periods across Ontario. His innovative work contributes to the discipline of civil engineering through its useful industrial conclusions, as is attested by Basit’s peers.

“The new generation of civil engineers will be increasingly reliant on a sound academic background in climate change to make appropriate and intelligent engineering decisions,” said Rashid Bashir, Basit’s supervisor. “Mr. Abdul Basit’s graduate training, and specifically his thesis, is a step in the right direction.”

Melodie Lao (MSc, chemistry) for “Developing an Automated Nitrous Acid (HONO) Platform to Detect Emerging Pollutants in a Commercial and Domestic Environment.” Lao’s innovative research focused on the development and application of new methods to measure the important atmospheric component, HONO. This chemical can react with other atmospheric component to form highly toxic products. Only in the last few years has HONO’s importance indoors been considered, but it remains difficult to measure accurately. Lao’s work creates substantial impact in the field by advancing the ability to measure HONO indoors.

Cora Young, Chair of the Examining Committee, commended Lao’s study: “It was clear to the committee that Melodie’s contributions to the field of atmospheric chemistry are significant, greatly exceeding those typical for an MSc degree. Her work has and will continue to make an impact on a national and global stage.”

Anna Waisman (MA, psychology) for “Investigating the Role of Autobiographical Memory in Post-surgical Pain Up To One Year after Major Surgery.” Waisman’s thesis investigated autobiographical memory before and after major surgery in 97 adult patients. The purpose of her study was to see if highly specific autobiographical memory could be a predictor for greater post-surgical pain. Her results showed that recalling higher numbers of pain-related autobiographical memories resulted in lower post-surgical pain.

Waisman’s groundbreaking project was the first study in this area, and her results point to immediate and tangible interventions that physicians can implement to reduce post-surgical pain in their patients. Her research was already published in the prestigious journal Pain.

Doctoral Dissertation Prizes

Kathleen Dogantzis (PhD, biology) for “Understanding the Evolutionary Origin and Ancestral Complexity of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Populations.” Through her study, Dogantzis – who was also awarded a Governor General’s Gold Medal—advanced knowledge in the field of bee evolution and population genetics and developed new tools to protect the beekeeping industry from the accidental introduction of the highly invasive Africanized bees. Dogantzis created the world largest dataset on honeybee genomics, which involved sequencing over 200 new honeybee genomes from all over the world. Her sophisticated bioinformatic analysis debunked a recent hypothesis that honeybees originated in Africa by providing evidence that honeybees originated in western Asia.

Chair of the Examining Committee Elizabeth Clare praised Dogantzis’ accomplishment. “Her applied tools are expected to have a massive societal and economic benefit, not just for Canada, but across the world.”

Dylan Ludwig (PhD, philosophy) for “The Functional Contributions of Consciousness.” The substance of Ludwig’s dissertation tackled one of the most difficult problems in the philosophy of the mind: the function of consciousness. Many philosophers maintain that consciousness makes no contribution to the causal powers of the mind. Scientists, on the other hand, tend to assume consciousness must have some overarching, unitary function. Ludwig’s main thesis contrasted with both approaches by arguing that phenomenal consciousness makes varying functional contributions to different cognitive and affective processes. This outstanding study has already led to three publications in prominent peer-reviewed academic journals.

Ludwig’s supervisor, Muhammad Ali Khalidi, contended that his work “has the potential to change the terms of the debate.”

Sara Pishdadian (PhD, psychology) for “Subjective and Objective Spatial Memory and Navigation Abilities in Aging and Amnesia.” Pishdadian’s dissertation investigated subjective and objective spatial navigation. She took a novel approach of integrating cognitive theory with clinical neuropsychology, video-game technology, and multivariate statistical methods to systematically investigate this skill in normally aging people and in individuals with medial temporal lobe amnesia.

Her innovative work makes significant contributions to clinical practice as well as to cognitive neuroscience theory. Several of the studies that make up Her innovative work makes significant contributions to cognitive neuroscience theory as well as to clinical practice. Pishdadian has published in the top international journals in her field, including Neuropsychologia, Cortex, and Learning and Memory.

Next steps

FGS additionally nominated Ludwig and Pishdadian for the dissertation prize presented by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS). The CAGS-ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award recognizes Canadian doctoral dissertations that make significant and original contributions to their academic field. Winners will receive a $1,500 cash prize, a certificate of recognition and an invitation to attend the 61st Annual CAGS Conference, to be held in Victoria, B.C., in November 2023.

The post Recent graduates receive FGS Thesis & Dissertation Prizes for 2022-2023 appeared first on Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS).

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