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This year鈥檚 DARE recipients produced meaningful work across all disciplines offered in LA&PS. Over the summer, each student played an integral role in coordinating projects that added valuable scholarly inquiry to the social sciences, humanities, and professional studies.

Each recipient was awarded $5,000 and paired with faculty members to explore urgent research subjects, including health care, work policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital data collection practices, issues impacting diaspora communities and more.

To commemorate the experiences from this year鈥檚 competition, LA&PS developed a virtual gallery showcasing each student and the DARE Project descriptions of the instructor-led research objectives.

鈥淒ARE is a wonderful opportunity to nurture mentorship and collaboration between instructors and students,鈥� says Ravi de Costa, associate dean of Research & Graduate Studies. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 research projects demonstrate the range and quality of the work taking place in LA&PS. Our faculty is dedicated to supporting creative and impactful work across all of our disciplines, and the DARE competition continues to expand on these efforts.鈥�

For the award recipients, the projects serve as key stepping stones to future endeavours 鈥� whether in their respective fields beyond the university setting or continued academic research. Through their reflections, many of this year鈥檚 winners cited the unique hands-on experience as their favourite aspect of the process.

Fourth-year political science student, Kiana Therrien-Tomas, was pleased with the practical skills she acquired.

Looking back on the time spent working with Department of Politics Professor听Simone Bohn听on a project titled, 鈥淐ollaborating with the state: a double-edged sword? The Brazilian Women鈥檚 Movement under the Workers鈥� Party administrations,鈥� Therrien-Tomas explains, 鈥渢his experience has听been听a great addition to my learning and professional development. It is an听honour听to receive this award.听I can now听proudly听state that I have taken part in all stages of the research process, and apply听the knowledge gained from听this experience towards the completion of my undergraduate degree and my听endeavours听in law school.鈥�

Fourth-year Disaster and Emergency Management student, Tiana Putric, echoed these positive sentiments when detailing the experience working with Department of Communication & Media Studies Professor Jonathan Obar on the DARE project, 鈥淭he Future of Big Data: Understanding Digital Service Data Retention Policies and Implications for Online Privacy.鈥�

鈥淒ARE听was a transformative experience that left me with several new skills and insights,鈥� said Putric.听鈥淚 gained experience collecting, analyzing, and summarizing听data听retention policies and contracts from global digital service providers, learned how to evaluate policies against privacy laws and normative regulatory philosophies, and contributed to the听data听retention body of knowledge.鈥�

In congratulating this year鈥檚 recipients, LA&PS Dean J.J. McMurtry was delighted to see how far the award has come.

鈥淭his competition offers an excellent opportunity for students to examine, discover, critique and create with leading researchers in their fields,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ver the past four years, DARE has exemplified the truly diverse and global scope of the research being done in LA&PS. Once again, our students have exceeded expectations.鈥�

The 2021 DARE gallery can be viewed on the听LA&PS website.

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This initiative, spearheaded by the  and the Lassonde Research Office, supports the development and enhancement of an inclusive culture at Lassonde and beyond. The funding provides community members with many ways to advance equity, diversity and inclusion, from developing new recruitment strategies and funding EDI training to supporting faculty members during parental leaves and life events.

There are two funding categories available as part of the EDI fund. The first aims to improve work-life balance and support faculty members who are new parents, caregivers or going through extraordinary life events. The second category is meant to support initiatives that strive to catalyze change and create a diverse and inclusive environment at Lassonde.

鈥淒ifferent backgrounds and experiences provide a wide range of perspectives which strengthen our educational and research missions aimed towards making a positive impact on a global scale,鈥� said Jane Goodyer, dean of the Lassonde School of Engineering. 鈥淏y introducing new EDI funding that supports initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion within our community, we can create a cultural change within our school and beyond. Our work can help create systemic change in academia and in the workforce.鈥�

Equity, diversity and inclusion are a key priority for the school, with the EDI Sub-Committee and the  acting as key drivers over the past years in implementing initiatives and programs that can create a systemic change within the school and across the education system.

This EDI fund is meant to empower students, faculty and staff to make a difference and pave the way to a more equitable future for all. With this fund, students, faculty and staff have the freedom to design their own initiatives, get creative, and find ways to think outside the box to make the school a more diverse and inclusive space. Community members can also use this funding towards training opportunities to enhance their EDI knowledge and credentials.

For more information about the funding categories and application instructions, visit听.

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The Autism Scholars Awards recognize outstanding researchers working to establish novel treatment options and services for children with autism. This year鈥檚 recipient of the $20,000 Doctoral Award is听Carly听Albaum, a PhD student in 91亚色's Clinical Developmental Psychology program.

Focused on better understanding the conditions that lead to positive results in psychotherapy, Albaum鈥檚 research describes the parameters that allow mental health interventions to be successful for children on the autism spectrum.

Adding to Ontario鈥檚 scope of diagnosis and assessment, along with the quality of its treatment system, the Autism Scholars Awards Program supports innovative ideas with the potential to positively impact the lives of families across Canada. The program is funded by the Council of Ontario Universities to ensure that the province continues to promote cutting-edge scholarship in autism, a condition that, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada, affects one in 66 children.

Albaum鈥檚 research investigates the impact of different components of psychotherapy in the achievement of successful treatment outcomes for children with autism. Centred on improving our understanding of why certain children benefit from psychological treatment while others do not, her work outlines the standards that allow mental health interventions to be effective for all youth with autism.

Concerned with process elements common to treatments across different types of therapy, Albaum鈥檚 research hopes to elucidate exactly who benefits from psychotherapy and why. Interested in the care of those with social and communication difficulties, she examines factors such as the role of parents in supporting youth involvement in therapy sessions, and the relationship between client and therapist to enhance the mental health of children on the autism spectrum who are often unable to fully engage in psychological interventions.

Providing new insight into how processual components are related to specific treatment results, Albaum鈥檚 work translates theoretical knowledge into more effective practices and services. Helping to inform mental health-care providers of the most compelling therapeutic methods, she aims to ensure that all youth with autism, along with their families, can benefit from psychotherapy.

Albaum received both her bachelor of arts with specialized honours and her master of arts from 91亚色. Her undergraduate thesis focused on expressed emotion in parents of children with autism, while her master鈥檚 project examined therapeutic alliance in cognitive behaviour therapy for children on the autism spectrum. Her interest in positive psychology aided the completion of her clinical training at the Toronto District School Board and at Mackenzie Health's Shaw Clinic, Child and Family Services. She continues to be actively involved in advancing the mental health of her community as well as the standards of scholarly excellence in the field of autism research.

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The  is part of the NRC鈥檚 , designed to bring the best Canadian and international researchers together to fast-track research and development aimed at specific COVID-19 gaps and challenges as identified by Canada's health experts. 

Heffernan, Inaugural 91亚色 Research Chair (Tier II), Multi-Scale Methods for Evidence-based Health Policy in the Faculty of Science, is leading the study with colleagues James Ooi, the NRC鈥檚 Pandemic Response Challenge program project lead, and M. Sajjad Ghaemi, NRC research officer, both from the NRC-Fields Collaboration Centre. 

鈥淒ifferent vaccines elicit an immune response using different pathways, which affects the level and type of immunity you build,鈥� says Heffernan of the Canadian Centre for Disease Modelling. 鈥淲ith this research, we鈥檙e tracking the activation of the immune response that鈥檚 been excited by vaccines, looking at the generation of antibodies, as well as memory B cells and T cells. Clinical trials can measure the number of antibodies, but they don鈥檛 measure B cells and T cells.鈥� 

To do this, the researchers will combine mathematical models of immunity development (mechanistic models) with machine learning algorithms to better understand the outcomes of immunity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus after one- and two-dose regimes of adenovirus (AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson), mRNA (Pfizer and Moderna) and protein subunit (Novavax) vaccines. They will model the effectiveness and immunity response to the virus, including pathogen mutations and variants, when vaccines doses are given days or weeks apart or, as is the case in Canada currently, four months apart. 

The researchers hope the mechanistic models will enrich the dataset upon which the machine learning framework is trained. By combining new datasets that are being released publicly, this approach can potentially advance the accuracy of the machine learning framework. This will allow the researchers to classify outcomes of vaccinations as emerging evidence becomes available. 

The idea is to uncover the complex interactions between interferon signalling pathways and the adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination. 

鈥淲hen you model outcomes in antibodies, it鈥檚 important to try to model the development of these memory cells in the background. Antibodies protect you from being infected and if they fail, it鈥檚 the memory cells that give you that activate factor that allows you to have a milder infection,鈥� says Heffernan.

One of the goals of this research is to tailor vaccines to people鈥檚 body chemistry. 鈥淭his is well into the future, but the goal eventually is to develop in-house models for mRNA, adenovirus and protein subunit vaccines that can be used to inform what type of vaccine a person should get depending on the characteristics of their immune system,鈥� says Heffernan.

In the short term, the researchers hope to predict the outcomes in children of various vaccines, even without the results of a clinical trial. Based on the differences in immune response of children versus adults, the idea is to change the machine learning and mechanistic models calibrated for adults so that they fit the characteristics of children.

The modelling can also be expanded in the future to test other types of vaccines for COVID-19, in addition to vaccines for other viruses. 

The data will be provided to public health agencies, such as the Public Health Agency of Canada, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization and the Canadian Immunization Research Network, and academic researchers to inform vaccine design and policy, and predict safety and efficacy of different vaccine types.

Courtesy of YFile.

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鈥淲e wanted to find a way to celebrate and also highlight original, cutting-edge research in different disciplines,鈥� said听Yuko Sorano, manager, external scholarships and graduate awards for FGS.

Knowledge Now brought graduate research to life online through a  about individual research produced by FGS, as well as two synchronous online panels that were also recorded and made available online. Each panel focused on a theme that cut across disciplines and explored one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, referenced in 91亚色鈥檚 current Academic Plan. The  panel was moderated by Mark Hayward, associate dean, academic for FGS; and the  panel was moderated by FGS Dean Thomas Loebel.

鈥淲ith the short videos, we tried to highlight a diversity of research, but there鈥檚 so much more that we can include,鈥� Sorano said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e just begun discussing the next phase of the project.鈥�

The videos were produced in an interview format via Zoom. Students were asked to answer six questions about their research, its impact and goals. The communications team in FGS, led by听Anesa Albert, graduate communications and recruitment manager, prepared the web and video production for this initiative.

Kushbu Patel, a PhD student in psychology who studies behavioural responses to surface colour and lighting and its application to virtual reality, was happy to discuss her research.

鈥淚t was my first time recording a YouTube video for such a broad audience and Yuko provided me with necessary support and guidance,鈥� Patel said.

She discussed the question with her supervisor to boil her explanations down to the required time frame and reviewed her responses with Sorano before the recording started. There was also an opportunity to re-record the answers to polish her delivery.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a great way to reach out,鈥� Patel said. 鈥淢y supervisor forwarded it to the agency that gave me my scholarship and they鈥檝e disseminated the link, and a lot of other graduate students have seen it.

鈥淚t鈥檚 really professionally done, so I can also put it on my resume and I have posted it on my Facebook page.鈥�

Aaron Tucker, another Knowledge Now video 鈥渟tar,鈥� is a PhD candidate studying face recognition technologies.

鈥淧art of my research requires public engagement,鈥� Tucker said. 鈥淭here is only so much I alone can do, so I usually take every opportunity to speak about it. And, with our Zoom culture today, everyone is making videos.鈥�

Tucker likes to speak extemporaneously, so he made notes and thought it through, but didn鈥檛 read from a script. He was pleased by the result.

鈥淚鈥檝e been using it as a bite-sized way to share my research with non-experts,鈥� he said.

He also enjoyed seeing the breadth of research being done by his peers.

鈥淚t was neat for me to see what others are working on; 91亚色 is so big.鈥�

The panel discussions, in contrast, were more like dialogues, said Sorano, exploring broad issues and how the University can respond to them. The participants briefly explained their research before plunging into a moderated discussion. Each panel featured graduate students from various disciplines to offer a diversity of perspectives.

A PhD student in Earth & Space Science, Ima-Obong Ituen took part in the Climate Action panel. She is studying the effects of climate change on farming in northern Ontario and exploring the ways the changing climate is opening up new economic opportunities there.

鈥淚t was a privilege and a thrill to be part of the Knowledge Now panel discussion,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was nice to have a platform to discuss what we鈥檙e doing and it was a great learning opportunity. The questions the dean posed were broad enough so we could all answer in our own way.

鈥淚t really broadens our own perspectives when we see other perspectives and realize there is not one set way of doing things.鈥�

Ituen said the panel was an opportunity to show graduate students how research actually unfolds.

鈥淵ou can start on one path and go on a different trajectory,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have realized that the path isn鈥檛 necessarily straight and you need to pivot sometimes, but you鈥檒l get there. This is valuable knowledge for graduate students early in their research careers.鈥�

Sorano said FGS ran Knowledge Now as a campaign in March, leading up to the panel discussions and video releases.

鈥淪tudents come with a huge passion for exploring their topic, but they don鈥檛 often have the chance to discuss it with a wider audience outside academia,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is a chance to showcase it more broadly.

鈥淚n-person events may have different advantages, but we could potentially use a hybrid model in the future. The pandemic has brought us new possibilities to explore.鈥�

By Elaine Smith, special contributing writer,听Innovatus

Courtesy of YFile.

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This annual celebration was cancelled in 2020 due to the emerging crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. One year later, mass vaccinations are hinting that there will be an end of the pandemic. Organizers decided to proceed with the celebration, which was offered over Zoom and co-hosted by the Office of the President and the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation.

Welcome remarks were delivered by President and Vice-Chancellor Rhonda L. Lenton and Vice-President Research and Innovation . Lenton presented each of the 2020 President's Research Awards. The 2021 award recipients were announced by Asif. The celebration also included a series of videos, which featured all of the 140 recipients from 2019 and 2020. Faculty of Health Professor , associate vice-president research, MCed the celebration.

The recipients of the 2020 President鈥檚 Research Awards are:

, School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health, was selected for the President鈥檚 Emerging Research Leadership Award (PERLA) in Cluster 1: Engineering, Science, Technology, Health and Biomedicine, as a reflection of his outstanding leadership in and contribution to the fields of exercise physiology, metabolism and skeletal muscle health.

Since 2012, when he came to 91亚色, Perry has contributed significantly to the success of the University, both internally and externally. He established the only human muscle biopsy lab at 91亚色, where he investigates the basic cellular mechanisms of muscle fitness and applies these discoveries toward developing novel therapies to treat muscle weakness disorders.

In 2016, he was elected to serve as a director, academic, for the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Canada鈥檚 major authority in exercise science and prescription. This society focuses on integrating state-of-the-art research into best practice. It comprises professionals interested and involved in the scientific study of exercise physiology, exercise biochemistry, fitness and health.

Perry was the recipient of the 2017 Faculty of Health Research Award (early career). He has also received multiple internal and external awards, including funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Ontario Research Fund, the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada, the James H. Cummings Foundation, the Rare Disease Foundation and industry funding.

, Schulich School of Business, was chosen for the President鈥檚 Emerging Research Leadership Award (PERLA) in Cluster 2: Social Science, Art & Design, Humanities, Business, Law and Education Cluster), for his extraordinary leadership and contribution to the fields of marketing and consumer studies. As the Canada Research Chair in Entrepreneurial Innovation and the Public Good, he develops insights that inform business and policy-makers about the benefits of effectively communicated innovation and the potential costs to susceptible consumers and society. He examines how marketers can better communicate product and service innovations to maximize adoption and awareness. This work focuses on new product design and innovation, as well as product categorization, category ambiguity and visual processing.

In 2012, Noseworthy was appointed scientific director of the NOESIS Innovation, Design & Consumption Laboratory, a world-class behavioural lab at Schulich, to extend his primary research programs. The NOESIS lab is intended to foster innovative research into consumption, consumer behaviour and design. Noseworthy has developed this lab with the specific goal of conducting high-quality research, training skilled personnel and facilitating knowledge mobilization. Broadly speaking, Noseworthy鈥檚 research program is designed to help combat Canada鈥檚 innovation deficit by helping the private sector transfer knowledge into commercialized products and services to grow the economy.

, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, was selected for the President鈥檚 Research Impact Award (PRIA) for her innovative contributions to psychology and mental health in the areas of bullying, aggression and violence, especially among marginalized children, youth and families.

In recognition of these contributions, Pepler was named an Officer of the Order of Canada by the Governor General. She is the only psychologist recognized by the Canadian Psychological Association for distinguished contributions to both psychology as a science and public or community service.

Pepler received a Network of Centres of Excellence grant to establish PREVNet 鈥� Promoting Relationships & Eliminating Violence Network, funded from 2006-19. She built this interdisciplinary network with her former PhD student Wendy Craig (Queen鈥檚 University), with over 120 researchers, 150 graduate students and 62 national organizations. PREVNet鈥檚 researchers and partners co-created over 150 resources for bullying prevention and healthy relationships. PREVNet was the culmination of Pepler鈥檚 decades of research linking science with practice and public policy for children鈥檚 healthy development and healthy relationships.

Pepler鈥檚 research embedded in clinical and community settings has real impact on the lives of children, youth and families. She has a strong publication record, having written or co-edited 10 books and more than 200 journal articles, chapters, and reports. In 2007, Pepler was recognized as a Distinguished Research Professor by 91亚色 for her groundbreaking research.

, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Faculty of Science, was chosen to receive the President鈥檚 Research Excellence Award (PREA) in the Engineering, Science, Technology, Health and Biomedicine Cluster, for his exceptional contribution to atomic, molecular and optical physics.

Hessels, 91亚色 Research Chair in Atomic Physics and a 91亚色 Distinguished Research Professor, has led numerous research projects that have far-reaching consequences for the understanding of the laws of physics. He is leading a collaboration whose goal it is to use ultraprecise measurements of the electron to study one of the fundamental unresolved questions of physics.

In 2019, Hessels led a study published in the esteemed journal Science, which found a new measurement for the size of the proton at just under one trillionth of a millimetre. The study confirmed the 2010 finding that the proton is smaller than previously believed. The year before, Hessels led a team that achieved the most precise measurement of the fine structure of helium ever recorded. His researchers had been working on this for eight years.

Hessels is now leading a collaboration (EDMcubed) that is attempting to measure the shape of the electron 鈥� or, more specifically, whether its charge is evenly distributed. This measurement will try to shed light on one of the fundamental mysteries of physics: why the universe is made entirely of matter (electrons, protons etc.) and, unexpectedly, has no antimatter (anti-electrons, antiprotons etc.).

The recipients of the 2021 President鈥檚 Research Excellence Awards are:

, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, was selected as the recipient of the President鈥檚 Emerging Research Leadership Award (PERLA) in Cluster 1: Engineering, Science, Technology, Health and Biomedicine.

The award demonstrates the complexity and relevance of Rezai鈥檚 research in utilizing science and engineering concepts built on the fundamentals of fluid mechanics, material engineering, electronics and microbiology to tackle pressing global challenges in both the health and safety sector, and in the field of bioengineering. His impact on his discipline is demonstrated by his receipt of funding as a principal investigator that spans Tri-Council, industry and provincial sources.

His research has resulted in 47 journal papers, seven book chapters, two issued and two submitted United States patents and 50 conference papers. His achievements were recognized by the prestigious Early Researcher Award from the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation & Trade in 2019 as well as the I. W. Smith Award from the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering in 2021.

Rezai joined 91亚色 in 2013 and initiated a graduate program in Mechanical Engineering at Lassonde in 2015 while serving as the graduate program director since 2015. His work has earned four competitive best paper conference awards, the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada Visiting Fellowship in 2012, and multiple awards obtained by his students in the past five years. His work has also been recognized in 2017 and 2018 by the Early Researcher Lassonde Innovation Award and the Early Researcher Lassonde Innovation Fund. He provides leadership in his innovative research program and his mentorship and supervision. He has built international connections and his engagement has raised 91亚色鈥檚 research profile.

, School of Kinesiology & Health Science, Faculty of Health, is the recipient of the President鈥檚 Emerging Research Leadership Award (PERLA) in Cluster 2: Social Sciences, Art & Design, Humanities, Business, Law and Education. The award illustrates her leadership in the field of research on the promotion of physical activity among children with disabilities.

Bassett-Gunter has developed an interdisciplinary program of research that has made contributions to the fields of behaviour change psychology, physical activity promotion, health communication and knowledge translation.

Since joining 91亚色 in 2013, she has published 42 papers in leading journals, and she has shared her research at numerous conferences throughout Canada and internationally. In 2018, she earned the prestigious Early Researcher Award from the Ontario Ministry of Research & Innovation.

Bassett-Gunter has secured significant external research funding in competitive, peer-reviewed grants as both a principal investigator and co-investigator from major granting agencies, including the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Her mentorship impact is evidenced by the success of her students, many of whom have had their research published in leading journals and have secured Tri-Council and other funding. Bassett-Gunter provides leadership in her innovative research programs and in her mentorship and supervision. She has built international connections and her engagement has raised the research profile of 91亚色.

, the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora, Faculty of Education, was selected as the recipient of the President鈥檚 Research Impact Award (PRIA). James is the senior advisor on equity and representation in the Office of the Vice-President of Equity, People & Culture.

James is a leading Canadian scholar and researcher in the areas of equity and inclusivity in education, community development, immigration policies and settlement, and critical ethnography. In relentlessly documenting and addressing inequities related to Black and other marginalized groups, James has become internationally renowned for tackling and naming issues of racial inequity, and forging evidence-based policies and actions through innovative participatory research.

His track record clearly speaks to his strong success in designing and carrying out funded programs of research, including ministry, Tri-Council, corporate, school board, foundation, and community-based grants and contracts. He successfully engages his graduate students, involving them in writing and presentations, as co-authors of scholarly work and as active partners in knowledge mobilization activities.

In 2008, he founded the 91亚色 Centre for Education & Communities, which he directed until 2018. James鈥� impressive scholarly output includes over 20 authored and co-authored, edited and co-edited books; over 130 book chapters and articles in refereed journals; reports, reviews and educational resources; and hundreds of presentations and workshops. With research that reaches a wide range of audiences, from scholars to policy-makers to the public, and that has undoubtedly enhanced 91亚色鈥檚 research reputation, James is most deserving of the 2021 PRIA.

, Faculty of Environmental & Urban Change, was selected as the recipient of the President鈥檚 Research Excellence Award (PREA). The award is in recognition of her outstanding accomplishments and leadership as an internationally recognized scholar of human displacement, humanitarian response, feminist geopolitics and refugee subjectivity.

In January 2021, she was appointed associate vice-president research in the Office of the Vice-President Research & Innovation. Hyndman has been an exceptional leader in building research programs at 91亚色 and in training the next generation of scholars. From 2013 to 2019, she served as director of 91亚色鈥檚 Centre for Refugee Studies, expanding its mandate and strongly supporting faculty to compete successfully for funds to facilitate innovative research and publish in top peer-reviewed journals and books.

Hyndman is a prolific scholar whose list of publications 鈥� in peer-reviewed journals and with esteemed book publishers 鈥� is extensive. Most recently, she co-authored, with 91亚色 Professor Emerita Wenona Giles, Refugees in Extended Exile: Living on the Edge (Routledge, 2017). She has two monographs, Managing Displacement: Refugees and the Politics of Humanitarianism (Minnesota University Press, 2000) and Dual Disasters: Humanitarian Aid after the 2004 Tsunami (Kumarian Press, 2011), plus a co-edited volume with Giles, Sites of Violence: Gender and Conflict Zones (University of California Press, 2004). She has conducted community-based research, applied work for the United Nations and governments, and is one of 91亚色鈥檚 most highly cited scholars in the social sciences and humanities.

To view the program for the 2020 Research Awards Celebration, click here. To view the program for the 2021 Research Awards Celebration, click here.

Courtesy of YFile.

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This award is presented to the authors of best full research paper at the multidisciplinary forum where information scholars, researchers and professionals share their insights on critical information issues in contemporary society.

Shvartzshnaider鈥檚 award winning paper, 鈥淒ata and Privacy in a Quasi-Public Space: Disney World as a Smart City,鈥� was co-authored during his work at New 91亚色 with Professor Madelyn Rose Sanfilippo of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The paper focuses on Walt Disney World as case study to explore governance and privacy challenges associated with operation of a 鈥渟mart鈥� city. This stems from Walt Disney World鈥檚 approach to employ tracking technologies, which can assess location monitoring, facial recognition and biometrics to improve the consumer experience and support commercial operations.

The central tenant of the paper focuses on understanding the challenges and privacy implications of these data handling practices.

鈥淲e use Contextual Integrity and Governing Knowledge Commons frameworks to empirically analyze cross-context data integration, data collection and processing, social perceptions of privacy practices,鈥� explained Shvartzshnaider. 鈥淥ur analysis shows the extent Walt Disney World鈥檚 data collection strategies contrast with normative customer expectations, corporate values, data collection and sharing practices.鈥�

The paper recommends that 鈥渟mart鈥� cities should engage all stakeholders, explore feedback and develop evaluation mechanisms to reflect local values and norms.

The implications of this work are wide-reaching and although governance and privacy challenges contextual, the findings may be applicable to cities and public spaces across the globe that are moving to adopt 鈥渟mart鈥� technology.

In Toronto, for example, projects such as Sidewalk Toronto, have . Within their paper, Shvartzshnaider and Sanfilippo consider what can be learned about privacy, surveillance and innovation for other public applications, stressing the limitations of and potential social harms from Walt Disney World as a model for public services.

The Lee Dirks Award has been presented at the conference since 2013 and is named in honour of a long-time friend and supported of iConference, Lee Dirks. Previous winners of the award .

About Yan Shvartzshnaider and the Privacy Rhythm Research Lab

After joining 91亚色 in January 2021 as assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Shvartzshnaider established the Privacy Rhythm Research Lab. The group develops methodologies and privacy-enhancing tools to help incorporate a socially meaningful conception of privacy, which meets peoples鈥� expectations and is ethically defensible.

Broad research interests of the laboratory include:

• usable privacy
• sociotechnical systems
• contextual integrity: theory and applications
• information technology policy

The full paper, 鈥淒ata and Privacy in a Quasi-Public Space: Disney World as a Smart City,鈥� is published in Lecture Notes in Computer Science and .

Students and colleagues interested in working with Shvartzshnaider are welcome to contact him for available opportunities.

Other papers by Shvartzshnaider on this topic include:

• 鈥淒isaster Privacy/Privacy Disaster,鈥�听published in the听Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology听in 2020.听.
• 鈥淕oing Against the (Appropriate) Flow: A Contextual Integrity Approach to Privacy Policy Analysis,鈥� published in proceedings of the Seventh AAAI Conference on Human Computation and Crowdsourcing in 2019.听.

Courtesy of YFile.

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鈥淭he President鈥檚 Research Awards recognize the outstanding scholarly contributions that researchers make to their fields,鈥� said 91亚色 President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri. 鈥淣ot only are Professors Stutchbury and Pillai Riddell exceptional research leaders at 91亚色, but their research is making an impact at national and international levels.鈥�

Bridget Stutchbury

As the recipient of the 2016 President鈥檚 Research Excellence Award, Stutchbury has made significant contributions to outstanding research on the ecology, behaviour and conservation of birds. She studies the migratory behaviour of birds through the use of miniature tracking devices that are mounted on the backs of birds and then retrieved a year later after migration. Tracking the start-to-finish migration of individual songbirds for the first time has allowed her to map the complex connections between breeding and wintering sites and to link population declines to climate change, tropical deforestation and potential other threats. She has contributed to over 100 peer-reviewed scholarly publications with more than 5000 citations, including her most notable research paper published in 2009 in the prestigious scientific journal, Science.听

Her scientific and scholarly accomplishments have been acknowledged by a Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Ecology and Conservation Biology (2002 to 2012). In 2007, her book Silence of the Songbirds, was nominated for a Governor General鈥檚 Award in non-fiction and inspired the 2015 award-winning documentary The Messenger.

鈥淚鈥檓 very proud that my research has been selected to showcase 91亚色鈥檚 diverse research culture. My colleagues provide an incredibly supportive and exciting environment in which to take chances and be innovative,鈥� said Stutchbury.

As the recipient of the President鈥檚 Emerging Research Leadership Award, Pillai Riddell听has established the first norms for the development of acute pain behaviours in healthy infants, within the context of primary caregivers through her (the Opportunities to Understand Childhood Hurt [OUCH] Lab at 91亚色. Internationally, the OUCH cohort is known to be the largest and most in-depth longitudinal study on healthy infants in pain to date.

Her program of research has been built on millions of dollars on funding from federal and provincial granting agencies. She has contributed to more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, 21 chapters/books, 26 invited talks, 38 peer-reviewed national/international symposia and 138 posters. Her research has attracted stellar graduate students from across the country and all six of her students currently hold Canada Graduate Scholarships from either the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) or the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Among her international accomplishments, she was a clinical research lead on the 2015 Clinical Practice Guidelines for Immunizations published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal with recent endorsements by the World Health Organization. Alongside this research activity, she has also held a number of leadership positions across departmental, faculty, and university committees. This includes her current chairship of 91亚色 Senate鈥檚 Academic Policy, Planning, and Research Committee.

Rebecca Pillai Riddell

鈥淚 am extremely grateful to have been enabled to grow my program of research in such a nurturing environment. I look forward to continuing to support 91亚色鈥檚 research intensification efforts both at home and abroad, 鈥漵aid Pillai Riddell.

The 91亚色 President鈥檚 Research Excellence Award recognizes senior established, full-time, active faculty members at the rank of professor, with distinguished scholarly achievements who have had a notable impact on their field(s) and made a substantial contribution to advancing the University鈥檚 international reputation for research excellence while significantly and positively contributing to one or more aspects of the 91亚色 community鈥檚 intellectual life.

The 91亚色 President鈥檚 Emerging Research Leadership Award recognizes full-time faculty members within 10 years of their first academic appointment, who have had a notable impact on their field(s) and made a substantial contribution to advancing the University鈥檚 international reputation for research excellence while significantly and positively contributing to one or more aspects of the 91亚色 community鈥檚 intellectual life.

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Bachelor of health studies program students Alexandra Veres (left)听and Seungree Nam both conducted research for (TAP) at Southlake Regional Health Centre under the mentorship of 91亚色 Professor Liane Ginsburg of the Faculty of Health鈥檚 School of Health Policy & Management. Veres explored the theme of hope in several of the patient education programs offered by TAP, while Nam鈥檚 project looked at whether or not the Hospital Anxiety听& Depression Scale (HADS) was a valid outcome measurement tool in TAP鈥檚 outpatient fibromyalgia education program.

Both students were awarded research grants as part of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research鈥檚 (CIHR) mobility, musculoskeletal health and arthritis undergraduate summer studentship. The funding was designed to provide undergraduate and health professional students with opportunities to undertake research projects with established health researchers in an environment that provides strong mentorship.

Seungree Nam

The third student, Julia Salzmann, also of the bachelor of health studies program, conducted an extensive data collection and analysis on the effects of听the use and integration of Internet communication/e-health technologies (ICTs) as a growing resource for addressing First Nations鈥� mental health. She received a research grant from the (NAMHR), which is funded by the through the CIHR. Salzmann requested to work under the direction of Professor Naomi Adelson, associate dean, research in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who is a collaborator on NAMHR and whose own research has focused on e-health technologies and the Internet as a health resource.

Julia Salzmann

What Nam found after helping to administer the HADS questionnaire to patients on the first and last day of the Fibromyalgia Education Program, entering all the data, conducting a statistical analysis, as well as a literature review, was that it was a relevant and appropriate tool to measure the program鈥檚 effectiveness in helping manage patient anxiety and depression.

HADS was developed to identify the possibility of anxiety and depression in patients involved in hospital clinics outside of the mental health department. Patients were also given a fibromyalgia impact questionnaire and a fibromyalgia history form.

鈥淲e did find a significant and meaningful outcome from the three surveys,鈥� Nam says.

Left: The graph Seungree Nam prepared for his research

According to the data, patients had a 10 to 13 per cent lower score for depression following the program. Their level of survey reported anxiety, however, remained the same, but when the patients were verbally asked during the program鈥檚 last session about their anxiety, they said they felt it had improved. Nam believes the discrepancy had to do with two or three questions on the post-survey which the patients found confusing.

Nam鈥檚 poster abstracts for the research were accepted at two different conferences: the Canadian Association of Ambulatory Care conference (held in September) and the in the United States in November. He is currently in the process of writing up his research.

As part of Veres鈥� research, she worked with four groups in TAP 鈥� inflammatory arthritis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and fibromyalgia. 鈥淲e were building on a 2009 pilot study done by TAP that explored the theme of hope in the inflammatory arthritis patient education program,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat study found that the patients not only wanted the program, they wanted it to be delivered with an element of hope. They wanted to come out of it with hope.鈥�

What TAP wanted to know, says Veres, was whether this theme of hope carried through all four of the programs in TAP and what the patient learning needs were. After collecting and qualitatively analyzing the data, what the research found was that 鈥渢he theme of hope permeated through all four programs,鈥� she says. Up until now, hope was not a popular theme in patient education programs. Veres says she thinks the findings will make 鈥渁 big difference in how these patient education programs will be run in the future.鈥�

The information could lead to better patient adherence to treatment plans and improved quality of life, as well as reduced disability.

Veres abstract was accepted at the Canadian Association of Ambulatory Care conference recently and she hopes her forthcoming article will be published in a scholarly journal.

As there is little or no other research looking into the theme of hope in education programs from a patient鈥檚 perspective, Veres believes the research could be quite significant for the patient education community.

Salzmann wishes to pursue further research in Aboriginal health policy. So having the chance to look at e-health in a First Nations context was exciting to her.

This research looked at the importance of incorporating the First Nations鈥� holistic, traditional and cultural approach to healing, wellness and mental health services using ICTs. 鈥淕enerally speaking, Aboriginal peoples have a much more holistic approach to health,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey incorporate the individual, the community and the environment, and look at all realms of health, including the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual parts of a person.鈥�

This research explored the use and integration of ICTs in addressing Aboriginal mental health as a growing resource. 鈥淩esearch has shown that tele-health is a great tool, but we must consider who will finance this initiative, will it be sustainable and will it contribute to the overall health of the community? It鈥檚 a very politicized issue,鈥� says Salzmann.

In researching the issues involved, Salzmann completed an extensive national literature review on ICTs. 鈥淭ele-health is a huge hot button topic now,鈥� she says. 鈥淭o be equitable in health in the long term, Aboriginal health has to be on the agenda.鈥� What it comes down to is that the Aboriginal people鈥檚 own ways of seeing health, as well as their culture, has to be included in any ICT initiatives.

Salzmann鈥檚 will be presenting her work at the at Queen鈥檚 University later this month. She also hopes to have her forthcoming article on the research published in a scholarly journal and she is hoping to pursue a master鈥檚 degree in public policy or public administration in the future.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

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