Researchers Archives | Research & Innovation

Gala will celebrate 91��ɫ researchers

muellerm — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:00:00 +0000

The groundbreaking research, thought leadership and scholarship of 91��ɫ researchers will be celebrated Wednesday, Feb. 27 during a gala event.

Hosted by 91��ɫ’s President and Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri and Vice-President Research & Innovation Robert Haché, the gala pays tribute to the University’s 2012-2013 research leaders. The recipient of the President’s Research Excellence Award will be announced at the gala.

Robert Haché

“91��ɫ is proud to celebrate and recognize the achievements of many of our leading faculty and student researchers,” said Shoukri. “Our researchers are helping us understand what is happening around the globe, while responding to the most pressing challenges facing Canada and the world.”

“Each honouree has demonstrated their dedication to excellence in research and scholarship in their own unique way,” said Haché. “The gala provides an opportunity to recognize the breadth of accomplishments by 91��ɫ researchers over the past year and particularly those who have received top honours and accolades from external agencies, nationally and internationally.”

Mamdouh Shoukri

Festivities begin at 2pm and will continue until 5pm in 1005 Osgoode Hall Law School (Moot Court). The event features a keynote speech by Jim Stanford, an economist with the Canadian Auto Workers, Canada’s largest private sector trade union. Stanford is the author of Economics for Everyone (2008). He is a frequent contributor to CBC Television’s “The National” appearing on the program’s The Bottom Line panel, and a columnist for The Globe and Mail newspaper.

The event will be a celebration of a wide spectrum of researchers across the University, including faculty and students. Among the many researchers to be honoured are, Professors Carl James and Norman Yan, were inducted into the Royal Society of Canada as Fellows; Trudeau Fellow Janine Marchessault; Faculty of Health Dean Harvey Skinner; and Early Researcher Award recipients Natasha Myers and Thilo Womelsdorf.

All 91��ɫ students, staff and faculty are invited to attend. to RSVP for the event.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin to research stories on the research website.

The post Gala will celebrate 91��ɫ researchers appeared first on Research & Innovation.

SSHRC awards more than $9.7 million to 91��ɫ researchers

muellerm — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Researchers, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at 91��ɫ have been awarded more than $9.7 million from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).The grants, part of over $200 million in funding and awards recently announced, will support 91��ɫ research that improves the quality of life of Canadians, while advancing knowledge and building understanding of complex socio-cultural and economic issues.

On Monday, Gary Goodyear, minister of state (science & technology) announced the significant investment by the Government of Canada in basic research and research training in the social sciences and humanities.

Gary Goodyear

“We are very pleased with SSHRC’s investment to support the work of 91��ɫ’s researchers in the Social Sciences & Humanities,” said, Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “This funding allows our researchers to grow and strengthen their innovative research programs while contributing to Canada’s knowledge base.”

Thirty-two 91��ɫ faculty members received more than $3.8 million to fund their research projects through SSHRC’s Insight Grants and programs. In the Insight Grants competition, 91��ɫ enjoyed an exceptional 39 per cent success rate, which is 12 per cent higher than the national success rate for the competition.

Robert Haché

The funding was granted for research covering a wide range of topics, including:

Institutional changes and adaptive search behaviour of business groups in developing economies
Industrialization, human capital and democracy
Teaching for mathematical understanding: The potential of 'folding back' as a pedagogical tool
Second generation success and marginalization: the impacts of race, gender and place on employment and social mobility
Multilingualism and ethnic identity: An international perspective
The roles of lead banks and institutional investors in secondary loan sales
Modernist Literary Musics

Graduate students and doctoral fellows benefited from the announcements as well: 167 91��ɫ master’s and doctoral students have won more than $5.8 million in scholarships and fellowships. More than 2,400 graduate and postdoctoral projects across Canada received funding.

“Canada’s position as a world leader in research excellence leads to discoveries, innovations and advanced skills that drive job creation and opportunities in the knowledge economy,” said Goodyear. “Through Economic Action Plan 2012, our government provided additional resources to support advanced research at universities and other leading research institutions, which will build on previous investments to further strengthen Canada’s research advantage.”

“This research is the key to innovation and to building knowledge for Canada’s future,” said Chad Gaffield, president of SSHRC. “Through this funding support, we are generating insights and developing innovative solutions for today’s social, economic and cultural issues, while training the next generation of researchers and leaders.”

A complete list of SSHRC-funded projects is available on the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post SSHRC awards more than $9.7 million to 91��ɫ researchers appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Study finds all generations want meaningful work

muellerm — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Workers of all ages see their jobs and employers in a similar light and want many of the same things, this according to a study of 1,000 people in 50 American states conducted by researchers in the School of Human Resource Management in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies at 91��ɫ. The findings will be presented at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention on Aug. 5.

“Many books and articles claim that younger and older workers see their jobs differently and want different things,” said 91��ɫ faculty member Paul Fairlie, a behavioural scientist, consultant and the study’s researcher. “But some of that is based on opinion and hearsay. More rigorous research is needed.”

Paul Fairlie

The study found that age and generations had only a zero to three per cent effect how people see their work and what they desire from the workplace. Positive working conditions were far more responsible for people’s satisfaction, commitment, and retention.

Younger and older workers surveyed in the study reported similar working conditions, satisfaction, commitment, stay intentions, burnout, engagement and discretionary effort. All workers were motivated by similar work characteristics, with meaningful work topping the list.

“A 10 per cent increase in meaningful work was linked to seven per cent higher satisfaction, commitment, stay intentions and lower burnout,” said Fairlie. “It was almost eight per cent for higher engagement.”

Meaningful work was measured as self-actualizing work (work that enables an employee to realize their full potential, values and life goals), social impact (having a positive impact on people and things through work), feelings of personal accomplishment and believing that their highest career goals can be achieved within their current organization.

The study recommends that employers provide the same positive working conditions to all employees, regardless of age, especially meaningful work, which may have the most widespread, pervasive and positive impacts. The study also suggests that meaningful work can often be provided through communication strategies rather than re-tooling the organization.

The findings, which were statistically significant and replicated in two other studies, will be published later this year in an academic volume on aging, work and society.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Study finds all generations want meaningful work appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Study finds songbirds migrate on strict schedule

muellerm — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 08:00:00 +0000

A new study by 91��ɫ researchers finds that songbirds follow a strict annual schedule when migrating to their breeding grounds – with some birds departing on precisely the same date each year.

The study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, is the first to track the migration routes and timing of individual songbirds over multiple years. Researchers outfitted wood thrushes with tiny geolocator “backpacks”, recording data on their movements.

One of the songbirds studied is the wood thrush. Photograph by Kevin Fraser

Spring departure dates of birds heading from the tropics to North American breeding grounds were surprisingly consistent, with a mean difference of only three days from year to year, the study reports. Fall migration, however, was far less predictable. Males on average flew faster than females, and first-timers lagged behind those with more than one journey under their wings.

The geolocators, which are smaller than a dime, are mounted on birds’ backs with thin straps looped around their legs. The devices measure light, allowing researchers to estimate latitude and longitude by recording sunrise and sunset times.

“It’s quite surprising that the schedules of these birds are so consistent across the entire route, with some of them departing the tropics and arriving at breeding sites in North America on the same day in different years,” says study author Kevin Fraser, a postdoctoral Fellow in 91��ɫ’s Department of Biology, . “Much like airplanes, there are many factors that can influence birds’ flight schedules, such as weather at departure and expected conditions at the other end of the journey. Amazingly, these small songbirds are highly consistent in their timing between years.”

Interestingly, while their departure times are precise, songbirds’ migratory routes can vary widely. “Migratory routes sometimes differed by several hundred kilometres between years, which may reflect a fine-tuning of migration in response to wind and weather conditions en route, such as during large open-water crossings like the Gulf of Mexico,” says Fraser.

Wood thrush with geolocator. Image taken in Belize. Photo by ��ѳ��ԲԴǲ�

As for arrival times, birds need to be early to lay their claim to prime breeding grounds – but not too early.

“There is intense pressure for birds to get back to breeding grounds early to secure good territories, nest sites and, of course, mating opportunities. The early birds tend to do better and raise more young. However, cool weather in early spring can reduce food availability and even survival of early birds,” Fraser says. He cautions that songbirds’ consistent timing may come at a cost.

“The concern is that birds may not be able to flexibly adjust their schedules to meet new conditions with climate change,” says Fraser. “This is a topic we’re pursuing in current research.”

The birds Fraser tracked were tagged in Pennsylvania and Costa Rica, at field research sites of his supervisor, 91��ɫ Professor Bridget Stutchbury, who has studied the behavioural ecology of birds for decades. Her 2007 book, Silence of the Songbirds, details the threat to the species posed by climate change and habitat destruction.

“Numbers [of wood thrush] have plummeted in Canada by over 50 percent since the 1960s. When we lose the wood thrush, and other songbirds, we lose an integral part of the forest itself,” Stutchbury says.

The research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), National Geographic Society, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Neotropical Migratory Bird Grant, Kenneth M. Molson Foundation, Schad Foundation and proceeds from Silence of the Songbirds.

The study, “Repeat tracking of individual songbirds reveals consistent migration timing but flexibility in route”, is co-authored by Stutchbury, along with Calandra Stanley, Maggie MacPherson and ��ѳ��ԲԴǲ�, graduate students in 91��ɫ’s Department of Biology, Faculty of Science & Engineering.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Study finds songbirds migrate on strict schedule appeared first on Research & Innovation.

SSHRC awards $499,152 to five 91��ɫ researchers

muellerm — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Five researchers from 91��ɫ have been awarded $499,152 from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to support social research and knowledge mobilization initiatives. The Public Outreach Grants support existing and ongoing projects that mobilize research results to a range of audiences beyond academia.

The grants, part of $6.3 million in funding and awards invested across the country, will support over 95 research projects to improve Canadians’ quality of life, while addressing important socio-cultural and economic issues.

“91��ɫ continues to build on and strengthen its commitment to community engagement,” said Robert Haché (right), 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “91��ɫ’s researchers continue to share and co-create knowledge with the broader community, as exemplified by the success of our researchers in the receipt of funding for engaged scholarship through SSHRC’s Public Outreach grants program and the work of our researchers and Knowledge Mobilization Unit in further developing community-academic partnerships.”

Researchers from 91��ɫ include:

Sheila Cavanagh, a professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS) Department of Sociology and coordinator of the Sexuality Studies program in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, received $102,117 in funding to professionally stage a research-based theatrical production titled Queer Bathroom Monologues, at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, and to curate an accompanying research-based art exhibition. The objective of this project is to enable multi-layered conversation and networking between partners in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy, and proactive policy and educational programming in the Ministry of Education to combat LGBT bullying in Ontario high schools. The Queer Bathroom Monologues are based on interviews with LGBT interviewees published in Cavanagh’s book, Queering Bathrooms: Gender, Sexuality, and the Hygienic Imagination (2010).

Professor Mark Winfield, program coordinator of the Master of Environmental Studies/Juris Doctor joint program in the Faculty of Environmental Studies and co-chair of the Faculty's Sustainable Energy Initiative (SEI), received $86,000 in funding to mobilize the knowledge developed through the initiative in order to support the development and deployment of sustainable energy technologies in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada. The project activities will include an SEI Sustainable Energy Policy Seminar Series employing virtual and live formats and the development of social media tools to engage students, staff, faculty and private sector, non-profit and municipal audiences around sustainable energy technologies and strategies.

Paul Lovejoy, Distinguished Research Professor and Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History in the Department of History (LA&PS) and director of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples, received $132,442 in funding to enhance public understanding of, and appreciation for, the crucial role played by African Canadians during the War of 1812. He will work with Caitlin Fisher, professor and Canada Research Chair in Digital Culture in the Faculty of Fine Arts Department of Film, Michele Johnson, associate professor in the Department of History (LA&PS), and Murray Wickett, chair of history, Brock University, on this project. The project is administered by Naomi Norquay, associate professor, Faculty of Education, and Karolyn Smardz Frost, Senior Research Fellow at the Harriet Tubman Institute and Visiting Bicentennial Professor in Canadian Studies, Yale University, for the coming year. The project builds on a workshop organized by the Tubman Institute, in collaboration with the History Department at Brock University, and is titled: We Stand on Guard for Thee: The African Canadian Experience in the War of 1812, which was held at Brock. This project will develop a series of concurrent public and educator-engagement sessions and be delivered using cutting-edge digital technology.

Sean Kheraj, assistant professor, Department of History (LA&PS) received $36,795 in funding to facilitate the mobilization of Canadian environmental history scholarship to a wider audience by creating and disseminating audio podcasts that feature interviews, round-table discussions and lectures on topics in Canadian environmental history that are relevant to key contemporary environmental issues in Canada. He will work with two project partners, Canada’s History magazine and the Network in Canadian History and Environment (NiCHE), on this project, in order to reach environmental groups, educators, and public policymakers.

Faculty of Education Professor Stephen Gaetz received $141,798 in funding to invest in knowledge mobilization focused on income and housing vulnerability. He will be collaborating and working with co-applicants Daniele Zanotti, CEO, United Way of 91��ɫ Region (UWYR), David Phipps, director, Research Services & Knowledge Exchange, and Michaela Hynie, professor in the Department of Psychology and the Program Evaluation Unit in the 91��ɫ Institute for Health Research on this project. Building on their five year knowledge mobilization partnership, 91��ɫ and UWYR will implement a community-campus knowledge mobilization strategy based on best practices so that 91��ɫ housing and income vulnerability research and expertise is accessible to community partners. For more information on this project, visit the .

Gary Goodyear, minister of state for science & technology, announced the investments in research that will help build a better understanding of important societal issues.

“Our Government’s top priority is the economy: jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. To remain at the forefront of the global economy, our government is investing in the people and ideas that will produce tomorrow’s breakthroughs,” said Goodyear. “The mobilization of knowledge leads to a more robust economy and helps develop new opportunities for economic growth while strengthening Canada’s research advantage.”

“Knowledge-sharing among multi-sectoral partners is essential to innovation and to building the expertise needed for Canada’s future,” said Chad Gaffield, president of SSHRC. “These Public Outreach Grants enable the flow and exchange of knowledge across campuses and the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, which, in turn, produces benefits for Canadians.”

For more information about the projects, please visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

The post SSHRC awards $499,152 to five 91��ɫ researchers appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Youth not active enough, especially girls, says researcher

fmaquito — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:00:00 +0000

One of the main points coming out of the recently released 2012 Get Active Toronto Report on Physical Activity is that youth are not active enough, especially girls, says one of the report’s researchers and 91��ɫ professor.

“There is much we can do to foster a love of physical activity in recreation in youth,” says Professor Parissa Safai of 91��ɫ’s School of Kinesiology & Health Science in the Faculty of Health. She was on the research committee responsible for the main report and was the lead researcher for all the qualitative components of the report.

Safai designed and analyzed the research exercises with more than 140 youth at a youth summit. She also compiled a series of community snapshots with 91��ɫ kinesiology and health science PhD student Alana Harrington to highlight physical activity promotion success stories in Toronto and the GTA.

The report highlights seven key recommendations targeted at increasing physical activity among youth. Those recommendations, says Safai, include ways to support girls – the least physically active population group in Canada.

As Safai says, “Physical activity in youth is critical in the development of lifelong habits.”

But what the report found is “low levels of physical activity have not changed much over the last decade….only 42 per cent of Torontonians are physically activity during leisure time.”

Among the seven highlights, the report found that girls may require a different approach; there is a large knowing-doing gap among youth when it comes to physical activity; socio-cultural barriers make a difference; schools play an important role in fostering physical activity; and the environment, including walkable neighborhoods and safe recreation spaces, can make a difference.

Safai has been a part of the Get Active Toronto research team since 2008. “This year's report focuses on what we can do to help youth be more active. Together, Torontonians are in a position to reduce or eliminate many of the barriers that face our children and youth,” she says. “But we still need to be aware of the gaps in our knowledge of physical activity and encourage funders and researchers to continue to work together to help us all develop a more complete picture of physical activity in Toronto so that we can reduce all of the barriers we face.”

One of the ways to help youth is to encourage adults to display positive attitudes about physical activity and to be better role models for young people. “We need to understand that social isolation, embarrassment and peer pressure also contribute to physical inactivity in youth,” says Safai.

To view the , visit the website.

Get Active Toronto is a public-private collaborative seeking positive change in the physical activity levels of Torontonians.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin

The post Youth not active enough, especially girls, says researcher appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Girls' leadership project symposium at 91��ɫ Saturday

fmaquito — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:00:00 +0000

A youth symposium on girls’ leadership will be hosted at 91��ɫ this weekend, marking the end of a successful first year of the Engaging Girls, Changing Communities (EGCC) initiative.

The symposium will take place Saturday, July 14, from 9am to 4pm, at 519 91��ɫ Research Tower, Keele campus.

EGCC brings together girls and young women with a network of researchers, public school professionals and youth-serving community organizations.

Nombuso Dlamini at last year's forum

The project, spearheaded by Nombuso Dlamini, a professor in 91��ɫ’s Faculty of Education and the inaugural Jean Augustine Chair in Education in the New Urban Environment, investigates how young women and girls engage in leadership and civic activities in new urban environments.

Over the past 12 months, the project hired and trained youth from around the GTA to interview young women and girls about their experiences of leadership and civic engagement. The event highlights the youth interviewer participation in the research process by providing a space where they can present their experiences and receive positive feedback. Initial findings from the interviews will also be presented.

Youth interviewers being trained last summer

The symposium will also mark the kick-off of what promises to be an exciting and engaging second phase of EGCC, during which girls will be given resources to design their own projects and activities to learn about and practice leadership and civic engagement.

“There’s a pressing need for more women in leadership roles, particularly in government and the civic arena,” says Dlamini. “If we are to achieve this, we need to start from the ground up, which means getting girls engaged in civics early on.”

Youth interviewers from the GTA and the Windsor branch of the project will gather in Toronto on Friday to share a meal and visit a local attraction. On Saturday, project participants, researchers, community partners and a selection of youth from various community organizations will convene at 91��ɫ.

The day will begin with a short address from Dlamini and then launch into a panel showcasing youth engagement in different areas of Toronto. Youth interviewers will then present their experiences and findings with the audience. Finally, team building and brainstorming activities will take place to create and strengthen networks of collaboration, discuss next steps, as well as tap into the unique insight provided by youth from the communities for use in the construction of the summer initiative.

The project’s co-applicants, 91��ɫ Professor Joy Mannette of the Faculty of Education and Yvette Daniel of the University of Windsor, will also be in attendance.

Anyone interested in attending must RSVP to leadershipbygirls@edu.yorku.ca, or e-mail for more information.

This research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Girls' leadership project symposium at 91��ɫ Saturday appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Bullying is bad for the brain, says speaker for upcoming conference

fmaquito — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Bullying is bad for the brain. It has the potential to change and damage the brain, causing lifelong consequences. Professor Jean Clinton of McMaster University will discuss how toxic stress, such as that caused by bullying, can have long-lasting effects for children, at PREVNet’s sixth annual bullying prevention conference next week.

Debra Pepler

Creating Healthy Relationships to Prevent Bullying: Get the Tools to Take Action will take place June 19 at the Chestnut Conference Centre, 89 Chestnut St. in Toronto.

Wendy Craig

PREVNet (Promoting Relationships Eliminating Violence), a national network of 60 Canadian researchers from 27 universities and 50 national child and youth serving organizations, is led by 91��ɫ psychology Professor Debra Pepler and Queen’s University Professor Wendy Craig (MA ’89, PhD ’93), two of Canada’s experts in the field of bullying.

Coordinator of at the Toronto District School Board, Ken Jeffers, will deliver the keynote address, “Sex, Gender and Schools Oh My!”. A series of workshops will follow, where researchers, counsellors, parents, volunteers, youth and anyone else interested in bullying prevention will learn about the latest knowledge and gain practical tips regarding bullying from researchers and national community organizations.

Ken Jeffers

In the first workshop, Pepler will talk about ways to build healthy relationships with children and youth in any setting. Research is beginning to show how absolutely essential healthy relationships are for healthy development, she says. From the study of genetics at a cellular level through to studies of societal factors, clear links are emerging between the quality of children’s relationship experiences and their healthy development.

Professor of the University of Illinois will look at bullying and sexual harassment prevention and intervention among middle and high school students. In this talk, research will be presented to illustrate the prevalence and relations among bullying, homophobic teasing and sexual harassment among early adolescents. Masculinity and restricted gender expression also appear to be important factors contributing to these phenomena among adolescents.

Dorothy Espelage

A growing body of recent research, however, has documented the importance of social and emotional learning as critical to the creation of safe and caring learning environments, and ultimately as a foundation for academic success. Professor of the University of British Columbia will look at the importance of fostering social and emotional learning in schools.

Shelley Hymel

Criminal justice Professor of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will discuss the challenges of cyberbullying, what parents and educators need to know about how youth use and misuse technology to harm their peers, and outline strategies for preventing and responding to cyberbullying.

Justin Patchin

Craig, along with Professor David Smith of the University of Ottawa, will talk about how organizations can choose a bully prevention program. Shelley Cardinal, aboriginal consultant and national manager of Walking the Prevention Circle at the Canadian Red Cross, and Claire Crooks, a psychologist at the Centre for Addiction & Mental Health’s Centre for Prevention Science, will look at engaging aboriginal communities and youth in violence prevention.

For more information, including a complete list of , visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Bullying is bad for the brain, says speaker for upcoming conference appeared first on Research & Innovation.

91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit wins Best Practice Award

fmaquito — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 08:00:00 +0000

On June 12, 2012, 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit received the Knowledge Economy Network Best Practice Award from the European-based (KEN). The award, which was part of a group announced by the network was presented during the network's annual forum, which took place June 11 and 12, in Maribor, Slovenia.

KEN is an European nonprofit association that acts as a "network of 16 European regions and countries, interested in boosting their knowledge-based competitiveness, exchanging good practice, encouraging collaboration and implementing new knowledge into innovative products in response to a larger, global need to enhance and support efforts to build knowledge economy, not only at European, but at a truly international level."

In addition to national level awards recognizing innovation in the four domains of education, research & development, innovation, entrepreneurship, plus one media award, the three Best Practice Awards announced this year went to:

European Affairs Fund, AP Vojvodina, based in Serbia, which KEN described as "an example of good practice in multicultural education"
Knowledge Mobilization Unit at 91��ɫ, which was cited by the network as "an example of good practice of a new scheme run by the University and involving all triple helix [government, community and industry] partners"
South East European Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning, based in Croatia, which KEN highlighted as "an example of good practice in successful regional cooperation in training and education"

“This recognition from a European agency is testament to the growing international reputation that 91��ɫ is gaining for its work in knowledge mobilization,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “Knowledge mobilization connects researchers and students with partners, so that their research and expertise can be applied to real-world challenges, in addition to helping to inform decisions about public policy and social services.”

Under the leadership of David Phipps, director of research services & knowledge exchange in 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit, the unit has been developing and delivering knowledge mobilization services to faculty, students and their research partners since 2006. The unit has received funding from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Working with 240 faculty, 142 students and 205 partner organizations, the Knowledge Mobilization Unit has brokered more than 250 collaborations between the academy and non-academic partners. These partnerships have attracted more than $1 million in sponsored research funding specifically for 91��ɫ research, and over $1 million in funding for community partners.

Michael Johnny, manager of the Knowledge Mobilization Unit, supports all large-scale grant applications, which in turn has secured over $17 million in external research support for 91��ɫ faculty and their partners. Some of these collaborations are maturing into social innovations that help find new ways to address persistent social and economic challenges.

In 2009 Nottawasaga Futures, a nonprofit community development agency, called 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization Unit to help a rural business in making green decisions. The collaboration helped launch the .
91��ɫ supported a collaboration between graduate student Tanya Gulliver and the Parkdale Activity & Recreation Centre in 2007. Research conducted by this partnership is now helping to inform , which will assist more than 2.5-million people cope in an increasingly warming world.
When the Regional Municipality of 91��ɫ called the Knowledge Mobilization Unit to seek support in evaluating how they delivered services to immigrants, 91��ɫ supported a collaboration between two faculty members and municipal policy-makers. The evaluation undertaken provided evidence to the regional government, which in turn informed the region's decision to invest more than $20 million to expand the Welcome Centre program. The investment created 86 jobs and provided 48,000 services to new Canadians living and working in 91��ɫ Region, which is home to Canada’s fastest-growing newcomer population.

"Knowledge mobilization identifies and supports these collaborations," said Phipps. "The welcome centres, Heat Registry and Green Economy Centre are examples of social innovation."

As a result of these and other stories of the impact of research, Phipps is widely sought as a speaker on 91��ɫ's model for knowledge mobilization, which is increasingly becoming recognized as a critical component of engaged scholarship and learning.

To watch Phipps’ acceptance speech for the Economy Network Best Practice Award, .

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post 91��ɫ's Knowledge Mobilization Unit wins Best Practice Award appeared first on Research & Innovation.

91��ɫ researchers awarded $7 million by NSERC

fmaquito — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:00:00 +0000

The Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced Wednesday that 60 researchers at 91��ɫ have been awarded more than $7 million in NSERC grants, while eight graduate students have received a total of $318,500 in funding for scholarships and fellowships. The funding was awarded following national, peer-reviewed competitions conducted by NSERC.

“On behalf of the 91��ɫ research community, I am very pleased by this announcement,” said Robert Haché, 91��ɫ’s vice-president research & innovation. “NSERC’s investment in science, engineering and technological research reflects the exceptional quality of the research activities undertaken by 91��ɫ’s researchers, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Our growing success in NSERC grant competitions allows our researchers to continue to grow and strengthen their innovative research programs across these disciplines from a base of excellence.”

Scientists, engineers and students at universities across the country will receive more than $410 million in grants and scholarships over terms ranging from one to five years. These awards comprise the 2012 competition results for NSERC’s Discovery Grants, Discovery Accelerator Supplements, Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships Programs.

Forty-nine 91��ɫ researchers received funding in the Discovery Grants Competition, securing $6,086,000 in funding – a success rate of 71 per cent – highlighting the strength of University research programs in the science and engineering disciplines.

In the Discovery Grants and Discovery Accelerator Supplements Competition, the funding was granted for research programs covering a wide range of topics, including:

Experiments in the atmospheres of Mars and Earth
Structural and functional imaging of the human thalamus
The role of electrical synapses in vision
The development and application of dynamic smart surfaces
Thoracic and lumbar spine biomechanics
Development and application of mass spectrometry imaging to biological models

91��ɫ researchers were also awarded $601,733 in funding in the Research Tools & Instruments competition.

"Our government's top priority is jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. To remain at the forefront of the global economy, our government is investing in the people and ideas that will produce tomorrow's breakthroughs," said Gary Goodyear, federal minister of state for science and technology. "Through these investments, we are creating the best-educated and most skilled workforce in the world."

"Through these programs, NSERC provides direct support to an exceptionally strong base of scientific and creative talent in every field of the natural sciences and engineering," said Suzanne Fortier, NSERC president. "Our scholarships and fellowships programs help us recruit and retain the bright young minds that will lead the next generation of Canadian discoverers and innovators. The flexibility and broad base of research supported by our internationally recognized Discovery Grants Program maintains our capacity to promote important breakthroughs."

The Discovery Grants Program supports ongoing programs of research in every scientific and engineering discipline. Valued at $120,000 over three years, Discovery Accelerator Supplements are awarded to researchers whose research proposals suggest and explore high-risk, novel or potentially transformative concepts and lines of inquiry, and are likely to have impact by contributing to groundbreaking advances in the proposed areas of research.

Research Tools and Instruments (RTI) grants foster and enhance the discovery, innovation and training capability of university researchers in the natural sciences and engineering by supporting the purchase of research equipment and installations.

The NSERC scholarships and fellowships awards announced Wednesday − comprised of the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships − offer support at the master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral levels.

For more information, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post 91��ɫ researchers awarded $7 million by NSERC appeared first on Research & Innovation.