Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Archives | Research & Innovation

Research forum provides new perspective on ways to end youth homelessness

muellerm — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 10:00:00 +0000

A systems approach is needed to respond to youth homelessness in 91��ɫ Region and Canada. This was the message at yesterday’s research forum: Re-Imagining Our Response to Youth Homelessness: A Canadian and Global Perspective, organized by United Way 91��ɫ Region (UWYR) and 91��ɫ at the Markham Convergence Centre.

“A multi-sectoral approach is necessary. Non-profit organizations, universities, governments and other key stakeholders have to work together to end youth homelessness and move forward with one clear vision,” said keynote speaker Stephen Gaetz, 91��ɫ professor and director of the Canadian Homelessness Research Network. “We need to reconsider our response to youth homelessness and shift our focus away from an emphasis on emergency supports towards prevention and rapid rehousing.”

Representatives from a variety of sectors gathered at the Markham Convergence Centre to talk about an effective response to youth homelessness in 91��ɫ Region and Canada.

The research forum was organized by UWYR in partnership with 91��ɫ’s Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) Unit through a one-year Public Outreach Grant from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

“We see this event as a great opportunity to invite people to think differently about youth homelessness and learn from other jurisdictions,” said Jane Wedlock, knowledge mobilization officer, UWYR. “And we can consider whether we might explore some of these different approaches.”

Stephen Gaetz

Examples were drawn from different Canadian provinces and other countries that have undertaken some innovative approaches to addressing youth homelessness.

"It was impressive to see 91��ɫ research at a forum designed to facilitate relationship building, a two-way exchange between academic researchers and practitioners in social service provision, all with one common vision to support positive changes in addressing issues of youth homelessness in 91��ɫ Region," said Michael Johnny, manager of knowledge mobilization at 91��ɫ.

"Research Forums, such as the one held yesterday, are an important process of effective knowledge mobilization by creating a culture of collaboration and realizing the potential for research to have a direct and positive impact for 91��ɫ Region," said Johnny.

For more information, visit the website.

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

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Researcher awarded prestigious Banting Fellowship comes to 91��ɫ

muellerm — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:00:00 +0000

Nielson Bezerra, who received his PhD at Universidade Federal de Fluminense in Brazil in 2010 and now teaches at Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, has been awarded a prestigious Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship to pursue his research program at 91��ɫ’s Harriet Tubman Institute.

The awards were announced by Gary Goodyear, minister of state for science & technology, Thursday, Sept. 13. Bezerra will receive $140,000 in research funding over two years.

Nielson Bezerra

Bezarra’s research project, Liberated African Slaves in Brazil in the Nineteenth Century, examines patterns of forced migration of enslaved Africans to the Americas after the British and North American abolition of the slave trade. The research focuses on the 100,000 enslaved Africans who were destined for Brazil, but were removed from slave ships by the British Royal Navy after 1820 and declared “Liberated Africans”.

The individuals taken off these ships provide a representative sample of the migration to Brazil in this period. They will be studied for the purposes of revealing the broader pattern in determining where people came from in Africa and what happened to them in the Americas. Bezerra has published four books and is a member of the Board of Directors of Museu Vivo do São Bento in Duque de Caxias.

"The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships are Canada's most prestigious awards for postdoctoral researchers," said Goodyear. "These internationally competitive awards allow our country to retain and attract some of the best and brightest researchers in the world, thereby building Canada's economic and competitive edge."

91��ɫ’s Vice-President Research & Innovation, Robert Haché, said, “We are most pleased to have Dr. Nielson Bezarra pursue his research program at 91��ɫ. The Banting Fellowship program leverages an opportunity to attract, retain and recognize exceptional postdoctoral researchers and support them early in their careers.”

As a post-doctoral fellow at 91��ɫ, Bezerra will be supervised by Professor Paul Lovejoy, Distinguished Research Professor, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Canada Research Chair in African Diaspora History and director of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on the Global Migrations of African Peoples. Bezerra joins a research team that is digitizing and analyzing documentation on Liberated Africans in Sierra Leone, Angola, Cuba, and elsewhere, besides Brazil.

The purpose of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships is to build world-class research capacity by recruiting top-tier Canadian and international postdoctoral researchers at an internationally competitive level of funding. Seventy fellowships are awarded yearly through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada.

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

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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.

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An evening of firsts for Environmental Studies Awards Gala

fmaquito — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 08:00:00 +0000

The sixth annual Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES) Awards Gala marked an evening of firsts as FES Dean Barbara Rahder welcomed award recipients, presenters and friends to a packed Gladstone Hotel ballroom last Thursday night, Oct. 20.

A new certificate program and several inaugural awards were just some of the items on the evening’s agenda. Rob Tiffin, vice-president students, extended his congratulations to all of the award recipients, saying he was happy to have the opportunity to recognize and honour “some of the best and brightest students in FES, and…some of Canada’s future leaders.”

Tiffin applauded the Faculty in its efforts to position itself as a major centre for teaching and research, specifically recognizing FES’ recent developments in sustainable energy education. He said he was excited about the upcoming Certificate in Sustainable Energy, to which he remarked, “It will be a unique qualification for 91��ɫ graduates, in a very high-demand field.”

Left: From left, councillor Mike Layton, Ian Rice, who received the Jack Layton Prize for Environmental Research & Action, and Barbara Rahder

The first of the evening’s new awards was the Charles Caccia Award in Sustainable Development, spearheaded by Caccia’s wife Iva and friend Jim MacNeill. The award was financially established by dozens of individuals who wanted to commemorate Caccia in a way that would make him proud, by supporting student achievement and education in environmental sustainability. The inaugural recipient, PhD student Jennifer Mills, was amazed by Caccia’s contributions and dedication to environmental and social justice causes, noting that his example teaches us, “As Canadians, we cannot rest on our laurels. We must always strive to improve environmental policy and the quality of life for everyone.”

Right: From left, Robert Sirman presents the Molson Prize to Peter Victor with Brent Herbert-Copley and Barbara Rahder

Another award inaugurated with anticipation was the Jack Layton Prize for Environmental Research & Action. Layton’s son, Toronto Councillor Mike Layton, presented the award and shared the personal connection that he and his father had to the Faculty. Mike attributed his decision to come to 91��ɫ ultimately to his father, soliciting advice from him to help decide his graduate school. Jack had advised Mike to “talk to policymakers… to find out how they got to where they wanted to be.” Mike noted a recurring theme as he approached “top minds in the field, and influential players”; they pointed him to the Master in Environmental Studies (MES) program at 91��ɫ. The inaugural recipient of the Jack Layton Prize was Ian Rice, who recently completed his MES degree and now works on climate change policy for the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario. When asked about his aspirational ties to the prize’s namesake, Rice responded, “I’m definitely a politically engaged person. I could see myself getting into politics. It would be a good profession to have where I could make a real difference.”

FES Professor Peter Victor was also recognized that evening with a special addition to the festivities. Victor was presented with the , an award administered annually by the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) and the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The award is bestowed upon two distinguished Canadians per year in recognition of not only past contributions, but to encourage continued contributions to Canada’s cultural and intellectual heritage.

Left: From left, Anita McBride, receipient of the Friend of the Faculty Award, with friends and donors Guy Burry and Susan and Ted Spence

Past recipients include Canadians such as Margaret Atwood, Marshall McLuhan and Glenn Gould. Robert Sirman, director of the CCA, was on hand to co-present the award to Victor alongside Brent Herbert-Copley, SSHRC’s vice-president research capacity. Sirman remarked that Victor was their ideal choice, particularly in light of his latest book, Managing Without Growth – Slower by Design, Not Disaster. The book had considerable resonance for the CCA, shadowing its own values which Sirman identified, “There needs to be a major paradigm shift in societal values, away from the concept of humankind as a ‘consumer,’ to something closer to humankind as an ‘expresser’… The existing paradigm has been very negligent in not recognizing the conflict and tension between expression and consumption.”

The final award of the night was not new to the FES Awards Gala, but it garnered possibly the most palpable emotion. The Friend of the Faculty Award, established in 2005, is awarded annually to recognize and celebrate the generous contributions and outstanding support provided to the Faculty in the pursuit of its vision. This year’s recipient was Anita McBride, former director of the FES student programs office.

As the first recipient of an honorary MES degree at her retirement in 1999, McBride’s involvement with the Faculty extended beyond her 25 years of service at 91��ɫ. She continues to be a devoted and generous supporter of the Faculty, keeping in touch with MES alumni to help them network with current students. “I just loved the students when I was working, and I still keep in touch with a lot of them… and with their children,” said McBride. Rahder offered a sincere and appreciative hug to McBride, noting that without FES’ generous supporters and donors, the successes celebrated that evening would not be possible.

Submitted by Alicia Brown, FES media/communications coordinator

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

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