March 3 Research Café

Connecting to the World

Thursday, March 3, 2011
4:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Pond Inlet, Brock University
Moderator: Dr. Ian Brindle, Vice-President Research

Part 3 of our annual Mapping the New Knowledges Conference was a Research Café showcasing Research and Graduate Studies at Brock. The theme focused on international research and education and featured presentations from graduate students about study opportunities abroad and a discussion with international students who have chosen Brock.

Panel 1:
Chair: James Mandigo, Associate Professor Physical Education & Kinesiology

Student Participants:

• Kelsey Pinch
MA student, Applied Health Sciences
Supervisor: Professor James Mandigo
Presentation Title: “An insider’s perspective on conducting research in El Salvador”
Kelsey Pinch is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, where she received her BSc in Kinesiology and Physical Education. She has been working on international projects since 2007 in India, Thailand, and El Salvador. Her current thesis topic is exploring the leadership roles of principals in Salvadoran schools and their impact on the prevention of youth violence.

• Nick Beamish
MA student, Applied Health Sciences
Supervisor: Professor James Mandigo
Presentation Title: “Linking international and local research together”
Nick Beamish is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, where he received his BA in Kinesiology and Physical Education. He has been working on international projects in countries such as Morocco and India. His current thesis topic is exploring the impact that events such as the Unity Games have upon the development of life skills for children and youth.

Panel 2:
Chairs: Tiffany Gallagher, Associate Professor Teacher Education and Sheila Bennett, Professor Teacher Education

Student Participants:

• Melissa Fleishman
MA student, Applied Disability Studies
Supervisor: Professor Maureen Connolly
Presentation Title: “Locating oneself on the map: International experiences of inclusion”
Melissa Fleishman is an enthusiastic learner currently undergoing graduate work that emphasizes the necessity of exploring inclusion within and across individuals with and without disabilities.
She has a background in Physical Education (Disability Studies) and two years experience working as a Teaching Assistant in disability related courses. Her experiences at Brock University have taught her to focus on the application of the material she learns. More recently, her interests have been on extending her understanding of inclusivity amongst those who facilitate it. She is assisted by academic and research awards such as the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship.

• Lana Radloff
MA student, Classics
Supervisor: Professor Elizabeth Greene
Presentation Title: “Archaeology Abroad: from Greece to Turkey and back again”
Lana Radloff packed her bags late last spring to spend eight months abroad. Her first stop was to work as a teaching assistant on an excavation in Northern Greece led by Prof. Margriet Haagsma from the University of Alberta. From there, she went to Turkey to work on an underwater survey project and do research at the Institute of Nautical Archaeology with her Brock supervisor, Prof. Elizabeth Greene. After that, she completed a threemonth internship at the Athens-based Canadian Institute in Greece (CIG).

The institute has primary responsibility for Canadian archaeological research in Greece. Lana’s research focuses on new methodologies that can be utilized by curators in public museums to provide educational value to collections of de-contextualized antiquities. These collections involve artifacts for which there is no record of the context of their discovery. As such, the cultural, historical and social significance of the artifacts has been lost.

Panel 3:
Chair: Ingrid Makus, Associate Professor Political Science

Student Participants:

• Denis Dogah
MA student, Political Science
Supervisor: Professor Hevina Dashwood
Presentation title: “International Business and Human Rights. A Study of Multinational Mining Firms and Human Rights in Ghana”
Denis Dogah is an international graduate student from the Republic of Ghana. He received a BA in Political Science with a minor in Philosophy from the University of Ghana, Legon. He was attracted to Brock’s program for its focus on international relations theory, international political economy and international security.
He is particularly interested in the effects of international relations on developing countries such as Ghana.
The 21st century poses a series of new challenges for developing countries in international relations, says Denis. A common theme running through these difficulties is that which western aid agencies, government and international institutions experience in formulating more effective approaches to encouraging stability and development in third-world countries.

• Owuraku Kusi-Ampofo
MA student, Political Science
Supervisor: Professor Charles Conteh
Presentation title: “RESISTANCE AND CHANGE: The Politics of Health Care Reforms in Ghana”
Owuraku Kusi-Ampofo is an international graduate student from the Republic of Ghana. He received a BA in Political Science with a minor in History from the University of Ghana, Legon.
His research into public policy focuses on issues facing developing countries in key areas such as local government administration, political economy, public policy evaluation, public policy and economic development, and multinational and corporate social responsibility.
Owuraku will examine specific policy initiatives in Ghana involving public education and health care. His goal is to contribute research that will strengthen the country’s intellectual capacity and bureaucratic apparatus in public policy.

• Armin Karimi
MSc student, Management, Management Science stream
Field advisor: Professor Anteneh Ayanso
Presentation Title: “Keyword Intelligence in Search Engine Advertising”
Armin Karimi is an international graduate student from Iran. He holds a BSc degree in Information Technology in Engineering from the University of Isfahan, Iran, and a master’s degree in Engineering and Management of Information Systems from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.
His graduate work involves developing keyword management intelligence, maximizing revenue of vendors advertising on mainstream search engines such as Google. These strategies will improve driving potential customers to vendor portals, and will enhance a company’s ability to collect and interpret information that relates to its performance in areas such as, for example, advertising and marketing, competitor environment, and website optimization.

Wrap-up:
Daniel Antwi-Amoabeng, President, GSA

The Mapping the New Knowledges conference series is presented annually by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Brock Research, and the Graduate Students’ Association.