A circus performance on the water. Students learning about the use of French terminology in sport. Videos and photos exploring the careers of female coaches. A university course on how sport is connected to sustainable development strategies in Canada and abroad.

The Brock-Canada Games Academic Showcase, to be held in Brock’s Rankin Family Pavilion (RFP) and Pond Inlet Wednesday, Oct. 5 and Thursday, Oct. 6, will present these and many other teaching, research and community engagement outcomes arising from Brock University’s partnership with the recent Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games.

The showcase will also include the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Research Café, an annual event where graduate students share their research in a casual and supportive environment. The theme of this year’s café is the Niagara 2022 Canada Games.

Throughout the free showcase — held from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Thursday — people can stop by and share their experience with the Games in the RFP Atrium featuring an ongoing memories collection activity.

“The Niagara Canada Games were a unique way for Brock to enhance student experience and academic innovation through a large-scale, campus-community connection,” says Julie Stevens, Professor of Sport Management and Special Advisor to the President — Canada Games.

In the years leading up to the Games, held Aug. 6 to 21, Stevens oversaw three sub-committees: research, curricular and community engagement.

Each committee spearheaded initiatives integrating Canada Games themes into Brock course content, research and community partnerships. Grants from various sections of the University funded a wide variety of projects and activities, details of which are included in the “Brock University & the Canada Games: An Academic Legacy” final report.

On the morning of Oct. 5, the showcase will feature talks by six faculty members describing how they drew upon the broad Canada Games theme to innovate their courses. The afternoon will focus on how Brock’s core competencies relate to careers in the major sport industry, as well as a student-led panel on Canada Games volunteers.

“Students have been given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take part in an event that brought people from across the country to Brock’s campus,” says Brock University Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Lynn Wells. “Along with the two-week window of extraordinary volunteer activity and community outreach from the Brock community, the practical experience the Games delivered to our students in the classroom and in the various venues will set them up for success for years to come.”

Oct. 6 is devoted to research, with 28 faculty, their students or partners giving talks on projects funded by the VPR Canada Games Research Grants program.

The presentations, held throughout the day, are grouped into themes relating to the Canada Games, including technology; youth; community; women and girls; athletes and well-being; the arts; athletes and performance; and athletes and injury.

“I’m very impressed by the rich variety of research, scholarship, creativity and innovation coming from absolutely every discipline,” says Brock Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon.

“The research and creative activity arising from this year’s Canada Games is unprecedented in the Games’ history and is contributing a wealth of knowledge and insights in many segments of society beyond the sport community.”

Also included in the morning of Oct. 6 is the launch of the Niagara Community Observatory report, “Leveraging Research for Legacy,” which discusses research projects and creative works funded through the VPR Canada Games Research Grants program. The launch will be accompanied by a panel discussion including Brock faculty and community partners.

Wrapping up the day will be the graduate students’ Research Café and a closing keynote address by Bruce Kidd, Professor Emeritus of Sport and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, on the topic “Let’s end the dependence upon major games as a strategy of sport development in Canada.”

“Dr. Kidd’s lifetime of direct experience with the Olympics and other major games will give us an intriguing look into that world as he calls for significant public investment in sport participation,” says Stevens. “I encourage the community to attend this and as many of the two days’ presentations as their schedules allow.”

Registration is encouraged, but those wishing to attend all or parts of the showcase can also come at the last minute.

To see the schedule for both days, and to register, visit the event website. For details on the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ Research Café, or to register, visit the Research Café: Sport Edition web page.