{"id":67315,"date":"2020-07-30T14:58:26","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T18:58:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=67315"},"modified":"2020-08-06T15:32:46","modified_gmt":"2020-08-06T19:32:46","slug":"brock-students-pursue-summer-research-through-vpr-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2020\/07\/brock-students-pursue-summer-research-through-vpr-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock students pursue summer research through VPR fund"},"content":{"rendered":"

Madelyne Coote\u2019s summer is turning out to be an eye-opening glimpse into the future.<\/p>\n

The third-year Psychology student was volunteering in Brock\u2019s Social Cognitive Development Lab<\/a> when Lab Director and Associate Professor Angela Evans told Coote about Brock\u2019s Research Training Award program.<\/p>\n

Coote applied and received a research grant to examine court transcripts of Canadian trials in which children provided testimony in sexual abuse cases. The undergrad is analyzing how children are being questioned and whether the Canadian court system is using best-practices for child witnesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese findings will hopefully help allow for recommendations to be made to improve questioning techniques lawyers and judges use to get reliable information from child witnesses,\u201d says Evans.<\/p>\n

The experience is not only teaching Coote research skills, but is starting to give her ideas of what might come after graduation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m making relationships with other professionals who are in this field through the Canadian Child Interviewing Research Team (CCIRT)<\/a> network,\u201d says Coote. \u201cThis has opened my eyes to more opportunities within psychology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coote is one of 42 students to have received a Research Training Award (RTA) from Brock University\u2019s Office of the Vice-President, Research this summer.<\/p>\n

Valued at $6,000, the award enables undergraduate and graduate students to undergo summer research training internships in all faculties across Brock.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents receive an opportunity to enhance their knowledge and skills through interaction with faculty and hands-on research and training experience, in the process increasing their awareness of potential educational and career pathways,\u201d says Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon.<\/p>\n

The Brock RTA was created on short notice when a similar summer internship program from Mitacs, a national non-profit research organization, shifted gears unexpectedly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe timing was intended to address the collapse of the summer job market due to COVID-19,\u201d says Kenyon. \u201cWe need to support our students in overcoming this challenge as we invest in our collective future through the development of our students\u2019 research expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitacs has since announced a scaled-down version of the original program, with a further eight Brock University students to receive their RTAs.<\/p>\n

PhD candidate Jenalyn Yumol is another recipient of Brock\u2019s RTA program.<\/p>\n

Under the direction of her supervisor, Professor of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and Canada Research Chair in Bone and Muscle Development Wendy Ward, Yumol is creating a resource to help people support their bone health.<\/p>\n

Yumol is using the Eat Well Plate<\/a>, a diagram produced by Canada\u2019s Food Guide, to illustrate the proportions of nutritious foods people should eat to promote health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal of my project is to adapt the Eat Well Plate to support bone health, specifically highlighting bone-supporting nutrients including calcium, vitamin D, protein, and other micronutrients,\u201d says Yumol.<\/p>\n

Consuming foods rich in these nutrients and staying active are some of the ways that may prevent or slow the onset of osteoporosis, a disease characterized by low bone mass leading to increased risk of fragility fractures.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese modified plates could be used as tools for clinicians, dieticians, health-care providers, or directly with the community,\u201d says Yumol.<\/p>\n

The 42 students\u2019 research projects span many departments in all Faculties. Other examples of research being conducted include:<\/p>\n