![\"A](\"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/L.R.-Wilson-827x1050.jpg\")
L.R. Wilson, Chairman of the Wilson Foundation.<\/p><\/div>\n
Seeking to conduct research that informs the future, the project\u2019s interdisciplinary team will focus on five key economic sectors: hydro-electric power generation; manufacturing and industry; marine transportation; tourism; and agriculture and agri-business.<\/p>\n
Led by NCO Director and Brock Political Science Professor Charles Conteh, the team will engage researchers and faculty from the University\u2019s Faculties of Social Sciences, Humanities, Education and Goodman School of Business, as well as Brock University Library\u2019s Archives and Special Collections throughout the project to provide guidance and support research activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe project brings together an interdisciplinary team in partnership with the Niagara community to advance understanding of the region\u2019s socio-economic development prospects and challenges in a changing world,\u201d said Conteh. \u201cWhile the team will be looking at the region\u2019s past in terms of historical trends of its leading economic sectors, it will also be examining current and emerging sectors, and comparing the region’s assets with those of other mid-sized Canadian regions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team will then situate Niagara’s economic opportunities and challenges in the context of ongoing breakneck changes in global markets and technologies,” he said.<\/p>\n
Three approaches will be taken for mapping Niagara\u2019s history, including extensive use of archival materials, reliance on digital tools and the use of oral histories. The project will also provide experiential learning and research opportunities for Brock\u2019s post-doctoral fellows, master\u2019s students and research assistants.<\/p>\n
Beyond the historical case study research, the Wilson Foundation\u2019s generous $500,000 gift will further support knowledge dissemination in the Brock and Niagara community.<\/p>\n
The information and knowledge gained through research will be presented using digital media, such as online presentations, maps and timelines, Archives and Special Collections\u2019 exhibitions \u2014 both online and in person \u2014 and symposiums for researchers and the academic community.<\/p>\n
\u201cResearch at Brock often enriches our shared understanding of the roots and the complex interrelationships of the Niagara region,\u201d said Tim Kenyon, Brock\u2019s Vice-President, Research. \u201cOutstanding scholarship of this kind means looking not only to the future, but also to the many histories that help explain what that future may hold. That is exactly what this project aims to do, and we are grateful for the support from the Wilson Foundation that is enabling Brock to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lastly, the gift will support the progression of Brock\u2019s outstanding Faculty of Education, specifically with teacher-candidates interested in history. Concurrent Education students pursuing an undergraduate degree in History will learn about Niagara\u2019s unique place in the world and how the region\u2019s history can help Canada and future generations to thrive. There will also be opportunities for collaboration to determine how to best include the project\u2019s case studies in the curriculum for future teachers and students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis philanthropic funding from the Wilson Foundation is an investment in Brock\u2019s future as a leader in research education and will create a purposeful relationship between the University, its researchers and our community,\u201d said Sonia Dupte, Brock\u2019s Executive Director, Development and Campaigns.<\/p>\n
Learn more about the research project and the Wilson Foundation’s support in the below video:<\/strong><\/p>\n