The dynamic work of 40 Brock graduate students and postdoctoral fellows has drawn the attention of the federal government, which recently awarded the rising researchers more than $2 million in Canadian Graduate Scholarships (CGS).<\/p>\n
The awards were announced as part of a funding bundle Wednesday, March 13 by Minister of Transport Pablo\u00a0Rodriguez on behalf of Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Fran\u00e7ois-Philippe Champagne.<\/p>\n
As part of the same announcement, Brock researchers were granted $477,654 from\u00a0the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada<\/a> for early research projects;\u00a0$206,450 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council to investigate how viruses that infect an insect can be manipulated to avoid infection and disease in humans; and a new Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Child Health Equity and Inclusion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Among Brock\u2019s 40 CGS recipients is Applied Health Sciences PhD student Caroline Hummell, whose research will explore how mentorship impacts the participation of women and girls in sport.<\/p>\n Hummell\u2019s personal and academic journey has informed her research. The lifelong basketball player has seen alarming trends along the way from national reports of girls and women dropping out of sport \u2014 many expressing a reluctance to return to the field or court following the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n \u201cIn Canada alone, one-third of girls drop out of sport by age 16 and one in four girls currently engaged in sport are not committed to returning. In comparison, only one in 10 boys drop out of sport during the same period,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Hummell\u2019s dissertation aims to provide clarity around mentorship as well as best practices for developing, implementing and evaluating sport-based mentorship programs and initiatives so sport organizations can work towards increasing participation rates of girls in sport.<\/p>\n \u201cMentorship is flagged by major sporting bodies as a potential strategy for keeping girls in sport,\u201d she says. \u201cHowever, little research has explored mentorship for girls in sport to understand how it can address these trends.\u201d<\/p>\n Hummell\u2019s extensive background in mentorship both on and off the court has given her a grassroots advantage to her research.<\/p>\n \u201cMy goal is to be that person who helps build a larger evidence base around sport-based mentorship and program evaluation to inform best practices for researchers and practitioners in the sport sector,\u201d she says. \u201cReceiving the funding is an amazing feeling to have others recognize the value in this research.\u201d<\/p>\n The Canadian Graduate Scholarships aim to promote and assist research excellence to exceptional graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in criteria set out by the awarding agencies, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).<\/p>\n Hummell plans to use part of the funding to compensate her study\u2019s participants.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re making a huge contribution to the research and I\u2019m excited to give something back to them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n In addition to being awarded the CGS Doctoral (CGS D) funding, Hummell is also the first-ever Brock University student to receive the Nelson Mandela Distinction with the scholarship.<\/p>\n The distinction seeks to recognize graduate students conducting research in one or more of five areas that Mandela championed during his lifetime: national unity; democracy, freedom and human rights; leadership; children\u2019s participation in society; and children\u2019s health.<\/p>\n Only 10 of the highest ranked SSHRC CGS\u00a0D applications that align with one or more of the five research areas that Mandela championed receive the distinction.<\/p>\n \u201cI am incredibly honoured to be the first recipient of this distinction from Brock,\u201d Hummell says. \u201cI hope to pave the way for many other future award winners after me.\u201d<\/p>\n