Media releases

• Brock to present scholarships to 66 Niagara high school students

  Friday, May 12, 2023 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: May 12 2023 – R0040

  Some of the region’s brightest young minds will be recognized for their academic accomplishments and community commitment next week as Brock celebrates its Niagara Principal’s Scholarship recipients.

  For the eighth consecutive year, the University will present entrance scholarships of $2,500 to two students from nearly every public, Catholic and private secondary school in the Niagara region.

  Recipients are selected by principals from each high school based on a combination of academic achievements, school and community involvement, and financial need.

  Created in 2015 as a way to give back to the local community and to open doors to post-secondary education for Niagara youth, the scholarship program has offered more than $1.3 million in funding, including $165,000 in 2023, to hundreds of area high school students.

  A reception to celebrate this year’s recipients will be held on Wednesday, May 17 from 6 to 7 p.m. in Brock’s Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, where the 66 honourees will gather alongside their families, principals, teachers and guidance counsellors, as well as Brock representatives.

  Scholarship packages will be handed out to each award recipient during the event.

  Members of the media are invited to attend the reception.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases

• Community members sought for Brock yoga research

  Friday, May 12, 2023 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: May 12 2023 – R0039

  It’s not much of a stretch to connect yoga and mindfulness, but a new Brock University study aims to dive deeper into the exercise’s potential impact on health and well-being.

  Brock researchers are seeking participants for the 10-week pilot study, which will look at how people’s relationships with yoga differ based on characteristics such as age, gender and weight. Participants must be 18 years or older and must not have done yoga regularly within the past 12 months.

  Matthieu Dagenais (BSc ’16), PhD candidate in Applied Health Sciences and principal student investigator on the study, says it’s important participants represent diverse backgrounds, cultures, genders and ages.

  “Most research examining the benefits of yoga on mental health and wellness has been done with young women in university,” he says. “It is important to understand these benefits in more diverse groups, including men and older individuals, so everyone can benefit from this knowledge.”

  The information collected will help researchers evaluate the possibility of conducting a larger similar study in the future and may also help in the development of programs available through the Brock Functional Inclusive Training Centre (Bfit) for enhancing exercise, health and well-being.

  Half of the pilot study’s participants will be randomly selected to participate in free one-hour, in-person yoga sessions once a week for 10 weeks at Bfit in the Walker Sports and Abilities Centre at Canada Games Park. The other half will act as a control group and be asked not to participate in any yoga for the duration of the study.

  All participants will be asked to complete three online questionnaires: one at the beginning of the study, one at the five-week midway point and a final survey at the end. Each will take about 30 to 45 minutes to complete and will ask about demographic information, participants’ physical and psychological well-being, their physical activity and their perceptions of yoga.

  At the end of the study, the control group will be invited to attend a free in-person yoga class at Bfit. All participants will receive a video recording of a yoga class, and three people will be randomly selected to win a gift basket that includes a yoga mat, strap and block, so they can continue to pursue yoga on their own.

  Anyone interested in participating in the study is asked to email Dagenais at mdagenais@brocku.ca for more information.

  Dagenais is conducting the research under the supervision of Professor of Kinesiology Kimberley Gammage, who is also the Program Director for Brock’s Master of Professional Kinesiology program and Director of Bfit’s SeniorFit exercise program.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Doug Hunt, Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Brock University dhunt2@brocku.ca or 905-941-6209

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  Categories: Media releases