Media releases

• Weeklong Brock Women in STEM event open to the community

  Friday, February 04, 2022 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 4 February 2022 – R0012

  Women working in the science community will come together next week to share their experiences and inspire the next generation during a weeklong initiative at Brock University.

  Now in its third year, Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is building on its momentum and expanding its roster of virtual talks and workshops that will be offered from Monday, Feb. 7 to Friday, Feb. 11.

  Previously held as a one-day event, the initiative seeks to raise awareness of the under-representation of women and other minorities in science, and to spark discussions about what can be done to achieve gender equity in STEM fields.

  “This year, attendees will hear the stories, experiences and perspectives of scientists in different fields,” said Biological Sciences PhD candidate Mariana Garrido, who is leading the event’s organizing committee. “For the first time, the Women in STEM event is opening its doors to external speakers, with women scientists in positions outside academia joining us as well.”

  Event attendance rose from 125 participants in 2020 to 275 last year as a successful shift was made to a virtual format to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions.

  This year’s initiative will include a wide range of activities, including an academia showcase, ‘Meet a STEM Professional’ session and a trivia night including prizes. Also planned is a screening of the documentary Picture a Scientist, which focuses on sexual harassment and gender inequality in the wider science community.

  A talk on Gender Consent and Supporting Survivors in STEM will be presented by Brock’s Human Rights and Equity team, with the University’s Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre hosting a session on Burnout and Imposter Syndrome in STEM.

  “Previous events were attended by a diverse audience, including students from Brock’s undergraduate and graduate programs, faculty, local high school students and community members,” said Garrido.  “We believe the event improves the recognition and visibility of women in STEM fields and increases awareness of the issues that drive women away once they are involved in science.”

  This year’s initiative was organized by a committee of dedicated graduate students, including Garrido, second-year Centre for Biotechnology master’s student Amanda Williams, second-year Applied Health Sciences master’s student Hannah Charnock and Biological Sciences PhD candidate Shawna Hopper.

  The expansion of Women in STEM was also made possible by support from Brock’s Office of the Vice-President, Research and key sponsorship from Norgen Biotek Corp.

  The opening ceremony on Monday, Feb. 7 will include keynote speakers Vanessa Tran, Clinical Microbiologist at Public Health Ontario, and Kira Lussier, historian of science and a post-doctoral researcher cross-appointed at the Institute for Management and Innovation at the University of Toronto Mississauga and Rotman’s Institute for Gender and the Economy.

  A full schedule of Women in STEM speakers and events can be found on ExperienceBU.

  Women in STEM is open to all Brock students, faculty and staff members as well as the general public. To register for the free event, fill out an online registration form.

  Updates on the event are available through the @WomenInSTEM.BrockU Instagram page.

   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected] or 905-347-1970

  – 30 –

  Categories: Media releases

• Brock University course using virtual reality to enhance online learning experience

  Friday, February 04, 2022 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 3 February 2022 – R0011

  Martin Danahay is taking his online teaching approach to a new level. 

  The Brock University Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature is hosting one of his Winter Term courses in a 3D classroom using virtual reality (VR) technology.

  The class, WRDS/IASC/GAME 3P15 Writing for New Media, is part of Danahay’s ongoing work to introduce VR components into teaching.

  In 2018, he received a Chancellor’s Chair for Teaching Excellence award, which provided him funding to virtually bring together five students for a class using Oculus Quest headsets.

  That concept was further expanded when the Writing for New Media course began last month. All 20 students have headsets and class is conducted entirely in 3D spaces.

  A Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Engage grant received by Danahay with collaborator Tim Dun, Associate Professor of Communication, Popular Culture and Film, allowed the headsets to be purchased and for local software company XpertVR to be hired as part of the project.

  Danahay worked with XpertVR to create a realistic classroom and avatars. Students are able to speak and move around the 3D space using avatars as a ‘virtual body.’

  “The students have really liked it,” Danahay says of the VR environment. “They preferred meeting in 3D to videoconferencing. They had a much stronger sense of connection to the people they were talking to, even though they were communicating through avatars.”

  As the course got underway, students began to play around with their avatars, representing themselves as various objects, such as a stick of butter and characters from film, Danahay says.

  “Students really liked the playful aspect of it, and it didn’t interfere with their interactions or learning,” he says.

  XpertVR went on to develop three different virtual reality settings for the class, including the surface of Mars, a boardroom and a play space.

  Third-year Interactive Arts and Science student Maddy Kwan is a research assistant for Danahay and is helping students with technical aspects of using VR during the course.

  “It’s very interesting to see how far the technology has come,” she says. “This is a glimpse of what the future could look like and how virtual reality can be used in a practical setting.”

  The ongoing work also includes a research component. Working with Dun, Danahay will have students complete surveys around their sense of engagement in the VR space.

  “I usually run a conversation with students in a classroom, and the atmosphere of the classroom is very important to make students feel comfortable and express their ideas,” Danahay says. “3D is the future of a lot of interactions in virtual reality, so I’m interested in which factors help us create a sense of engagement and community for education.”

   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected] or 905-347-1970

  – 30 –

  Categories: Media releases