Media releases

• Brock researcher awarded grant for equipment to study workplace ergonomics

  Thursday, March 02, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 1 March 2017 – R00047

  A national funding grant awarded to a Brock University researcher Tuesday will be used to help study how people sit, stand and use their muscles on the job.

  The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) announced Tuesday it has awarded Department of Kinesiology Assistant Professor Michael Holmes a grant of nearly $100,000 through its John R. Evans Leaders Fund to purchase equipment for a new Neuromechanics and Ergonomics lab.

  “The equipment is fundamental to everything we do, so the John R. Evans Leaders Fund is a really important program,” Holmes says. “There are very few funding avenues in Canada that allow you to purchase large, expensive pieces of equipment. I’m very thankful for this program.”

  With the money, Holmes will be purchasing three sophisticated devices and some smaller equipment to create the lab at Brock.

  The first is a motion capture system to record research participants’ postures and body movements as they perform a variety of simulated workplace tasks.

  The second is a haptic wrist robot that will allow Holmes’ research team to look at how the forearm muscles control the hand — especially in workplace situations such as when people are holding power tools.

  “This device will allow us to better understand how fatigue, pain and/or injury influence performance,” Holmes says.

  The third piece is an electromyography system, or EMG, which evaluates and records electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles.

  The three machines will give the researchers a complete picture of workplace movement.

  “We’ll understand what the muscles do, how people move and what sort of forces they’re interacting with.”

  This knowledge, in turn, can be used to better design workplace tools and objects, or change workstations so that workers “interact with the tools differently” to prevent workplace injuries, he says.

  Holmes was awarded a Canada Research Chair in Neuromuscular Mechanics and Ergonomics, announced near the end of 2016.

  His research examines how the brain and nervous system interact with the mechanics of hand, arm, shoulder and neck muscles as we perform a variety of tasks.

  “The hand and upper limb are engineering marvels,” explains Holmes. “Even trivial human-object interactions require a complex series of co-ordinated events from the brain to the start of movement.”

  But each person is different. Holmes’ research aims to understand why some people develop carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive strain injury and other upper body injuries while others doing the same job do not develop these injuries.

  “This research will lead to workplace and tool design strategies that make occupational tasks safer and more efficient,” says Holmes. “It will impact the lives of working Canadians because work shouldn’t hurt.”
   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
   
  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

  – 30 –

   

  Categories: Media releases

• Want a job? Bring people skills and problem solving to the interview table

  Tuesday, February 28, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 28 February 2017 – R00046

  Recent graduates looking for work take note: if you relate well to people and take initiative to solve problems, you’ve got the edge over other applicants.

  And, according to new research from Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO), if you can show the interviewer how you’ve used these skills effectively in the past, it’s likely you’ll get the job,

  Relationship-building, problem-solving and other ‘soft skills’ — along with attributes such as adaptability, enthusiasm and a desire to learn — are critical factors when potential employers assess recent graduates, says the NCO’s brief, “Is there a skills gap? Understanding what Niagara employers are looking for in recent graduates.”

  The NCO and Brock Researcher Kate Cassidy, the brief’s author, released the findings Tuesday, Feb. 28 at the University. Panelists included Mario De Divitiis, CEO of Niagara Workforce Planning Board, Rachel Crane, Chair of NEXTNiagara and Jeremy Bout, Executive Producer of Edge Factor. Mishka Balsom, CEO of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce and Regional Chair Alan Caslin also addressed the crowd.

  “Candidates tend to focus on the technical or hard skills required for a role and brush over the soft skills listed in the job ad,” said Cassidy, director of Community Learning and Youth University at Brock. “Educational qualifications and experience are still important, but having these alone won’t be enough to stand out and succeed.”

  To determine how Niagara employers define “career readiness,” Cassidy and her team interviewed 44 professionals from 39 large and small organizations across a wide variety of sectors.

  The research team asked employers what they look for in entry level hires, whether they find young applicants to be adequately prepared for work, and what needs to be done to prepare the workforce of the future.

  ‘Hard skills,’ technical expertise or content knowledge, are important and desirable. However, employers report that they look at the ‘whole person’ when making hiring decisions, and it is often soft skills that set the successful candidate apart from the crowd.

  Employers are also interested in experiences where young job-seekers have developed and used the hard and soft skills that are relevant to the job they are applying to.

  But ‘experience’ in this case doesn’t necessarily have to be past professional employment. Activities employers value include “volunteering, athletics, participation in clubs, living overseas, general employment and life-changing challenges that brought about personal growth,” says the brief.

  Despite the importance of soft skills, the Niagara employers surveyed indicate they are seeing a soft skills gap in many of the job applicants they encounter.

  “They told us many young people cannot convincingly illustrate the presence of skills with good examples from experience and cannot talk about how specific soft skills will enhance their performance in the role they are applying for,” says the brief. “Other research has also noted this inability to adequately discuss soft skills as well.”

  The brief recommends measures to develop or enhance soft skills development, including:
  •    Extra-curricular programs, project-based activities, service learning and other programs in schools that intentionally focus on developing reflection and soft skills in youth
  •    Encouraging parents and families to allow children to face challenges where their personal, social and thinking skills are tested, as well as modeling and discussing soft skills with children
  •    Offering company mentorship programs that focus on and teach soft skill development
  •    Setting intentional soft skill development goals with young employees to help them practise and master specific skills
  •    Building general awareness of the importance of soft skills development to families, youth, educators and employers

  “Employers want applicants to be able to speak comfortably about their learning from experience, and this hinges on taking the time to continually reflect on both the hard and soft skills that were used in experiences.” said Cassidy.

  Being aware and intentional about soft skills development will help job candidates identify soft skills and be able to talk about their role in new jobs or challenges.
   
   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
   
  * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

  Brock University Marketing and Communications has a full-service studio where we can provide high definition video and broadcast-quality audio.

  – 30 –

   

  Categories: Media releases