Media releases

• Brock basketball teams ready to Paint the Meridian Red in downtown St. Catharines

  Thursday, November 09, 2023 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: November 9 2023 – R0106

  Brock University’s premier basketball showcase is making its long-awaited return to downtown St. Catharines on Saturday, Nov. 25.

  The Brock men’s and women’s basketball teams are set to host a Paint the Meridian Red doubleheader versus the McMaster Marauders at the Meridian Centre.

  The women’s game will tip off at 6 p.m. with the men to follow at 8 p.m. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.ca

  Brock Sports and Recreation Executive Director Melissa Krist said she’s looking forward to bringing back the community sporting event after a three-year hiatus.

  “Playing before a sea of spectators in grand arenas like the Meridian Centre etches unforgettable memories in our student-athletes’ hearts. These games have evolved into unmissable spectacles for our students and fans — a testament to our Brock pride,” Krist said. “We encourage the community to secure their tickets in advance. It’s an invaluable opportunity for our basketball programs, and the University, to connect with the Niagara community.”

  The event will include a community zone with family-friendly activities such as face painting and games. Transportation will be provided for Brock students to and from the main campus.

  “Playing at the Meridian Centre is a rare opportunity, especially for our Niagara-born talents. It’s a chance of a lifetime to showcase our skills in front of family and friends, creating lasting memories,” said Brock women’s head coach Mike Rao. “The high-energy game and the electric crowd atmosphere make it a unique experience.”

  Both of Brock’s basketball teams opened the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) regular season with back-to-back victories over the University of Toronto and York University on Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4.

  “Paint the Meridian Red is a unique moment for the Niagara region and aspiring athletes to see that Brock stands out among other universities across the country,” said Brock men’s basketball head coach Willy Manigat. “We aim to be one of the top programs in the country, and this event is a key differentiator that enhances our student-athletes’ experience and opportunities.”

  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

• Brock launches Ontario’s first PhD in Applied Behaviour Analysis

  Thursday, November 02, 2023 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: November 2 2023 – R0105

  With behaviour analysis set to become the newest regulated health profession in Ontario, Brock is launching a new PhD program in Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).

  Housed in the Department of Applied Disability Studies (ADS), the PhD in ABA will be the first of its kind in Ontario and only the second doctoral ABA program available in Canada.

  ABA-based interventions are used to address socially significant behaviour in a variety of areas related to childhood, parenting, mental health, substance abuse, dementia, organizational behaviour management, sport and other areas.

  Brock’s new PhD program will offer comprehensive training in behaviour analysis, including applications of the science with different populations across diverse settings in keeping with the ADS mission of bettering the lives of people with disabilities and underserved populations through quality education. Graduates will be scientist-practitioners with the knowledge, skills and perspectives to become professors, community researchers, clinical supervisors or program evaluators, among many other roles.

  Nearly 200 people registered for a recent information session to learn about applying to the program — a number that came as no surprise to Department Chair and Acting Graduate Program Director Rosemary Condillac, who says that “the timing couldn’t be better in terms of giving hope for capacity-building in the province.”

  The Ontario Government is scheduled to fully proclaim the “Psychology and Applied Behaviour Analysis Act, 2021” next summer, after which time behaviour analysts will be regulated, an improvement that Condillac says helps protect the public.

  “Ontario does not currently have a lot of doctoral-level trained behaviour analysts, but this program will inject new, qualified researchers into the system,” says Associate Professor Kimberley Zonneveld, who led the committee that developed the program proposal. “Meeting that need through the training offered in this program will raise the bar on behaviour analysis services across the province.”

  Zonneveld notes that a clinic hosted by the department will provide experiential education by training students and building their applied knowledge related to their coursework and research, while also serving the Niagara region.

  “We’ve really tried to develop a program that will teach students about the entire comprehensive scientific system that is behaviour analysis — including applied behaviour analysis, the experimental analysis of behaviour and behavioural theory and philosophy — to give students a strong conceptual understanding,” she says. “We believe that being well versed in all aspects of this comprehensive, scientific system will lead to researchers, clinicians and teachers who have a strong grasp of what this science is, what it can do and how it can best be applied.”

  Condillac commends the program committee chaired by Zonneveld, which also included former co-chair Kendra Thomson, Valdeep Saini, Alison Cox and Nicole Luke, for designing an exceptional program.

  “The development team were thoughtful about their own doctoral experiences, as well as what would make this stand apart from other programs,” says Condillac. “And I think they’ve done a phenomenal job of having dialogues and conversations in order to pull together a truly exciting and rigorous program that differentiates Brock from every other university in Ontario.”

  She adds she is also grateful to both the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs for their support throughout the program’s development.

  “The clinical researchers in the Department of Applied Disability Studies are educators and advocates whose expertise is second to none,” says Ingrid Makus, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. “It is thrilling to see a PhD program added to their current and highly successful master’s-level offerings to help address a growing, urgent need.”

  Applications for the first cohort of the PhD in ABA are due Friday, Dec. 1. Learn more and apply through the program’s website.

  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