Media releases

• Brock graduate student wins contest with research on body image and mirrors

  Friday, April 08, 2016 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE
  R00075
  8 April 2016
  Brock University — Communications & Public Affairs

  Women working out in the gym won’t feel uncomfortable looking at themselves in full-length mirrors if their trainers get them to see beyond superficial appearances, says Brock University’s winner of this year’s Three Minute Thesis competition.

  Graduate student Carly Cameron says societal pressures to appear slim and beautiful may initially cause many women to be anxious when they view their reflections. But when those women use the mirror to develop correct techniques and form during exercise, that anxiety disappears.

  “My research showed that women can leave the gym feeling happy, healthy and ready to return tomorrow,” says Cameron. “They simply need to be reminded that, when they look in the mirror, they should be checking their form.”

  Cameron was one of five Brock finalists in Thursday’s international Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, in which students clearly explain their research in three minutes. They can only use a single PowerPoint slide, with no other props or visual aids.

  First developed in 2008 by the University of Queensland in Australia, the 3MT competition is now held in universities around the world.

  The idea is to develop presentation and communication skills among student researchers so that they are able to explain complicated concepts in plain language that general or non-specialist audiences can understand.

  “After years of using language that’s highly specialized in my field, this competition made me think about the big picture impact of my research and how to convey that to the public,” says Cameron. “To be given the opportunity to share this with the broader community is a fantastic way to bridge the gap between research and practice.”

  Cameron will represent Brock at the 3MT Ontario competition in Waterloo April 14. The top five presenters from there will move onto the national level, an online competition co-ordinated by the Canadian Association of Graduate Schools.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
  * Cathy Majtenyi, research communications/media relations specialist, cmajtenyi@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5789 or 905-321-0566

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock expert available to comment on Panama Papers

  Friday, April 08, 2016 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY
  R00074
  7 April 2016
  Brock University — Communications & Public Affairs
   
  Chinese president Xi Jinping’s concerted campaign to stamp out official corruption in his country has suddenly taken a rather embarrassing twist. Senior Chinese government officials, as well as some of Xi’s own family members now find themselves in the spotlight of the Panama Papers, a massive leak of documents from the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.

  They are among hundreds of politicians, public officials, celebrities and athletes worldwide implicated in schemes that essentially enable them to avoid paying taxes on their wealth and, in some cases, launder money and dodge sanctions.

  Charles Burton, associate professor, Department of Political Science, is a world-renowned expert on China and is available to comment to the media on the Panama Papers and the fallout that has resulted this week.

  “When you have a situation of a nation with 80 to 100 million people concerned about just getting enough to eat and having enough fuel and clothing to keep their bodies warm, the revelations that billions of dollars have been transferred out of the Chinese system to the benefit of certain individuals is a very serious matter,” says Burton. “It’s not simply tax evasion; it goes beyond that to the transfer of state assets into private hands offshore.”

  Burton can speak to:
  • The effectiveness of attempts to censor social media reports of Chinese government corruption arising from the Panama Papers leak.
  • Whether Xi or others will suffer the same fate as Iceland Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, who resigned as a result of his family’s implication.
  • Whether these latest revelations will bring about reform in China’s government and elite.
  • The impact on other countries in the region.

  Contact: Charles Burton, associate professor, Department of Political Science, cburton@brocku.ca

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
  * Cathy Majtenyi, research communications/media relations specialist, cmajtenyi@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5789 or 905-321-0566

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  Categories: Media releases