Media releases

• #MeToo founder to speak at Brock Monday

  Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 24 October 2018 – R00187

  A key figure in the #MeToo movement will speak at Brock University Monday.

  Tarana Burke, an American civil rights activist often credited with starting the #MeToo movement more than a decade ago, is giving a talk on behalf of Brock’s Office of Human Rights and Equity on Monday, Oct. 29.

  “Bringing high-profile speakers to campus is a great way to encourage widespread conversation about important equity issues,” said Leela MadhavaRau, Director, Human Rights and Equity.

  The Burke talk follows last year’s address at Brock University by Lieutenant General, the Honorable Roméo Dallaire, on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

  “Our hope is that dialogue will begin prior to these speakers’ visits to campus and will continue after,” MadhavaRau said.

  Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Burke founded the #MeToo movement in 2006 to raise awareness about the high occurrence of sexual assault and harassment in society. The movement gained significant steam in 2017 with the rise of #MeToo as a hashtag after the Harvey Weinstein allegations went public. Time Magazine named Burke and other high-profile female activists it dubbed “the silence breakers” as the Time Person of the Year for 2017.

  “The #MeToo movement was a catalyst and a tipping point for primarily women to be able to tell their stories,” said Shannon Kitchings, Research Assistant, Human Rights and Equity. “It overwhelmed the public and created more space for even more stories to be told, which resulted in the realization that almost everyone has a story.”

  Tickets for Burke’s talk are now sold out, but the event will be streamed on the Human Rights and Equity Facebook page.

  NOTE TO MEDIA: Interviews with Tarana Burke will only be available Monday between 5:30 and 6 p.m. prior to her talk at Brock University and must be booked in advance.

  What: Tarana Burke Speaking Engagement

  Where: Sean O’Sullivan Theatre, Brock University

  When: Monday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Tired and cranky? Brock researchers hope public can help find out why

  Wednesday, October 24, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 24 October 2018 – R00186

  Didn’t get enough sleep last night? You’re not alone. One-third of Canadians suffer from sleep problems.

  Reuben Howlett, a master’s student in Brock University’s Department of Psychology, wants to understand how poor sleep affects emotion and cognition, and hopes members of the public can help by participating in his most recent study.

  According to Statistics Canada, around half of Canadian adults have trouble falling or staying asleep, and a third sleep less than the recommended seven hours. At any given time, about 10 per cent are suffering from clinically debilitating insomnia.

  Poor sleep greatly reduces productivity, costing billions to the economy, and leaves drowsy drivers at an increased risk of car crashes.

  Getting enough sleep lowers your risk of heart attack and stroke, helps regulate your appetite, protects against cancer and dementia, and even boosts your immune system. It also improves reaction time, mood, emotion regulation and memory.

  “Imagine if there was medicine that you could take daily that did all this, people would be lining up at the pharmacy. So why are we neglecting sleep?” asks Howlett.

  The 29-year-old Etobicoke resident is interested in understanding the effects of poor sleep on people’s ability to perceive information, such as facial expressions and pictures, in their environment. His master’s thesis research project is supervised by Kimberly Cote, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Director of the Brock University Sleep Research Laboratory, and Past President of the Canadian Sleep Society.

  “Our research will contribute to a growing body of knowledge on how sleep affects human cognition and daily functioning,” Cote says.

  Members of the public are asked to participate in Howlett’s ongoing study.

  Study participants don’t need to sleep at the lab. Instead, they take home a simple, easy-to-use version of the cutting-edge equipment that researchers use. Participants wear the sleep monitors in their own homes for two nights and then spend an afternoon on Brock’s main campus completing computer tasks in the lab.

  Researchers are looking for both good and poor sleepers aged 18 to 50. Good sleepers who are not shift workers, are non-smokers and have no diagnosis of psychiatric conditions (such as depression, anxiety or schizophrenia) are invited to contact the Sleep Lab. For poor sleepers, researchers are seeking individuals who have trouble falling/staying asleep and who normally get less than 6.5 hours of sleep. They must have difficulty sleeping at least three times a week, and the trouble must have been ongoing for at least one month.

  All participants will receive a $60 honorarium. Poor sleepers will also receive a guidebook on how to improve their sleep.

  To sign up or for more information on eligibility requirements, contact the Brock Sleep Research Laboratory at sleeplab@brocku.ca, 289-407-1567 or by visiting the lab’s Facebook page.

  This project has been funded by two internal grants from Brock University: a Council for Research in the Social Sciences award and a Brock University Student Research Award.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases