Media releases

• Brock-Lincoln Living Lab a benefit to students and residents

  Wednesday, October 04, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 4 October 2017 – R00177

  A unique partnership formally connecting a community and a university was officially launched Tuesday afternoon.

  Officials from Brock University and the Town of Lincoln launched the Brock-Lincoln Living Lab at an event at Vineland Estates Winery, kicking off a long-term relationship that will benefit current and future students at the University along with current and future residents in the southern Ontario town.

  Brock and Lincoln signed a Memorandum of Understanding in February with the goal of creating opportunities for students and advancing the Town’s overall development. The Brock-Lincoln Living Lab that was launched Tuesday will focus on addressing specific local needs around community sustainability and well-being. Brock faculty and students will contribute to the Living Lab’s work through their research and the partnership offers a conduit for experiential education that extends curriculum into the community.

  The Brock-Lincoln Living Lab will provide real benefits to the community of Lincoln and to the Brock community by leveraging the resources, capacities and talents of both communities.

  “The relationship between Brock and the Town of Lincoln is blossoming and represents a wonderful example of how collaboration can benefit everyone,” said Brock University President Gervan Fearon. “Brock is a comprehensive university with a clear mission to serve local communities and the announcement today directly speaks to this mission.”

  Town of Lincoln Mayor Sandra Easton said the partnership is an important step in the Town’s growth.

  “The development of the Living Lab further demonstrates a greater Brock presence in our community, meeting one of Council’s goals this term,” she said. “The benefits of this co-operative venture are vast. With access to research specific to our community, we are better able to guide policy development and decision making.”

  The partnership with the Town of Lincoln is through Brock’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre. Director Ryan Plummer said the Living Lab will enrich the experience of students studying in the Sustainability Science and Society program, as well as others taking courses in environmental sustainability.

  “These direct experiences complement classroom learning by students and offer powerful benefits of situating learning in the community, bridging the ‘theory-practice’ divide, and enriching understanding of complex problems,” he said.

  An example of the type of hands-on learning that will come out of the Living Lab started this summer when Brock Master of Sustainability co-op student Meghan Birbeck worked at the Town of Lincoln on initiatives such as sustainable development of the Town’s future transit system and other community programs.

  “We’re proud to be the first community in Niagara to establish this innovative approach and partnership that brings Brock to Lincoln,” said Michael Kirkopoulos, CAO, Town of Lincoln. “The Living Lab is a way to benefit from the research and work the University does to enhance the services we deliver to residents, businesses and visitors. I look forward to continuing to work with Brock in the future.”

   

  The Brock-Lincoln Living Lab is initially set to last five years. Among some of the more specific targets the two sides are working toward are:

   ·      Conduct a needs assessment within the first year of operations identifying priorities, proposed activities and objectives to be achieved within the first five years·      Hold public events each year pertaining to knowledge mobilization and community engagement

  ·      Engage graduate and undergraduate students in co-operative education, course projects and independent research projects

  ·      Initiate research projects by Brock faculty

  ·      Explore and pursue mutually beneficial opportunities of shared interest such as grant proposals and community forums

  ·      Promote the Living Lab locally and develop networks nationally and internationally

  ·      Support Lincoln in following other national or international initiatives that can help promote community sustainability and are in line with the spirit of the Living Lab 

   

   

  
  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

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  Categories: Media releases

• Brock opens new ergonomics lab to study workplace injury

  Wednesday, October 04, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 3 October 2017 – R00176

  Work shouldn’t hurt.

  That’s the motivation behind the research of Brock University Kinesiology Assistant Professor Michael Holmes.

  “By studying how people move and use their muscles on the job, we will be able to rethink and redesign workplace tools and spaces to make occupational tasks safer and more efficient,” says Holmes, Canada Research Chair in Neuromuscular Mechanics and Ergonomics, who officially opened his new lab at Brock Tuesday afternoon.

  Holmes’ research, which seeks to find ways to prevent injuries, has helped benefit nurses experiencing lower back pain due to patient handling, police officers and emergency responders who spend a lot of time in vehicles, office workers and many others.

  “By evaluating and redesigning equipment, we are able to reduce the physical demands associated with repetitive activities,” Holmes explains. “For example, working with industry partners such as Notion Medical, we tested and evaluated a new IV pole which reduces the amount of overhead reaching required by nurses to load IV bags. This is a task that doesn’t appear to be physically demanding, however, when performed repetitively, over time injuries can develop.”

  On Tuesday, Oct. 3, Brock was joined by community partners as it opened its first Neuromechanics and Ergonomics Lab. With funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the newly renovated space features more than $150,000 in state-of-the-art biomechanics, neurophysiology and ergonomics equipment including motion capture cameras, robotics, brain stimulation and electromyography.

  “This isn’t a typical ergonomics lab,” says Holmes. “It offers a unique and innovative approach to studying workplace injuries by combining techniques from neurophysiology and biomechanics.

  “It will allow us to better understand how people become injured as a result of their work by simulating workplace tasks and then developing ergonomic interventions to reduce that injury risk.”

  The robotics technology used in the lab has applications for pilots having to control joysticks and surgeons, dentists and construction workers who regularly hold tools for their jobs. This technology, which is one-of-a-kind in Canada, will also help improve current rehabilitation protocols for individuals with neurological impairments or those currently unable to work as a result of a workplace injury.

  “We are very excited to showcase our new facility and to express our appreciation to the Brock community,” says Brock University President Gervan Fearon. “The goal of this lab is to benefit the lives of Canadians and the vitality of our communities.

  “While this research has applications for several occupations and professions at the national level, the Niagara community can look forward to immediate benefits resulting from community and industry partnerships,” Fearon says.

  In the past year, Holmes has been awarded more than $800,000 in federal and provincial funding from the Canada Research Chairs program, Canada Foundation for Innovation’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund, with matching contributions from the Ontario Research Fund for Small Infrastructure Funds, and a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant. Funding from the Canada Research Chairs, program and NSERC supports Holmes’ graduate students, who are instrumental to the labs success.

  “Our scientists need the best tools and equipment for ground-breaking research and discovery and we are committed to ensuring they have them,” says the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science. “Their successes will lead to an improved economy and will fuel an active research community here in Canada and internationally.”

  Work plays an “extremely important role in our lives, taking up the majority of our days,” says Dr. Roseann Runte, President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. “At the CFI we understand the importance of supporting the best design of space and equipment to improve the health of all Canadians in and outside of the workplace.”

  Work-related pain and injury to the upper extremity are primary reasons for illness, sick leave and disability among workers, but each person is different, says Holmes.

  “Through research collaborations with other Brock kinesiologists, community and industry partners, I hope to keep making healthy differences in people’s lives.”

  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

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  Categories: Media releases