Media releases

• Female scientists grow their presence in the grape and wine industry

  Monday, March 06, 2017 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 6 March 2017  – R00048

  As International Women’s Day (March 8) pushes for greater gender equality across the sciences, there’s at least one facet of the STEM sector where women are beginning to outnumber men.

  They may be underrepresented in some science, technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science (STEM) disciplines, but women have been steadily increasing their numbers in the fields of winemaking and grape growing.

  Over the last three years, 58.1 per cent of graduates from Brock University’s Oenology and Viticulture (OEVI) program have been female, with 62.5 per cent earning a Bachelor of Science in Oenology and Viticulture and 53.3 per cent graduating with a certificate in Grape and Wine Technology.

  To put that into context, a 2011 Stats Can report on gender differences in Canadian universities showed women accounted for just 39 per cent of STEM graduates aged 25 to 34. For non-STEM programs, women accounted for 66 per cent of university graduates. Globally, the United Nations says only 22 per cent of those working in the sciences are women.

  At Brock, the pattern of women graduating from the OEVI program is likely to continue in the future as just over 60 per cent of current students in the program are women.

  Brock alumna Emma Garner (BSc, ’04), currently one of four winemakers at Thirty Bench winery in Beamsville, is one example of a female graduate who has found career success in the industry since completing the program.

  Garner, who was last year’s Ontario Winemaker of the Year, said the industry has historically had a greater focus on men.

  “However, in recent years there has been a swing towards showcasing women. And there are so many fantastic female producers — winemakers, owners, promoters — working in all aspects of the industry and making substantial contributions.”

  This shift has also been noticed by Debbie Inglis, the Director of Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI).

  Within CCIOVI itself, seven of nine full-time staff members are female, as are many of the flagship research institute’s researchers and research assistants. And all of the graduate students currently working with Inglis this year are also female.

  She said maintaining diversity is key to remaining competitive in such a demanding and innovative industry.

  “As more women continue with careers in science, they act as mentors and role models for the next generation, stimulating even more interest in these career options for young women peering into the future,” said Inglis. “It is very rewarding to see the valued contribution that women are making in the grape and wine industry, from winemakers to vineyard operations to research positions.”

  Garner agrees.

  “Every time I encounter another woman who is trying to work in this industry — which is so intense — as well as balance a healthy lifestyle, care for a family and herself, I am inspired.”

  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 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.

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  Categories: Media releases