Articles tagged with: event

  • Community invited to Brock’s World Water Day celebration

    THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2024 | by  | From The Brock News

    Water — and all that it means to the world — will be celebrated at an upcoming community event hosted by Brock University.

    Brock’s Water Resilience Lab and Department of Geography and Tourism Studies will host the inaugural World Water Day Celebration on Friday, March 22 to showcase the many ways people study, appreciate and engage with water at the University and across the Niagara region.

    The free public event, funded in part by the Council for Research in the Social Sciences, brings to life a long-term goal of Julia Baird, Canada Research Chair in Human Dimensions of Water Resources and Water Resilience.

    “Water touches so many aspects of our lives — what we learn and the research that happens at Brock, as well as issues of water management, water conservation and the well-being of our community and ecosystems in the broader Niagara community,” says the Associate Professor in the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre and the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies.

    Baird has worked closely with Samantha Morris, Academic Advisor and Communications Co-ordinator in Geography and Tourism Studies, and graduate student volunteer Hannah Marlen Lübker to bring together the community to share the myriad of ways that water is important.

    The World Water Day Celebration will open at 10 a.m. in the Rankin Family Pavilion on Brock’s main campus. Students can learn about the many water-related courses on offer and the community can discover some of the dynamic water research being undertaken at Brock.

    Between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., attendees can peruse water-themed informational and research posters from graduate and undergraduate students, an array of artistic submissions, featured course highlights or displays that combine all of these features, such as a PhotoVoice exhibit from one of Baird’s courses and the VISA 2P90 exhibit currently on display in the Matheson Learning Commons and Thistle display cases on  “Women, Water, and Words: An Exploration of Visual Culture in Niagara.”

    The James A. Gibson Library has also curated a featured collection of print and e-books entitled “Exploring Deep Waters” to highlight ways to learn more about water.

    From 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., interactive booths will open featuring Brock researchers and community groups and organizations, including the following:

    • Niagara Region
    • Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority
    • Niagara Parks Commission
    • Niagara Geopark
    • Soaring Eagles Indigenous Elementary School
    • Brock’s Department of Geography and Tourism Studies
    • Water Resilience Lab

    Researchers will share their projects and community organizations will highlight their work as well as volunteer and student job opportunities that may be available. Visitors present during the interactive portion of the day can enter a prize draw, which includes a $50 gift card for Someday Books. The draw will take place at 1:30 p.m.

    All members of the Brock and wider communities are invited to drop in and enjoy this all-encompassing tribute to water.

    Reposted from The Brock News

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  • Seed exchange brings spring to campus

    Plant and gardening enthusiasts got a head start on spring at the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies’ third annual seed and plant exchange. Members of the Brock community perused a variety of fruit, vegetable, herb and flower seeds to take home on Wednesday, Feb. 28. Student Affairs Case Coordinator Keely Burger (left) and Associate Director of Student Affairs Darryl Veld (right) chose to brighten their office spaces with some of the household plants and cuttings available at the event. Five volunteers and representatives from the Brock University Seed Library were on site providing advice and additional resources during the exchange. More photos can be viewed on the Geography and Tourism Studies FacebookX and Instagram accounts.

    Story reposted from The Brock News.

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  • Brock’s first World Water Day event seeks community submissions

    Brock will celebrate World Water Day by inviting students, researchers, artists and community organizations to come together and share their work and interests related to water.

    Hosted by the Water Resilience Lab and the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, Brock’s inaugural World Water Day Celebration on Friday, March 22 aims to help attendees learn about water and efforts to protect this essential resource.

    Members of the Brock community — including students, staff, faculty and alumni — are encouraged to submit research and informational posters, course highlights, artwork and interactive activities to be included in the event.

    Anyone interested in taking part can use the submission form to apply before the 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 7.

    Display materials will need to be delivered by Wednesday, March 20 to prepare for installation.

    Limited funding to support student posters, provided by the Council for Research in the Social Sciences, is available by application on the submission form.

    The World Water Day Celebration will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Rankin Family Pavilion, with interactive stations and community organization booths open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

    All members of the Brock and wider community are invited to attend.

    Story reposted from the Brock News.

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  • Opportunities for study, work in growing field of geomatics

    From The Brock NewsTHURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2023 | by 

    The demand for skilled employees in geospatial technologies is growing — and so is Brock’s reputation for preparing students for employment in the field.

    With many students at the University training in geomatics, the outside world — including the Canadian Hydrographic Services (CHS) — is taking notice.

    Part of the Government of Canada, the CHS is responsible for ensuring the safe navigation of Canada’s waterways by surveying and making mapping products for use by commercial navigators and recreational boaters.

    Representatives from the organization will visit campus next week to speak with Geomatics students about potential employment opportunities.

    A portrait of Haley Lang against white background.

    Haley Lang was recently attracted to Brock’s minor in Geomatics because of her interest in the relationship between environmental restoration and geomatics.

    Geomatics involves geospatial technologies and the collection and study of data about the surface of Earth and other planets. The science and technology studied in geomatics relates to cartography, remote sensing and geographical information systems (GIS) and has a wide range of applications in the real world, according to Associate Professor Kevin Turner in the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies.

    “Innovative use of geospatial data enhances our ability to make more informed decisions across many fields, including natural resource management, ecology and conservation, Earth and atmospheric science, hazard and emergency response, urban planning, transportation, business and policy development,” he says. “Geomatics is useful for students across many departments and programs who are interested in incorporating spatial context and practical analytical tools into their skill sets.”

    Turner says graduates equipped with skills in geomatics are sought after by employers in government and private sectors and within academic research programs.

    “This is demonstrated by the effort the CHS is placing into their recruitment campaign, which we look forward to learning more about next week,” he says.

    Brock students in any program can minor in Geomatics through the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies or integrate courses in geomatics with their major to develop skills for future employment.

    Geography and Tourism Studies major Haley Lang says she is declaring a minor in Geomatics because she has long been taken by the old adage about a tree falling in the woods and making a sound — in other words, how the world changes whether or not it is being observed.

    “We can really only see what is happening in front of us, but with geomatics, we can understand landforms, surfaces and the Earth as a whole on a greater scale,” she says. “I am fascinated with how the broad discipline of geomatics helps to bridge gaps within research and provide a greater understanding of the world we’re in.”

    All students are welcome to attend the CHS information session, which takes place Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 9 a.m. in MCC-405 of the Mackenzie Chown Complex, but they are asked to RSVP via ExperienceBU in advance.

    REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS

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  • In-person, online events planned to mark GIS Day

    Geographic information systems (GIS) are everywhere, with many people not understanding the extent of their use. 

    In recognition of Geography Awareness Week Monday, Nov. 14 to Friday, Nov. 18 and GIS Day on Wednesday, Nov. 16, Brock University’s Map, Data and GIS Library (MDGL) has planned several initiatives in partnership with the Tourism and Geography Society (TAGS) student group to engage the Brock community and bring awareness to the beneficial geographic tool.  

    “GIS is critical to our society and it’s important to recognize its significance in our everyday lives,” says Sharon Janzen, Map Library Associate and Geospatial Data Co-ordinator with the MDGL. “We use GIS to map directions and find hotels close to our destination. Satellite imagery helps us track storm paths of hurricanes and tornadoes and analyze changes in landscapes over time. GIS is also used in city planning, for example, to visualize the distribution of sports facilities, and in communicating public engagement, for example, by plotting online voting results by district. The uses are endless.” 

    To kick off the week, TAGS is hosting a scavenger hunt that will have participants searching for five locations across campus. Two of the spots will include geocaching, which involves participants using their mobile device as a GPS to find containers called ‘geocaches.’ Participants can enter a contest to win a prize by taking a photo of each of the five locations, sharing them via Instagram stories and tagging @brocktags by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16. More details are available on Instagram 

    On Wednesday, Nov. 16 for GIS Day, the Brock community is invited to the MDGL in Mackenzie Chown Complex C306 for a pizza lunch from 1 to 2 p.m. Pizza slices, pop and chips will be sold for $2 each (cash only). At 2 p.m., complimentary cake will be served featuring a map created by Master of Sustainability student Baharak Razaghirad, titled “The Distribution of Trees within the Town of Lincoln.” Geography and GIS-related games will be available, such as map-themed board games and jigsaw puzzles and a geography-related word scramble called ‘Where in Niagara?’ 

    Also taking place is a free weeklong GIS Days virtual conference hosted by Western University Libraries packed with events open to Brock students and employees. Two representatives from the Brock community will be leading presentations as part of the conference.  

    Brock alumna Jessica Linzel (BA ’18, MA ’20), Director of Community Engagement for The Brown Homestead and past Esri Canada GIS Scholarship recipient, will give a seven-minute lightning talk Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 11 a.m. about using StoryMaps to present complex ideas about history in a more accessible way. Linzel created a series of web maps that outline the boundaries of The Brown Homestead and show how the land evolved from its Indigenous origins and then Loyalist settlements to several generations of Brown family and new owners who partitioned and sold or purchased land. 

    Janzen will be leading a one-hour tutorial Thursday, Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. that will introduce participants to ArcGIS Online, a web-based dynamic mapping software. She will use the story of Laura Secord’s famous walk from Queenston to Thorold as a topic for participants to create a map. No experience is necessary, but curiosity is an asset. A valid login for the website is required (public or organizational accounts welcome). Visit the ArcGIS website to sign up for a public account. 

    Registration is required to access the presentations; however, there is no registration fee or deadline. The interactive program can be used to search by presenter, presentation title or location. 

    Questions about events planned for GIS Day can be directed to Janzen at sjanzen@brocku.ca.

    STORY REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS

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  • Learn about issues of migration, mobility at upcoming public symposium

    Researchers from across Brock University will share insights on migration, immigration, movement and the mobility of people, things and ideas at a virtual public event next week.

    Hosted by the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Social Justice Research Institute (SJRI), the Movement and Mobility Symposium will feature six presentations from faculty, staff and student researchers in Geography and Tourism Studies, English Language and Literature, Education and Sociology at Brock.

    Presentations include:

    • “Education is my only carriage — it was not an easy road” by PhD student Denese Brown-Bell (MEd ’18)
    • “Road infrastructure, mobility and gendered subjectivities in Shimshal, Pakistan” by Professor Nancy Cook and Professor David Butz
    • “Contradictory mobility: child self-protection and automobiles in interwar Toronto’s Globe” by Professor Phillip Gordon Mackintosh
    • “Reflections on mobility and the 2021 photos of the Mounted U.S. Border Patrol” by Associate Professor Gale Coskan-Johnson
    • “Developing decolonial aesthetics with migrant domestic worker creative communities” by Assistant Professor Julie Ham
    • “Displacement and belonging in Canada: reconciliation through research, knowledge translation and the arts” by Faculty of Education Research Officer Snežana Obradović-Ratković, Professor Kari-Lynn Winters and Assistant Professor Catherine Longboat, with Associate Professor Spy Dénommé-Welch of Western University

    Associate Professor and Interim SJRI Director Tamara El-Hoss says the event is inspired by the current political climate.

    “Issues of mobility, displacement and migration are at the forefront of populous movements on all sides of the political spectrum,” says El-Hoss. “I look forward to hearing a diverse range of perspectives on these urgent and necessary questions from the presenters at the symposium.”

    The free public event is the latest in the Social Sciences Symposium Series, which aims to showcase the variety of work being conducted by faculty and student researchers across Brock’s Faculties to uncover an array of perspectives and foster potential synergies and collaborations. It is also the second symposium to be co-hosted by SJRI.

    Dean Ingrid Makus of the Faculty of Social Sciences expressed delight at partnering with SJRI for another event after the success of last year’s Social Justice and Community Collaboration symposium.

    “Our Symposium Series is designed to give the wider community a glimpse of the breadth of research and insight being carried out by Brock’s researchers on many of our society’s most pressing issues,” says Makus. “We are thrilled to partner with the SJRI once again to stage an event that promises to be engaging and enriching for all who attend.”

    Movement and Mobility: A Virtual Symposium will be livestreamed on Lifesize Wednesday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m to 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend, but advance registration is required.

    STORY REPOSTED FROM THE BROCK NEWS

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  • Research award winners to share findings at upcoming event

    Research on sustainability, decolonization and child safety will be featured the upcoming annual public Faculty of Social Sciences (FOSS) Research Colloquium.

    This year’s virtual event takes place Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. and will include presentations from both recipients of the 2021 FOSS Early Career Researcher of the Year Award, as well as three winners of the FOSS Student Research Award.

    • “Water resilience for a rapidly changing world” — Associate Professor Julia Baird, Geography and Tourism Studies and Environmental Sustainability Research Centre
    • “Empathy and Equity for the World’s Oceans” — Assistant Professor Jessica Blythe, Environmental Sustainability Research Centre
    • “A Holistic Approach to Mapping Priority Sites for Low-Impact Development” — Jillian Booth (BSc ’20), Sustainability Science and Society
    • “Tracing the Colonial Dimensions of ‘Special Education’: History, Disability and Settler Colonialism” — Alec Moore (BA ’20), Child and Youth Studies
    • “Evaluating Video Prompting to Teach Prospective Parents and Caregivers Correct Installation of Child Passenger Safety Restraints” — Niruba Rasuratnam, Applied Disability Studies

    Baird, Canada Research Chair in Human Dimensions of Water and Water Resilience, says being recognized with the Early Career Researcher Award jointly with her colleague Jessica Blythe was a thrill.

    “It is an honour, and I think it helps raise the profile of the research being done by my lab and the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre (ESRC) more broadly, especially with both Jessica and I receiving this award in the same year,” says Baird. “I am so appreciative to the Faculty of Social Sciences for this award.”

    Blythe agrees, saying she felt both incredibly honoured by the recognition and pleased to be named alongside Baird.

    “It is especially exciting to know that the kind of applied, interdisciplinary and solution-oriented research we do as sustainability scientists is being recognized by the Faculty,” says Blythe. “While this award recognizes individuals, the work we do isn’t possible without an incredible team of people, including faculty and staff at ESRC, collaborators, students, and partners to name a few.”

    Baird is also grateful to have worked with several partners as part of her work, which she purposely designs to have real-world impact.

    “I am fortunate to have worked with excellent, sustainability-oriented partners and collaborators in my research as a faculty member, including the Niagara Parks Commission, WWF-Canada, and the Town of Lincoln, along with many amazing academics and students,” says Baird. “Nothing I do happens in isolation and I’m so grateful to those who have mentored me and collaborated with me to reach this point.”

    Both Blythe and Baird say they look forward to sharing their work and engaging in conversation at the upcoming event. Baird is also looking forward to celebrating graduate student research at the Colloquium, including that of Master of Sustainability student Booth, whom Baird supervises.

    “My research is focused on using Nature-Based Solutions such as Low-Impact Development (LID) to build more resilient socio-ecological communities,” says Booth. “Findings will be applied to the Prudhommes Landing development located in the Town of Lincoln, but the lessons learned from this case study can be shared with other leading jurisdictions and governments looking for innovative ways to encourage sustainable development.”

    Booth used her FOSS Student Award funding to commute to the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, where she was able to use the laboratory and equipment to collect and analyze soil samples collected at Prudhommes Landing throughout the summer.

    Moore, an MA student in Child and Youth Studies, will present on his research into the connection between conceptualizations of disability and the forces of settler colonialism in Canada, outlining his project to analyze the Ontario First Nations Special Education Review Report.

    “Being able to contribute to a critical and emerging body of literature that discusses disability and settler colonialism is extremely rewarding, as there is a significant need for more critical work in this area,” says Moore. “It is also very rewarding to play a very small part in continuing the ongoing effort of Decolonization, particularly in regards to Disability Studies.”

    Moore used the funding from his FOSS Student Research Award to scale back on work hours and purchase research materials. He says he is excited to take part in the event next week, and credits his supervisor, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director Hannah Dyer, as well as committee members Assistant Professor Chelsea Jones and Professor Richard Mitchell, with helping him get to the point of being ready to share his research plan.

    Rasuratnam of the MA in Applied Disability Studies also emphasizes the role her supervisor, Associate Professor Kimberly Zonneveld, has played not only in this research but in her academic path overall. After graduating with a degree in Life Science from McMaster, Rasuratnam completed a post-graduate certificate in Autism and Behavioural Sciences at Seneca College, which then led her to the graduate programs in Brock’s Department of Applied Disability Studies. She started out in a coursework stream but was inspired to undertake research by Zonneveld.

    At the upcoming event, Rasuratnam will present some of this work for the first time to an audience outside of the Zonneveld lab.

    “My research entails creating a video-prompting model to help prospective and current caregivers correctly install a car seat and harness an infant,” she says. “There’s still such a high prevalence of death and injuries that occur from motor vehicle collisions that, if caregivers learn how to correctly install car seats, this risk could be reduced by 70 to 80 per cent.”

    Rasuratnam used the funding from her FOSS Student Award to complete the Child Passenger Safety Technician certification to develop her video prompting procedure. She says there are currently only six applied studies on the topic of training, so the research could have far-reaching impacts if the techniques of applied behaviour analysis are shown to improve outcomes in the area of car-seat installation.

    Dawn Zinga, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research in the Faculty of Social Sciences, says the event is an opportunity to showcase top faculty researchers while also highlighting the exciting research of graduate students.

    “The Faculty has wonderful diversity in the research that is undertaken across the various departments and programs,” says Zinga. “This event illustrates that breadth and depth.”

    The FOSS Research Colloquium is open to the public and intended for a general audience. Please register to receive a link to the Lifesize livestream.

    STORY FROM THE BROCK NEWS

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  • Brock LINC hosting first in-person exhibit

    The concept was first contextualized in a third-year English course Hutten was taking and has been elaborated on for the public exhibit, which had been delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In the ENG 3V91 course led by Associate Professor Susan Spearey, Hutten identified recurring concepts of slowing down and contextualizing our relationship with the planet and the community.

    “The historical testimony of tree rings resonated deeply with me, and I wanted to expand this idea to a collaborative community project here at Brock,” says Hutten. “By inviting my peers to participate and contribute, we are forming an intersectional testimony of 104 years of collective history.”

    Our Oak is a one-millimetre-thick veneer from a white oak tree originally slated for lumber in New York state. Within the veneer, each year of the tree’s life is visible — creating a blank slate for 104 years of undocumented stories. Hutten photographed and digitalized the veneer and will project a large-scale version for the community to see as part of the exhibit. Those attending are encouraged to document their testimonies and apply them to the display, which will also be digitized in the future.

    Hutten hopes these accounts will not only spark reflection and discussion, but opens the lines of communications for difficult conversations as a community.

    “These events affect us all,” he says. “Seeing these events surge in moments of confluence or antithesis offers us space to communicate their importance to our community. These conversations offer moments of healing and transition. Let’s sit with this healing moment. Let’s nurture it into action and find ways to include and enrich rather than exclude and extract.”

    Our Oak will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday and from noon to 3 p.m. Friday in RFP 214/215 located on the ground level of the Rankin Family Pavilion.

    All Brock University protocols apply including mandatory full COVID-19 vaccination and masks for all visitors. Community visitors are asked to enter the building through the main entrance for check-in at the screening desk.

    Questions can be directed to Karyn Lorence, Brock LINC Co-ordinator at klorence@brocku.ca

    STORY FROM THE BROCK NEWS

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  • Brock to celebrate GIS Days with week of online events

    Brock will join institutions from around the world in celebrating Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Days by participating in a free weeklong virtual conference that is packed with events open to the University community.

    GIS Days 2021 features more than 50 online presentations, tutorials and demonstrations taking place Monday, Nov. 15 to Friday, Nov. 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

    Several representatives from the Brock community — an alumna, a master’s student, a lecturer and a librarian — will each be presenting a seven-minute ‘lightning talk’ on projects they’ve worked on using GIS tools such as geovisualization, geospatial technologies and story mapping.

    Isaac Williams, GIS and Data Services Librarian with the Brock University Library, who will present Story Mapping Queer Dallas on Monday at 9:30 a.m, said the breadth of disciplines that can use GIS is part of what makes the technology so compelling.

    “I think a lot of people associate GIS with geology or earth sciences, but you can use it in any field that involves something you want to locate,” they said. “There is a lot of interesting work being done across disciplines. I have done some work with GIS in humanities contexts, for example, mapping existing geographies, but also historical geographies such as the ones found in ancient Roman literature.”

    Sharon Janzen, Brock’s Map Library Associate and Geospatial Data Co-ordinator, will be leading a one-hour tutorial Friday at 2 p.m. that introduces participants to ArcGIS Online, a web-based mapping software.

    She says GIS Days is an opportunity to experience the variety of GIS usage across educational institutions and the public sector, and encourages the Brock community to register for some of the free events.

    “Whether an attendee comes with little knowledge of GIS or they have been using GIS their whole career, the conference will be sure to not disappoint,” she said. “From the geography of Pokémon Go and the movement of muskox, to Esri technology and Open Source QGIS, sign up for what’s sure to be the GIS highlight of the year.”

    Registration is required to access events; however, there is no registration deadline. Registration can take place minutes before a presentation begins.

    Learn more about GIS Days events, including this year’s schedule, by visiting the event web page. The interactive program can be used to search by presenter, presentation title or location.

    Brock University GIS Days events

    Story Mapping Queer Dallas
    Monday, Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m. — Seven-minute lightning talk
    Presented by Isaac Williams, GIS and Data Services Librarian, Brock University Library

    Queer Dallas StoryMap is a project highlighting queer history in Dallas, Texas. The American South is home to a rich history of past and present queer life, organizing, survival and joy. The project’s goal was to make this history more visible to Southerners and people who live elsewhere. The presentation will discuss resources used in the creation of the project, decisions made in the visualization process and ways the project was shared.

    Researching Military Service using Geovisualization in Eleventh to Twelfth Century Normandy
    Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. — Seven-minute lightning talk
    Presented by Christopher Hewitt, Lecturer, Geography and Tourism Studies, Brock University

    In the 11th and 12th centuries, the Duchy of Normandy was an important source for military adventurers. While much has been written about soldiers who fought on these campaigns, little has been written about where they originated. This study demonstrates the value of geographic-based analysis through the use of historical geographic information systems (HGIS) techniques, including mapping locations as well as performing nearest neighbour analysis and kernel density mapping. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings and the options for and benefits of applying HGIS analysis to other historical events.

    Using GIS to Re-imagine Historical Niagara
    Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. — Seven-minute lightning talk
    Presented by Brock alumna Jessica Linzel (BA ’18, MA ’20), Historical Researcher

    Linzel will explain how she incorporated historical GIS into her History master’s thesis. She used ArcGIS Pro to create a web map, which she then used to investigate Niagara’s economic development in the post-Revolutionary ‘Loyalist’ era. By mapping historical data from account books and ledgers and analyzing it alongside geographical features in the Niagara region, GIS technologies allowed her to bring a fresh perspective to a familiar topic.

    Using Geospatial Technologies: A Case Study of the Town of Lincoln, Ontario
    Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 2 p.m. — Seven-minute lightning talk
    Presented by Baharak Razaghirad, Brock University Master of Sustainability student

    Urban trees provide important benefits to communities, especially in the context of climate change. This presentation will discuss using geospacial technologies to assess urban tree canopies as a timely and accurate alternative to costly, ground-based assessments.  Razaghirad will discuss two approaches used to quantify the urban tree canopy for the Town of Lincoln —  remote sensing and a random sampling method.

    Introduction to ArcGIS Online
    Friday, Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. — One-hour tutorial
    Presented by Sharon Janzen, Map Library Associate and Geospatial Data Co-ordinator, Brock University

    During this hands-on experience, participants will explore ArcGIS Online, a popular web-based dynamic mapping software that is accessible on Windows and Mac platforms. No experience is necessary for this introductory tutorial, but curiosity is an asset. A valid login for the website is required (public or organizational accounts welcome). Visit the ArcGIS website to sign up for a public account.

    STORY FROM THE BROCK NEWS

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  • Symposium to highlight social justice research partnerships

    FROM THE BROCK NEWS | by 

    Researchers from Brock’s Social Justice Research Institute (SJRI), who have teamed up with community partners on funded projects, will have their work showcased at an upcoming free, public event.

    The virtual symposium, Social Justice and Community Collaboration, takes place online Tuesday, Sept. 28 from noon to 2 p.m. as part of the ongoing Faculty of Social Sciences Symposium Series. Everyone is welcome to take part, but advance registration is required.

    “Our affiliates have been doing innovative and compelling social justice-oriented projects in collaboration with community groups, both locally and internationally,” says Rebecca Raby, Director of SJRI and a Professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies. “At this symposium, we want to share these projects, and to inspire other faculty and community members to think about the exciting range of collaborative projects that can be pursued.”

    The symposium will feature the following presentations:

    • “Reflections on the Key Principles of a Successful ‘Community-University’ Research Partnership,” presented by Andrea Doucet of the Department of Sociology, Canada Research Chair in Gender, Work and Care, with Evan Jewell of X University and Master of Arts Sociology Research Assistant Jessica Falk.
    • “Body/Land/Sovereignty through Photography: Reflecting on a workshop with young Haudenosaunee women,” presented by Sherri Vansickle of the Tecumseh Centre for Aboriginal Research and Education, with Margot Francis of the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies and Department of Sociology.
    • “Road Construction, Mobility and Social Change in a Wakhi Village: Shimshali Perspectives in Words and Pictures,” presented by David Butz of the Department of Geography and Tourism Studies, with Nancy Cook of the Department of Sociology.
    • “Collaborating with community to explore social exclusion and inclusion experiences of immigrant women in Niagara,” presented by Joanne Crawford of the Department of Nursing.
    • “Children Reading and Writing Photographs — Critical Literacies and Collaborations,” presented by Diane Collier of the Department of Educational Studies, with Melissa McKinney-Leep of the District School Board of Niagara and graduate students Simranjeet Kaur and Zachary Rondinelli.

    Raby says that as public health restrictions have eased, greater opportunities for collaboration have begun to open up, so she is eager to introduce new Brock faculty members and SJRI affiliates to the research that is already taking place.

    “Community partnerships provide an opportunity to meet community needs, to inform decision-making, to connect with local participants, to try something new and to build relationships,” says Raby. “They encourage us to tackle social issues in a collaborative way that can transcend a specific disciplinary focus and to work with faculty from outside of our own disciplines in order to have comprehensive engagements with community needs. They can invite us to see our scholarly work a little differently.”

    SJRI funding grants have been part of the Institute from its creation and are designed to “include social justice and transdisciplinary components, creating a shared focus on positive community-oriented social change,” according to Raby. The grants provide opportunities for both junior and established researchers to develop community-based research programs, facilitate relationship-building and lay the groundwork for larger funding applications.

    There are currently 80 researchers affiliated with SJRI, and new researchers are always welcome to get involved

    “SJRI offers opportunities for faculty members who are concerned about social justice and interested in transdisciplinary scholarship to connect with each other across the university,” says Raby. “We also post regular information about projects that community organizations are interested in pursuing in collaboration with Brock.”

    Anyone interested in learning more about SJRI or the process for becoming an SJRI affiliate should contact Project Facilitator Julie Gregory via email, and attend next week’s symposium to explore possibilities.

    To register for the event or for more information, visit the symposium web page.

    STORY FROM THE BROCK NEWS

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