Top Ten

May 9, 2008

CIHR announces $300 million in health research funding

On Wednesday, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research announced over $298 million in funding for 764 research projects across Canada, to be executed over a 5-year period. Ontario led the pack with 301 research projects worth $120 million. The University of Toronto received the lion's share of Ontario's funding -- $68.5 million to research heart disease, cancer and HIV/AIDS. Dalhousie researchers received $4.3 million, and Lakehead was also quick off the mark with a media release. (Sorry we doubtless missed many more!) CIHR News Release | CBC | uToronto News Release | Dal News Release | Lakehead News Release

BC doubles Nursing spaces since 2001

The BC government has nearly doubled the number of nurse education spots, producing a record number of graduates who have received close to 13,000 nursing degrees, diplomas and certificates. Since 2001, the province has funded 3,786 new spaces, which is an increase of 93%. 23 nursing programs have been created in the last 7 years. Last year alone, 2,361 nurses graduated in BC, up from 1,343 in 2000-2001. BC News Release

SFU offers new gerontology PhD program

On Wednesday, the BC government approved a "cutting edge," interdisciplinary doctoral program in gerontology at Simon Fraser University, to commence in Fall 2008. Gerontology is the study of social, psychological and biological aspects of aging, and is a growing field due to the aging population. The 4-year program will coincide with the two current streams in the school's masters program -- aging and environment, and health and aging. BC News Release | SFU News Release

Trinity Western launches new recruitment site

Trinity Western recruitment microsite

Trinity Western University, in Langley BC, has launched a new undergraduate recruitment site based on their award-winning suite of recruitment materials. The site features big beautiful photography, animated captions, and colourful user-focused navigation blocks with labels such as "Do you have my major?" and "Will I fit in?" From the main page, resources are readily available for parents, high school counsellors, and youth pastors. Please comment below! TWU recruitment site

York's RED Zone eases transition to university life

York's RED Zone

Until August 15, York University is inviting first-year students and their parents to check out RED Zone, which helps students smooth their transition to university life. Visitors can explore all that York has to offer outside the classroom, including YU-card services, computer accounts, financial aid, parking and transportation, campus security and career supports. Students are invited to explore extracurricular activities such as sports and recreation, student clubs, and leadership opportunities. The RED Zone also offers a pizza lunch, trivia games and prizes. Y-File | York RED Zone

SkoolPool adds new "meet your classmates" function

SkoolPool, Academica Group's Facebook application for college and university applicants, now includes a “Meet Your Future Classmates” feature on both student profiles and school pages. We've noticed that students are very interested in meeting future classmates, and have been creating "Class of 2012" Facebook Groups to do this informally -- so we made it official! Students (and schools) can now use this feature to see all the other Facebook users that have added a particular school to their SkoolPool. Read SkoolPool Blog | Latest stats on SkoolPool dashboard

College admissions process depressing for students

With over 3 million US high school students graduating this year, PSE-bound hopefuls are now facing rejection by colleges at record rates, which leaves educators and doctors worrying that the stress of rejection may push students to depression, eating disorders or other mental health problems. Some high schools are combatting the stress by easing up on the workload of seniors who are filling out college applications. One guidance counsellor says choosing slightly less competitive schools may yield better opportunities. An author of books on teenage stress suggests parents can comfort their graduating kids by letting them know their expectations aren't tied to grades or accomplishments. Chicago Tribune

Unwanted sexual contact part of college social scene

A new study from researchers at the University of New Hampshire finds the college social scene is the context for a significant amount of unwanted sexual contact. 28% of women and 11% of men report at least one incident of unwanted contact. The study found men are more likely to experience unwanted sexual contact in a residence, while women are more likely to experience it in a fraternity. Men are more likely than women to experience unwanted sexual contact from a date or romantic partner. For both men and women, the majority of perpetrators are friends or acquaintances. Inside Higher Ed | Read the full report

This Sunday, remember Mom online

With close to 90% of parents online these days, sending your mom an e-card for Mother's Day this Sunday sounds like a pretty good idea. A study from the US Department of Commerce found 86.5% of households consisting of a married couple with children under the age of 18 had Internet access either at home or in some other location. Experian Consumer Research found in its spring 2007 consumer survey that 86% of women who had at least one child went online, and the usage rate rose to 94% among women expecting their first or second child the next year. Another study estimated that, last December, over 30 million women between the ages of 25 and 54 with one or more children at home went online. The number of mothers online is expected to grow to 91.3 million in 2012. eMarketer

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