December 8, 2021
The University of Calgary will be receiving $22M from the Government of Alberta’s Research Capacity Program for research infrastructure and technology development. The funding will support the construction of facilities and infrastructure necessary to undertake 11 innovative research projects in health, science, and engineering. AB minister of jobs, economy and innovation Doug Schweitzer says that the funding will be leveraged into $170M of innovation and research to support partner institutions and industry. “We’re helping Calgary's economy grow and diversify in expanding fields such as tech, in medicine and the sciences,” said UCalgary President Ed McCauley. “Investments like today’s brighten Calgary’s future.”
AB |
CBC |
CTV News (AB)
Carleton University and CAE have established a three-year research partnership which will allow students, researchers, and engineers to collaborate. The partnership will focus on health technology and other science and engineering areas with the aim of advancing innovation, talent development, and work-integrated learning (WIL). Carleton and CAE will collaborate on initiatives such as joint research projects and fellowships, specialized training, and guest lectures and workshops. “Carleton is truly pleased to count CAE as a strategic partner, and we are excited that our students will be working on real-world applications for a broad variety of cutting-edge technologies,” said Carleton President Benoit-Antoine Bacon. “[T]ogether we will develop the next generation of professionals who are the future of technology development in Canada.”
Carleton (ON)
A recent CBC article discusses barriers that Deaf researchers experience in science fields which lead to Deaf underrepresentation in science. The article documents the experiences of Deaf members of the postsecondary sector such as University of Toronto student Alex Lu, who experienced barriers such as professors having never interacted with an ASL interpreter. “When science looks at that as an added cost, and added labour, to include people with disabilities, they’re not recognizing the differences and the successes that can be brought — that diverse thinking can be successful,” said Saint Mary’s University professor Linda Campbell. Barriers faced by students at other institutions included no appropriate signs for some scientific words, lack of interpreters, and concerns about student safety in research environments.
CBC (National)
This fall, several universities and colleges across Nova Scotia took part in a fundraising campaign for Giving Tuesday to improve food security for students in Nova Scotia. Université Sainte Anne, Saint Mary’s University, Mount Saint Vincent University, St Francis Xavier University, Acadia University, Cape Breton University, Atlantic School of Theology, NSCAD University, the University of King’s College, and Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) joined campaign leader Dalhousie University to raise funds to help students across the province with groceries. The campaign saw the J & W Murphy Foundation matching gifts from individuals up to a certain amount for each institution. “Student-led programs are well-positioned to make a difference, but they can meet the need so much more effectively with our collective support,” said Lisa Murphy, co-director of the J & W Murphy Foundation.
Dal (NS)
The University of Northern British Columbia and Grande Prairie Regional College have announced that they have partnered to launch a new Master of Business Administration (MBA) program cohort and develop further business acumen in the region. The program will be hosted by GPRC, and will allow students from the Peace region to pursue an MBA with northern-focused curricula while staying in their communities. The program takes 21 months to complete, and will cover topics such as strategy, business analytics, finance, and marketing and provide the option of a capstone research project. “Our learning community is fortunate to have a variety of business program options at their fingertips,” said GPRC Dean of Business, Dr Carly McLeod. “Local access to UNBC’s MBA will serve as a great motivator for any past, present and future students who are looking to enhance their skillset and broaden career opportunities.”
UNBC |
GPRC (AB | BC)
The University of Windsor has announced that it has enacted pay parity measures that will ensure that women academics and librarians are paid the same amount as their counterparts. UWindsor administration and the Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) collaborated to form a task force that found a pay gap for senior librarians and full professors. The gap was not observed in associate and assistant professorships or lower-ranked librarian positions. An algorithm was developed to reduce the pay gap for senior academics and librarians. “We are hopeful that this acknowledgement and our efforts to right this historic wrong will demonstrate to women who hold senior academic positions that the University of Windsor values their contributions and is committed to equitable practices going forward,” said UWindsor President Rob Gordon.
UWindsor (ON)
Accountability emails can be an effective way for those in academia to stay motivated when their schedules are too busy for a writing group, write Ann N Amicucci and Sarah E DeCapua. Amicucci and DeCapua describe the use of accountability emails at the beginning of the week to detail goals, as well as emails at the end of the week with a recap of accomplishments. The authors recommend that those who are interested in using email for accountability define realistic and specific goals, be flexible and honest about what goals were met, and focus on goals accomplished rather than unmet goals. Amicucci and DeCapua describe how the accountability process also provided an opportunity to support one another’s research.
Inside Higher Ed (Editorial)
The University of New Brunswick has launched a LPN-BN pathway program, which will allow licensed practical nurses (LPNs) to transfer into a bachelor of nursing (BN) program and become registered nurses while working in the Miramichi area. UNB’s College of Extended Learning will deliver the courses virtually, with students in their third and fourth years participating in real-time instruction at UNB Fredericton. Students will complete their skills training and clinical placements in-person in the Miramichi area. “[T]his is an opportunity [for LPNs] to study and achieve their goals without having to relocate or lose their income source,” said UNB Fredericton dean of nursing Dr Lorna Butler. “They can learn where they live and continue to make a difference in their community.”
UNB (NB)
In a recent article for
University World News, Nic Mitchell discusses the growth of postsecondary programs offered in English outside of the “big four” countries: Canada, the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia. Mitchell says that a recent report on English-taught programs found that 81.7% of programs in English were offered by institutions in the “big four” countries. Nearly one-in-five programs–27,874 full masters and bachelor degree programs–are taught outside of the “big four” English-speaking study destinations. The author says that the strongest growth in English-taught programs occurred in Chinese and Sub-Saharan African regions, with some traditional “source” countries becoming destinations for students from other countries.
University World News (International)
A student-led initiative at Dawson College has seen over 20,000 masks recycled. After noticing the high number of masks being thrown away on campus, Dawson student Nathan McDonald sought out a company that recycles procedural masks and other equipment. The cost of recycling is covered by Dawson and its student union. “Since it’s such a widely used product and kind of omnipresent in our lives, I thought it would be a good move to try to find something that could counteract that,” said McDonald.
Montreal Gazette (QC)
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