Grad Chat - Queen's School Of Graduate Studies

My Ph.D. project is a creative research collaboration with Inuit Elders, artists and youth in Panniqtuuq (Pangnirtung), Nunavut, a remote community of 1600 on Eastern Baffin Island. Inuit have identified waste as a serious environmental and health threat. Central to my inquiry is ‘Who gets to define ‘waste’?’ and ‘who is responsible?’ for the myriad of waste-related issues in Inuit Nunangat. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

A look at what graduate students can participate in during their studies that  helps them personally, professionally and academically. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

The mid-twentieth century saw an increase in the volume and variety of activities that prisoner aid societies in each of the four areas of study conducted both inside and outside of prisons. Treated together, the histories of prisoner aid societies in the key commonwealth nations of Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, and in the close neighbour of the United States offer an opportunity to explore how citizens engaged with justice systems, the role that volunteers played in the rehabilitation of prisoners, and how prisoner aid societies advocated for change in all levels of their respective legal systems. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Chemistry educators are turning to new technology like virtual reality (VR) to bring their students three-dimensional, interactive, and user-controlled learning environments to conceptualize molecular models. With the emergence of VR in chemistry classrooms, educators and developers must consider students’ varying spatial abilities in VR design to ensure that students are not overwhelmed. Students may experience cognitive overload in VR, where they exceed the amount of working memory that can be applied to the task. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Older adults are at an increased risk of experiencing loss of natural dentation; thus experiencing suboptimal nutritional status. So what impact do dentures have on nutritional levels in older adults and what can be done to improve it? For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

We are all bodies of water, from humans, to other animals, plants, watersheds and waterways; all require water to survive and thrive. Considering ourselves and others bodies of water helps to illustrate the interrelationships between self and others, and water protection involves protecting all life, while also addressing intersecting issues such as racism and colonialism. With a lens of a feminist ethics of care, I explore the role of creative action in the water protection movement at Lake Superior. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Informal caregivers of older adults often feel unprepared and underconfident in their role. Conventional (in-person) caregiver psychoeducation or skills-based interventions are difficult to accommodate in their unpredictable routines. The aim of this study was to map the impact of virtual caregiver psychoeducation interventions on informal caregivers of older adults. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Yvonne Runstedler is doing a PhD in Human Relationships at Wilfrid Laurier University, alongside James Dixon, who is doing a BA in Christian Studies & Global Citizenship. They are special guests this week. Ontario Catholic schools operate under the authority of the provincial Ministry of Education and have denominational rights under the law. Since these schools are publicly funded, divergent values can cause tension between and among the various public and ecclesiastical stakeholders. Best practices on the inclusion, treatment and belonging of transgender students is a topic that has caused a myriad of responses. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

This project explores the experiences of a diverse array of community organizations in Kingston, Ottawa, and Cornwall, Ontario, examining their relationship with municipalities and their role in community development. Despite the numerous logistical, spatial, and financial challenges they encounter, community organizations provide invaluable care work and contribute significantly to overall wellbeing and the vibrancy of urban life. This care work is largely under-recognized and unsupported by municipalities, who do not understand their role within the community service landscape. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

In 2019, Kingston became the first municipality in Ontario to declare a ‘climate emergency’. This declaration stimulated further commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to enhance community resilience to adapt to climate change impacts. My PhD dissertation research evaluated Kingston municipal government’s climate policies to understand strengths, weaknesses, and areas for potential improvement. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Working with the Boston Dynamics Spot robot to develop autonomous exploration systems that use sound as a metric for where to search next. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Flooding is a disaster with ripple effects. Its environmental, social, and economic impacts are significant. Floods annually ravage Nigeria constituting an immediate and growing threat amid the global climate crisis. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Annelies studies women’s strategy of self-fashioning in the early modern period, specifically through their self-portraits. She examines the prejudices embedded within the practice of women looking at themselves in a mirror through vanitas prints and paintings. She is particularly interested in learning how women artists circumvented those prejudices in their self-portraits and how they came up with methods of self-representation that would avoid accusations of vanity or pride. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat  

Diabetes is a growing public health concern in Liberia; recent data shows about   2.1% of the population are living with the disease. This figure is likely a gross underestimation of the burden of disease in the country given the limited disease surveillance infrastructures and systems that exist. Diabetes places immense socioeconomic pressure on individuals and their families and burdens an already overstretched healthcare system, still recovering from the destructive effects of the 14-year civil war and the recent West African Ebola virus outbreak. The goal of my study was to explore what is it like to live with diabetes in Liberia. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Olivia investigates how people have taken up the body acceptance movement on social media, and how it has affected their relationships with their bodies, as well as how they navigate diet and wellness culture. She is especially interested in how different identities such as race, gender, and sexuality influence how people experience those spaces. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Wrestling was the first non-running event added to the ancient Olympics in the 18th Olympiad in 708 BCE. Wrestling continued to appear in Greek and Roman art and literature all the way up to the end of antiquity, leaving behind a large archaeological legacy over a period of a thousand years. This long history reflects a level of importance and prestige associated with the sport that is deserving of further study. By applying a modern and practical understanding of grappling sports  to the descriptions and images found in the ancient world, this research aims to illuminate further details about the sport. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Today we talk about opportunities that graduate students have during their graduate journey.  We all know that for the specific degree there are certain academic requirements – comprehensive exams and ultimately the thesis and defense.  But there are other opportunities that graduate students can sign up for if they wish to.  We are going to talk about some of those opportunities today and why should they consider them. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

In Ghana, education has been considered the potential driver to achieving sustainable development and reducing systemic inequalities (Ghana Education Service, 2019). Equitable access to inclusive education is inextricably connected to all the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UNESCO, 2020). For several decades, there have been attempts by the government to transform Ghana’s educational system. Nonetheless, key evidence from the Ministry of Education (2018) indicates that, although primary school learners stay in schools between  4 and 7 hours every day for six years, most learners are not achieving the minimum proficiency in basic numeracy and scientific inquiry. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

My research explores the role of ecological farmer training programs in supporting the development of new farm entrants through an in-depth case study of the Kingston and Area Farmer Training Program. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat

Polymeric materials are used for personal care products, drugs, tissues, organs, sensors, batteries, coatings among numerous applications. Currently, these products are made in organic solvents (e.g., methanol, butanol), which are toxic and incompatible for human use. Therefore, there is a need to make these products in water, which is biocompatible and environmentally friendly. The mass production of these materials will make these products accessible for public use. Water-soluble materials make the world greener and can replace products from these solvents. For upcoming interviews check out the Grad Chat webpage on Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies & Postdoctoral Affairs website – https://www.queensu.ca/grad-postdoc/research/share/grad-chat