Projects by three Brandon University (BU) faculty members will be supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) with new Insight Development Grants announced on Friday.
Insight Development Grants fund research projects that are in their early stages. As they progress, the projects can be considered for even more future support through the SSHRC’s Insight Grants program.
The three new grants awarded to BU researchers will bolster their work over a two-year period, with a cumulative value of nearly $175,000. Earning the federal research support are Dr. Roberto Limongi ($75,000), Dr. Candice Waddell-Henowitch ($74,351) and Dr. Jonathan Allan ($23,512).
“This is exciting news for our faculty and for our research program,” said Dr. Bernadette Ardelli, Vice-President (Research & Graduate Studies) at BU. “It’s rewarding to see the projects, developed right here at BU. grow and create knowledge that is beneficial to our community and our society.”
Dr. Limongi is an Assistant Professor in BU’s Department of Psychology studying how the act of writing has a positive effect on learning in students.
“We all understand writing’s importance in sharing ideas, but even writing about their uncertainties, although it is not part of the communication process with others, can help students overcome their doubts and organize their ideas to build on their knowledge,” Dr. Limongi said. “In an age when artificial intelligence can produce a text for us, we ask why a student should write at all. We expect that this research will provide support for a difference between content written by a student and that generated by an AI system, helping us redeem the exclusive position of human-produced written language within the social sciences and humanities.”
The project will involve the development of computational models to estimate the effect of writing on the brain and validate the model results by comparing them to classroom data.
Dr. Waddell-Henowitch is an Associate Professor in BU’s Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Co-ordinator of the Master of Psychiatric Nursing Program. She is launching a pilot project exploring the experiences of childbirth and the transition to parenthood for individuals with a history of sexual violence in adulthood.
“It’s established that previous trauma has a detrimental impact on the birthing experience and the transition to parenthood, as well as poor child health outcomes, but there is little research on those who have experienced sexual violence as adults before giving birth,” Dr. Waddell-Henowitch said. “While there are similarities in trauma response, experiences are processed differently by individuals who have a history of sexual violence in adulthood as opposed to childhood. This research will help us fill in the gaps in current knowledge, leading ultimately to improved care.”
Through a combination of interviews and focus groups, Dr. Waddell-Henowitch and her team (Nadine Smith, Andrea Thomson and Tracy Young from BU, Dr. Jamie Cidro from University of Winnipeg, Dr. Natalie Mota from University of Manitoba, Ashley Stewart from Klinic, Krista Callahan and Jenna Mennie Clarke from Prairie Mountain Health, and Research Assistants Krista Murray, Hillary Derewianchuk, and Megan van de Spiegle) will build knowledge and share those findings with public, not-for-profit and community organizations as well as the academic community.
Dr. Allan is the Canada Research Chair in Men and Masculinities, as well as a Professor in the Department of English, Drama and Creative Writing. He is reading and studying “novela del dictador,” Latin American novels written from the perspective of dictators. These differ from novels written about life in dictatorships and are mostly written by men. Additionally, the dictators in the novels are also predominantly men.
By examining how the authors use masculinities to construct the political identities of the dictators, Dr. Allan believes his study will complement the work of Latin American scholars and could reveal themes that are relevant well beyond their geographic roots.
“At its heart, this study hopes to draw on a growing societal concern with the rise of extreme masculinities and consider the relationship between those masculinities and dictatorship, especially as we witness the return of authoritarian-style politics,” Dr. Allan said. “My argument is that these novels serve as important examples through which to consider our current political climate, not just in Latin America, but also broadly across the Americas, and perhaps even globally.”
Additionally, two other BU faculty members are co-applicants on projects based out of other universities that have been awarded Insight Grants.
Dr. Kelly Saunders of BU’s Department of Political Science is working with Dr. Janique Dubois of the University of Ottawa on Métis policy in Canada. They have been awarded $216,236 over six years for their project, “From Principles to Practice: A Multisectoral Study of Métis Policy in Canada.”
Dr. Emma Varley, of the Department of Anthropology at BU, is working with Dr. JoAnn Jaffe of the University of Regina on a project titled “Gone Today, Here Tomorrow: Moving from Vulnerability and Inequality to Active Citizenship via Public Transportation.” They have been awarded $241,441 over six years.
Contact
- Brandon University
- communications@brandonu.ca
To receive any BU publication in an alternate format please contact Communications@BrandonU.ca
About BU
Success is built at Brandon University. Our growing, progressive campus welcomes a diverse and inclusive community that combines proud tradition with shared ambition. Through our excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship, we educate students to make a meaningful difference as engaged citizens and leaders. Join us at BrandonU.ca.