ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´â€™s 2024 Student EDI Research Award Recipients Present Their Findings
On Oct. 28, ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ community members gathered for presentations by the recipients of the 2024 Student EDI Research Awards. ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ students Nagam Abuihmaid, Martina Boddy, Keisha Cuffie, Jada Gannon-Day, Rana Saddi and Erika Uzoegwu shared key findings from their summer research projects.
The Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Research Award responds to a specific recommendation in ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´â€™s EDI Action Plan and is a landmark recognition for EDI scholarship in Ontario higher education.
The award is funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and administered by the Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities.
Nagam Abuihmaid spent her summer exploring the relationship between engagement in Islamic practices, mental health outcomes and utilization of campus mental health services. Her research shed light on the unique challenges and resources available to Muslim students at ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´.
Martina Boddy’s project aimed to identify barriers to accessibility for students with visible and invisible disabilities while conducting field work. Ten participants were recruited from within ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´â€™s Faculty of Science and Faculty of Engineering and Design who had completed field work and self-identified as having a visible or invisible disability.
Keisha Cuffie’s research combined data from a pool of 15 domestic and international students, encompassing a diverse range of backgrounds – including Black students, persons of colour, and non-marginalized students – to determine ways they felt or did not feel represented in ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´â€™s current curricula.
Jada Gannon-Day examined how volunteer tourism has become the face of the sustainable tourism movement and how the depoliticized view of development often positions the Global South as a place where Western young people can gain experience, rather than a place where local people lead efforts to create change.
Rana Saadi’s research project involved collaborating with BIPOC students at ÐÓ°ÉÔ´´ to gain a deeper understanding of their perspectives on allyship as a tool for liberation and inclusion and how they envision allyship as a way to improve the student experience.
Erica Uzoegwu’s research explored religious and spiritual beliefs, perceptions of and trust in science and healthcare decision-making among older adults from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in Canada and the United States.
Explore the full collection of research paper abstracts on the Student EDI Research Award Recipients webpage.