Student EDI Research Award Archives - Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

�Ӱ�ԭ�� has awarded six students funding to support summer research projects related to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

The award is funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and administered by the Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities.

Student recipients present their research to the �Ӱ�ԭ�� community during the Fall term.

Congratulations to the 2024 award recipients!

Nagam Abuihmaid

Nagam is a second year Neuroscience student whose research will explore the impact of religious Islamic practices on the mental health of Muslim students and their engagement to campus mental health services.

Nagam’s motivation stems from recognizing the barriers mental health stigmas create for Muslims in seeking necessary care.

“Due to the stigma surrounding mental health discussions, numerous Muslims embrace religious practice, including prayer for solace. I want to contribute to the creation of a supportive and inclusive environment for individuals seeking mental healthcare while respecting their religious beliefs and practices.”

Nagam will be working alongside Prof. Kim Hellemans (Neuroscience) to conduct research that can lead to more culturally sensitive mental health services on �Ӱ�ԭ��’s campus.

“Nagam is a bright and highly motivated young scholar and I am really looking forward to working with her on an exciting project exploring traditional spiritual practices among Muslim students at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University and how these may act as protective factors toward mental health and well-being,” said Hellemans. “We also hope to evaluate Muslim students’ awareness and connection to mental health services on campus, and the role of cultural and religious beliefs in shaping their view of mental health.”

Martina Boddy

Martina is a second-year master’s student in Earth Sciences who is collaborating with Prof. Hanika Rizo (Earth Sciences) on her research project titled “Considering visible and invisible disabilities in the field: Adapting to improve experiential learning for everyone”.

Martina will be conducting research to identify barriers to accessibility for students with visible and invisible disabilities during fieldwork.

“I aim to interview students with disabilities who have conducted field work in a variety of different climates. Their insights will inform recommendations on accommodations to enhance field experiences.”

“Martina is one of our brightest MSc students in the Department of Earth Sciences,” said Rizo. “Through Martina’s project, we aim to effect meaningful change for any �Ӱ�ԭ�� student who requires field courses as part of their program.”

Keisha Cuffie

Keisha��is graduating with a major in Political Science and a minor in Critical Race Studies. Her research aims to create a learning environment where Black students feel valued and seen, while educating their peers about aspects of Canadian history that have long been excluded.

“I recognized a significant gap in the undergraduate curricula where cultural histories and perspectives of Black Canadians have been excluded. This exclusion deprives Black students of seeing themselves reflected in our histories and impacts their mental health due to consistent lack of representation. Additionally, it denies all students the opportunity to learn a more comprehensive history that extends beyond Eurocentric narratives.”

Keisha will be working with Prof. Aaron Ettinger (Political Science) to quantify the annual representation of Black Canadian History post-George Floyed Black Lives Matter advocacy to develop specific and actionable curricular frameworks that focus on the intersection of education and identity among Black Canadians and Black International students. By linking curricular content with students’ identity and feelings of belonging, this project aims to propose a pathway to enhancing EDI in academia for substantive change.

“Keisha combines the intellectual curiosity of a scholar with the energy of an activist, said Ettinger. “It is an enviable combination that she brings to this project about what gets taught at �Ӱ�ԭ�� University, and what doesn’t.”

Jada Gannon-Day

Jada, a fourth-year Sociology and Anthropology student, will research the youth voluntourism industry, specifically focusing on organized volunteer trips and the representation of women’s empowerment.

Jada will be examining how youth-centered Canadian international volunteer organizations depoliticize gender development projects and the implications of these processes.

“My aim is to develop a critical perspective on development and feminist knowledge production, emphasizing the relationship between gender, class, and racialization in an imperialist context. Furthermore, I intend to us this knowledge to critique both deliberate and inadvertent promotion of neocolonial politics within institutional settings.”

Jada is collaborating with Prof. Azar Masoumi (Sociology and Anthropology) to provide a basis through which to rethink and reframe what representation means in an institutional context.

“Jada is an exceptionally capable student, with deep commitment to questions of EDI,” said Masoumi. “Jada’s critical thinking and social justice orientation are evident in the conceptualization of her proposed project, in which she will examine youth-centered international voluntarism with an eye for questions of racial and geopolitical inequality, patriarchy and capitalism.”

Rana Saadi

Rana, a fourth-year Criminology and Criminal Justice student, will examine the meaning of allyship as it relates to BIPOC students at �Ӱ�ԭ��.

“It is important for students on campus to understand and appreciate the significance of allyship. My aim is to investigate the factors that influence allyship and strategies for amplifying the voices of marginalized communities.”

Rana is collaborating with Prof. Carieta Thomas (Sociology) to explore approaches to becoming an effective ally, pinpointing gaps to inclusivity on campus and identifying resources to enhance the student experience.

“Rana’s idea for the project came out of her own experience as a student living at the intersection of various marginalizing identities,” said Thomas. “I understand supporting Rana in carrying out this research as a true example of working with students as partners as they seek to critically engage with the issues of their community and the wider world.”

Erika Uzoegwu

Erika is a fourth-year Bachelor of Health Sciences student with a concentration in global health. She is undertaking a journey into researching the intersectionality of race, religion and healthcare – topics close to her heart.

“I am deeply passionate about advocating for the importance of EDI and acknowledging marginalization in the context of health outcomes and access to culturally competent healthcare. My research will directly address the pertinent issues of representation, mistrust and inclusion within healthcare. It’s more than just research; it’s a chance to make a real difference in creating a healthcare landscape that is fair and inclusive for everyone.”

“Raised in a religious household, I witnessed firsthand the intersection between faith and health-related decisions. This upbringing, coupled with my family’s experiences as immigrants navigating Canada’s healthcare system, ignited an interest in understanding what social factors shape people’s perceptions of healthcare, especially among older adults with diverse ethnic backgrounds.”

Erika is collaborating with Prof. Renate Ysseldyk (Health Sciences) focusing on understanding the relationship among religiosity, scientific belief and healthcare perceptions among older adults. The project aims to uncover insights into their healthcare decision-making process with a specific focus on investigating medical mistrust within marginalized communities.

The post Congratulations to the 2024 Student EDI Research Award Recipients appeared first on Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic).

�Ӱ�ԭ�� Students Awarded Funding for EDI-Related Research

cuthemeedtr5 — Wed, 17 May 2023 10:31:50 +0000

�Ӱ�ԭ�� Students Awarded Funding for EDI-Related Research

April 28, 2025

Time to read: 6 minutes

�Ӱ�ԭ�� has awarded students funding to support summer research projects related to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

The Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Research Award responds to a specific recommendation in �Ӱ�ԭ��’s EDI Action Plan and is a landmark recognition for EDI scholarship in Ontario higher education. Students will present their research process and findings during �Ӱ�ԭ��’s annual Inclusion Week in Fall 2023.

The award is funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and administered by the Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities.

The following students are recipients of the 2023 Student EDI Research Award.

1. Shadea Nance (she/her)

2. Olivia Little (she/her)

3. Aanya Baindur (she/her)

4. Cosette Arseneault-Deraps (she/her)

5. Pallavi Sodhi (she/her)

Shadea Nance (she/her)

Shadea Nance is currently a fourth-year Journalism and Film Studies (Honours) student who will be pursuing a master’s degree in communications and media studies at �Ӱ�ԭ�� in the fall.

By bridging pop culture studies, intersectional feminism, and media studies approaches, Nance’s project will study the most sold Wii games; analyzing diverse representation in their characters and the quality of these representations. To bring this study full circle she will also analyze games from Nintendo’s newest gaming console, the Nintendo Switch, to track diverse representation on this newer system.

“In recent years, there has been increased pressure to include more diverse representation regarding gender and race in video games,” said Nance. “My goal is to gain a better understanding of current representation on the Nintendo Wii and its historical development.”

Nance will be working with Sioabhan Angus, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies. “Shadea is a brilliant and dedicated emerging media studies scholar doing innovative research with significant real world-implications,” said Angus. “She has done incredible work at �Ӱ�ԭ�� to lead conversations around equity and inclusion and her project will make a significant contribution to game studies through its intersectional focus.”

“It is imperative to understand the dominant content consumed by any generation during their formative years, especially content that asks users to identify with it” said Nance.

Olivia Little (she/her)

Olivia Little is a fourth-year Bachelor of Sociology (Honours) student with a minor in Film Studies. She will be researching the barriers to education that students with ADHD face at University, with a focus on the impacts of the pandemic on their learning.

“I was inspired to pursue this project because of my own experiences as a student with ADHD,” said Little. “Over my years of university, I’ve noticed that the way many courses are designed can make it difficult for me to get a lot out of them, and I’ve often found myself imagining how I could have designed the course to better meet my needs.”

Little will be working with Tonya Davidson, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, to produce learning guides that will be used to inform the instructional design of courses across several faculties.

“Olivia is very passionate about nourishing learning environments that are accessible and welcoming,” said Davidson. “Her many years as a peer-assisted study session facilitator have well-equipped her to undergo this important research.”

Through her work, Little hopes to reshape the way the university functions, making it a more enriching and inclusive experience for all students, regardless of ability. “This project is so exciting to me because I see it as an opportunity for students with ADHD to have more agency regarding their education,” said Little.

Aanya Baindur (she/her)

Aanya Baindur is a second year Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) student with a concentration in Marketing whose research will identify and provide solutions to barriers to success, discriminatory practices, and systemic problems experienced by 2SLGBTQ+ students at �Ӱ�ԭ��.

“This study will bring to the forefront problems faced by �Ӱ�ԭ��’s 2SLGBTQ+ community and in doing so provide a voice to a community that so often in society isn’t afforded one,” said Baindur.

Working with Rick Colbourne, Sprott Associate Dean of Equity & Inclusive Communities and Associate Professor of Indigenous Leadership & Management, Baindur’s project will help inform changes to classroom pedagogy to better support 2SLGBTQ+ students.

“I am thrilled to be working with Aanya on this important project,” said Colburne. “She is a passionate and committed member of the Sprott and �Ӱ�ԭ�� University community.”

“As a trans women of colour, this project is important to me,” said Baindur. “I would like to give the 2SLGBTQ+ community at �Ӱ�ԭ�� the opportunity to voice their concerns and help eliminate any barriers to success experienced by them.”

Cosette Arseneault-Deraps (she/her)

Cosette Arseneault-Deraps is a third-year combined honours student in Indigenous and Canadian Studies with a minor in Environmental Studies. Her research will look to discover to what extent Indigenous knowledge and consent are included in fisheries research.

“I realized there was room to combine my areas of study with my passion to create a research project that will be a starting point for future research in my academic career,” said Arseneault-Deraps in regards to the project’s origin.

Arseneault-Deraps is working alongside Prof. Sheryl Ann Simpson, assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, to determine whether there are protocols or general knowledge among researchers on how to respectfully ask for consent and participation from Indigenous groups.

“I’m excited to learn from Cosette’s research,” said Simpson. “She’s doing the hard work of caring for Indigenous self-determination and thriving by asking how non-Indigenous systems and practices around environment studies need to change.”

“I hope to begin a conversation about implementing standards of practice throughout natural science research on including Indigenous voices,” said Arseneault-Deraps.

Pallavi Sodhi (she/her)

Pallavi Sodhi is a first year master’s student in the Human-Computer Interaction program. Through her research, Sodhi will be exploring accessibility in video games; understanding what accessibility features are available, how they are designed, and what their benefits and limitations are from the perspective of those who create and play them.

“The importance of accessibility in games cannot be overstated since it allows games to be inclusive to everyone,” she said. “It should be possible for all individuals to enjoy and fully participate in the gaming experience, regardless of their abilities or disabilities”.

Working with both Dr. Audrey Girouard, Associate Dean in the Faculty of Engineering & Design, and Associate Professor in the School of Information Technology, and Dr. David Thue, Assistant Professor in the School of Information Technology, Sodhi’s research will aid in developing an accessibility-focused framework for game designers that will enable them to create new customizable accessibility features for players.

“We see Pallavi’s project as a key step toward making video games more accessible to a wider range of players,” said Thue.

The post �Ӱ�ԭ�� Students Awarded Funding for EDI-Related Research appeared first on Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic).

Applications Open for Summer 2023 Student EDI Research Award

cuthemeedtr5 — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 15:59:34 +0000

Applications Open for Summer 2023 Student EDI Research Award

April 28, 2025

The Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) is now accepting applications for the �Ӱ�ԭ�� University Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Research Award. This initiative provides funding for students to participate in research projects that use EDI-informed considerations and reflect upon diversity and identity in substantial or significant ways.

Students from all Faculties are invited to submit a proposal for an EDI-related research project that they intend to work on during the period from May 1 to August 30, 2023 in collaboration with a faculty member.

Up to five undergraduate student awards are available, each valued at $10,000. One graduate student award is available, valued at $15,000. Award amounts include 4% vacation pay and research costs.

The application deadline for this award is April 10, 2023. This information will also be communicated to students. Please note that supervising faculty members should also send a letter of support, indicating their willingness to supervise the project. Additional details about this award are available on the Provost’s website.

This award aligns with the strategic directions of �Ӱ�ԭ��’s and responds to a specific recommendation in , which outlines �Ӱ�ԭ��’s commitment to support, fund and disseminate research that advances EDI (Strategic Action 3).

Thank you for your support of this important initiative and we look forward to highlighting the impressive research outcomes that will follow.

Sincerely,

Jerry Tomberlin
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

The post Applications Open for Summer 2023 Student EDI Research Award appeared first on Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic).

�Ӱ�ԭ�� Awards Student Funding for EDI-Related Research

cuthemeedtr5 — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 14:29:41 +0000

�Ӱ�ԭ�� Awards Student Funding for EDI-Related Research

April 28, 2025

Time to read: 8 minutes

�Ӱ�ԭ�� has awarded six students funding to support summer research projects related to equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Established last year, the Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Research Award responds to a specific recommendation in �Ӱ�ԭ��’s EDI Action Plan and is a landmark recognition for EDI scholarship in Ontario higher education. Students will present their research process and findings during �Ӱ�ԭ��’s annual Inclusion Week in Fall 2022.

The award is funded by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic) and administered by the Department of Equity and Inclusive Communities.

The following students are recipients of the 2022 Student EDI Research Award.

1. Lindsey Alcy

2. Felicity Hauwert

3. Maryam Sahar

4. Carolyn Simon

5. Priya Van Oosterhout

6. Samantha Wong

Lindsey Alcy

Lindsey Alcy is a third-year Honours Bachelor of Global and International Studies student specializing in global law and social justice with a minor in sociology. She is undertaking a project that will address complex issues related to food security—a topic close to her heart.

“I am Haitian Canadian and for the first time in my life I get to use myself unapologetically to do this research,” Alcy said. “It’s important to me because it’s my mother land.”

“My goal is simple, yet difficult: it’s to change the narrative, to show the best parts of Haiti that are not shown in the media. I want to show that their story is not just suffering, there is a whole other side we are not seeing,” she said.

Alcy is collaborating with Prof. Marylynn Steckley (Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs) to develop and apply a new food sovereignty tool of health in collaboration with the Centre for Nutrition and Education for Women’s and Children in Haiti.

“Lindsey is a compassionate, bright, dedicated young woman who has so much integrity and ambition,” said Steckley. “She has so much potential to contribute to the Haitian community in Canada and to Haiti itself, and strong and noble desire to give back and participate in social change and community-based research that is driven by Haitians themselves.”

Felicity Hauwert

Felicity Hauwert is a fourth-year Honours Bachelor of Sociology student whose research will examine relationships between sound and healing. She is particularly interested in the experiences of racialized communities with respect to sound, especially during and after the “freedom convoy” that took place in Ottawa earlier this year.

Through her research, Hauwert aims to create localized audios that provide a healing experience for people living inside and outside Ottawa. Using recorded sound from various environments, she will also explore the ethics and protocols that surround working on rural Indigenous land.

“How do I get consent from the land? How do I listen? I want to create a methodology for non-Indigenous people to know how to ethically work with the land and be respectful to land stewards,” said Hauwert, adding that this award is providing her with a chance for her to invest in the research area she’s interested in full-time and pivot outside her academic studies.

Hauwert is working alongside Prof. Zoe Todd (Sociology and Anthropology) to learn how to listen to the land. “Hauwert is a very dedicated and brilliant student who has done amazing work in her department to support student success and lead discussions around issues like racism and decolonization,” said Todd.

“This funding from the Provost’s Office helps students learn how to do research in a nourishing and positive environment and expand their work in exciting ways.”

Maryam Sahar

Maryam Sahar is a second-year master’s student in Migration and Diaspora Studies whose research will answer whether there are unconscious biases in Canadian Refugee policies.

Sahar’s background as an Afghan refugee who came to Canada at the age of 17 under a special measure program for Afghan interpreters is one reason that she was inspired to conduct this research.

“I have personally benefited from Canadian generosity, and I want it to be extended to other refugees and people fleeing conflict,” she said, adding that she hopes her research will inform future Canadian government responses to crises.

Sahar is working with Prof. James Milner (Political Science) to compare administrative measures and examine biases in Canada’s response to the Afghanistan and Ukraine refugee crises. The research project is being undertaken in conversation with the Refugee Advisory Network of Canada to help advise the Government of Canada on its engagement with global refugee issues.

Prof. Milner describes Sahar’s ability to balance her lived experience with a desire to understand the broader context within which displacement happens.

“I hope Maryam develops and demonstrates the capacity for academic research to influence public and policy debates, and for her to have this as an experience on which she can build,” he said. “I think the positionality of the researcher provides opportunities to ask new questions and produce knowledge in a different way.”

Carolyn Simon

Carolyn Simon is a second-year social work student minoring in Indigenous Studies. Their research will explore ways to decolonize and Indigenize education in the School of Social Work.

“I noticed that a lot of the pedagogy and social work education is rooted in settler colonial ideology,” said Simon.

Their research aims to develop practical tools to change this and to bring Indigenous ways of knowing into the classroom. They hope to start by focusing on decolonizing the classroom, then move into general pedagogies and discussing ideas with instructors on how to integrate these pedagogies into their syllabi and course content.

“In my program, I see only a few Indigenous students and it’s quite often exhausting because I feel like the course delivery doesn’t always fit culturally.” Simon hopes that this research will provide faculty and students with resources and a basis for what it means to decolonize course content and methods of assessment. Simon is working with Prof. Beth Martin (Social Work) on this project. The pair have previously worked together through the I-CUREUS program on a similar topic. “Carolyn is one of the students I have learned a lot from, and I know how dedicated they are to decolonization,” says Martin.

Priya Van Oosterhout

Priya Van Oosterhout is an Honours Neuroscience and Mental Health student minoring in Biology whose research will discuss racial disparities in substance use research. Van Oosterhout will look at the participants in more mainstream substance use studies to observe representation across different racial groups.

“Substance use tends to disproportionately affect people of colour because of various socioeconomic factors,” said Van Oosterhout. “This got me thinking about the lack of representation in substance use research and how well-represented people of colour are in the research”.

Van Oosterhout hopes her research will positively affect the way substance research is conducted in the future. “The aim of the study is to summarize these disparities, highlight them and figure out where we can fill in the gaps,” she said.

Van Oosterhout is working with Prof. Zachary Patterson (Neuroscience), who describes her as an engaged, proactive student who contributes meaningful ideas to classroom discussions.

Patterson’s goal is that she will find a sense of pride in the fact that this research study is her original idea and that she will gain confidence from leading such an important project.

Samantha Wong

Samantha Wong is a fourth-year biomedical and mechanical engineering student who will research practical demonstrations that introduce engineering concepts and materials to young women in high school with the goal of increasing interest among young women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines and decreasing the gender gap.

“There are a lack of external influences and there are stereotypes about what engineering entails, as in what it means to be an engineer and who gets to be an engineer,” said Wong. “I think that really affects young women who may or may not choose to pursue STEM disciplines.”

Wong is working with Prof. Andrew Harris (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering) to develop an accessible, entertaining, functioning prototype that features methods and materials that can be easily replicated by high school teachers and demonstrators.

“I am really excited about this project,” said Wong. “This is something I really want to work on and can relate to. It would have been extremely helpful when I was a younger girl!”

Prof. Harris describes Wong as an engaged student, adding that he hopes she gains practical design and engineering experience from this opportunity and a sense of accomplishment in promoting and encouraging young women to pursue STEM fields.

The post �Ӱ�ԭ�� Awards Student Funding for EDI-Related Research appeared first on Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic).

Applications Open for Summer 2022 Student EDI Research Award

cuthemeedtr5 — Wed, 09 Mar 2022 10:31:12 +0000

Applications Open for Summer 2022 Student EDI Research Award

April 28, 2025

Students from all Faculties are invited to submit a proposal for an EDI-related research project that they intend to work on during the period from May 1 to August 30, 2022 in collaboration with a faculty member.

Up to five undergraduate student awards are available, each valued at $10,000. One graduate student award is available, valued at $15,000. Award amounts include 4% vacation pay and research costs.

The application deadline for this award is April 8, 2022. This information will also be communicated to students this week. Please note that supervising faculty members should also send a letter of support, indicating their willingness to supervise the project. Additional details about this award are available on the Provost’s website.

Thank you for your support of this important initiative and we look forward to highlighting the impressive research outcomes that will follow.

Sincerely,

Jerry Tomberlin
Provost and Vice-President (Academic)

The post Applications Open for Summer 2022 Student EDI Research Award appeared first on Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic).

�Ӱ�ԭ�� Students Win EDI Research Awards

cuthemeedtr5 — Tue, 18 May 2021 15:55:33 +0000

�Ӱ�ԭ�� Students Win EDI Research Awards

April 28, 2025

Five undergraduates and one graduate student have won the inaugural Summer 2021 �Ӱ�ԭ�� University Student Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Research Awards.

Their EDI-related research projects will be conducted through August in collaboration with faculty supervisors in what is a landmark recognition for EDI scholarship in Ontario higher education. The graduate student award is $15,000 and each undergraduate was awarded $10,000.

The post appeared first on Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic).

Student EDI Research Award Launched for Summer 2021

cuthemeedtr5 — Tue, 09 Mar 2021 09:57:57 +0000

Student EDI Research Award Launched for Summer 2021

April 28, 2025