University of Toronto prof examines teachers’ college admissions and equity

Ruth Childs is an expert in assessing how we decide who does, and doesn’t, get into university. The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education professor, along with her graduate research students, is currently shining a spotlight on teacher-training programs. (Marianne Madeline Lau) Every second Thursday, we will be featuring an Ontario Research Chair (ORC) from one of the province’s universities. ORCs are university research professorships created to drive provincial research and develop excellence, to create world-class…

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Teaching future teachers about legacy of residential schools

Studying the War of 1812 in Grade 8 History class left a greater impression on Kiera Brant than it does on most 14-year-olds. On the Tyendinaga First Nation near Belleville, Ontario, Brant’s class learned about the Mohawk and Iroquois contributions to the war. It wasn’t until she left the community that she discovered not all people know about the war through this perspective. “It was a very different reality moving away from the reserve,” says…

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McMaster researcher examines where youth end up after high school, and why

McMaster University’s Karen Robson, an expert in at-risk youth, advocates for a better understanding of race and paths to post-secondary education. Every second Thursday, we will be featuring an Ontario Research Chair (ORC) from one of the province’s universities. ORCs are university research professorships created to drive provincial research and develop excellence, to create world-class centres of research, and to enhance Ontario’s competitiveness in Canada’s knowledge-based economy. See previous profiles here. What makes a high school…

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Preserving Culture, History in Art: The North Baffin Drawings

The tides were changing in the North. The 1950s and 1960s saw influences from the South, including social programming, waves of civil servants, and residential schools, significantly transform traditional camp life—a way of life known to the Inuit since the 19th century. Recognizing the impending impact on these peoples and their culture, Terry Ryan, the arts adviser for the West Baffin Eskimo Co-operative in Cape Dorset, set out by dogsled to the relatively “untouched” communities…

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Laurier researcher teams up with student to make science course more accessible

This article was originally posted on the Wilfrid Laurier University website in July 2016. It is re-posted here in celebration of National AccessAbility Week and the re-launch of the Council of Ontario Universities’ AccessibleCampus.ca. Wikki Stix, pipe cleaners, and bottles of puffy glue cover laboratory tabletops as students twist, press, loop and stick objects together. With a glimpse into one of Richelle Monaghan’s Molecular Biology classes at Wilfrid Laurier University’s Brantford campus, the uninitiated may mistake it for…

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What it means to be Métis: University of Ottawa researcher sharpens our understanding of the term

The University of Ottawa’s Brenda Macdougall brings her expertise in Métis and First Nations history to bear on how a group of people become a nation. (University of Ottawa) Every second Thursday, we will be featuring an Ontario Research Chair (ORC) from one of the province’s universities. ORCs are university research professorships created to drive provincial research and develop excellence, to create world-class centres of research, and to enhance Ontario’s competitiveness in Canada’s knowledge-based economy. See…

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Creating inclusive spaces through music

Ryerson University researcher Deborah Fels is no stranger to breaking down barriers and creating inclusive tools and spaces. Her Tecla Shield 3—developed in partnership with Komodo OpenLab at OCAD University—made smartphones accessible to everyone, allowing people to communicate on their devices through customized hands-free gestures to activate switches and access apps. This week, to coincide with National AccessAbility Week and the re-launch of the Council of Universities’ AccessibleCampus.ca, we’re turning our focus to Ontario researchers…

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When lives hang in the balance: Queen’s bioethicist talks ethics of giving patients access to unproven drugs

Queen’s University philosophy professor Udo Schuklenk has delved deeply into the ethics of enrolling deathly ill patients in clinical trials. (Photo by Greg Black) Every second Thursday, we will be featuring an Ontario Research Chair (ORC) from one of the province’s universities. ORCs are university research professorships created to drive provincial research and develop excellence, to create world-class centres of research, and to enhance Ontario’s competitiveness in Canada’s knowledge-based economy. See previous profiles here.  The Ebola…

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Understanding Ontario’s health workforce

McMaster University health and labour market economist Arthur Sweetman (far left) works with his students. (Courtney Sheppard) Every second Thursday, we will be featuring an Ontario Research Chair (ORC) from one of the province’s universities. ORCs are university research professorships created to drive provincial research and develop excellence, to create world-class centres of research, and to enhance Ontario’s competitiveness in Canada’s knowledge-based economy. See previous profiles here.  “Ontario is concerned about having an appropriate supply of…

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Researchers talk wearable tech, cyborgs at upcoming web panel

  How smart are your clothes? And how can their future intelligence impact your health? As fitness trackers and virtual reality devices become increasingly complex, yet smaller and accessible, Ontario researchers are working on making these devices even more advanced. Wearable technology and cyborgs are up for discussion during the next Partners in Research Live Event, co-organized by Research Matters. The web panel takes place on Wednesday, April 26 from 12-12:45 p.m., and is free and…

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