UVic Ideafest 2016 Blog

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In Conversation with Brett Koenig, JCURA Scholar

Brett Koenig is a fourth-year student studying Sociology. His Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award (JCURA) project undertakes a life-course analysis of the non-heterosexual, street-involved youth (a group that is disproportionately represented in the street-involved population).

On his work

TL: Please describe your research project. BK: I’m working in Sociology right now, so I’m really interested in marginalization and marginalized communities. I wanted to research street-involved youth and there’s a really high proportion of street-involved youth who are non-heterosexual—upwards of 30 or 40 percent in some studies, so they are hugely over-represented in the street-involved population. My research asks why this is. I’m taking a life-course perspective, looking at what earlier events and experiences put non-heterosexual youth on these distinct trajectories towards street involvement and comparing that with heterosexual street-involved youth.

TL: Are you interviewing non-heterosexual, street-involved youth? BK: No, I’m working Dr. Cecilia Benoit at the Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia (CARBC). She has data on everything, so I have access to a longitudinal study conducted in Victoria over several years that includes quantitative and qualitative data on a group of youth. I’m analyzing certain questions, seeing what themes come up and how they inform the statistics I have.

TL: What’s the public impact of this work? BK: There are definitely some public health implications to my work. We know street-involvement leads to certain developmental and well-being implications (street-involved youth usually have higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, mental health difficulties, etc.). So, I believe it’s important to understand this population and see what factors lead them to street-involvement.

TL: How would you summarize your project using one verb or actionable word? BK: Trajectory? I suppose that’s not really actionable, but it does accurately describe my project.

TL: Moving forward, how would you want to expand on the work you’re doing? BK: Basically, right now, I’m just trying to understand this marginalized population of youth who face different life courses that are so unimaginable to the general population. My goal is better understanding for better support. By learning more about these youth and where they’re at, I believe we can develop more effective resources to support them and maximize their well-being. We have so many preconceived notions about street-involved youth and non-heterosexual youth, so I think it’s really important to understand them without prejudice. Only then can we develop programs that support them in where they’re at, not just where we think they’re at.

TL: Do you think your work has implications for other marginalized groups who are street-involved? BK: Well, I think it’s really important to understand the full spectrum of street involvement. This work impacts other marginalized groups because it fits in with a larger narrative about why kids become street-involved.

On his research process

TL: How did you get the idea for this project? BK: I’ve been volunteering with street-involved youth for a long time at a local clinic. From the start, I knew I wanted to write my Honours thesis on something to do with street-involved youth, but I didn’t think it would be possible. But then I met my supervisor, Dr. Benoit, and her colleague, Dr. Mikael Jansson. They had all this data and we came to my topic and research question together.

TL: What have you learned from doing this project? Could you have learned the same stuff in a classroom? BK: It’s really wonderful to be able to pursue something you’re interested in and not necessarily for grades. You’re actually contributing to something you care about. I think it’s really cool to be able to use scholarship in such a productive and constructive way. I could take a course on street youth and write a paper, but I would soon forget everything I learned. However, this way, I actually get to apply my knowledge and contribute to knowledge. As someone who works with the street community, I think it is great to be able to put a face to the data I’m working with.

TL: What's the most unexpected thing that came up when doing this work? BK: They gave me the keys to the Centre for Addictions Research! That was unexpected for me—I didn't know how to handle that. On a more serious note though, I've been surprised by how much I've enjoyed doing this project. It doesn't feel like work. I'll go to the office (where I have keys to) and stay there until midnight doing work, thinking “this is really fun.” And that was unexpected for me.

TL: Why do this work at UVic? BK: There's just such a sense of community here. I've benefited from a super supportive network of people, peers, professors, and mentors. In Sociology, the department is small and class sizes are small. It's never intimidating to ask questions or share ideas. There's no fear of rejection. We also have so many great facilities such as the Centre for Addictions Research and the Centre on Aging. I believe that that kind of support network really facilitates innovation, growth, and high-caliber learning.

TL: Could you speak a bit more about the Centre for Addictions Research (CARBC)? BK: They do a lot—I don't even know what everyone does there. There are just so many offices with experts studying different aspects of addiction. My supervisor, Dr. Benoit, works with sex workers, mothers who use substances, and street-involved youth. Others work with addictions, youth alcohol use, and – honestly the list goes on and on. Basically, they focus on the stuff that most other people in academia don’t necessarily want to consider.

On research more generally

TL: Have you noticed a change in the way that research is academic research is being communicated to public? BK: I'm pretty new to academia, so I can't really comment on how it's changed. From what I've noticed, it's a lot more accessible and a lot more applied. The goal seems to be to get rid of the Ivory Tower. Scholars are, more and more, going out and connecting with their community (by giving TED talks, for example). The goal is no longer to just cite people, but to work with them.

TL: You occupy a unique position as an undergraduate researcher. What unique perspectives and/or skills do you think undergraduates bring to the research process? BK: I feel like our ignorance is somewhat of a gift. We're not so consumed with what other people have said. We're not trying to frame things in terms of what X said and how my work relates to what X already did. Instead, we say “well, I have this crazy idea... can we do it?” And then, we see what comes next.

TL: What do you think the main barrier to facing researchers in the twenty-first century will be? And how might we get around it? BK: I really think funding is a major barrier, but I don't know how to get around that. To do the work we need to do as researchers, you need money... and to get money, you need to convince other people that the work is worthwhile. Fortunately, in the social sciences at least, marginalized issues are getting more and more attention. That said, many people are not be able to realize amazing, important projects because they haven't been able to get the necessary financial resources. A lot of influential people still don't want to fund nitty-gritty social issues.

TL: Finally, if you could ask UVic students one “big question,” what would that question be? BK: My question for UVic students would be “how can we bridge the gap between academia and activism?”

[Meet Brett and other JCURA scholars at Ideafest 2016 during the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA) Fair, Wednesday, March 9 [TODAY], 11:30-3:00PM in the Student Union Building. The Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards are administered by the Learning and Teaching Centre (LTC) at UVic on behalf of the Vice-President Academic and Provost.]

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Mean and Green: UVic Researchers Lead the Charge for Environmental Stewardship

UVic researchers continue to improve our knowledge of environmental issues and the strategies both big and small that we can use to address them. Don’t miss the following events at Ideafest that speak to environmental stewardship.

Sustainable construction materials and technologies (Presented by the Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technologies on Wednesday, March 9, 12:00-1:00PM). This presentation will highlight British Columbia case studies of innovative and sustainable construction technologies. Dr. Rishi Gupta will present examples of rammed earth construction, porous paving materials and stay-in-place forming technology.

Megawatts and marbles: A playful approach to understanding power systems (Presented by the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems on Thursday, March 10, 5:30-7:00PM). Join a fun, interactive game with marbles where you are the power plant and must work with other participants to meet the demand.  Researchers will support the activity, draw parallels to real-world challenges and facilitate a discussion.

Hotter, drier summers? Implications and adaptations for B.C. (Presented by the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium [PCIC] and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions [PICS] on Thursday, March 10, 7:00-9:00PM). What are the implications of last year’s record breaking dry summer in British Columbia? Hydro-climatic projections suggest that dry summers like last year’s may happen more often in future, with significant consequences for our region.

From coral to sharks: Unravelling the coral reef food web (Presented by the Department of Biology on Friday, March 11, 5:30-6:30PM). Join graduates from Dr. Julia Baum’s marine ecology lab to learn more coral reefs. In a series of photographs, interactive activities and presentations, emerging researchers will reveal the extraordinary science behind coral reef food webs and how it can inform conservation efforts.

Urban restoration walk - University of Victoria campus (Presented by the School of Environmental Studies on Saturday, March 12, 10:00-12:00PM). In this interactive walking tour, Dr. Valentin Schaefer will guide you through a number of urban restoration projects on the University of Victoria campus. Walk includes information on the identification and natural history of native plants and shrubs.

A walk in the park: (Re)visiting urban forest relations exhibit (Presented by the School of Child and Youth Care from Tuesday, March 8 to Saturday, March 12). What stories do 'traces left behind' tell about humans and other species who live here? Through this art provocation we invite you to think with us about histories, contemporary urban park use, and the inheritances of future generations.

Ideafest runs from March 7-12, 2016 at the University of Victoria and various venues throughout Victoria, BC. The festival is presented by the University of Victoria in partnership with the Times Colonist. See the Ideafest website for a full schedule of events and venues: http://www.uvic.ca/ideafest/.

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In Conversation with Saul Brown, JCURA Scholar

Saul Brown is a Political Science student and member of the Heiltsuk nation. His Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award (JCURA) project looks at the traditional laws and legal systems of the Heiltsuk people, specifically as applied to marine territory.

On his research

TL: Please describe your research project. SB: I’m looking at our Gvi’ilas, specifically as they concern marine territory. Basically, I am looking at laws in our stories and how we enact our laws. My research focuses on three main stories and uses this past herring season as a case study of how to use these stories as laws. Last herring season, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans of Canada (DFO) re-opened the herring fishery to seine net fishing (in seine fishing, they take only part of the fish and discard the rest). We told them that the stocks weren’t there (i.e., there weren’t enough herring for seine fishing). Unless you shut down the fishery, the whole herring population will collapse, as it did in 1998 and 2004. After 2004, there was a moratorium on herring fishing, which was removed last year. So, after DFO re-opened the fishery, I got a call from my Heiltsuk community asking me to come home. They [the DFO]’re going to ruin this.” Some of my earliest memories are going out for herring on our fishing grounds (I was raised on Heiltsuk territory), so I immediately packed up my stuff and headed back home. The next day we had a community meeting and decided to serve an eviction notice to the DFO. We then took a canoe and paddled over to the DFO office, which is right across the channel from our village, and, after we served the eviction notice, we were just going to head back, but I didn’t want to leave. I was actually very angry. I said “we can’t just serve an eviction notice—we need to enact our jurisdiction.” It was at that point I said “okay, we’re going to take over the DFO office.” The occupation started with just twenty community members, mostly youth, elders, and women from the community. We took over the office, then the head of the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department (HIRMD) and our elected chief representative came over and stayed in the office while everyone occupied the rest of the building. We were basically in there for four days. Our intention was to protect our marine territory by any means necessary. After four days, the DFO agreed that there would be no herring fishery there and we now have a protocol agreement moving forward so we don’t have to come to the point of violence on either part (by the state or by us). So, my JCURA project looks at this point in time last year when we had to physically stand up in an enact our laws and asks “why.” Why would we do this and what does it mean? I take some creation stories and use them to ask why and how our governance system works. I use this as a system of looking at DFO policy, faulty science, and what not. I hope to bring to light (1) who should be guiding resource management talks concerning Heiltsuk territory and (2) what should be the guiding principles for those talks.

TL: Really interesting work. Could you speak more about the impact of this project for your community and other communities? SB: A lot of people look at law and say “wow, why would you want to do law?” They think of Canadian law or common law or aboriginal law in current legal discourse. When the Spanish conquistadors first entered the Americas, they basically had an argument in the courts in Spain about whether or not Indigenous people even had souls—if we were even human, that is. And that was our first interaction with this whole Western, colonial legal system. After this argument, we moved into a period of accumulation by dispossession wherein Indigenous peoples were subsumed under the Indian Act. Through the Indian Act, they homogenized us as just one group of Indigenous people, instead of, you know, Heiltsuk, Kwakwaka'wakw, or Oweekeno. Residential schools and the reserve system followed. Ultimately, what the rule of law has done to us is pretty atrocious. Many Indigenous people don’t even want to look at what law is. In theory, the rule of law applies to everyone equally. If you’re an “Indian” under the Indian Act then the rule of law applies to all “Indians” equally and it’s still not discriminatory under Western legal logics. Discrimination thus becomes authorized (just as it was in the case of the Chinese head tax and other atrocities). In order to do this work, I had to reconceptualise what law was and is—and I think that’s really part of the impact of this work. We look at out own law to do the work of reconceptualising. So, if there’s this common law, this jurisprudence built up for aboriginal laws that concern “aboriginals,” I’m essentially saying that “well, we had and have our own law.” That whole discourse which framed us as savages roaming around the land lawless is completely false. I’m not comparing our institutions to theirs; I am looking at what legal principles guided us and allowed for sustainability and social wellbeing, what allowed our societies to vibrant and self-sustaining pre-colonization and how can these legal principles be brought into contemporary society (not only for us, but also for all peoples that want to use herring or marine territories). I really believe that all people who eat, fish, or use herring will thank us one day for shutting down the herring fishery last year because that’s really the sustainable thing to do. Although this project may be scholarly, I hope that it will illuminate some things that are clear and, in turn, have an impact on those who are not aware of our stories and present another way of relating to our ecosystem here on the coast. This new way of relating has governance systems embedded in it that we should be following because they’re proven through their success over thousands of years.

TL: How would you summarize your project using one verb or actionable word? SB: [Pauses.] It would be movement.

TL: Why movement? SB: Because we believe that things (time, space, etc.) are always moving. Time is not just this linear thing—it moves in cycles. The herring always come. Even though we shut down the herring fishery last year, the herring will hopefully come again and continue to come again. I don’t want my children to be indoctrinated into an environment of state-sanctioned violence, when they enact their traditional laws and act as stewards of their territory. Early on, I knew that this (herring fishing) was part of our responsibility as Heiltsuk people. Given that time is always moving, never sitting still, how do we allow for our own legal principles to move with time? Part of this movement is also rejuvenation, revitalization, resurgence… not only of our legal principles, but also of our language, culture, and traditions as a whole. I think movement really speaks to what we’re trying to do. Some of our legal principles might be dormant, so part of this project is moving them into the contemporary period.

TL: Moving forward then, how would you like to expand on this work? SB: I think this is hard work. Moving forward, I can't expand on it myself. I'm offering a little sliver of how we used to operate and how we should be operating—and how we still do operate. We still believe we own the land and we always will believe that. So, I think this work will be a community-wide thing. I've been blessed and privileged to be exposed to some of these ideas through our elders (this past summer, for instance, with Elizabeth Brown—this beautiful elder who I worked with). It's my dream that one day that Heiltsuk territory will be under Heiltsuk jurisdiction and it won't be under this assumed colonial, provincial jurisdiction (not co-management, but a Heiltsuk-first system of governance). I really think that that's where we are going, but to get there will require a lot of hard work—and I can only do one aspect of that work. Everything I do has to go back and be vetted by my community, so it's going to be a reciprocal process. So, to answer your question, I'm going to push it forward, but I'm also going to be accountable to my community to make sure everything I'm doing is okay by them.

TL: What about younger members of your community? SB: I'm certainly interested in making my project accessible to children, as well as other community members who might not have certain educational or reading levels. I'm also interested in making my project accessible to visitors to Heiltsuk territory. If you're going to somewhere, you've got to know the laws. Laws have to be accessible to everyone, just like you can go online and check out Canadian criminal law. The same thing should be available for our jurisdiction, so entities such as the provincial government and industry can know the law and who has the authority to implement that law (the Heiltsuk nation). I think that accessibility and accountability is paramount, but it starts with our own youth and teaching them our laws in a way they can really digest.

On his own research process

TL: Has your project developed since you started working on it? SB: Yeah, it's developed and changed. I started with these three stories around creation and I've stayed with those three stories. With regard to territory, however, I've played with different ideas. Dr. Heidi Stark and Dr. Jim Tully have been really helpful along with other people in my community. My Father, for instance, is always pushing me. He says “okay, we have this legal principle of stewardship, but why and how does this really look in action today? And how is this shared in our stories?” Now that I have a wealth of information, my main task is to whittle it down to determine what gets to stay and what has to go.

TL: I imagine you've learned a lot while doing this project. How have those lessons differed from what you might have learned in a classroom? SB: You can't learn this in the western educational system. This kind of topic you have to learn through experience: talking to elders, community members, etc. For a long time, Indigenous people couldn't even have these discussions—they couldn't gather in groups of more than two because of the potlatch ban (itself a law). This work is really about celebrating us as Indigenous people, celebrating the brilliance of our ancestors. In order to do this work, you have to leave western education institutions and go to where this place-based philosophy really emerged, which is on the water, on our territory, on the coast. I learned more during this past summer (spent working on my JCURA project in my community) than I have in my whole academic career so far. You learn different policies and processes in Political Science, but you don't learn anything like this. I think that's much more valuable—and that's not to discredit my academic experience at UVic, but it is to say that this kind of learning is ground-breaking and eye-opening. I've learned so much and I'm forever grateful to the people who have given me information and allowed me to articulate it in the way I have.

TL: What's the most unexpected thing that came up when doing this work? SB: I think the whole thing was kind of unexpected. I was already doing this work in my community, then the Political Science department asked me to turn it into a JCURA project. I'm really grateful that both Dr. Stark and Dr. Tully allowed me to do this kind of independent work—and, in my case, it really is independent. I'm going through old stories, old transcripts, and other things from our old people who had knowledge of these legal principles and these comprehensive legal systems. I think the whole thing has been fairly whirlwind and I can't believe it's already coming to an end. I want to continue to be a part of these conversations.

TL: You've mentioned both Dr. Heidi Stark and Dr. Jim Tully. I'm wondering, why do this work at UVic? SB: I think that UVic is ground-breaking for Indigenous scholarship: look, for example, at the Indigenous Law Research Unit. We have a lot of awesome leading Indigenous scholars here at UVic like Heidi Stark, who has been an amazing mentor to me during my undergrad. If you're not operating within the dominant ideology, it can be dangerous. Those old stereotypes about Indigenous people can skew people's heads into thinking that what I do isn't validated as knowledge or legitimate political science. Heidi Stark especially has enabled me to see that what I'm doing is political science. It's been really great having these scholars at UVic to support and encourage me, because what I'm doing is challenging work. And UVic itself did provide the platform for my JCURA project, which I'm really grateful for.  JCURA helped me to explore what I want to go into after my undergrad, whether that's law school or grad school. At the same time, there are some things that UVic can't provide. I'll always have to go back to my community, to speak my own language in order to do the research I want to do.

On research more generally

TL: I now have some questions for you about what you think about research processes and research more generally. Have you noticed a change in the way that research is practiced now, as opposed to say ten to twenty years ago? SB: I think that ten to twenty years ago, you would be hard pressed to find an undergraduate who would want to tackle their own community's legal system. I'm not saying that egotistically. I think that's demonstrative of the direction in which research is going. Research is becoming a tool of empowerment for groups that have historically been oppressed or marginalized, even within academia. For a long time, researchers visited Indigenous communities and asked “how does this fit into my research?” instead of “how can I help your community as a group that has had systemic violence imposed on them by a greater society?” So, my hope is that research is moving towards better reciprocity. I think that research still has a long way to go, especially in terms of not being extractive to Indigenous communities. Even as an Indigenous academic, you have to be careful not to lose yourself in the academy and to make sure that what you're doing always goes back to your community (i.e., that it's grounded in your own philosophies, stories, ways of thinking, ways of being, ways of knowing, etc.).

TL: What do you think the main barrier to doing research in the twenty-first century will be? SB: I don't have a good answer for that question.

TL: I've heard a few people say funding... SB: I think that's the obvious answer. However, certain things will always get funded better than others. I think there are other values at play in this issue.

TL: We tend to think of research as something that is done by tenured faculty and maybe graduate students. What unique perspectives and/or skills do you think undergraduates can bring to the research process? SB: Well, we're not highly trained. When you go to graduate school, you get trained in a certain matter. I don't necessarily associate research with academia. I come from a community where we have our own historians and researchers that go into our own Indigenous histories and really bring out things that might have been dormant for years. For seventy years, it was illegal to potlach, which was our form of governance. As a result, we needed researchers to research that whole ceremonial/spiritual aspect of our culture—not to say that it completely disappeared, but it did go underground.

TL: Finally, if you could ask UVic students one “big question,” what would that question be? SB: My question for UVic students would be “what does it mean for refugees to seek asylum on unceded territory?”

[Meet Saul and other JCURA scholars at Ideafest 2016 during the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA) Fair, Wednesday, March 9 (Tomorrow), 11:30-3:00PM in the Student Union Building. The Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards are administered by the Learning and Teaching Centre (LTC) at UVic on behalf of the Vice-President Academic and Provost.]

[ideafest2016-blog]

New Perspectives on Gender Equality at Ideafest

Happy International Women’s Day! As we reflect on issues of gender equality at local and international levels, we encourage you to check out the following Ideafest events on motherhood, Indigenous women, and feminism:

Myths of the good mother (Presented by the Department of Greek and Roman Studies on Monday March 7, 3:30-5:30). In this provocative and interdisciplinary roundtable discussion, scholars from the humanities, social sciences, fine arts and public administration explore and critique the many myths of the “good mother. [This event happened yesterday in front of a packed house.]

Impacts of residential school on female survivors and their female descendants (Presented by the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research on Tuesday, March 8 [TODAY], 11:30-1:00PM). Cynthia Stirbys (CIHR Institute for Aboriginal Peoples' Health) will share insights from her research on female residential school survivors and their female descendants. Using a strength-based approach, Stirbys draws on women’s own stories of resilience to establish a framework for pursuing wellness in the face of trauma.

Is feminism finished? (Presented by the Faculty of Humanities on Tuesday, March 8 [TODAY], 2:30-3:30PM). Social media is replete with heated debates about whether or not feminism is still relevant, either as a scholarly lens or as a framework for social justice. The Faculty of Humanities presents an engaging debate on this timely issue.

Ideafest runs from March 7-12, 2016 at the University of Victoria and various venues throughout Victoria, BC. The festival is presented by the University of Victoria in partnership with the Times Colonist. See the Ideafest website for a full schedule of events and venues: http://www.uvic.ca/ideafest/.

[ideafest2016-blog]

In Conversation with Kelsey Legault, JCURA Scholar

Kelsey Legault is a third-year student completing a combined major in Computer Science and Visual Arts. Her Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award (JCURA) project explores interpretation of social media data using a web app that she has developed. Check out Kelsey’s portfolio at http://kelseylegault.com/.

On her work

TL: Please describe your research project. KL: I’m making a web app that takes in user input and outputs Twitter data in an unusual way. For example, say the user types in “I am feeling sad.” The application will search Twitter’s API and return to my web app recent tweets that include the words “I am feeling sad.” The sentiment of the tweets will also be sent back, which I will then represent with color, sound, and subtle animation. Ultimately, the project will be a representation of “internet feelings” based on the user request and the time of the request.

TL: Cool. So it’s an artistic perspective on our technology-obsessed society… KL: Yeah. There are a lot of web apps that are doing this kind of thing, taking information from Twitter’s API, and sometimes even analyzing the sentiment; however, none of the applications I’ve seen present the sentiment in an interesting way.

TL: What’s the impact of this artistic perspective? KL: I think it’s really important to analyze how software and interface design affects the way we communicate. In order to draw significant meaning sometimes we have to explore something creatively and not just analytically.

TL: How would you summarize your project using one verb or actionable word? KL: I’ll say interaction (or “to interact”). I guess that can mean anything though, really.

TL: Moving forward, how would you want to expand on the work you’re doing? KL: This project has allowed me to challenge interface design as more of an artist, rather than just as a designer. I’ll definitely be doing interface design in the future, as well as art direction. I think that this project is a nice gateway to pursue more projects that have impact as both art and design.

TL: Does this work have implications for improving interface design? KL: I think it has implications to put forth a new perspective about interface design. I hope to explore the meaning of an interaction, outside of its commercial efficiency. It’s important to continue researching the way software has affected the way we communicate and how it will change the way we communicate in the future.

On her own research process

TL: How did you get the idea for this project? KL: I work in two departments simultaneously: in Visual Arts and Computer Science. I’m always playing around with thoughts about artistic forms web development can support (I run a club at UVic called the Web Design and Web Development Club) I have recently produced a couple of projects that explore creating art that use web-based technology (see my online portfolio for examples). My JCURA project came about much like my other projects did. My supervisor (Dr.Yvonne Coady) was super encouraging: she was the one who let me know about JCURA. I never really questioned what I wanted to analyze, but I did question how I wanted to analyze it, especially in a visual way.

TL: How did you come to answer that question over time? KL: I was actually inspired by a few people. I really took a lot from the work of Johnathon Harris; his work incorporates user interface design and art.

TL: What have you learned from doing this project? Could you have learned the same stuff in a classroom? KL: That’s a good question. I think it’s important to be able to research your own thoughts and follow your own passions outside of curriculum. Especially coming from a combined major, it’s pretty critical to be able to combine both schools of thought and produce something meaningful. This project has offered me a unique opportunity to do that.

TL: I imagine that not a lot of people have done this kind of work… KL: I think it’s becoming more common for students to study programming and art in conjunction. There are so many amazing artists using advanced technology in really creative ways and vice versa. Programmers use very intuitive artistic strategy in order to create important work. I believe that it’s important that academic environments make space to encourage these types of innovations.

TL: What’s the most unexpected thing that came up when doing this work? KL: How challenging it was to create without a criteria. However, I think this freedom encourages the most growth, creatively and technically.

TL: Why do this work at UVic? KL: At UVic I feel like I’m a part of a community, which enables me to connect closely with my professors and peers. That type of connection is critical if you want to excel: in order to succeed you need people who can inspire and mentor you.

TL: So they helped you develop the interests you have now? KL: Their support helped me develop my interests, definitely.  

TL: How do you find Victoria as a place to study and work? KL: Victoria’s tech sector is a really great place to be working in and learning in right now. The size and location of this city really works for me as well. Downtown is a less than a twenty minute bus ride away from campus and the beach is a 5 minute jog away from mostly anywhere.

On research more generally

TL: Have you noticed a change in the way that academic research is being communicated to public? KL: I can’t say what specifically has changed over time, but I see that funders seem more eager to share funded research with the public. It’s seems like there’s more of a push to communicate your work to people who do not study your field—to make your work valuable outside of the halls of your department.

TL: What do you think the main barrier facing researchers in the twenty-first century will be? KL: I still don’t think we’ve figured out how to fund research and young start-ups properly. JCURA is definitely a step in the right direction.

TL: Do you think the kind of digital research you are doing might present us with new (potentially more cost effective) ways of doing research? KL: I definitely hope the study of design and art in the same space will become more common and available.

TL: Finally, if you could ask UVic students one “big question,” what would that question be? KL: I guess my question is “How have you noticed software affecting the way you communicate?”.

[Meet Kelsey and other JCURA scholars at Ideafest 2016 during the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA) Fair, Wednesday, March 9, 11:30-3:00PM in the Student Union Building. The Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards are administered by the Learning and Teaching Centre (LTC) at UVic on behalf of the Vice-President Academic and Provost.]

[ideafest2016-blog]

Indigenous Ideas: Showcasing First Nations Scholarship at Ideafest

From the First Peoples House and beyond, University of Victoria researchers continue to generate impactful scholarship pertaining to Indigenous communities and cultures. We are proud to present a selection of six events at Ideafest 2016 by Indigenous scholars and other scholars working with/for Indigenous communities.

How we changed the world... in five minutes (Presented by the Faculty of Human and Social Development on Monday, March 7, 1:00-2:00PM). In a series of five-minute talks, HSD faculty and students show how research and passion can bring about maximum positive change. Included in these talks are presentations by Jeff Corntassel, Shauna Underwood, Alayna Sayers, and Jeannine Carriere.

Impacts of residential school on female survivors and their female descendants (Presented by the Centre for Aboriginal Health Research on Tuesday, March 8, 11:30-1:00PM). Dr. Cynthia Stirbys of the CIHR Institute for Aboriginal Peoples' Health will share insights from her research on female residential school survivors and their female descendants. Using a strength-based approach, Stirbys draws on women’s own stories of resilience to establish a framework for pursuing wellness in the face of trauma.  

Sooke Elementary School Principles of Learning Project (Presented by Indigenous Education on Wednesday, March 9, 11:00-1:00PM). Learn about a ground-breaking pilot project at Sooke Elementary School aimed at incorporating First Peoples Principles of Learning into public school curriculum. In displays, collages and informal conversations, teachers, students and UVic researchers will share how the Principles of Learning can transform the teaching and learning process

Truth and reconciliation in Canada: Coming to terms (Presented by the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society on Thursday, March 10, 4:30-6:00PM). In this session, leaders from the United Church, Roman Catholic and Anglican communities will respond to the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and discuss the future of Canadian society with Indigenous scholars and activists.

Quuquuatsa: Speaking our own language (Presented by the Division of Continuing Studies and the Department of Linguistics on Friday, March 11, 7:00-8:30PM). In the inspiring setting of the Our Living Languages exhibition at the Royal BC Museum, students, language learners and language activists will share insights and success stories about the Indigenous Language Mentorship course at UVic.

Emerging through the fog: Tsa-qwa-supp and Tlehpik – together (Presented by the Legacy Art Gallery, Wednesday, March 9 – Saturday, March 12). An exhibition of two Nuu-chah-nulth men, "Fog God" Art Thompson from Ditidaht (1948-2003) and Hjalmer Wenstob from Tla-o-qui-aht.

Ideafest runs from March 7-12, 2016 at the University of Victoria and various venues throughout Victoria, BC (on the unceded, unsurrendered territories of the Lekwungen & WSANEC Peoples). The festival is presented by the University of Victoria in partnership with the Times Colonist. See the Ideafest website for a full schedule of events and venues: http://www.uvic.ca/ideafest/.

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In Conversation with Cameron Dallas, JCURA Scholar

Cameron Dallas is a fourth-year Honours Physics student who is minoring in Mechanical Engineering. His Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Award (JCURA) project analyzes the performance of a small wind turbine prototype developed by him and a team of engineers at the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic).

On his work

TL: Please describe your research project. CD: We are in the process of building a small wind turbine, which will function as an experimental platform for many different kinds of research. With this turbine, we can test the efficacy of control algorithms (computer simulations). Typically, if you want to build a big wind turbine, you have to first run a computer simulation to make sure that it’s going to do what you want it to do—but, computer simulations in this domain of science are very difficult, so you need to know that your computer simulation is correctly describing what reality is like. This project enables researchers to take their computer simulation and test it on a small, more cost-effective platform. The idea is to give this small wind turbine as many different options and as many different configurations as possible to make it useful for a diversity of researchers.

TL: So, it’s a middle step of sorts between the computer simulation and the full-scale wind turbine… CD: Yes, essentially. For example, if you build a turbine and, say, the lift forces of your turbine aren’t what you expected, it’s difficult to run tests on a big wind turbine. The better idea would be to adapt the design using a smaller model.

TL: Why did you decide to do this work in mechanical engineering? CD: I wanted to go into sustainable energy research. When I came into school I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to pursue, but I knew what I was passionate about and good at. In my second year, I decided I wanted to focus on sustainable energy research, but more from a research-intensive angle. My first research project was actually with EcoCar, a project that’s no longer at UVic, and then transferred my expertise over to do wind turbine research. I feel like, for me, mechanical engineering provides the best avenue for this kind of work either in academia or industry (or some combination of the two).

TL: How would you situate your work within a broader scholarly or societal context? CD: Pretty much at every level right now there are initiatives to get rid of fossil fuels, especially in light of the recent Paris Agreement. There’s a moral obligation to curtail our use of fossil fuels as well a pragmatic commitment to energy security… all of which go into making this area of research important.

TL:  You see this project as assisting this transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy? CD: Yes, a little bit. I don’t think that I am going to do the most groundbreaking research and solve all of our energy needs entirely, but every small bit helps.

TL: How would you like to expand on the work you’re doing? CD: I would definitely like to continue to work on small wind turbines. I’m really interested in working on small wind systems that individual households or small businesses can get on board with. The way it’s set up right now, we rely on our energy needs from the government or large corporations. I want to make it more accessible to for average people to be part of the solution.

TL: Summarize your project using one verb or actionable word. CD: Optimize. As cliché as that word is in engineering, it really is the goal on so many levels: mechanically… economically… socially…

On his own research process

TL: How did you get the idea for this project? CD: I was looking for something to do my Honours thesis on. I convinced the Honours Advisor in Physics to let me try to find an engineering project first and, if that didn’t work out, I would do more traditionally Physics-related (I had a few back-up plans). I sent out a bunch of emails to basically all the engineers I knew who were doing sustainable energy research. The professor who I am now working with eventually emailed me back and proposed a few projects to me, none of which were what I was looking for. I wrote him back, saying “sorry, I don’t think this will work… I’m looking for something more experimental, but thanks for getting back to me.” It was at that point that he mentioned this small wind turbine project. I looked into the project and realized that it was exactly what I wanted to do, so I got on board with it.

TL: How did this work turn into a JCURA project then? CD: After completing my Honours thesis, I decided to volunteer with this small wind turbine project. My supervisor recommended that I apply for JCURA considering that I would be doing the work anyways.

TL: How did you come up with the particular angle you’ve taken on this project? CD: It was really just the natural order of what’s next for this research project. The project is the product of many people’s hard work over many years. When I came on board, the small turbine was basically built. My own work focuses on characterizing the project… collecting data, more or less, on how it performs in different situations.

TL: What have you learned from doing this project? How have these lessons differed from what you might have learned in a classroom? CD: The main thing about doing research is that it’s a lot harder than you think—you’re going to fail a lot more than you’ll succeed and you’re going to make a lot less progress than you think you will. When you go through assignments in class, everything has been done before; it’s laid out in a textbook where the goal is to learn methods and apply them. When you do research, however, nothing has been laid out before; each step is very difficult and there are problems along the way that you can’t anticipate. In actuality, the textbook problems that you do in ten minutes might have taken researchers two years to solve initially. As a researcher, you have to learn perseverance.

TL: Can you give me an example of a time when you had to persevere? CD: We have a computational model for our wind turbine that predicts how the turbine will perform in terms of power output in a range of scenarios. It’s easier to do modelling at high wind speeds than it is to do modelling at low wind speeds. When we first collected data, our turbine performed way worse at low wind speeds than we predicted it would. We didn’t know why this was the case, so we had to go read a bunch of research papers on similar problems and try to figure out the aerodynamics of what’s going on. Right now, I’m designing experiments to help us solve this problem.

TL: Why do this research at UVic? CD: We have an incredible group here called the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic), which does a lot of sustainable energy research. The cool thing about IESVic and UVic is that, on one side, you have mechanical engineers and, on the other side, you have environmentalists; the two groups engage in such good, interdisciplinary dialogue with each other. I also think that our west coast location inspires us to think critically about environmental stewardship. Growing up here, you come to understand that the people who live in and around Victoria are very passionate about environmental causes, and I think a lot of that passion permeates into the university.

On research more generally

TL: Have you noticed a change in the way that research is communicated to the public (i.e., how we get research “out there”)? CD: I’m not sure. I think the best way to communicate research is through initiatives like Ideafest. I’ve done a lot of public outreach myself. When I was with EcoCar, I spoke to high schools and first-year engineering classes about the opportunities of sustainable energy. It’s important to share research with the community and to celebrate the potential benefits of research for the public

.TL: What unique perspectives and/or skills can undergraduates bring to the research process? CD: I think the point of undergraduate research is really just to expose young people to the research process. At the same time, I think undergraduates bring a much-needed air of simplicity to aresearch project. When I go to team meetings, I notice that some people can get caught up on overly specific and complex issues. By having a solid grasp of the basics, undergraduates can help direct conversation in a more fruitful direction.

TL: Finally, what “big question,” would you like to ask UVic students? CD: My question for UVic students would be “What is the average person’s role in pursuing sustainable energy?”

[Meet Cameron and other JCURA scholars at Ideafest 2016 during the Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA) Fair, Wednesday, March 9, 11:30-3:00PM in the Student Union Building. The Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards are administered by the Learning and Teaching Centre (LTC) at UVic on behalf of the Vice-President Academic and Provost.]

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Music, sweet music! Experience a day in the life of one of the most renowned string quartets in North America. This special Ideafest event offers a rare opportunity to accompany the internationally renown Lafayette Sting Quartet as they rehearse new material, discuss their work, and coach students—all in a day’s work! See schedule for details. @Uvic event.

http://www.uvic.ca/ideafest/events/events/2016musi.html

Schedule:

• 11:00-12:30, MAC B125 (Philip T Young): the LSQ will hold an open rehearsal titled "Building the Shostakovich Cycle-A Link in a Very Long Chain" • 12:30-1:30, MAC B037: the LSQ and their students will host a brown-bag lunch, discussing their work rehearsing, performing, teaching, and coaching. • 13:30-2:30, MAC B125 (Philip T Young): the LSQ and their students will workshop string chamber music literature in a chamber music masterclass.

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Top 10 Events for Teens @ Ideafest 2016

Do you ever wonder what kinds of “big ideas” university students and professors talk about? Middle schoolers and high schoolers: go beyond the textbook and check out these free and engaging events on offer at the fifth-annual Ideafest.

How we changed the world… in five minutes (Presented by the Faculty of Human and Social Development on Monday, March 7, 1:00-2:00 PM). Fun yet meaningful, profound and to‐the‐point, these presentations by scholars and students show how research and passion can bring about maximum positive change.

A Day in the Life of the Lafayette String Quartet: Working with UVic's Artists-in-Residence (Presented by the School of Music on Tuesday, March 8, 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM). This event offers a rare opportunity to accompany the world renowned Lafayette String Quartet as they rehearse new material, discuss their craft, and workshop with students.

Is Feminism Finished? (Presented by the Faculty of Humanities on Tuesday, March 8, 2:30-3:30 PM). Social media is replete with heated debates about whether or not feminism is still relevant, either as a scholarly lens or as a framework for social justice. The Faculty of Humanities presents an engaging debate on this timely issue.

Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA) Fair (Presented by the Learning and Teaching Centre on Wednesday, March 9, 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM). This fair features over one-hundred of inspiring projects by undergraduate researchers, ranging from the latest in biomedical technologies to the politics of decolonization.

Magical Mushrooms! Composers to decomposers (Presented by the Centre for Forest Biology on Wednesday, March 9, 7:00-9:30 PM). Join us for a marvellous, multimedia medley of mycological art, science and music. Take a trip through UVic’s Lorenzen Ceramic Mushroom Collection while exploring the latest UVic research on fungal symbionts, and pathogens.

Megawatts & Marbles: A playful approach to understanding power systems (Presented by the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems on Thursday, March 10, 5:30-7:00 PM). Join a fun, interactive game with marbles where you are the power plant and must work with other participants to meet the demand. Researchers will support the activity and draw parallels to real-world challenges.

That Chemistry Show (Presented by the Department of Chemistry on Friday, March 11, 3:00-4:00 PM). With lights, colours, smoke and even shrinking cups, ‘That Chemistry Show’ illustrates modern chemistry research with cool tricks to delight chemistry enthusiasts.

From coral to sharks: Unravelling the coral reef food web (Presented by the Department of Biology on Friday, March 11, 5:30-6:30 PM). In a series of photographs, interactive activities, and presentations, emerging researchers will reveal the extraordinary science behind coral reef food webs and how it can inform conservation efforts.

From papyrus to pixels: The (ongoing) history of the book (Presented by the Department of English on Saturday, March 12, 10:30 AM – 3:00 PM). Featuring a range of interactive activities, this event lets you see 1000-year-old manuscripts, make your own ink, and explore the history of the book—from Egyptian apyrus to the pixels of today's e-readers.

Games without frontiers 2.0: The social power of video (& other) games (Presented by the Technology and Society Interdisciplinary Program on Saturday, March 12, 12:00-5:00 PM). This ‘pop-up idea arcade’ unites gamers to discover and debate the social and educational power of digital and analog games with demos, talks, and much more.

Ideafest runs from March 7-12, 2016 at the University of Victoria and various venues throughout Victoria, BC. The festival is presented by the University of Victoria in partnership with the Times Colonist. See the Ideafest website for a full schedule of events and venues: http://www.uvic.ca/ideafest/.

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Welcome to the Ideafest blog!

From March 7-12, 2016, the University of Victoria will bring big ideas to life in over 50 free panels, workshops, exhibits, lectures, performances, open mics, screenings and tours. This blog is the place to learn more about this unique festival. Please stay tuned for exciting updates, stories, interviews, itineraries, and photos!