Category: Music

Envirocon 2021 Call for Abstracts

Western University invites graduate students to submit abstracts for presentations and speed talks for the 2021 EnviroCon research conference.

The following is copied from The WIRE:

EnviroCon is an annual interdisciplinary conference organized by the Centre for Environment and Sustainability. It offers an opportunity for graduate students to present their work to a diverse audience of researchers focusing on environment and sustainably issues. We welcome students from any and all departments and disciplines.

The virtual conference will take place on March 26, 2021, and there are no fees associated with this event.

Presenters and attendees are required to register at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/envirocon-2021-tickets-140285171725

Abstracts can be submitted HERE (deadline for abstracts is February 26, 2021).

LEARN MORE

Questions can be directed to uwoenvirocon@gmail.com.

Canadian Digital Research Infrastructure – Needs Assessment

The New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO) is pleased to announce the launch of a nation-wide survey, as part of the Canadian Digital Research Infrastructure Needs Assessment. This survey is open to all Canadian researchers, regardless of their current use of digital infrastructure, and will be available until Monday, February 22.

From undergraduate students and early-stage researchers to established scholars, scientists and researchers – no matter the discipline – the hope is to reach the broader Canadian research community to understand their unique, individual needs as relates to digital research infrastructure (DRI). While the survey is specifically targeted toward DRI end users, NDRIO welcomes feedback from all members of the research community.

The survey takes about 20 minutes to complete, and will help inform the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan.

NDRIO works with its partners to harmonize and improve Canada’s DRI services and tools for Canadian researchers to support scientific excellence, academic research and innovation across disciplines.

If you have any questions about the survey, or the ongoing Needs Assessment consultation process, please contact us at research_recherche@EngageDRI.ca.

Western’s Open Access Task Force Consultations

Open access (OA) refers to freely available, digital, online information. Open access scholarly literature is free of charge and often carries less restrictive copyright and licensing barriers than traditionally published works, for both the users and the authors. 

You are invited to share your thoughts about Western’s Open Access and Scholarly Communications, as the Provost’s Task Force begins its consultations for the development of a university-wide open access policy.

Thursday February 11that 1:30 p.m. –http://www.events.westernu.ca/events/libraries/2021-02/open-access-policy.html

Thursday February 25that 10:30 a.m.–http://www.events.westernu.ca/events/libraries/2021-02/open-access-policy-feb25.html

(A Western ID is required to attend these online consultations; no pre-registration necessary)

Building upon the previous work of the task force, at these sessions you will learn about institutional policy options and considerations for Western. The Task Force wants to hear your questions about open access policies, your perceptions of the benefits or any concerns you have about a Western open access policy, and your specific recommendations for this type of policy at Western. Input from Western’s faculty, researchers, and all members of the university community will help shape the future of Open Access at Western.

Western Libraries Research Skills Workshops

Western Libraries is offering a series of free Research Skills Workshops to help you navigate scholarly publishing, access data sources including social media and COVID data, systematic reviews, geospatial tools and analysis (GIS), reference management tools and more! 

To Register…

Degrees of Success: Exploring the challenges and lived experiences of PhD students and recent graduates

Join the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) for:

Degrees of Success: Exploring the challenges and lived experiences of PhD students and recent graduates and their entries into the workforce

12 p.m. (EST) on February 4, 2021

by

Elizabeth Cannon O.C., PhD, FRSC, FCAE
Emerita President and Vice-Chancellor at the University of Calgary
and Chair of the Expert Panel on Labour Market Transition of PhD Graduates

The findings from the CCA’s latest report, Degrees of Success will be presented at the 58th annual Canadian Association of Graduate Students Conference (CAGS). The presentation will be followed by an interactive Q&A moderated by Eric M. Meslin PhD, FRSC, FCAHS, President and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies.

The report describes how Canada could be sitting on a significant untapped resource, as the number of PhD holders in this country rises, but persistent barriers make it hard for them to put their skills to work. PhD graduates play a critical role in the Canadian economy, but many are missing out on important opportunities to contribute their expertise and bolster growth and innovation.

While the CAGS conference is a paid event, this session is available at no cost. Registration is required – REGISTER

NEW Mitacs Program – Scotiabank Economic Resilience Research Fund

Mitacs has partnered with Scotiabank on a new initiative to help charities and not for profit organizations access the Accelerate program to fund research internships that increase the understanding of the factors that drive economic resilience in communities across Canada.

To further the understanding of economic resilience, Scotiabank and Mitacs have launched the the Scotiabank Economic Resilience Research Fund (SERRF).

The SERRF has been launched to support research projects in three key focus areas that are central to the newly launched ScotiaRISE initiative:

  • Accelerate newcomer integration

Proposed research projects will target newcomers to Canada (in past three years) including immigrants, refugees, and temporary foreign workers to help fast track meaningful employment for newcomers to the country. Integration essentials might include language, culture and life -skills, training help qualifying for and finding employment, and support networks.

  • Increase high school graduation and post-secondary participation in education

Proposed research projects will target disadvantaged populations, including Canadian Indigenous communities and at-risk youth to ultimately facilitate a higher rate of high school graduation and post-secondary participation. Post-secondary education is defined broadly, to include university, college, and trades programs

  • Remove barriers to career advancement

Proposed research projects will be targeted to support women, the BIPOC community (black, Indigenous and people of colour) and other equity- seeking groups (e.g., persons with disability, veterans, LGBTQ, etc.) to determine how to remove barriers to meaningful employment, reduce the gaps in leadership representation, and find solutions to career entry and advancement.

Eligibility:

  • Full-time graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at Mitacs partner colleges and universities in Canada 
  • Students must have a supervisor at their academic institution who is willing to supervise them on this project and administer the funds through the institution
  • Canadian citizens, permanent residents, and international students over the age of 18
  • All academic disciplines 

Amount: Successful projects will receive up to $16,250 in funding from Scotiabank and Mitacs to support a four to six-month Mitacs Accelerate internship. This funding from the SERRF will reduce the required partner contribution to the project from $7500 to $3750.  

Deadline: This opportunity is time limited and interested projects must submit an Expression of Interest by February 11, 2021.

More information: Please contact Wilson Luo (wluo@mitacs.ca)

COVID-19 Data – Research Workshop from Western Libraries

Are you doing research on COVID-19?

Are you interested in learning more about the data being collected on the pandemic?

Join Western’s data librarians as they review sources of COVID-19 data. This workshop will have two areas of focus. Librarians will highlight available COVID-19 data dashboards and the sources they use, looking at data accessibility, reliability of the data, and how it is displayed. They will also review surveys, patient data, and social data collected to evaluate the impacts of the pandemic on people’s health and their social and economic well-being, looking at key Canadian and international datasets that have been shared for reuse.

Thursday, January 28, 2021
10:00 – 11:00 am

Register by Wednesday, January 27 for this online workshop here.

Mandatory Human Ethics Training – Reminder

Western Research has implemented mandatory human research ethics training for all study team members. This includes faculty, librarians, archivists, students, postdoctoral scholars and staff listed on new submissions to Western’s human research ethics boards.

Proof of completion of one of the acceptable options for training must be uploaded and acknowledged by the Manager, Research Compliance Programs and Education, prior to starting any study-related activities.

Deadlines:

NEW research projects: As of January 1, 2021, all students, faculty, librarians, archivists, staff and postdoctoral scholars listed on new research projects submitted to the human research ethics boards must confirm completion of training prior to beginning any study-related activities.

EXISTING research projects: All students, faculty, librarians, archivists, postdoctoral scholars and staff on existing research projects must confirm completion of training by the time of submission of their Continuing Ethics Review (CER), between January 1 and December 31, 2021.

To access acceptable options for training, information about confirming completion through OWL and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit the human research ethics workshops and seminars page.

Please do not send your certificate of training via email. Your certificate should be uploaded in OWL as per the instructions on the Workshops and Seminars page. As spot checks may be performed, principal investigators must also maintain copies of certificates for all study members.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Grace Kelly, Manager, Research Compliance Programs and Education, 519-661-2111 ext. 84692.

Western Research – Red Zone Guidelines for Research

Middlesex-London has moved to Red (control) level of the COVID-19 response framework, effective Monday, December 14, 2020. As a reminder, research-related guidelines for this Phase are copied below:

Red: All animal, bench and remote research continues. Human face-to-face as per Yellow phase but restrictions now include studies requiring high ventilation rates (e.g., heavy exercise) and exercise training models. Exceptions for critical research must receive decanal support. Examples of issues to consider in adjudicating critical research include COVID-specific studies, student progress, industrial contracts, clinical trials with large investments, etc. Field research must receive approvals from Western (decanal and VPR office) and the research site. Continue contact tracing for all people entering research areas. 

Please ensure that all research activities adhere to current physical distancing and PPE recommendations.

Please continue to be vigilant within your research spaces and do not hesitate to address questions to your Dean, Associate Dean (Research), and/or department delegate. You may also wish to visit Western’s Frequently Asked Questions and to refamiliarize yourself with the Research Recovery Plan.