Category: Music

Western Research’s 2021 Knowledge Exchange School

Western’s third annual Knowledge Exchange School will be held virtually via Zoom, with sessions on December 1st, 8th, and 15th, 2021. Attendees are welcome to sign up for as few or as many sessions as they wish. This year’s topics are geared to providing attendees with information and tools aligned to the current research landscape.

For more information about the school, accessibility or to request accommodations, please contact Mariam Hayward, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Manager.

Check out the line-up of sessions and find more information at Western Research’s Knowledge Exchange and Research Impact website.

Asynchronous sessions will be available beginning November 29, 2021.

  • Introduction to Knowledge Exchange 
  • Writing Knowledge Exchange into Grant Applications

December 1

  • Knowledge Exchange and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

December 8

  • Six Tools to Help You Show Your Research Impact
  • Setting Up a Global Digital Identity to Track Your Research Impact (limited to 40 participants)

December 15

  • Translating Research into Policy Change: Tips & Techniques to Reach Decision-Makers
  • Media and Social Media to Enhance Research Exchange & Dissemination

Register for the KEx School

Social Media Research – Workshop by Western Libraries

Western Libraries is offering an introductory workshop on doing research using social media data.

Thursday November 11, 10:30 am
via Zoom

Want to learn how to get started with social media research? Join Western Libraries for a workshop on popular platforms for research, methods for accessing the data, and different approaches and tools for analysis.

Sign up at: http://www.events.westernu.ca/events/libraries/2021-11/social-media-data-for-research.html

Western Libraries Workshops

Western Libraries is offering several workshops next week. Slides and session recordings will be shared with registrants. 

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Introduction to Open Educational Resources
 Tuesday, November 9 at 10:30am  

Description: Open Educational Resources (OER) offer an accessible and engaging alternative to commercial textbooks and course materials. OER are educational materials (like textbooks, streaming media, simulations, and more) that are free of cost and access barriers for learners. They are also editable and adaptable, meaning that they can be customized to suit your course content. Join this workshop to learn: 

  • The basics of Open Education and Open Educational Resources, including their benefits to the teaching and learning experience 
  • How to identify Open Educational Resources with Creative Commons Licenses 
  • How to get started with finding, adapting, or creating Open Educational Resources (and where to get support with doing so) 

Register here  

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Literature Searching for Systematic and Scoping Reviews 
Tuesday, November 9 at 10:30am 

Description: This interactive workshop introduces methods for systematically searching the literature, including identifying key databases and developing a thorough search strategy. Tips and tricks in the major databases will also be demonstrated. Leave knowing: 

  • How to identify and search key research databases 
  • How to apply advanced searching techniques 
  • How to develop a search strategy for your own research question 

Register here 


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Understanding your Research Impact 
Wednesday, November 10 at 1:30pm 

 Description: Research impact refers to demonstrating how your research is contributing to your field, to the academy at large, or to the community. In this session you’ll learn about tools for demonstrating the impact and reach of your research. We will explore the benefits and pitfalls of impact metrics such as impact factors, h-index, citation counts, and altmetrics. We will also talk about how an ORCID iD profile can ensure that you receive consistent, reliable attribution for your work. Session outcomes:  

  • Understand key research metrics and altmetrics Learn about different tools to use to find metrics 
  • Be aware of the implications of using impact metrics 
  • Learn how an ORCID iD can help demonstrate research impact 

Register here 

Western Libraries -NVivo Workshop

NVivo Introductory Workshop

November 9, 2021, 1:30 p.m.

Interested in digital qualitative research? Join the library for a webinar on getting started with NVivo. Learn about the capabilities of this popular analysis package, how to set up a project and import different kinds of data, and start coding. NVivo is a tool for organizing, managing and analyzing qualitative data. This introductory session will provide an overview of NVivo’s capabilities and demonstrate how to use it to get started on a qualitative research project.

Session outcomes:

  • Learn about the features and functionality of NVivo
  • Set data files up for autocoding and import
  • Create an NVivo project and import different types of data
  • Organize and classify files and cases
  • Code data and create notes and memos
  • Run queries and create charts
  • Plan a content analysis

Register for this online workshop here.

Access to NVivo software is not essential but may be helpful if you want to follow along. A trial version of the software may be downloaded here.

Questions / More information: Contact Kristi Thompson, kthom67@uwo.ca

Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP)

If your research is being conducted in the “North” then this opportunity will be of interest.  

The Northern Scientific Training Program (NSTP) provides funding for senior undergraduates and graduate students conducting research in the North. 

This is a supplementary grants program which was put in place to help defray the high costs of conducting fieldwork in the North and to encourage students to develop a commitment to northern research. Students must also have other sources of funds to be eligible. The program funds thesis-based research projects on northern topics from all disciplines and in multi-disciplinary fields.

(The term “North” is normally understood for purposes of the Program to include those regions of Canada where there is both permafrost and ground ice, as per the map ‘Permafrost’, contained within the 5th Edition (1978 to 1995) of the National Atlas of Canada (see map at: http://arcg.is/1vGHyr); and the other seven circumpolar countries (Finland, Greenland (Denmark), Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States (Alaska)).

ONLINE FORMS: The Online forms are available at https://nstp-pfsn.smapply.io/

COVID-19: The NSTP will allow students who received funds for 2021-2022 and who are unable to perform the planned fieldwork before March 31, 2022, to obtain an extension up to March 31, 2023. All students who wish to postpone their fieldwork to 2022- 2023 must submit a preliminary research report according to normal procedures. A question has been added to the research report form so that these students can identify that the project is postponed.
Students who requested to postpone last year and who have already submitted a report during the last competition do not need to submit a new report. 

Deadline: November 10, 2021 The application portal will close after the deadline.

Amount: up to $6000 per year

Further information on the program is available in the information manual, which you can access on the NSTP Application and Reporting system website: https://nstp-pfsn.smapply.io

Tips to submitting a successful NSTP Application and frequently asked questions are attached.

CRITERIA and ELIGIBILITY: The Program supports field research in any discipline – life, physical, human and health sciences – as long as the research has an essential orientation and impact on the North, and is part of the student’s thesis research.
The student must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and enrolled in a graduate or senior undergraduate program at a Canadian university. NSTP funding may be used for the purpose of dissemination or reporting back to the community. The research must relate directly to your thesis (undergraduate honors, Masters or PhD) research. Part time students are eligible for NSTP funding.
A student who is employed or remunerated for their research in the field cannot receive NSTP. Post-doctoral researchers and research assistants (with the exception of Northern post-secondary students) are not supported.
Field schools are not eligible.

Questions: Northern Studies Committee at northern@uwo.ca.

Western Libraries – Upcoming Research Workshop: Data Handling in Excel

Basic Data Handling with Excel

Thursday, Oct 21, 2021
1:30 pm
Via Zoom

This session will introduce some of the basics of setting up and managing data for a research project, including planning a data project, file organization and documentation, setting up data for analysis in Excel. You will also learn some handy Excel data tips like pivot tables.

More information and registration:http://www.events.westernu.ca/events/libraries/2021-10/basic-data-handling-excel.html

Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Awards

The CFUW  provides funds for a range of post graduate awards and fellowships to women.

Amount: Varies by award

Deadline: January 17, 2022

Eligibility: Women; Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident in Canada

List of Awards…

Note: There is a “filing fee” for each application.

Guidance for Acquiring Proof of Vaccination from Research Participants

In response to the recent memo that researchers must obtain proof of vaccination prior to welcoming research participants to campus, the Office of Human Research Ethics (OHRE) has the following guidance:

  • Ensure your study team is familiar with Western’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy (MAPP 3.1.1)
  • Amendments to research protocols and documents are not required to address this additional institutional screening requirement.  Inclusion/Exclusion criteria, screening scripts and tools, and data collection tools should not be impacted when researchers are solely following institutional policy for on-campus attendance. 
  • Amendments are required if your study objectives newly require the collection of vaccination information as study data OR if your research as a whole must pivot to new methodology (e.g. remote vs in-person visits).
  • The requirements around vaccination should be introduced to participants prior to obtaining informed consent. Ongoing research participants should be notified of the vaccination policy as soon as possible.
  • Documentation of a participant’s vaccination status or exemption should not be part of their study record unless it is approved study data.
  • Ideally, the collection of vaccination information should be centralized within the faculty, school, or department.
  • Do not collect vaccination documents via email, as email is not considered secure (MAPP 1.13). Retain vaccination status information only until Western tells you that it can be destroyed.  As per the previous memo, actual vaccination documentation provided by the potential participant should NOT be retained at all.
  • As per MAPP 3.1.1, children under 12 are not considered visitors. Therefore, there is currently no requirement for research participants under 12 to be vaccinated or to provide proof of negative COVID tests.  However, like all participants they must do Western’s daily symptom screening prior to presenting to campus for research.
  • Consider your participant population because not all will have access to certain technology.  Obtaining verbal confirmation prior to a research participant coming to campus is sufficient if obtaining it ahead of time is not possible. Proof of vaccination documentation need only be shown in-person.

As the OHRE gathers more information guidance document will be updated.  Please consult the Vaccination Confirmation for Research Participants Guidance Document for the most up to date information, scripts and documentation requirements.

Council of Canadian Academies – Internship Program

The Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) is accepting applications for its 2022 Internship Program. The CCA is a not-for-profit organization that undertakes independent, evidence-based expert panel assessments to inform public policy development in Canada.

The program provides interns with an opportunity to gain experience working at the interface of science and public policy. Interns will participate in the development of assessments by conducting research in support of CCA’s expert panel process.

The internship program is a full-time commitment of six months and will be a remote opportunity due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Applicants must be recent graduates with a graduate or professional degree, or post-doctoral fellows, with a strong interest in the use of evidence for policy. The application deadline is October 18, 2021. The start date is January 10, 2022. Applications and letters of reference should be addressed to Anita Melnyk at internship@cca-reports.ca.

More information about the CCA Internship Program and the application process can be found here.

Western Research – Guidelines for Return to Research and Human Face-to-Face Studies

Research Capacity: With recent requirements for proof of vaccination, and flexible physical distancing requirements, we are now able to increase capacity in our research spaces to 100 per cent, provided all personnel continue to follow PPE and cleaning requirements.

Research Involving Visitors to Campus: All visitors to campus – including research participants – are to adhere to Western’s policy requiring mandatory proof of full vaccination status. These efforts will help ensure we continue to maintain a safe campus for all members of our community.

Researchers interested in welcoming research participants to campus are required to obtain and document proof of vaccination status for all participants who are unaffiliated with the university. Confirmation must be obtained in advance of their arrival on campus.

Please do not keep copies of vaccination documents; however, a record of receipt of proof will mitigate the need to confirm vaccination status for any recurring visit by the same participant.

Participants who are exempted from vaccination according to MAPP 3.1.1 must provide evidence of this exemption status, as well as two negative COVID-19 rapid antigen tests, commencing one week prior to each visit to campus.These tests, recurring for each week the participant plans to visit campus, must be separated by a minimum of 72 hours (e.g., if first tested for the week on Monday at 12 p.m., the next test must occur Thursday at 12 p.m. or later in the same seven-day period.) These tests are available in Western’s Graphic Services Building.

For every visit, all participants and research personnel must continue to follow existing protocols of filling out the COVID health questionnaire and adhering to all PPE, distancing and cleanliness practices in the research area.

Field Research: For all field research activities, all Western researchers are to adhere to guidelines provided by the relevant field site.

Questions: Adherence to research guidelines continues to be the responsibility of each academic unit. When in doubt, however, please think safety first and contact your faculty Associate / Assistant Dean (Research) for further information.