Emma Peacocke (English) has been awarded a prestigious Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Currently a recipient of the Bader Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities, Dr. Peacocke’s research focuses on the image and perception around universities as institutions, as created by authors of 19th Century literature. Her research examines the representation of universities in literature, compared and contrasted with the realities of the time. By examining students’ own writing and the university presses’ publications, her work aims to separate fact from fiction, as well as determine how the mythos of the university influenced educational policy in Britain and Canada.

“It hadn’t really struck me until I got into this what an era of dynamic change, for universities, the romantic era was,” says Dr. Peacocke. “Every once in a while, I’d come across these snippets in novels or poetry that mentioned universities that presented them in a different, almost aspirational light.”

Dr. Peacocke points to the reforms taking place in education at the time – the shift to a more dialogic teaching method, the formation of the secular University of London and changing attitudes on the role of the university – as being driven partially by the changing representations of universities in literature. She hopes her research will provide a new perspective on Canadian educational history and on the cultural artifacts that communicate this history to the wider public.

Dr. Peacocke says she was attracted to Queen’s by the collegial atmosphere within the Department of English, the university’s extensive archives and collections and its status as one of Canada’s oldest universities – inspired, in many ways, by the very universities referenced in literature from the period.

“I’ve found my early-career colleagues here have been the most stimulating immediate family and I just felt like I was immediately under the wing of really established professors here as well,” she said.

She hopes to use a portion of the Banting Fellowship funding to create a research assistantship to provide an opportunity for accelerated learning for up-and-coming literature students.

“When I was a graduate student, I was so lucky with respect to research assistantships and teaching assistantships,” Dr. Peacocke explained. “I had the opportunity to learn so many skills and work with wonderful librarians and brilliant professors. I’m really looking forward to being able to be able to pass on that opportunity here at Queen’s.

The Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship program provides funding to the top postdoctoral applicants, in Canada and around the globe, who will positively contribute to the country's economic, social and research-based growth. Providing funding of $140,000 over two years, the aim of the fellowship program is to attract and retain top-tier postdoctoral talent, help develop their leadership potential and position them for future success. 

The Tragically Hip took the stage in Grant Hall on May 19 to receive an honorary degree during the commencement ceremony for the 2016 School of Medicine graduating class. The event was a homecoming of sorts for The Hip, with even the location of the ceremony holding special significance for the band.

“Twenty-five years ago this July, we stood up right here on this very stage and wrote the bulk of our second album, Road Apples,” said bassist Gord Sinclair, Artsci’86, who delivered the convocation address on behalf of the band. “This place shaped who and what we’ve become. We learned how to perform in front of students and locals alike in campus pubs and local dives. We saw early on how music has the power to move people and bring them together. “

In his address, Mr. Sinclair discussed the changes in the music industry that he and his bandmates have experienced in their careers. He pointed to the role collaboration played in the band’s success, whether they were on world tours or “playing to an empty bar in Hoboken, New Jersey.” He drew parallels between the changing nature of the music industry and the changes faced by the graduating class, while encouraging them to learn from the experiences of others.

“You have the ability, opportunity, and power to effect real positive change,” says Mr. Sinclair. “This is, after all, about the people you touch, and there is as much artistry in medicine as there is in music… Build on the foundation of the education you have received here. The knowledge, skills, ethics, compassion, empathy and intuition necessary to be the best health-care professionals you can be.”

Formed in 1984, The Tragically Hip are amongst the most well-known Canadian rock bands. Over its 32-year career, the band – consisting of Gord Downie, Artsci’86, Gord Sinclair, Artsci’86, Rob Baker, BFA’86, Paul Langlois and Johnny Fay – has released 12 studio albums, two live albums, one EP and 54 singles. The group has won 14 Juno awards and nine of its albums have reached No. 1 in Canada.

The 11 recipients of honorary degrees at the 2016 Spring Convocations are all Queen’s alumni, in honour of the 175th anniversary of the university. For more information on convocations or the upcoming honorary degree recipients, please visit the website.

Nicholas Graham (Computing) and his team of researchers in the EQUIS Laboratory have developed a new way to get video game players moving - by turning pedal power from a stationary bike into in-game powerups for players.

“There are a lot of people who are intimidated by exercise, who don’t think they would enjoy exercise, who don’t know where to begin with exercise or have trouble fitting it into their day, but who are passionate about games,” says Dr. Graham. “Being able to take the enjoyment of games and map them over to include a physical activity component could be a gateway to doing exercise for many people.”

In their latest paper, titled Thighrim and Calf-Life: A Study of the Conversion of Off-the-Shelf Video Games into Exergames, Dr. Graham and students Mallory Ketcheson (MSc’16) and Luke Walker (Cmp’15) explore the process and benefits of converting mainstream commercial game titles into video games with an exercise component.

The team compared two approaches for converting off-the shelf games: black-box conversion (where pedalling on a stationary bike is mapped to movement of the player’s avatar in the game), and deeper integration of exercise into the game through modding (using a programming interface provided by the game manufacturer).

In each method, users controlled their game avatars using a standard game controller in addition to a stationary bicycle. In various tests, players either controlled their avatar’s movement by cycling, or were able to score power-ups – such as stronger weapons or faster healing – by cycling at a more rapid pace.

The paper also discusses how pacing of various games can affect their utility as exergames. Many popular titles consist of numerous stops-and-starts during play, which makes elevating and maintaining the player’s heart rate challenging. The researchers found greater success in using heart rate and pedalling input as the key to an in-game power-up, encouraging the player to keep active.

The results showed that the simple black-box conversions led to low levels of exercise, while the deeper conversions using mods and power-ups brought player heart rates close to recommended levels for moderately vigorous cardiovascular exercise. As a result, Dr. Graham and his colleagues determined the approach shows promise as an anti-sedentary activity. Of note, the researchers also found that games with less precise control requirements were better suited for conversion, as pedalling often made fine control more challenging.

Ms. Ketcheson will formally introduce their paper on exergame conversion at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) Conference in San Jose, Calif. on May 10.