Education

Instructors honoured for championing student mental health

Wednesday January 26, 2022

By Eddie Daniels, Senior Communications Officer

More than two dozen Queen’s instructors have been nominated as Classroom Champions for Mental Health.

Seated students are seen from the back of a classroom — A total of 28 Queen’s instructors have been nominated by students and teaching assistants as the inaugural Classroom Champions for Mental Health.

A professor’s work does not simply conclude at the end of a lecture. The journey to a successful session – or term for that matter – often requires a holistic approach. An approach that includes a key element: championing mental health.

The Student Mental Health Network is honouring Queen’s professors working to support and advance the mental wellbeing of those in their classrooms. These professors have been named Classroom Champions for Mental Health.

In total, 28 Queen’s instructors have been nominated by students and teaching assistants for this honour. Of those, 20 were selected as Winter 2022 Classroom Champions. Those who submitted nominations shared stories of the positive impacts instructors made on the mental health of students.

“Mental health determines everything we do in life. Even when thinking that you are doing fantastic, this still involves mental health,” says Daphne Brouwer, a professor in the Department of Philosophy. “And when not doing so great, it can take over your life in ways that is hard to talk about. Mental health is, however, never an individual thing, and the only way to improve it is by sharing it. It is for this reason that mental health should be recognized more, accepted more, and worked on more. Not only for us as students and educators, but also for us as human beings that are trying to stay alive. One day after another.”

The Student Mental Health Network is a caucus of student and staff leaders working to advance student mental health. The project aligns with the objectives and values outlined in Queen’s Campus Wellbeing Framework and Queen’s Strategy, including promoting a culture of health and well-being across campus.

Classroom Champions for Mental Health is co-led by the Campus Wellness Project’s undergraduate student intern, a position partially funded by Bell Let’s Talk and coordinated through Student Affairs.

“The Classroom Champions for Mental Health project showcases educators who have made a significant contribution to student mental health,” says Linda Cheng, QUIP student intern, Project Coordinator of the Campus Wellness Project, and Co-Lead of the Student Mental Health Network. “The student submissions and insights on how these educators view and approach mental health, really show how a small action can create a large impact. For example, taking a couple of minutes before class to ask how everyone is doing or telling students they’re available to talk and/or listen.”

Elizabeth Baisley, a professor in the Department of Political Science, focuses on three areas to help her students. First is making sure students have a manageable workload; Second, classes are designed by using the principals of universal design for learning. Built into the curriculum is the assumption every student will experience some form of an accommodation need; and final, Dr. Baisley reduces the stigma that comes with mental health issues through regular conversations with the class.

“To me, mental health is about the parts of health that tend to be ignored by focusing solely on physical health. This includes emotional, psychological, social, and sometimes even spiritual wellbeing,” Dr. Baisley says.

Educators who are nominated as Classroom Champions will be profiled on the Campus Wellbeing site and social media (Instagram: @campuswellbeingproject) during Mental Health Promotion Week (Jan. 24-28). Students will have the opportunity to nominate additional Classroom Champions later this term.

Jodi Basch, a PhD student in the Faculty of Education, provides students with resources to support their own mental health. Additionally, Basch empowers students to share those tips with their peers.

“Just as we have a physical immune system, it is important to recognize that we also have a psychological immune system,” Basch says. “It is important to be kind to ourselves through the challenges that we will all inevitably face and allow our psychological immune system to do its job. Some days it may feel as if we have more reserve than others and other days it may feel like any challenge will push us over the edge. If we discover what we need on both the good and the bad days, it will be easier to live both presently and authentically.”

For more information and resources on mental health efforts at Queen’s, please visit the Wellbeing Resources page on the Campus Wellness Project site.

Tags: Arts and Science|Campus Community|Education

On-campus academic activities cancelled today due to weather

Monday January 17, 2022

Only essential areas on campus are operating.

Due to COVID-19, Queen’s university has already been operating with most academic and operational activities occurring remotely.

As the result of the current and forecasted weather conditions, the few remaining on-campus academic activities are cancelled. In addition, the university will only operate with a reduced level of service. This means:

Instructors with classes on campus/in-person will determine whether they will continue remote or cancel the class. Instructors will provide further details.
Remote classes will continue as scheduled.
Employees working remotely should continue to do so.
Employees that are scheduled to come to campus should work remotely if possible.
Only essential areas should be operational on campus. Managers of these areas should determine the level of staffing that is needed to keep these operations functioning.

More details on the University’s inclement weather process and a list of essential areas can be found on the Inclement Weather webpage.

If you are required to travel to campus, please allow extra time and proceed with caution.

2021: The Year in Research

Thursday December 16, 2021

By Communications Staff

A review of the major initiatives, the funding and awards garnered, and the research that made headlines over the last twelve months.

Each year, we take a moment in December to reflect on the accomplishments of our community in advancing research that helps us tackle some of the world’s most pressing questions and societal challenges.

[Photo of three researchers working in a lab]

While 2021 offered glimmers of hope in moving beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, it also tested and challenged our research community in myriad other ways. In balance, this year also saw Queen’s rank 1st in Canada and 5th in the world in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which provided a testament to the impact of the university’s research and scholarship in advancing social impact and sustainability within and beyond our local community.

Through all of this, research prominence remained a key driver for Queen’s and our researchers continued to make national and international headlines for their discoveries and award-winning scholarship.

Join us as we review some of the highlights of 2021.

Recognizing research leadership

In 2021, Queen’s welcomed Nancy Ross as the new Vice-Principal (Research). Dr. Ross, an accomplished research administrator and renowned expert in population health, joined the university in August and succeeded Vice-Principal (Research) Kimberly Woodhouse, who had been interim in the role since 2018.

[Photo of Dr. Nancy Ross] — Dr. Nancy Ross began her five-year term as Vice-Principal (Research) on August 1, 2021.

This year saw Queen’s researchers win some of Canada’s top awards and honours for research excellence and the university ranked third in Canada for awards per faculty member (2022 Maclean’s University Rankings).

Our international expertise in cancer research and cancer clinical trials was cemented with Elizabeth Eisenhauer’s receipt of the Canada Gairdner Wightman Award for outstanding leadership in medicine and medical science, and Joe Pater receiving the inaugural Canadian Cancer Society Lifetime Contribution Prize.

Praveen Jain was honoured with the prestigious IEEE Medal in Power Engineering, the highest international award in the field of electrical power, and world-renowned philosopher Will Kymlicka’s contributions to the humanities were recognized with the RSC Pierre Chauveau medal.

Queen’s also had a successful year earning fellowships within Canada’s national academies. Sari van Anders, Heather Castleden, and Karen Lawford were named members of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists and professor emeritus John Berry was named a Fellow. Health administrators and research leaders Jane Philpott, Kieran Moore, Doug Munoz, and John Muscedere were inducted into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and Kim McAuley, Mark Diederichs, Mark F. Green, and Ugo Piomelli were elected to the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Research that made headlines around the world

An exoskeleton designed by Queen's engineering researchers Michael Shepertycky, Qingguo Li, and Yan-Fei Liu that improves walking efficiency was featured in the leading academic journal Science and international media outlets, including the New York Times.

Health expert Christopher Mueller developed mDETECT, a cancer detection test that provides a real-time response to chemotherapy and early detection of relapse, while researchers Amber Simpson and Farhana Zulkernine applied AI and natural language processing techniques to CT scans, to predict cancer spread.

The much-anticipated UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) dominated headlines around the world and Queen’s environmental experts Kyla Tienhaara and John Smol shared their hopes for conference outcomes. On the ground at COP26, Ryan Riordan of the Institute for Sustainable Finance provided key takeaways and next steps for global governments. In the Canadian arctic, Queen’s researchers, the Government of Nunavut, and Indigenous community partners worked together to develop an innovative approach to studying the impact of climate change by monitoring the health and movements of polar bears.

[Photo of polar bears in the Artic] — BEARWATCH, a project led by Queen's researchers in partnership with local communities, governments, and other university collaborators, received funding from Genome Canada's Large-Scale Applied Research Project competition and the Ontario Genomics Institute to develop a non-invasive method for tracking polar bear health in the Canadian Artic.

New research by Chris Spencer showed that the mid-Proterozoic period, about 1.8 to 0.8 billion years ago, dubbed as the “boring billon” was actually a time of great mountain-building events. Researchers at the Queen’s Facility for Isotope Research joined the cast from The Curse of Oak Island to hunt for gold and silver treasure sediments in the water collected from boreholes on a Nova Scotia isle.

[Photo of highly deformed rocks from the Sperrgebiet region of Southern Namibia by Christopher Spencer] — A geologist exploring 1-billion-year-old and highly deformed rocks from the Sperrgebiet region of southern Namibia. These rocks experienced significant deformation and extreme metamorphism during a continental collision over a billion years ago. (Photo by Christopher Spencer)

Funding future research

In 2021, Queen’s continued to attract competitive funding and awards, through a number of national and international programs. Hundreds of grants for new projects and research infrastructure were secured through CHIR, SSHRC, NSERC, and CFI, Canada’s national funding agencies, and other partners.

Here are a few examples:

More than $10 million was secured by Queen’s researchers through CFI’s Innovation Fund for infrastructure that will help to combat climate change, treat cancer, and understand the fabric of the universe
Over $6 million was awarded to Queen’s researchers through NSERC’s Alliance Grants to collaborate with industry partners in areas such as computing, wireless communications, and nuclear power
Eight doctoral students earned prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships for exceptional scholarly achievement and leadership skills
Over 125 Queen’s researchers across disciplines received support from SSHRC, the Canada Research Chairs Program, and NSERC as part of a bundled funding announcement under the banner of “Supporting BIG Ideas”
Queen’s researchers received over $11.5M funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for projects addressing human health issues from cancer and pain to healthy aging
With $1.6 million in funding, NSERC’s CREATE program supported the implementation of an experiential graduate training and research program in medical informatics, led by Parvin Mousavi at Queen’s
A multidisciplinary team of Queen’s researchers received $7.9 million from Genome Canada for a new project exploring a microbial platform for breaking down and valorizing waste plastic, which can then be repurposed to produce recycled products
Cathy Crudden received the largest NSERC Discovery Grant in Canada (valued at $605k over five years) for her breakthrough work in novel organic coatings

[Photo of a researcher reviewing a sample on a desktop]

Mobilizing our knowledge

This year, we were again challenged to find creative ways to engage with our audiences and mobilize expertise. Research and alumni experts joined forces to provide insight into our post-pandemic future, through the Road to Recovery virtual event series. These events, moderated by multimedia journalist and Queen’s alumnus Elamin Abdelmahmoud, reached over 1000 attendees.

Science Rendezvous Kingston celebrated its milestone 10^th anniversary and marked it with a series of virtual events and the development of an interactive, virtual Exploratorium with no geographical limitations to participation. Audiences also had the opportunity to experience, in-person and virtually, artistic interpretations of the elusive dark matter. The exhibition and residency project, Drift: Art and Dark Matter, generated by Agnes Etherington Art Centre, the McDonald Institute, and SNOLAB, brought together artists and scientists in the quest to understand the invisible substance that comprises about 80 per cent of the universe.

[osèfa Ntjam, Organic Nebula (detail), 2019, carpet, photomontage. Collection of the artist.] — Josèfa Ntjam, *Organic Nebula* (detail), 2019, carpet, photomontage. Collection of the artist.

The WE-Can (Women Entrepreneurs Canada) program led by Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation (QPI) celebrated supporting over 800 women from underrepresented groups and sectors regionally in achieving their entrepreneurial goals and pivoting their programs to an online format. This year’s virtual Indigenous Research Collaboration Day incorporated the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals in highlighting the importance of collaboration in research with Indigenous communities.

Hundreds of Queen’s researchers provided expert commentary to the media in 2021, and our community continued to mobilize their research and expertise through fact-based analysis on The Conversation Canada’s news platform. In 2021, 77 Queen’s graduate students and faculty published 74 articles that garnered over 1.5 million reads.

Congratulations to the Queen’s research community for their resilience and successes this year. We look forward to seeing what new research and opportunities 2022 will bring. For more information about research at the university, visit the Research@Queen’s website.

Major renovation announced for Duncan McArthur Hall

Wednesday December 15, 2021

By Communications Staff

The newly-unveiled design for the expansion of Duncan McArthur Hall includes a seven-story addition at the southeast corner of the existing building. (Supplied image)
The current view of Duncan McArthur Hall on West Campus, located at Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard and Union Street,

Queen’s is undertaking a significant redevelopment of Duncan McArthur Hall, located on its West Campus.

The redevelopment and expansion of Duncan McArthur Hall’s ‘A’ wing, will see a substantial addition to the building, and provide increased classroom, research, study, administration, and social spaces for both the Faculty of Education and elements of the Faculty of Heath Sciences.

The project will target Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, and incorporate sustainable technologies to minimize greenhouse gases in support of the sustainability goals set out in the Queen’s Climate Action Plan. This will include a geothermal energy system to provide heat and cooling to the new building.

“This project will enable Queen’s to address the expansion needs of the Faculty of Education and Health Sciences, while improving the student experience at Duncan McArthur Hall and continuing to make progress on our sustainability targets,” says Donna Janiec, Vice-Principal (Finance and Administration). “I’m also excited about the opportunity for collaboration as we bring elements of Queen’s Health Sciences to West Campus.”

The project will expand the ground floor of the “A” wing of Duncan McArthur Hall, creating four 50-person classrooms, plus two additional 100-person classrooms. This utilizes the undeveloped area under the current building overhang. Additional classroom renovations (A243 and 343) and the existing main entrance – known as student street – will also take place.

The proposed seven story addition at the southeast corner of the existing building will accommodate classrooms, break-out and study facilities on the first and second floors. The upper floors will provide administrative offices for both faculties.

“This redevelopment project will create space to accommodate our growing faculty, optimize offices to reflect new practices in workflow processes, support students with collaborative learning spaces, and develop 21st century teaching spaces that reflect the design of contemporary schools,” says Rebecca Luce-Kapler, Dean of the Faculty of Education. “Providing new modern spaces, study space for graduate students, and sufficient research spaces for the faculty’s research groups will enrich the university’s reputation and appeal to students and the community.”

“Queen’s Health Sciences is thrilled to be a partner on this project,” says Jane Philpott, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences. “As we drive forward with our new strategic vision for radical collaboration, this redevelopment will create much needed space for the activities that are critical to our operations.”

The construction of the proposed seven story building is the first phase of the project, and is targeted to start in the summer of 2022 with the tower targeted for occupancy late in 2023. Renovations and expansion of the existing ‘A’ wing would then occur through to 2024.

The Faculty of Education began work on the project in 2019 with the completion of a feasibility study conducted to determine the best way to incorporate new office, study, and teaching space in Duncan McArthur Hall. Queen’s Health Sciences joined the project in 2020 to accommodate their growing need for administrative space.

Duncan McArthur Hall is located on the West Campus of Queen’s University. The campus was purchased by Queen's in 1969.

Duncan McArthur Hall was built between 1969 and 1971 with funding from the Ontario government. It houses the Queen’s Faculty of Education, the Queen’s School of English, Continuing Teacher Education, and the Education Library.

For more information on the Duncan McArthur Hall project, visit the project website.

Tags: Campus Community|Education|Health Sciences

Making fall break permanent

Wednesday December 1, 2021

By Andrew Willson, Senior Communications Officer

Queen’s will provide a week away from classes each fall term going forward to help the university community rest and focus on health and wellbeing.

Photograph of Queen's pole pennant in front of Grant Hall. — The fall term break will go into effect for the 2022-23 academic year and will be a week away from classes beginning on the Thanksgiving holiday each October. (University Communications)

Fall break will now be a permanent fixture on the Queen’s academic calendar following a vote by the Senate on Nov. 30. The Senate made this decision based on the recommendation of the Fall Term Break Task Force, which conducted broad consultation with members of the Queen’s community and received just under 8,000 responses to the fall term break survey that was open in October.

“We had a fantastic response rate to our survey from students, faculty, and staff, and we found overwhelming support for making fall term break a permanent part of the academic calendar going forward,” says William Nelson, Co-Chair of the Fall Term Break Task Force and Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), Faculty of Arts and Science. “Students in particular let us know that a fall break is beneficial for their mental health, as it allows them to relax, rest, catch up on work, and, in some cases, visit friends and family back home. Queen’s has listened to this feedback and is pleased to take action in support of our community’s health and wellness.”

The fall term break will go into effect for the 2022-23 academic year and will be a week away from classes beginning on the Thanksgiving holiday each October. To accommodate this new schedule, classes in the fall term will now begin on the Tuesday after Labour Day. The consultation process found that faculty, staff, and students believe this is the least disruptive way to alter the academic calendar. Student Affairs programming will continue during fall breaks for students who remain in Kingston.

“Mental health is an important issue for many students, and an annual fall term break will be an excellent opportunity for them to focus on wellbeing while resting and regrouping for the rest of the semester,” says Ryan Sieg, Vice President (University Affairs), Queen’s Alma Mater Society and member of the Fall Term Break Task Force. “This change will align us with many other universities who have found a fall term break beneficial for their communities.”

In addition to the survey, members of the task force held consultation meetings in faculties, schools, and units across Queen’s. The task force also reviewed the fall term break policies of a selection of other Canadian universities and found that most offered a fall term break in 2021. Following recommendations from the Report of the Principal’s Commission on Mental Health, Queen’s introduced the fall term break in 2018 as a three-year pilot. The Senate Committee on Academic Development and Procedures (SCADP) created the Fall Term Break Task Force this fall to provide a comprehensive recommendation on the future of the break. Prior to approval from Senate, the task force’s recommendation was approved by SCADP on Nov. 10.

Learn more about the Fall Term Break Task Force on the Queen’s Secretariat website.

Celebrating fall 2021 graduates

Monday November 8, 2021

By Communications Staff

Queen’s is recognizing the accomplishments and perseverance of this fall’s graduating students.

Graduation is the culmination of the months and years of effort Queen’s students put into completing their programs, and the tricolour community is celebrating the more than 2,000 students who are reaching this milestone this fall. While in-person convocation ceremonies have been postponed due to COVID-19, Queen’s is congratulating graduates with a video message that also recognizes their perseverance throughout the pandemic.

“If you’re graduating this year, a good portion of your program has been spent under circumstances that have been truly unprecedented,” says Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane in the video. “Your graduating is a tribute to your determination, your creativity, your hard work, and your flexibility. You have both my admiration and warmest congratulations.”

When it is safe to do so, Queen’s plans to resume in-person convocation ceremonies and intends to invite graduates from the Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 back to campus to mark their graduation.

“It’s regrettable that we cannot gather together in person this fall to celebrate your hard-earned degree, your diploma, or your certificate. However, I’m pleased to have this opportunity to offer my sincere congratulations as you officially complete your studies,” says Chancellor Murray Sinclair in the graduation video. “I do hope that before too long we will all be able to mark this important achievement together as a community.”

The university officially conferred degrees for fall graduates on November 1, and it is preparing diploma packages to send by mail in the coming weeks. A full list of graduating students has been shared online by the Office of the University Registrar. Some faculties and schools are also recognizing their graduates through a virtual event or other online methods in the near term.

“I truly hope that you have enjoyed your time at Queen’s and trust that you are taking away with you some wonderful memories and friends who will be with you for the remainder of your lives,” says Kanonhsyonne (Janice Hill), Associate Vice-Principal (Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation) in her remarks for the video. “My hope is that going forward you will feel confident in your future as you lead the way to positive change for generations to come.”

For more information fall 2021 graduation, visit the Office of the University Registrar website.

Queen’s experts provide insight into our post-pandemic future

Thursday June 24, 2021

By Ishita Aggarwal, Research Promotion and Communications Assistant

On June 29, multimedia journalist and Queen’s alumnus Elamin Abdelmahmoud will moderate a candid discussion on how we can move beyond COVID.

[Road to Recovery: Reintegration - Queen's Virtual Event]

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our health, economy, and society. It has challenged individuals and institutions to think creatively about how they can harness their resources to help confront the crisis, politically, economically, and socially. As vaccination rates rise, cases drop, and businesses reopen, Canadians and global citizens are attempting to return to so-called “normal life.” This has led to myriad questions related to reintegration and reconnection – What does integration back to the classroom and office look like? What are the implications for our physical and mental health and how can we address them? How has society changed over the past 18 months and what have we learned about ourselves and each other?

To help answer some of these questions, University Relations, Advancement, and the Faculty of Health Sciences have joined forces to host Road to Recovery: Reintegration. This free, open-to-the-public event will be held virtually on Tuesday, June 29 at 11 a.m. EDT and will feature a panel of Queen’s alumni and research experts who will share their views on work, social norms, and life in a post-pandemic world.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Elamin Abdelmahmoud (Artsci’11) and host of CBC’s weekly pop culture podcast Pop Chat, co-host of CBC’s political podcast Party Lines, and culture editor for BuzzFeed news. In a recent interview about the series, Abdelmahmoud explained some of his reasons for hosting the event, saying, “When it comes to reintegration, I have a lot of questions. I am anxious to return to some semblance of normality but I don’t know what that looks like anymore. I would love to get some answers from people who study these questions for a living.”

During Tuesday’s discussion, Abdelmahmoud will be joined by a number of experts in health care, education, research, and policy-making at the local, national, and international levels. They are:

Tina Dacin – Stephen J.R. Smith Chaired Professor of Strategy and Organizational Behaviour and the Director of the Community Impact Research Program in the Smith School of Business
Gerald Evans – Chair, Division of Infectious Diseases at Queen’s University and Attending Physician in Infectious Diseases at Kingston Health Sciences Centre
Allyson G. Harrison – Clinical Neuropsychologist and the Clinical Director of the Regional Assessment and Resource Center at Queen’s
Scott McFarlane, BA/BPHE’97, BEd’98, MEd’07 is a Vice-Principal with the Limestone District School Board

To register for the event and join the discussion, visit the website.

Supporting big research ideas

Wednesday June 16, 2021

By Communications Staff

The Government of Canada announces support for Queen's researchers through the federal funding agencies and the Canada Research Chair program.

Over 125 Queen’s researchers across disciplines have received support that will advance discovery, innovation, and collaboration in their research programs. Today, The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (ISED), announced a bundled research announcement under the theme "Supporting BIG ideas!", meant to continue the Government’s historic investments in support of a strong and vibrant world-leading research ecosystem.

The bundled announcement includes funding from a variety of programs under the umbrellas of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Canada Research Chairs program. More than $635 million is being invested in scholars across Canada through new grants or grant extensions.

"We are proud to continue investing in, and celebrating, the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of Canada’s research ecosystem," says Minister Champagne. "It is inspiring to see the ingenuity and dedication Canadian researchers embrace in exploring big ideas that will fuel the discoveries and innovations of tomorrow to make our world a better place and create prosperity for Canadians."

The funding will advance the research continuum from fundamental to applied scholarship at Queen’s. In addition to pandemic-related projects, these investments will support emerging and ongoing research in areas of critical importance, such as precision medicine, military family health, particle physics, climate change, citizenship and social justice, chronic pain, and gender, race, and inclusive policies. For more information on each of the funding programs and the Queen’s recipients please see below:

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

The goal of SSHRC’s Insight program is to build knowledge and understanding about people, societies, and the world by supporting research excellence in all subject areas eligible for SSHRC funding. Insight grants provide stable support for long-term research initiatives, while the Insight Development grants support research in its initial stages. The grants enable the development of research questions, as well as experimentation with new methods, theoretical approaches, and/or ideas.

Partnership Development grants provide support for new and existing formal partnerships over four to seven years to advance research, research training, and/or knowledge mobilization in the social sciences and humanities. Partnership funding is intended for formal partnerships between postsecondary institutions and/or organizations of various types.

SSHRC Partnership Development Grants 2020

Principal Investigator	Affiliation	Project Title
Heather Aldersey	School of Rehabilitation Therapy	Redefining the social contract: Rebalancing formal and natural support for people with disabilities and their families
Heidi Cramm	School of Rehabilitation Therapy; Psychiatry	Families matter: A partnership of partners to study, serve, and support the families of military, Veterans, and public safety personnel

SSHRC Insight Grants 2020

Principal Investigator	Affiliation	Project Title
Elizabeth Brulé	Gender Studies	Decolonizing the academy: Indigenizing the university seven generations in the future
Rosa Bruno-Jofré	Education; History	Giving the past a new meaning to re-imagine the future in education
Pierre Chaigneau	Smith School of Business	Too many rewards? Performance shares and the optimal structure of executive pay
Amanda-Mae Cooper	Education	Social science research funding agencies' support and promotion of knowledge mobilization and research impact: Learning from high impact case studies of collaborative research networks
Theresa Claire Davies	Mechanical and Materials Engineering	A Delphi Study to advance research on accessibility standards for augmentative and alternative communication
Anthony Goerzen	Smith School of Business	Improving global value chain governance
Kerah Gordon-Solmon	Philosophy	Duties, constraints, prerogatives, and permissions: Or, how to defend lesser-evil options
Oded Haklai	Political Studies	Population settlements and territorial control
Fiona Kay	Sociology	Paralegals and access to justice: Regulation, job rewards, and legal services during COVID-19 pandemic
Benjamin Kutsyuruba	Education	Understanding the well-being capacity of pre-service teachers
Susan Lord	Film and Media; Art History; Gender Studies; Cultural Studies	Under the shadow of empire: Minor archives and radical media distribution in the Americas
David McDonald	Global Development Studies; Geography and Planning; School of Environmental Studies	Public Banks + Public Water
Nicole Myers	Sociology	Risky decisions: Professional judgement, public safety and the bail decision
Steven Salterio	Smith School of Business	Understanding the extant and nature of replication research in social sciences: The case of accounting research
Marcus Taylor	Global Development Studies; Sociology; School of Environmental Studies	Can climate-resilient crops transform smallholder agriculture? A comparative sociological analysis
Veikko Thiele	Smith School of Business; Economics	Scale-up Ecosystems: Theory and Empirical Evidence
Grégoire Webber	Law; Philosophy	Recovering the good in law

Canada Research Chairs

Part of a national strategy to attract and retain leading and promising minds, the Canada Research Chairs program aims to make Canada one of the world's top countries in research and development. The program invests approximately $265 million per year to attract and retain some of the world's most accomplished and promising researchers. Queen’s is currently home to 51 Canada Research Chairs across a variety of disciplines.

Canada Research Chair (CRC) Renewals

Name	Affiliation	Status	Research Area
Heather Castleden	Geography and Planning; Gender Studies	Tier 2 - CRC in Reconciling Relations for Health, Environments, and Communities	Applying Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to research involving social and environmental justice and health equity: this research aims to create healthier relationships between Indigenous peoples and Settler (non-Indigenous) Canadians by advancing recognition, responsibility, and reconciliation in community-driven and participatory ways.
Philip Jessop	Chemistry	Tier 1 - CRC in Green Chemistry	Using carbon dioxide as a “trigger” for “switchable materials” able to change from one form to another: this research will make industry safer and more environmentally-benign through the reuse of waste carbon dioxide gas.
Mark Ormiston	Biomedical and Molecular Sciences; Medicine; Surgery	Tier 2 - CRC in Regenerative Cardiovascular Medicine	The study of Natural Killer (NK) cells in the development of diseases such as pulmonary arterial hypertension: this research could lead to the creation of new immune-based treatments that could reverse changes made in a person’s lungs.

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

The Discovery program supports ongoing research with long-term goals. These multi-year grants recognize the creativity and innovation that are at the heart of all research advances. Discovery program grants are considered “grants in aid” of research, as they provide long-term operating funds and can facilitate access to funding from other programs, but are not meant to support the full costs of a research program.

Notably, Cathy Crudden (Chemistry), Canada Research Chair in Metal Organic Chemistry, received the largest Discovery grant in Canada (valued at $605k over five years) for her project Nanoclusters, nanoparticles, and surfaces: Bridging the gap between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis.

NSERC Discovery Program Grants 2020/2021

Principal Investigator	Affiliation	Project Title
Furkan Alaca	School of Computing	Securing user authentication in emerging threat landscapes
Brian Amsden	Chemical Engineering	Aliphatic polycarbonates: Building blocks for new biodegradable biomaterials
Levente Balogh	Mechanical and Materials Engineering	Structure-property relations of materials having complex microstructures generated by radiation damage and additive manufacturing
Sameh Basta	Biomedical and Molecular Sciences	M2a macrophage activation and the regulation of immune functions
Albrecht Birk	Mechanical and Materials Engineering	Safe transport and storage of pressure liquefied hazardous materials
Amanda Bongers	Chemistry	Cognition in chemistry: Exploring how the brain encodes and manipulates scientific models
Joseph Bramante	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	Astroparticle theory for dark sectors
Chantelle Capicciotti	Chemistry; Biomedical and Molecular Sciences	Chemical biology tools for probing and discovering glycan-protein interactions
Pascale Champagne	Civil Engineering; Chemical Engineering	Photosynthetically-enhanced eco-engineered treatment systems
Che Colpitts	Biomedical and Molecular Sciences	Membrane rearrangement by positive-sense RNA viruses: Molecular mechanisms and cellular responses
Cathleen Crudden	Chemistry	Nanoclusters, nanoparticles, and surfaces: Bridging the gap between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis Critical replacement of super critical fluid HPLC for chiral separations Variable temperature UV/Vis spectrophotometer for study of NHC-stabilized gold nanoclusters
Michael Cunningham	Chemical Engineering; Chemistry	Replacing traditional surfactants in the preparation of polymer nanoparticles
Mark Daymond	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy; Mechanical and Materials Engineering	Effect of local microstructure on cracking of materials for next generation reactors Characterising irradiation induced damage and phase changes
Kevin Deluzio	Mechanical and Materials Engineering	Tools for the biomechanical analysis of human movement
George diCenzo	Biology	Gene networks of Sinorhizobium meliloti
Marc Dignam	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	Nonlinear and quantum optics in two-dimensional materials and nanophotonic systems
Steven Honghui Ding	School of Computing	Assistant professor
Juergen Dingel	School of Computing	Model-driven engineering for distributed, reliable, adaptive, web-based software
Cao Thang Dinh	Chemical Engineering	Electrode engineering for carbon dioxide electroreduction to fuels and chemicals
Paul Duchesne	Chemistry	Earth-abundant heterogeneous catalysts for the synthesis of renewable fuels
Christopher Eckert	Biology	Ecology & evolution of species range limits
Dixia Fan	Mechanical and Materials Engineering	Physics-informed (and -informative) reinforcement learning and bio-inspired design of a smart morphing flapping wing for dual aerial/aquatic-propulsion and maneuvering
Laura Fissel	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	Understanding the role of magnetic fields in star and planet formation using stratospheric balloon-borne polarimeters
Luis Flores	Psychology	Brain function and real-world choice and effectiveness of intrapersonal and social forms of emotion regulation
Georgia Fotopoulous	Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering	Fusion of heterogeneous geosensing observations for enhanced site characterization
Jason Gallivan	Psychology; Biomedical and Molecular Sciences	Human functional neuroimaging stimulus presentation and data collection system for studies of action, perception and decision-making
Jun Gao	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	Surfaces and interfaces of luminescent polymer mixed ionic/electronic conductors
Charlotte Gibson	Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining	Surface analysis for the concentration and extraction of metals using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Concentrating minerals critical to energy storage applications from Canadian hard rock deposits
Guillaume Giroux	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	NEWS-G search for light dark matter with spherical proportional counters
Sidney Givigi	School of Computing	Safe adaptive social cyber physical systems
Farnaz Heidar-Zadeh	Chemistry	Theoretical chemical design with machine learning: Model development and applications
Tom Hollenstein	Psychology	Integrated psychophysiology and observational system for synchronous measurement and analysis
Neil Hoult	Civil Engineering	Reimagined environmentally-friendly (RE-Design) of reinforced concrete infrastructure
Graeme Howe	Chemistry	Tracing enzyme mechanisms across evolution to elucidate the origins of enzymatic catalysis
Stephen Hughes	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	Dissipative mode theories and reservoir engineering in quantum nanophotonics
Robin Hutchinson	Chemical Engineering	Measurement and modeling of polymerization kinetics for process and product development
Judith Irwin	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	From galaxy to intergalactic medium -- the magnetic connection in the age of the square kilometre array
Shideh Kabiri Ameri Abootorabi	Electrical and Computer Engineering	High performance visually imperceptible on-skin sensors and electronics based on nanomaterials
Frederick Kan	Biomedical and Molecular Sciences	Oviductal regulation of gamete interaction and reproductive function
Sadan Kelebek	Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining	Investigations on the separation of metal-bearing values from secondary sources in the production of value-added products
Il Yong Kim	Mechanical and Materials Engineering	System, layout, and topology optimization for automotive and aerospace design
Marianna Kontopoulou	Chemical Engineering	Environmentally friendly and scalable processes for the production of graphene and applications in advanced functional materials and technologies
Ehssan Koupaie	Chemical Engineering	Techniques for enhanced anaerobic digestion and bioenergy and conversion of pulp and paper sludge
Valerie Kuhlmeier	Psychology	Cognitive origins of ownership concepts
Yanzhe Lei	Smith School of Business	Real-time dynamic optimization for omnichannel retailers
Guang Li	Smith School of Business	Revenue management and policy design in the presence of customer multi-item shopping behavior
Qingguo Li	Mechanical and Materials Engineering	Biomechanical energy harvesting: Optimization, control and biomechanics
Hok Kan Ling	Mathematics and Statistics	Shape-constrained inference: Testing and estimation for incomplete survival data
Alexander Little	Biology	Mechanisms and costs of adaptive plasticity in a starlet anemone (Nematostella Vectensis) model
Christopher Lohans	Biomedical and Molecular Sciences	Mechanistic enzymology of beta-lactam antibiotic resistance mechanisms and target proteins
Alan Lomax	Medicine; Biomedical and Molecular Sciences	Analysis of the vagal afferent innervation of the mouse colon
Stephen Lougheed	Biology	Digital PCR infrastructure to enhance research and HQP training in biology High performance computing infrastructure for evolutionary biology, spatial ecology, and conservation biology
Giusy Mazzone	Mathematics and Statistics	Partially dissipative systems with applications to fluid-solid interaction problems
Kim McAuley	Chemical Engineering	Combining fundamental models with data
Chris McGlory	School of Kinesiology and Health Studies	Mechanisms underlying the regulation of human skeletal muscle protein turnover by omega-3 fatty acids
Jordan Morelli	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	Applied magnetics - nuclear fusion
Michele Morningstar	Psychology	Development of neural and cognitive processing of peers' nonverbal cues in adolescence
Parvin Mousavi	School of Computing	Learning algorithms for predictive modeling in biomedical computing: Methods and applications
Christian Muise	School of Computing	Advanced techniques for action model solicitation, verification, and induction
Kevin Mumford	Civil Engineering	Contaminant transport and remediation in dynamic gas-and-groundwater systems
Ram Murty	Mathematics and Statistics	Zeta functions and probability theory
Sara Nabil	School of Computing	Advanced techniques for everyday embodied interaction E-textiles digital design and fabrication
Guy Narbonne	Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering	When life got big - Ediacaran evolution in a period of profound global change
Jianbing Ni	Electrical and Computer Engineering	Secure and privacy-preserving edge caching in next-generation mobile networks
Jean-Michel Nunzi	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy; Chemistry	Life-mimetic nano-photonics
Gema Olivo	Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering	Mineral resources in basins: Base metal ore systems and footprint
Mary Olmstead	Psychology	Immune-reward interactions: Contributions of the endocannabinoid system
Christopher Omelon	Geography and Planning	Impacts of talik microbial geochemistry on a changing permafrost landscape
Diane Orihel	Biology; School of Environmental Studies	A new ecological framework for adverse outcomes of contaminants on ecosystems: Microplastics as a case study
Patrick Oosthuizen	Mechanical and Materials Engineering	Numerical and experimental studies of steady and unsteady natural and mixed convective heat transfer from horizontal and inclined surfaces of complex shape
Anna Panchenko	Biomedical and Molecular Sciences; Pathology and Molecular Medicine; School of Computing	Deciphering the mechanisms of modulation of DNA accessibility in chromatin: Discovery of novel pioneer transcription factors
Sarah Jane Payne	Civil Engineering	Elucidating drinking water quality deterioration in premise plumbing
David Reed	Medicine	Inhibition of visceral sensation by cannabinoids in the gastrointestinal tract
David Rival	Mechanical and Materials Engineering	High-speed, plane-wave ultrasound imaging for Lagrangian particle tracking
Matthew Robertson	Mechanical and Materials	Novel robot actuators leveraging the molecular mechanics and topology of biological muscle
Nir Rotenberg	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	Frontiers of nonlinear quantum optics: From fundamentals to technology Ultra-coherent lasers for the exploration of quantum photonic nonlinearities
Karen Rudie	Electrical and Computer Engineering	Keeping secrets: Realizing the potential of decentralized discrete-event systems
Sarah Sadavoy	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	The role of magnetic fields in forming stars, disks, and planets
Yuksel Asli Sari	Robert M. Buchan Department of Mining	Innovative dynamic short-term, medium-term and long-term mine planning strategies incorporating new automation and data analytics technologies
Jessica Selinger	School of Kinesiology and Health Studies; Mechanical and Materials Engineering	A lower-limb exoskeleton system for investigating the neuromechanical control of human locomotion and designing assistive robotic aids
Bhavin Shastri	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	Neurophotonic-electronic brain-machine interface system
Zhe She	Chemistry	Probing molecular interactions of soft surfaces by scanning probe microscopy
Amber Simpson	School of Computing; Biomedical and Molecular Sciences	Integrated computational modeling of multi-scale biomedical data
Gregory Smith	Mathematics and Statistics	Combination algebraic geometry
Yanglei Song	Mathematics and Statistics	Sequential decision making under uncertainty: Fundamental limits and applications
Sameh Sorour	School of Computing	Enabling intelligence on multi-access edge networks with heterogeneous resources
Christopher Spencer	Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering	Constraining the interplay of geodynamics with the biosphere and atmosphere across the Archean-Proterozoic boundary
Patrick Stroman	Biomedical and Molecular Sciences	Functional MRI investigation of spinal cord resting-state networks and their physiological relevance
Myron Szewczuk	Biomedical and Molecular Sciences	Nobel biased G-protein coupled receptor-signalling paradigm regulating growth factor and pathogen-sensing receptors
William Take	Civil Engineering	Landslide triggering, mobility, and monitoring in a changing climate
David Thomson	Mathematics and Statistics	Statistical spectrum estimation and solar gravity modes
Aaron Vincent	Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	Discovering the dark sector with astroparticle phenomenology
Bas Vriens	Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering	Sustainable mine waste management: From microscale hydrogeochemical processes to macroscale prediction models
Jeffrey Wammes	Psychology	Mechanisms underlying learning-related representational reorganization
Robert Way	Geography and Planning	Susceptibility of peatland permafrost in coastal Labrador to future environmental change
Peng Wang	Chemistry; Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy	Discovery and development of crystalline radiation detection materials
Joshua Woods	Civil Engineering	System-level multi-element analysis of structures using hybrid-simulation (SMASH) lab High-performance structural systems for seismic protection and resilience of built infrastructure
Gang Wu	Chemistry	Development of new 17O NMR spectroscopic techniques for studying biological systems
Sarah Yakimowski	Biology	The evolution of herbicide resistance
Laurence Yang	Chemical Engineering	Learning models of metabolism and gene expression from biological big data
Scott Yam	Electrical and Computer Engineering	Intelligent fiber sensors via digital signal processing and machine learning
Mohammad Zulkernine	School of Computing	Building and monitoring security in emerging softwarized systems

For more information on the Government of Canada’s Support BIG Ideas announcement, please visit the website.

Celebrating Queen’s spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation

Friday June 11, 2021

By Ishita Aggarwal, Research Promotion and Communications Assistant

Queen’s receives the Deshpande Symposium Award for The Entrepreneurial University for its curriculum innovation and student engagement.

Every Spring, the Deshpande Foundation hosts the Deshpande Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education, which brings together academics, policy planners, practitioners, business incubators, and foundations to discuss best practices in integrating entrepreneurship throughout their college and university communities.

At this year’s virtual gathering, Queen’s University received the Deshpande Symposium Award for The Entrepreneurial University. This award celebrates an institution that demonstrates excellence in entrepreneurship-related curriculum innovation and student engagement.

"Entrepreneurship has become an important means by which we fulfill our obligations of positive societal impact, to the regional community in which it is embedded, and in global society," says Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor.

Queen’s was unanimously voted as the 2021 recipient of this honour for fostering a culture of innovation throughout its many curricular and extra-curricular offerings.

Curricular Offerings in Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The university’s academic and curricular programs of study make entrepreneurship and innovation a priority at all levels. Undergraduate and graduate students across Queen’s are exposed to entrepreneurship and related topics in a broad range of sectors across disciplines. Some courses engage students in team-based venture projects in for-profits contexts, while others, like the Arts and Science "Dean’s Changemaker" courses ASCX200/300, give them opportunities to identify and pursue entrepreneurial solutions to pressing societal problems. The Dean’s Changemaker program supported 12 students in its pilot run and is expected to grow to 50 students per year.

Curricular delivery prioritizes interdisciplinarity. The Certificate in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity (CEIC), offered by the Dan School of Drama and Music, is taught not only by faculty from the Dan School but also from the Smith School of Business and the faculties of Arts and Science and Engineering and Applied Science. These pan-university partnerships persist even at senior levels of education and training. The blended format Master of Management of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MMIE), for example, is a joint collaboration between Business and Engineering and offers networking opportunities with other programs across campus. Since its inception five years ago, 420 students representing 25 countries globally have completed the program, which now accepts 114 students/cohort. MMIE participants have created 89 start-ups and scale-ups, collectively raising $750,000 and employing 112 people. By placing a strong emphasis on interdisciplinarity, Queen’s has been able to increase each individual unit’s capacity for providing immersive programming, thereby fostering development of entrepreneurial mindsets.

[Photo of the QICSI 2019 cohort at Mitchell Hall] — The 2019 Queen’s Innovation Centre Summer Initiative (QICSI) cohort at Mitchell Hall.

Co- and Extra-Curricular Offerings in Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The university also offers numerous co- and extra-curricular opportunities in entrepreneurship and innovation, many of which are provided and/or coordinated through the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre (DDQIC) and Queen’s University’s Partnerships and Innovation (QPI). DDQIC was founded in 2012, following a significant gift jointly provided by distinguished alumni Andrew Dunin, Sc ’83, MBA ‘87, and his wife Anne Dunin, ArtSci ‘83, and Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande, PhD ‘79, and his wife Jaishree Deshpande.

DDQIC collaborates with schools and faculties, assisting in the development and delivery of many co-curricular programs across campus. The centre runs the Queen’s Innovation Centre Summer Initiative (QICSI), a 16-week full-time program in which participants complete a two-week boot camp and receive seed capital to found and build ventures. Since 2012, DDQIC has mentored 460 changemakers in QICSI and helped students launch and grow 200 ventures, 50% of which are still in operation, including Mosaic Manufacturing, CleanSlate UV, and RockMass Technologies. The part-time DDQIC QyourVenture program operates year-long and supports early stage start-ups by providing foundation and mentorship. Furthermore, DDQIC prioritizes innovators and leaders from underrepresented groups through its Konnect program for women entrepreneurs and the Jim Leech MasterCard Foundation Fellowship for young African entrepreneurs.

QPI supports programming through workshops targeting thematic areas and groups (e.g. health, research-based graduate students) and in sector-targeted and IP/commercialization-advising roles. It provides an accelerator facility for growing ventures, complementing DDQIC’s QICSI, and offers linkages to other ecosystems, notably the Kingston-Syracuse Pathway in Health Innovation, Invest Ottawa, the Toronto-based Technology Innovation Accelerator Program, and L-Spark. Since 2014, QPI has supported 300 entrepreneurs and 150 ventures.

Student engagement extends beyond Queen’s as DDQIC, QPI, and their partner organizations deliver entrepreneurship-geared educational outreach programs, providing translational career and leadership skills to high school students in the Kingston area and globally.

The university received the award as part of a ceremony on June 10, 2021.

Celebrating the Class of 2021

Tuesday June 1, 2021

By Communications Staff

Queen’s congratulates graduates on success in the face of unprecedented challenges.

Another academic year at Queen’s is now complete and more than 5,800 students have a big reason to celebrate, now that they have officially graduated. To help mark these achievements, the university is sharing a video message to offer congratulations to graduates and highlight their achievements and perseverance in the face of challenges posed by COVID-19.

“These have been unprecedented times, and very difficult times in which to bring an end to your course of study,” says Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, in his remarks. “That you’ve done so in such circumstances is remarkable, and therefore all the more admirable and deserving of our congratulations.”

With strict public health measures still in place in Ontario, on-site convocation events have had to be postponed, with plans to offer in-person ceremonies later once guidelines permit. As vaccination programs continue across the country, and return to campus planning well underway, Queen’s is hopeful that ceremonies missed in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic can be held.

“I’m so honoured to be able to offer you my most sincere congratulations on the completion of your degree at Queen’s,” says Kanonhsyonne Janice Hill, Associate Vice-Principal (Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation), who joined Principal Deane in the video. “It’s been a very challenging year, but you persevered and succeeded. You should be very proud of yourself for doing so.”

While opportunities to host future in-person ceremonies are explored, graduates can expect to receive their diplomas by mail in the coming weeks, and the names of conferred degree recipients are being shared online by the Office of the University Registrar marking their official graduation. Several faculties and schools are planning virtual events or gestures of recognition in the near term.

“I’m so pleased to celebrate the successful conclusion to your studies and recognize your earned degree, diploma or certificate,” Chancellor Jim Leech says, making the final congratulatory remarks in the video. “You should be proud of your accomplishment and that you are now a full-fledged Queen’s alum.”

For more information on Spring 2021 graduation, please visit the office of the University Registrar's website.

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Celebrating Queen’s spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation

Curricular Offerings in Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Co- and Extra-Curricular Offerings in Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Celebrating the Class of 2021

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