February 11 marks the eighth annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science. To honour the occasion, we’re looking at some of the research and accomplishments of MacEwan’s female faculty and students in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health care from the last year.
Dr. Shannon Digweed
What are squirrels saying? A lot, it turns out. Dr. Shannon Digweed has spent more than two decades deciphering the meaning behind the vocalizations of these incredibly hardy rodents.
“Squirrels have a pretty tough life – they’re one of only a few small mammals that don't hibernate, and surviving the winter is hard work,” says the associate professor in the psychology and biological sciences departments. “That’s why most of their communication relates to making sure that they have enough food to last them through the coldest months.”
Dr. Margot Jackson
The first MacEwan faculty member to receive a research grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Dr. Margot Jackson is looking at the wider health impacts of COVID-19, specifically the effect of the pandemic on the experiences of children and youth waiting for mental health services.
“Hearing people’s stories provides so much information about what’s going on in our systems. Even though the sample size is small, the richness of the information is so valuable,” says the associate professor in the Faculty of Nursing. “It’s a way to give voice to people whose voices often aren’t heard.”
Dr. Leanne Hedberg
Innovation in colleges and universities is the focus of a piece in The Conversation Canada written by Dr. Leanne Hedberg in partnership with Dr. Craig Kuziemsky. The piece analyzes the role that post-secondary institutions play in economic recovery post-COVID, and how they can ensure that they’re handling innovation in the right ways.
Dr. Dana Cobzas and Dr. Isabelle Sperano
Dr. Dana Cobzas and Dr. Isabelle Sperano received a Social Sciences and Human Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant for their project Applying Self-Determination Theory and In Game Learning Support to an Educational Game, “Life on the Edge.” Dr. Cobzas and Dr. Sperano are co-applicants along with Dr. Ross Shaw and Robert Andruchow.
Health-care Heroes
Established by the Faculty of Nursing, the Health-care Heroes initiative recognizes nurse educators and clinical instructors who went above and beyond during the pandemic while working alongside students in clinical settings. The initiative honoured Heather Kemp, Kaia Koopmans, Deirdre McNamara, Elly O’Greysik and Meredith Porter.
To hear about MacEwan women making strides in research in their own words, check out the Research Recast(ed) podcast. For recent research in STEM fields, check out the episodes with Dr. Maya Kalogirou and Dr. Margot Jackson.
Career app collaboration
Computer science students Sana Imtiaz, Kelly Ng and Sharon Lee launched a web application called JUXTA, which is designed to help users make informed decisions about their future careers. They partnered with design students Grace Zimmel and Rochelle Kriewaldt to produce the visuals for the app.
STEM Scholarship
Hazal Ates received a scholarship from the Alberta Women’s Science Network during her final year as a Bachelor of Science student. She was awarded the scholarship for her exceptional work with Dr. Roland Lee on the development and expansion of sustainable green chemistry, as well as her internship as a quality control analyst at one of Canada’s privately owned medical device companies.
President’s Medal for Academic Excellence and Student Leadership
Fattima Deiab was honoured with the President’s Medal for Academic Excellence and Student Leadership and delivered an address to the class at Fall Convocation. During her time at MacEwan, was a part of a research group that used statistics and computer science to analyze which government policies most influenced the containment of COVID.