These may not qualify as fluffy beach reads, but if you find yourself with a bit of extra summer reading time, we highly recommend these long-form stories that highlight timely topics and feature the expertise of MacEwan faculty.

For the past two years, we’ve tied much of our storytelling on MacEwan.ca to ideas connected to places, spaces, power and relationships. Here, we’re sharing four feature stories highlighting the work of more than 15 faculty members who are answering big questions about everything from health care and wayfinding to advocacy and climate change. 

1. Long-term care, prison, foster care: Where we find ourselves matters when it comes to our health

The idea that place affects our health – not just where we live but also our “place” in society as shaped by our income, education or employment – is one of the social determinants of health, a group of key non-medical factors in health outcomes. 

But what if the place you find yourself living in is a long-term care facility? Or a prison? Or foster care? Or living without some kind of traditional housing at all?

Here, four MacEwan researchers share their work and explore place and its impact on health – and health care. Read the full story.

2. Where's the map? Finding our way through physical, virtual and hybrid worlds

Gone are the days of struggling to unfold and refold unwieldy paper maps against a car dashboard and squinting at oncoming street signs. Technology is changing how we interact with the spaces around us – not just the physical ones. 

Here, three MacEwan experts weigh in on how designers create physical, virtual and in-between spaces with users in mind. Read the full story. 

3. Scientific clean-up crews

Humans are creating more waste than ever – fast fashion and tossing out our leftovers are some of the biggest contributors to pollution. As a species, we’re messy. Managing that impact – and cleaning up our messes – is no small task. But many MacEwan profs are taking up the challenge.

Here, four MacEwan profs share their research into innovative ways we can lean on science to help tidy everything from clothing in our landfills to microplastics and pharmaceuticals in our water. Read the full story.

4. Making sure the right voices are heard

Advocacy is a powerful tool for change that takes many forms – speaking out on behalf of someone, arguing for a cause or defending a position on a controversial issue. But what makes someone decide to stand up and speak out? And what keeps them going?

When we asked four MacEwan researchers how advocacy ties to their scholarly work, they told us that whether they're studying climate change, youth transitioning out of foster care, children's rights or the performing arts, their approach shares one thing in common: centring the voices of people directly impacted by the issues they seek to address. Read the full story.