“By investing in new and talented leaders through SSHRC scholarships and fellowships, Canada is well prepared to meet important future challenge areas,” said Brent Herbert-Copley, vice-president of Research Programs with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

On November 7, SSHRC announced over $100 million in research funding for graduate students and postdocs across Canada. Among the recipients are 12 Trent graduate students and postdocs who received $424,500 through the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program and the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowships Program.

These scholarships reinforce Trent’s commitment to research in the social sciences and humanities in Canada; as a result, we are proud to put a spotlight on three of Trent’s 12 funding recipients.

Daniel Heidt: Science, masculinity, and the Canadian Arctic

Daniel Heidt is doing postdoctoral research with the Frost Centre for Canadian Studies and Indigenous Studies on the diplomatic, cultural, and scientific impact that accompanied the construction of weather and warning stations in Canada’s Arctic region. He has also helped develop Confero, a software program that automates the process of sorting through digital photos taken for archival research purposes.

Considering the value Trent places on interdisciplinarity, Mr. Heidt thinks Confero is fitting complement to his projects. “Trent’s faculty members are productive researchers, and I hope that my publications contribute to their important body of work on Arctic sciences, culture, and Canadian studies more generally. I am also contributing to Trent’s interdisciplinary tradition by working as an historian within the Environmental Studies program, and by developing software that is useful to researchers across faculties and disciplines.”

Ashley W. Toohey: Theory of mind in children and young adolescents

Trent values research that investigates areas of thought others have overlooked, and Ashley W. Toohey’s work is a fine example. “I’ve done a fair bit of research in the area of ‘theory of mind’ (understanding others’ thoughts and emotions) and was very interested when I noticed that current research has split the ‘thoughts’ and ‘emotions’ aspects apart. I was quite surprised when I realized very little research has investigated whether this split is valid in children.”

Ms. Toohey’s goal after completing her M.Sc. in Psychology from Trent is to become a registered psychologist working in both clinical and school settings to help children, and she sees that her research at Trent could have many positive outcomes. “One of Trent’s goals is to make valued and socially responsible contributions that have ‘real world’ applicability. Knowledge gained from my project could help inform social skills programs that are currently used in schools to better help children develop the social competence required to enhance interpersonal relationships as well as problem-solving strategies to use in their daily interactions with others.”

Elizabeth L. Teleki: Sustainable economic development strategies for rurally-located cities

Elizabeth L. Teleki’s research in the masters of Sustainability Studies program is about economic development strategies for smaller cities that face youth migration, aging demographics, and a loss of industrial jobs. Considering her previous work with Peterborough Economic Development, her research is both immediately applicable to the Peterborough region and relevant to Trent’s focus on community-based solutions.

Ms. Teleki appreciates this: “I think this ties closely to the original reasons that Trent University was envisioned and created in Peterborough.  Residents saw that we could increase our well-being and economic prosperity by the creation of Trent University and everyone rallied around this vision.  This project is really about these same goals of building on these successes towards a sustainable future for smaller cities that improve both the social, economic and environmental prosperity of citizens.”

For more information about Graduate Studies at Trent, visit http://www.trentu.ca/graduatestudies/

Posted on Wednesday, December 3, 2014.