Welcome to CapU’s Faculty Research Symposium Join us for the first Faculty Research Symposium! This exciting event will celebrate and showcase the wide range of CARS activities undertaken by faculty across all disciplines. CARS Event Schedule 8:30 Coffee at LIB 322 9:00 Elder Welcome and Opening Remarks at LIB 322 9:30 Keynote Speaker - Dr. Meghan Winters (Professor in Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU) at LIB 322 10:45 Coffee Break with Prize Draw 11:00 World Cafe at the Library Main Floor Topics: • • • • • 12:00 The Case of the Incomplete Data Documentation (Research Data Management) Tips for Book Publishing/Publishing a Book Navigating Research Ethics Approval Hiring Student Research Assistants Contributing to CapU's Institutional Repository Lunch, Sponsored by the Vice President, Academic and Provost at LIB 321 Faculty Research Presentations at LIB 322 12:45 • Jay Manuel - Understanding Systemic Influences on Youth Mental Health in Post-Secondary Education Tong Zhang Chow - Research on Confucius and Taoist Thoughts Jane Raycraft - Sharing Good Ideas to Promote the Circular Economy Through Municipal Programs Alaa Al-Musalli - Fact-checking and Disinformation Literacy for K-12: A Collaboration with Vancouver School Board Educators Tom Flower - Human Food Sources Drive Nest Predation by Steller's Jays Paolo Freznosa - Social Justice in Tourism Recovery: Examining Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Canadian Tourism Restart Policies 1:00 1:15 1:30 • • • 1:45 2:00 • • • 2:15 Q&A and Coffee Break at LIB 321 Faculty Research Presentations at LIB 322 2:30 2:45 • • Marija Djordjevic - DMOC - Digital Museum of Costume - Bringing History into the Digital Age Sylvia Kind & Tatiana Zakharova-Goodman - Research-creation and Posthuman Creativities: developing artful ways of researching with children Douglas Alards-Tomalin - Lean on Us: The Future of Student-Led Peer-Support at Capilano University Diana Twiss - Courageous Dialogues for Classroom, Campus, and Community Mark Vaughan - Environmental Analysis of Soil and Crab Apples in the Maplewood Flats Conservation Area for the Presence of Organic and Heavy Metal Pollutants Rosemarie Perkin - Decreasing Volunteer Intimidation and Exclusivity Within Mountain Bike Associations Donna Perry - The Resilience Project - Research Effects for Sport and Life in Electroencephalography Neurological measurements at Capilano University EEG testing 3:00 3:15 3:30 • • • 3:45 • 4:00 • 4:15 Q&A and Final Remarks 9:30-10:45am Keynote Speaker Dr. Meghan Winters Dr. Meghan Winters is a Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University (SFU) and holds the CIHR/PHAC Applied Public Health Research Chair in Gender and Sex in Healthy Cities. Her research lies at the intersection of public health, urban planning, and transportation, with a focus on understanding how the built environment influences health outcomes and mobility, particularly for marginalized communities. As the leader of the Cities, Health, and Active Transportation Research (CHATR) Lab, Dr. Winters works to design urban spaces that promote physical activity, reduce health inequities, and foster social connectivity. She is currently leading a 6-year, $1.1M CIHR-funded research program -- REACH-Cities (REsearch and ACtion for Healthy Cities) -- which aims to promote research, tools, and partnerships that foster increased gender and social equity in our cities. A key aspect of Dr. Winters’ work is her commitment to knowledge mobilization - ensuring that research findings are translated into practical solutions outside academia. She leads interdisciplinary and intersectoral teams across Canada, working on projects that bridge research and action in healthy cities, such as the INTERACT team, and CapaCITY/E initiatives focused on improving urban health through collaboration with local governments and health authorities. Dr. Winters also serves as a mentor for the SFU-UBC Implementation Science Training Initiative. Dr. Meghan Winters has been recognized for her approach to research and her impact on both the academic and public sectors. Her work has earned her several prestigious honours, including the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH) Trailblazer Award, recognition as an SFU Distinguished Professor, and was a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar. Introducing our Faculty Research Presenters 12:45pm Jay Manuel, EHHD Accompanied by Student RA, TBD Understanding Systemic Influences on Youth Mental Health in Post-Secondary Education This research project will examine how institutional factors, like academic pressures and support systems, contribute to mental health challenges in post-secondary students, with a focus on marginalized groups. Using a mixed methods research approach, this study will explore systemic barriers and offer evidence-based recommendations for policy and support reforms. This research project was awarded funding through a CARS Unified grant, CARS-SSHRC Explore grant, and CARS Section Release grant. 1:00pm Tong Zhang Chow, FAS Research on Confucius and Taoist Thoughts The goal of this research project was to support students in their learning of Chinese culture and Confucius and Taoist thoughts, as well as examining how these traditional thoughts influence modern Chinese society and economic practices. This research project was awarded funding through a CARS Unified grant. 1:15pm Jane Raycraft, BPS Sharing Good Ideas to Promote the Circular Economy Through Municipal Programs This interactive presentation will showcase a project that partnered with the Howe Sound Biosphere Society in researching and implementing successful circular economy programs. Insights gleaned from interviews with municipal leaders have been used to create a database of best practices to inspire action in other communities. This research project was awarded funding through a Mitacs Accelerate grant. 1:30pm Alaa Al-Musalli, BPS Accompanied by Vancouver School Board partners Leslie Hunt and Christina Walker Fact-checking and Disinformation Literacy for K-12: A Collaboration with Vancouver School Board Educators In partnership with the Vancouver School Board (VSB), this project will co-design a framework for K-12 fact-checking and disinformation literacy lessons, through a series of workshops. This research collaboration aims to bridge the gap between undergraduate and school curricula, promoting critical thinking and media literacy in K-12 education. This research project was awarded funding through a CARS Unified grant. 1:45pm Tom Flower, FAS Human Food Sources Drive Nest Predation by Steller's Jays This presentation will showcase research conducted on Steller's jays, exploring how human changes to the environment can lead to more predators and threaten bird populations. By understanding and managing how human actions affect predator behaviour, this research posits that we can better manage human impacts and support conservation efforts. This research project was awarded funding through CARS Unified grants, and a CARS-NSERC Mobilize award. 2:00pm Paolo Fresnoza, GCS Social Justice in Tourism Recovery: Examining Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Canadian Tourism Restart Policies The Canadian tourism industry has long struggled with issues of inequity and social injustice, challenges that only intensified during the pandemic. This presentation will provide an overview of how equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) have been integrated into tourism industry policies across Canada. By analyzing these policies, we gained an insight into the complexities and motivations behind the inclusion or exclusion of EDI in the tourism recovery process. This research project was awarded funding through a CARS Unified grant. 2:30pm Marija Djordjevic, FAA Accompanied by Student RAs, Emma Harris and Michelle Blaine DMOC - Digital Museum of Costume Bringing History into the Digital Age In partnership with the Society for Museum of Costume (SMOC), this project aims to bring historical costumes, inherently sensory objects, into a digital realm. Not only is the focus on researching the historical, social, and cultural significance of these garments, but also with the goal of digitizing a historical garment using the newest advancements in digital pattern making. This research project was awarded funding through a CARS Unified grant. 2:45pm Sylvia Kind and Tatiana Zakharova-Goodman, EHHD Research-creation and Posthuman Creativities: developing artful ways of researching with children This presentation will explore how innovative research-creation approaches open up alternative, affective, and artful dimensions of research with children. Within this orientation, art becomes something other than object or form, rather is a certain kind of attunement and way of moving, acting and activating. Creativity is understood within an ecology of relations, research becomes a co-compositional event, and the early childhood studio a space of and for pedagogical invention, symbiotic relationships, and collective improvisation. One of the research projects we will discuss was awarded funding through a CARS Unified Grant. 3:00pm Douglas Alards-Tomalin, FAS Accompanied by Student RAs, Amy Jean McElwain and Zed Myers Lean on Us: The Future of Student-Led Peer-Support at Capilano University Capilano University’s Psychology Department researched and co-developed a student-led peer-support program focused on mental health and wellness. This presentation will highlight the workshops that culminated in a student-led pilot program offered in 2024 and will share volunteer experiences and plans for expanding the program to benefit the broader campus community. This research project was awarded funding through CARS Unified grants. 3:15pm Diana Twiss, EHHD Courageous Dialogues for Classroom, Campus, and Community This multi-institutional research project aims to support individuals at BC post-secondary institutions (CapU, Selkirk College, and VCC) and community literacy organizations in navigating ideological polarization in both the classroom and the workplace. This presentation will share the research journey to support people to engage in courageous dialogues and foster understanding and constructive conversations across differences. This research project was awarded funding through a CARS Unified grant and a SSHRC College and Community Social Innovation Fund grant. 3:30pm Mark Vaughan, FAS Environmental Analysis of Soil and Crab Apples in the Maplewood Flats Conservation Area for the Presence of Organic and Heavy Metal Pollutants The Maplewood Flats Conservation Area, situated on the traditional and unceded lands of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, has been undergoing ongoing restoration efforts since 1994. In partnership with the Nation and the Wild Bird Trust of BC, this research project examines the safety of local foods, such as crab apples, by analyzing pollutants in tree tissues and surrounding soils. This presentation shares preliminary findings on pollutant levels, supporting the Nation’s efforts to restore their relationship with the land and re-establish traditional harvesting practices. This research project was awarded funding through a CARS Unified grant, and a CARS-NSERC Mobilize award. 3:45pm Rosemarie Perkin, GCS Decreasing Volunteer Intimidation and Exclusivity Within Mountain Bike Associations This presentation is a research study with the Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association, which identified four factors—sport, community, organization, and volunteers —that contribute to hesitation and exclusivity among volunteers. This study suggests that these factors can be addressed through changes in language and initiatives to reduce systemic barriers. By promoting diversity and inclusion, these efforts can strengthen volunteer workforces and enhance the impact of the mountain biking association. 4:00pm Donna Perry, GCS Accompanied by Student RA, Chelsea Watson The Resilience Project - Research Effects for Sport and Life in Electroencephalography Neurological measurements at Capilano University EEG testing The RESILIENCE project at Capilano University is studying how head impacts in high-contact sports affect brain health and how resilience can help with injury prevention and recovery. Using the Neurocatch platform, the project will track brain function in real time, helping to optimize performance and detect any cognitive issues in student athletes. This project has partnerships with The Canadian Sport Institute – Pacific, BC Injury Research and The Prevention Unit at UBC, The Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport along with many practitioners and clinics. This research project was awarded funding through a CARS-NSERC Mobilize award.