麻豆传媒

 

A research leader in the social sciences

- August 29, 2008

Chris Blanchard is among the 麻豆传媒 professors receiving research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.听

Chris Blanchard wants to find out why people recovering from pulmonary illnesses often don鈥檛 get the exercise they need, even when they know it will improve their health.

鈥淚s it the disease? Are they lazy about exercise? Have they had bad experiences with exercise?鈥 he asks. 鈥淲e really want to know why they鈥檙e not doing exercise and what can we do to tailor our programs to make sure they do.鈥

Dr. Blanchard, associate professor with the Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology) and Capital Health, is getting the chance to answer those questions thanks to the latest round of funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Ten 麻豆传媒 researchers have been awarded more than $1 million in funding through SSHRC Standard Research Grants this year.

Dr. Blanchard鈥檚 research, which is receiving $146,000 in funding, will survey patients in 10 pulmonary rehabilitation programs across the country, checking in with them as they start and finish their programs and at three, six and nine months afterwards.

H茅l猫ne Deacon, assistant professor with the Department of Psychology, is receiving $136,039 to study how children develop knowledge in one language and apply that knowledge to learning a second language. Her research is particularly timely with the announcement of significant changes in New Brunswick鈥檚 early French immersion programs. The early immersion program that currently begins in Grade 1 will be discontinued in September in favor of an intensive French program for students starting in Grade 5.

Professor H茅l猫ne Deacon studies how children learn to speak and understand languages. 听(Nick Pearce Photo)

鈥淭his research won鈥檛 sway (that decision) in one direction or another,鈥 says Dr. Deacon. 鈥淏ut we do know that early immersion is effective. Children can transfer knowledge from one language to another. And it's not too much to ask children to do at a Grade 1 level.鈥

Howard Ramos, assistant professor with the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, has been awarded $95,600 to conduct a study on how non-governmental agencies (NGOs) are able to influence political debate and the media. For example, Dr. Ramos will examine if gay and lesbian organizations were able to influence the political debate around gay marriage.

鈥淚鈥檓 interested in the rise of aboriginal, environmental and gay and lesbian issues,鈥 says Dr. Ramos. 鈥淒o NGOs influence political debate and media coverage? And vice-versa: does political debate and media coverage influence the NGOs?鈥

Also included in today鈥檚 announcement were the results of the first Management, Business and Finance Special Call for Proposals. An interdisciplinary team led by Raymond Klein of the Department of Psychology will receive $240,500 to study improving worker safety in the offshore oil industry, and Elaine Toms will receive $90,000 to study serendipity within knowledge work.

SSHRC also announced $1.2 million in funding for a 鈥渟trategic knowledge cluster鈥 led by Dean Irvine of the Department of English. The project, titled 鈥淓diting Modernism in Canada,鈥 comprises 32 researchers in universities across Canada, the United States, the U.K. and France and seeks to re-invigorate interest in Canadian literature鈥檚 earlier generation.

Finally, 20 master鈥檚 students and 13 PhD students are receiving funding from SSHRC for their research, a total investment of $1,330,000. The master鈥檚 awards are each worth $17,500, while the PhD awards range from $20,000 to $105,000.

The other 麻豆传媒 faculty receiving Standard Research Grants are:

  • Peter Aucoin, Political Science: 鈥淐orporate Governance in Government Departments: Canada in Comparative Perspective.鈥 ($82,396)
  • John Barresi, Psychology: 鈥淐onceiving of self and other in the same way.鈥 ($66,632)
  • Philip Girard, Law: 鈥淐anadian Legal History, 1500-2000.鈥 ($137,122)
  • Dean Irvine, English: 鈥淪inister Plots: Masculinist Modernisms and Modernist Masculinities in Canada.鈥 ($58,924)
  • Mohamed Khimji, Law: 鈥淪eparate Legal Personality and Limited Liability in Canadian Corporate Law: An Empirical and Economic Analysis.鈥 ($117,163)
  • Christopher Moore, Psychology: 鈥淚nteractive and Observational Learning in Toddlers.鈥 ($145,862)
  • Kevin Quigley, Public Administration: 鈥淐ritical Infrastructure Protection in Comparative Perspective: Contextual Factors that Influence the Exchange of Sensitive Information.鈥 ($50,190)

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