‘A rich research culture’

“When colonizers came to our country, they forcefully took over the land and defended their actions by saying that Indigenous people were savages and they weren't able to make decisions for themselves,” says Augustine. “What I’ve gathered through my research is that ongoing issues, such as the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the child welfare system, seem to originate from the Doctrine of Discovery and how it’s been interpreted into modern law and court systems. It's so engrained that it's not even noticeable anymore.”

Augustine is applying her research findings by helping a First Nation community in New Brunswick draft child welfare policies as the community seeks to self-govern its child protection cases.

“Prior to colonization, Indigenous peoples had their own child welfare practices,” says Augustine. “Kinship and customary roles played important parts, which contradicts the Doctrine of Discovery.”

 ━

The research team will track how particular genes express themselves over time and how that corresponds to eventual cancer outcomes. Developing predictive models can lead to improved screening and treatment for patients, as well as aid in drug discovery.

Whether in finance or biostatistics, Chen is excited that “the possibilities are endless” for applying his research.

“It’s satisfying to figure out solutions, then discover more problems after the solutions, and then figure out solutions again,” says Chen.

 ━

He decided LARC would be an ideal environment to continue his research program, which aims to develop knowledge and tools to support caregivers of autistic children.

In partnership with Autism Ontario, LARC recently completed a province-wide survey that asked caregivers about their ability to access and navigate autism-related services. The next step is for Gentles and his research team to conduct follow-up interviews with 20 participants from traditionally underserved subgroups, including new immigrant, refugee and Indigenous families. The results will be shared with the provincial government.

“Parents of children with autism have acute needs as it is, but it’s quite remarkable how high the needs are in some communities,” says Gentles, who earned a PhD in Health Research Methodology from McMaster University. “I have learned that, from a parent’s perspective, there is so much they have to learn in order to navigate the system and obtain care for their child. Autism truly affects the whole family.”

 ━

Graham’s research focuses on the opportunities and barriers that immigrant entrepreneurs face in small to medium-sized Canadian cities. Most previous studies have focused on core cities such as Vancouver and Montreal, so Graham wants to identify best practices for “non-core” cities seeking to attract and retain skilled immigrants.

In his initial case study of St. John’s, Nfld., Graham discovered that universities play a critical role in supporting and integrating international students.

“The students I spoke with were well supported in their everyday needs such as learning new languages and social networking, and in addition the universities had incubators and programs training these individuals to become entrepreneurs,” says Graham. “Essentially what I’m doing now is trying to understand the role of higher education in the facilitation of immigrant entrepreneurship.”

Graham’s next case studies will examine Victoria, B.C. and Kitchener-Waterloo and he hopes to develop best practices to guide national immigration policy. He is looking forward to speaking to international students in both cities to learn more about their personal experiences.

“At the end of the day, there are human beings on the other end of these policies so we must ensure that we are meeting their needs.”

 ━

While completing her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at Laurier, Karim was introduced to the Group Dynamics and Physical Activity Laboratory, a research group led by Professor Mark Eys. She was inspired to pursue her master’s degree and build on the work of Michael Godfrey (PhD ’20), a former PhD researcher who examined how cultural diversity influences cohesion on sports teams.

For her master’s thesis, Karim is exploring how the individual experiences of intercollegiate athletes are impacted by ethnic differences. While most previous research has defined the diversity of a team at the group level, Karim knows from experience that diversity is felt on an individual level in relation to teammates. She points to Jeremy Lin, the only Asian player on the 2019 Toronto Raptors roster, as an example of a minority within a very diverse team.

“By reflecting on my own experience, I hope to help educate coaches on the experiences of their athletes and facilitate inclusive spaces for all.” 

 ━

For her doctoral dissertation, Matthews is widening the scope of her research to learn what influences an employee’s decision to accept a voluntary pay cut and how this practice impacts employee productivity and morale.

“I want to help employers make the best decision that they can if they find themselves in a position where they need to reduce costs,” says Matthews. “For any organization to be successful, it needs employees that want to be there and work hard and have positive attitudes. I hope my research can provide some insights on the best way to treat employees in order to minimize the negative impacts of a difficult time.”

Visit campusmagazine.wlu.ca to read more articles from the Fall-Winter 2021 print edition of Laurier Campus and new alumni stories between print editions.