Below you will find a list of those awarded with the first ever Social Equity Undergraduate Research Awards, who were recognized in a symposium in September 2017.
The Symposium aimed to connect the social equity and social justice research communities at McGill University by stimulating interdisciplinary reflection, discussion and partnership. Activities include a panel discussion moderated by Professor Jessica Ruglis, and poster exhibit.
Read a recap of the event here.
Madelyn Barton, U4, Physiology
Currently working under the supervision of Dr. Naguib Mechawar (P.I) and Daniel Almeida (PhD Candidate) at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Madelyn is interested in conducting research in the mental health field and aspires to become a doctor. She is currently investigating the morphometric alterations in layer V/VI pyramidal cells of the prefrontal cortex (BA10) from depressed suicides that experienced childhood maltreatment compared to those without a history of childhood maltreatment and non-psychiatric controls. She understands that today’s society faces major problems surrounding depression and suicide. Children faced with emotional and physical neglect and abuse later show traits of depression and are challenged everyday. Many of these individuals face barriers later in life that prevent them from living happy, productive lives. She hopes that her project and research will one day help detect the biological risk markers of depression before the onset of symptoms. She further hopes to contribute to the allocation of resources and medicines that would aid mentally ill individuals.
Nathalie Cook, U4, Psychology
Nathalie is currently working on a project with professors Dr. Melanie Dirks and Dr. Frances Aboud. She is passionate about inequities in mental health, and is particularly interested in the well-being of children living in difficult and challenging circumstances. This summer she has been helping Dr. Dirks and Dr. Aboud evaluate the quality of preschools in East Africa. More specifically, they are interested in whether there is a link between the quality of preschools and the behavioural difficulties of the children attending them. She is excited about the opportunity to gain research experience so that she can start developing the skills necessary to go onto a career in mental health research.
Paulina Elias, U3, Linguistics and Psychology
Paulina has always enjoyed learning and studying new languages and is particularly interested in research related to endangered languages. This summer she has been working under the supervision of Jessica Coon as part of a collaborative project between McGill University and Universidad del Valle de Guatemala. The project focuses on the documentation of Chuj– a Mayan language spoken in both Guatemala and Mexico– and is directed towards the revitalization of the language. This particular research project brings to light the struggles that come with the endangerment of a language and serves as a reminder that language is an essential component of personal identity and culture. It is for these and many other reasons, that researching under-documented languages should continue to be promoted and encouraged. In the future, Paulina hopes to continue on with linguistic research as she prepares to apply to a Master’s in Speech Pathology.
Benjamin Nothwehr, U4, Sociology and Gender Studies
Benji is interested in queer and trans embodiment, the interaction between gender and technology, and social movement organization. Supervised by Professor Carrie Rentschler, they are investigating how grassroots sexual assault organizations, including campus bystander education programs and mobile applications, are integrating transformative justice, community accountability, and alternative consent models into their mandates as a method of healing opposed to punitive, carceral justice. They believe social equity research is crucial for bridging abstract theory and real world change. Benji hopes to continue research in graduate school, while cultivating a sunflower garden on the side.
Garima Karia, U3, Political Science, History, and Gender Studies
Supervised by Prof. Lorenz Lüthi of the History and Classical Studies department, Garima’s summer research investigation, entitled “Forgotten Femissaries,” focuses on the origins and legacies of female-led diplomacy in the Afro-Asian world during the early stages of the Cold War. Through her research about the self-advocacy and resilience of women of colour in politics, activism, and conference-style diplomacy, Garima was able to connect with her own identity and discover a sense of belonging in those spheres as a minority herself. In her own words, “as someone who hopes to work in politics and the diplomatic sphere one day, grappling with and appreciating the lived experiences and memoirs of the various female political actors whom I researched put many of my current obstacles as a woman of colour into perspective, as well as refreshed my enlightenment as to how far we’ve come in the struggle for equity, and just how far we still have to go.” Garima strives to bring inclusivity and equity to the forefront of leadership, both political and otherwise, and hopes to continue doing so in the future, both as an international trade lawyer and in the Canadian government itself.
Poster Award Winners
Megan Shanklin, U3, Honours Political Science and Tayah Morris-Gabriel, U1, Psychology
Sampling Youth Development (SYD) is a mixed-methods participatory research project that is a collaboration between the community organization Maison des Jeunes in Cote-des-Neiges and McGill University. The purpose of this research is to explore youth’s experiences in public spaces and institutions in Montréal. Through our research, we aim to gain a better understanding of the forces that cause youth to be marginalized or not in Montréal, which should allow us to propose institutional and policy-level solutions to problems of exclusion.
Brittany Ngo, U3, Honours Cognitive Science
Brittany is interested in health research and the positive impact it can have on people’s lives. Her work with Dr. Pia Wintermark is organized around the social determinants of health. Their current project investigates the impact of education and income on outcome in asphyxiated newborns treated with hypothermia. Maternal socioeconomic status has been previously linked to disparities in fetal and neonatal health outcomes around the world. However, its potential impact on outcome in the context of birth asphyxia has never been investigated. They hope to understand the health consequences of these newborns and how subpopulations are more vulnerable to adverse birth outcomes. This work will not only help shape the kinds of public health challenges Brittany hopes to address in the future, but also motivate her to gain new perspectives on how to best serve communities in need of health support.
