2016-17
Progress
Report
CONTENTS
ON THE COVER
INTRODUCTION MANDATE MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN MESSAGE FROM THE ASSOCIATE DEAN
GRADUATE STUDIES BY THE NUMBERS
In spring 2017, 10 passionate and inspiring PhD students
03 04 05
were featured on CBC Radio’s “On the Go” with host Ted Blades. Students are Vashti Campbell, medicine; Rebecca Draisey-Collishaw,
06
ACHIEVEMENTS ENROLMENT MANAGEMENT STUDENT AWARDS NEW PROGRAMS AND COURSES AWARDS
Curtis Robinson, history; Jordan Zalis, ethnomusicology;
14 15 16 17
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
18
INTERNATIONALIZATION
19
SGS FACULTY/STAFF PROFILE 20 20 21-22
008 18001 02 SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT
Gruell,
Katherine Morton, sociology; Emma Quinlan, medicine; Mingxi Zhou, engineering and applied science.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
DR. AIMÉE SURPRENANT, DEAN DR. DANINE FARQUHARSON, ASSOCIATE DEAN SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES STAFF
Marc
Opeyemi Jaunty-Aidamenbor, interdisciplinary PhD;
11 12 13 13
IMPACT OF GRADUATE STUDENTS QUINN WEBBER MICHAEL OMAN-REAGAN MADELEINE MANT
ethnomusicology;
biology; Amanda Hancock, business administration;
Mandate THE
SCHOOL
OF
GRADUATE
STUDIES
(SGS)
WAS
under its first dean, Dr. Frederick A. Aldrich. A total of 830 graduate students enrolled in the 51 programs offered at the time. Today, SGS offers more than 100 programs to more than 3,700 graduate students and oversees more than 60 post-doctoral fellows at the university. It is the central agency responsible for the collection, maintenance, and distribution of materials concerning all graduate students at Memorial. SGS maintains graduate files and administers graduate applications, admissions, comprehensive examinations, thesis examinations, and doctoral defences. SGS is also responsible for registrarial functions, graduate enrolment management and recruitment, and administers graduate student funding including assistantships, external and internal scholarships, baseline fellowships, supervisor support, and federal Tri-Council global payments.
ESTABLISHED IN 1975
SGS also assists academic units in developing new program proposals and administers the approval process. Through its Academic Council, SGS also provides a forum for representatives from all faculties, schools and the Graduate Students’ Union to discuss matters pertaining to graduate education and to ensure standards across all graduate programs.
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT 03
Message from the
Dean
THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES had an amazing year in 2016-17 as enrolment increased to a record 3,759. We are now the largest graduate school in Atlantic Canada and are producing some of the finest graduates in the world. This growth is due to many factors including our distinguished researchers and forward-looking graduate programs. I’m eagerly anticipating the new programs being developed on the St. John’s campus, the Marine Institute, and Grenfell Campus.
We continue to focus on all aspects of a graduate student’s experience including: recruitment and admission; retention, training, and support; completion and labour market. Ably managed by Andrew Kim, director of graduate enrolment, staff in SGS work together as an integrated team to meet the goals laid out in our strategic plan. My thanks for working so hard to provide great service to students. Our collaborations across the university including the Office of the Provost, the Office of the VicePresident Research, the Internationalization Office, Centre for Institutional Analysis and Planning, and others are also crucial to our success. Increasing funding for graduate students is a constant struggle. We have boosted our efforts to support students applying for external fellowships by offering workshops on application strategies and writing as well as one-on-one consultations. Dr. Danine Farquharson, associate dean, Carol Sullivan,
04 SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT
manager, fellowships and awards, and Gail Lamkin, scholarships officer, spent many hours assisting the students in their pursuit of these awards. Of course, the main focus of our work is supporting our outstanding students and faculty mentors. Many of these talented individuals have been profiled in the Gazette and you will meet some of them in the following pages. Michael Oman-Reagan, anthropology, and Quinn Webber, biology, won the Vanier Scholarship, Canada’s most prestigious award for doctoral students. Dr. Madeleine Mant, archaeology, was the recipient of Memorial’s first Banting Post-doctoral Fellowship to be housed in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The President’s Award for Graduate Student Supervision went to Dr. Brian Veitch, engineering. The SGS Dean’s Awards for Service Excellence were awarded to Dr. Peggy Coady and Tina Hunt. I hope you experience the same sense of pride and accomplishment that I do in reading the stories in this report and seeing the progress made in the past year. We are ready to meet the challenges of the next year and will continue to strive to enhance the experiences and outcomes of our graduate students in the coming years. DR. AIMÉE SURPRENANT D E A N , S C H O O L O F G R A D U AT E S T U D I E S
Message from the
Associate Dean
GRADUATE STUDENTSÂ are the heartbeat of our research, teaching, and public engagement culture and the School of Graduate Studies is proud to be part of their lives. They work on land and water and in the air, in Newfoundland and Labrador and across the world, in libraries and archives, in laboratories, on social media, in classrooms, with community organizations, with governments, and with industries. They build new technologies, they design new neighbourhoods, and they develop new means of communication. They challenge established ideas, create new opportunities, and both deepen and broaden our knowledge of history, of ideas, of ethics, and of worlds as we know them and wish them to be. They are passionate about their research, committed to their local and global communities, and devoted to a better future.
MEMORIAL’S
At a time when we are concerned about the future of our planet, the effectiveness of democratic institutions, the safety of our food and energy supplies (to name but a few anxieties), it is imperative to recognize and support these researchers. Graduate students at Memorial work through programs as diverse as environmental policy, political science, ocean sciences, community health and humanities, and engineering (again, to name but a few). Their ideas, innovations, and initiative will lead us in the
decades of uncertainty to come. The experience of graduate school brings students into deep study of their disciplines, but also provides them with opportunities to build and strengthen their abilities to work independently and in collectives, to make decisions in complex situations, to analyze and evaluate information, and to become effective and persuasive communicators. Graduate students work at all of this while also volunteering in their communities, working on campus as research and teaching assistants, working off campus part-time jobs, raising families, taking care of their elders, and organizing and inspiring nonprofit organizations. They possess an astonishing ability to manage their advanced education and lead full lives off campus. Most annual report introductions will, at this moment, call on readers to recognize graduate students as our future leaders. I want to disrupt that convention. Graduate students at Memorial University are leaders right now. D R . D A N I N E FA R Q U H A R S O N A S S O C I AT E D E A N , S C H O O L O F G R A D U AT E S T U D I E S
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT 05
Graduate Studies
by the numbers MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY CONTINUES TO INCREASE the number of graduate students enrolling in and graduating from our graduate programs. Since 2012, there has been an overall increase of 11 per cent in graduate enrolment at Memorial.
Our out-of-province Canadian and international graduate student population continues to grow. Since 2012, there has been a 14 per cent and 61 per cent increase in students from out-of-province Canadian and international locations, respectively.
TA B L E 1 — G R A D U AT E E N R O L M E N T B Y F A C U LT Y / S C H O O L / C A M P U S F A L L S E M E S T E R CHANGE
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2016 / 2012
Business Administration
148
130
131
126
132
-11%
Education
919
893
833
781
729
-21% 46% -5%
F A C U LT Y / S C H O O L / C A M P U S
459
488
559
623
671
92
86
96
95
87
Human Kinetics & Recreation
125
113
104
124
119
-5%
Humanities and Social Science
370
418
395
419
460
24%
92
128
151
150
191
108%
270
293
265
296
305
13%
42
46
44
45
53
26%
107
129
131
132
118
10% 233% 11%
Engineering & Applied Science Graduate Studies — Interdisciplinary*
Marine Institute Medicine Music** Nursing***
3
7
7
9
10
657
713
736
736
727
94
106
112
110
104
11%
Grenfell
8
15
31
41
53
563%
Unspecified
0
0
2
0
0
3,386
3,565
3,597
3,687
3,759
Pharmacy Science Social Work
T O TA L
* includes MA.Ed, MER, IDPhD ** As of 2016 the ethnomusicology graduate students previously counted with humanities and social sciences, are now counted with music. reflect this change. * * * I n c l u d e s s t u d e n t s e n ro l l e d a t t h e C e n t re f o r N u r s i n g S t u d i e s a n d t h e We s t e r n R e g i o n a l S c h o o l o f N u r s i n g . 06 SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT
2012-2015 data has been restated to
11%
TA B L E 2 — F A L L G R A D U AT E E N R O L M E N T B Y R E G I O N CHANGE
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2016 / 2012
193
175
170
149
153
-21%
Prince Edward Island
25
28
26
28
27
8%
New Brunswick
51
64
56
64
45
-12%
Quebec*
40
45
46
29
36
112% 28%
PROVINCE
Nova Scotia
246
278
286
312
314
Manitoba
17
24
22
23
25
47%
Saskatchewan
15
14
14
16
18
20%
85
105
38%
Ontario
Alberta
76
85
89
British Columbia
61
72
65
81
80
31%
Northwest Territiories
6
6
7
4
10
67%
Nunavut
6
7
10
13
6
0%
4
3
-25%
84
92
8%
Yukon Other**
4
2
5
62
62
48
802
862
844
892
914
14%
909
1,038
1,178
1,272
61%
O U T- O F - P R O V I N C E S U B - T O TA L I N T E R N AT I O N A L S U B - T O TA L
791
NEWFOUNDLAND & L A B R A D O R S U B - T O TA L
1,793
1,794
1,715
1,617
1,573
-12%
T O TA L
3,386
3,565
3,597
3,687
3,759
11%
* Due to a change in the province code, this number was understated. These values are restated for 2012, 2013 and 2014 and are not comparable to previous. **Canadian citizens applying with an international address. SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT 07
Graduate Studies
by the numbers F I G U R E 1 — G R A D U AT E E N R O L M E N T B Y R E G I O N 2,000
NUMBER OF STUDENTS
1,800 1,600 1,400
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
1,200 NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
1,000 800
O U T- O F - P R O V I N C E CANADIAN
600 400 200 0
2012
2014
2013
2015
2016
FALL SEMESTER
TA B L E 3 — I N T E R N AT I O N A L G R A D U AT E E N R O L M E N T B Y C I T I Z E N S H I P
Asia
CHANGE
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2016 / 2012 25%
454
513
556
571
569
Europe
55
62
62
71
79
44%
Latin America / Caribbean
24
30
37
50
64
167%
145
177
201
241
276
90%
53
56
68
73
78
47%
1
2
2
3
2
100%
Middle East & North Africa North America Pacific Oceania Sub-Saharan Africa T O TA L 08 SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT
59
69
112
169
204
246%
791
909
1,038
1,178
1,272
61%
F I G U R E 2 — I N T E R N AT I O N A L G R A D U AT E E N R O L M E N T
NUMBER OF STUDENTS
1,272 1,178
1,200
1,038
1,000 800
909 791
600 400 200 0
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
FALL SEMESTER
THERE WAS AN OVERALL increase of 17 per cent in the number of graduate degrees and diplomas awarded at Convocation ceremonies in 2016. Memorial awarded a total of 949 graduate degrees in 2016 compared to 810 in 2012.
TA B L E 4 — G R A D U AT E D I P L O M A / D E G R E E S C O N F E R R E D B Y D I S C I P L I N E DEGREE
F A C U LT Y
Doctoral
Arts
Master’s
CHANGE
2012
2013
2014
2015
2015
2016 / 2012
9
10
8
9
12
33%
Graduate Studies — Interdisciplinary*
—
2
1
1
0
—
Professional
21
24
26
30
26
24%
Sciences
34
28
40
21
41
21%
S U B - T O TA L
64
64
75
61
79
23%
Arts
80
81
105
76
94
18%
Graduate Studies — Interdisciplinary*
31
14
20
23
21
-32%
523
553
577
611
620
19%
89
101
109
110
112
26%
723
749
811
820
847
17%
23
15
20
20
23
0%
810
828
906
901
949
17%
Professional Sciences S U B - T O TA L
Graduate Diploma T O TA L * includes MA.Ed, MER, IDPhD
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT 09
Graduate Studies
by the numbers FIGURE 3 — DOCTORAL DEGREES CONFERRED BY DISCIPLINE
NUMBER CONFERRED
40 ARTS
35 30
INTERDISCIPLINARY
25 20
PROFESSIONAL
15 10
SCIENCES
5 0
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
YEAR
FIGURE 4 — MASTER’S DEGREES CONFERRED BY DISCIPLINE
NUMBER CONFERRED
700 600
ARTS
500 INTERDISCIPLINARY
400 300
PROFESSIONAL
200 100 0
SCIENCES 2012
2013
2014 YEAR
10 SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT
2015
2016
Highlights of the year Through a partnership with CBC Radio, 10 P h D s t u d e n t s w e r e f e a t u r e d o n C B C ’s " O n the Go" program designed to bring PhD research to the broader public. Tw o M e m o r i a l d o c t o r a l s t u d e n t s w e r e a w a r d e d t h e p r e s t i g i o u s Va n i e r C a n a d a Graduate Scholarship Award. D r. L e i l a Q a s h u ( P h D , e t h n o m u s i c o l o g y ) won the 2017 Canadian Association for Graduate Studies Distinguished Dissertation Award for Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
Enrolment Management SGS’S GRADUATE STRATEGIC ENROLMENT management
plan continues to guide Memorial’s efforts to increase the number of graduate students and improve conditions for student success. The plan hinges on partnerships with multiple academic and service units across the institution. The outcomes have been exceptional and include the following: The total number of graduate students grew by 4 per cent from 2014 to 2016. The number of international graduate students grew by 230 per cent from 2014 to 2016.
Recipient of a Banting Postdoctoral F e l l o w, D r. M a d e l e i n e M a n t , c h o s e Memorial University as her university with which to further her research. Graduate student enrolment increased by 11 per cent between fall 2012 and fall 2016. Three new graduate programs in fisheries science were approved by Senate. Over 1,600 graduate students had access to more than $20 million in financial support from various internal and external sources.
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT 11
Student Awards A total of $597,323 in internal graduate student scholarships was awarded in 2016-17. Of the 156 awards and scholarships available for graduate students, 13 were n e w l y c r e a t e d l a s t y e a r.
FROM THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES ,
17 master’s students were the awarded Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s Scholarship, valued at $17,500 per award. the SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship, valued at $20,000 per year for a maximum of four years, and two doctoral students were awarded the SSHRC Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral Scholarship valued at $35,000 per year for a maximum of three years.
FIVE DOCTORAL STUDENTS WERE AWARDED
FROM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FIELDS , nine master’s students were awarded the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s Scholarship valued at $17,500 per award. SIX DOCTORAL STUDENTS WERE AWARDED the NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships, valued at $21,000 per year for a maximum of three years. Four recipients were also awarded the NSERC Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship – Doctoral Scholarship valued at $35,000 per year for a maximum of three years.
12 SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT
New Awards Programs and Courses Three new graduate programs were approved by Senate in 2016-17; the master of science in fisheries science (fisheries science and technology), the master of science in fisheries science (stock assessment), and the doctor of philosophy in fisheries science. Several enhancements were made to existing graduate programs offered by Memorial during this period. Up to six new programs across all of the major campuses are currently in development and expected to be available in the coming a c a d e m i c y e a r.
PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING GRADUATE AND POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION
Dr. Brian Veitch was awarded the 2017 President’s Award for Outstanding Graduate and Postgraduate Supervision. The award is presented to a graduate, or postgraduate supervisor who demonstrates exemplary supervisory behaviours and serves as an outstanding role model for other supervisors to emulate. Dr. Veitch is a professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Memorial University, with research in ocean and naval architectural engineering. Since 1997, he has supervised/co-supervised 64 graduate students, including 17 currently (nine PhD students and eight M.Eng. students). Dr. Veitch is noted for providing exceptional quality of supervision, feedback and inspiration in a very friendly, creative, open, critical and honest way. DEAN’S AWARDS FOR SERVICE EXCELLENCE
In 2017, Dr. Peggy Coady and Ms. Tina Hunt were awarded the School of Graduate Studies Dean’s Awards for Service Excellence. The Dean’s Awards recognize the work and contributions of graduate staff members that exceeds the expectations for those positions. Dr. Peggy Coady served in the role as associate dean (course based master’s) with the Faculty of Business Administration, as well as several other administrative roles dealing with graduate programs, prior to this position. She has served on many committees dealing with graduate issues since 2000, and has been committed to quality in not only the MBA program, but also other graduate programs through innovation, which helps foster an impressive international reputation. Ms. Tina Hunt is assistant to the associate dean of graduate programs and research, with the Faculty of Education, and has been a member of the faculty for over 24 years. She is considered by many to be “the face of our graduate programs.” She plays a pivotal role in the whole process beginning with the initial application and progression through their tenure at Memorial. She brings invaluable experience and strong personal and professional characteristics to her position. SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT 13
Impact of
Graduate Students QU I NN W E B B E R There’s safety in numbers; animals travel in herds to lower their personal odds of becoming lunch. But can a herd protect members from a threat that thrives inside close-knit groups? “Brain worm”, the parasite known as Elaphostrongylus rangiferi (E. rangiferi), spreads quickly between herd animals and damages the central nervous system of cervids like elk, moose and caribou, causing them to experience inco-ordination, aimlessness, and even mortality. Quinn Webber, a Vanier Scholar, says this parasite may be partially responsible for large-scale population collapses within Newfoundland’s caribou herds. Quinn Webber, a PhD candidate in cognitive/ behavioural ecology at Memorial University, researches social behaviour, habitat selection and parasitism of caribou in Newfoundland, particularly the Fogo Island herd. He investigates how animals with different behavioural types (e.g., social vs. antisocial) may be more or less susceptible to acquiring parasites like E. rangiferi. After researching bats at the University of Winnipeg while completing both a B.Sc.(Hons.) and M.Sc. in biology, Quinn wanted a change. “I chose to come to Memorial University because my current supervisor, Eric Vander Wal, was a new professor at MUN who studied ecology and evolution of ungulates (deer, elk, and caribou). I knew that our research interests
14 SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT
aligned and after some early discussions, I knew the atmosphere at MUN and in his lab was exactly what I was looking for as a PhD student.” Designated a threatened species in Canada, caribou populations have been declining over the past 15-20 years. Quinn says an infection with E. rangiferii could further reduce population sizes. As part of Dr. Vander Wal’s Wildlife Evolutionary Ecology Lab, Quinn’s work on Fogo Island aims to better understand how caribou behaviour can influence infection and whether they die as a result. His research sets the foundation for a long-term study of the relationship between caribou and E. rangiferii. “My research on the brain worm parasite E. rangiferii could help our understanding about how and why parasites cause mortality to caribou. To date, caribou in North America have only been exposed to E. rangiferii in Newfoundland and Alaska – while all other populations in North America have not been exposed to this parasite.” His project contributes to a broader conservation research paradigm aimed at understanding behaviour and ecology of Threatened species in Canada. With hopes of continuing his research and become a professor at a Canadian university, Quinn hopes government can use his current work to help effectively implement conservation and management strategies that limit populations from further decline.
M I CHAEL O MA N-R EAGAN
One-day humans may live on the moon, or Mars. But what life will be like there is anybody’s guess. Michael Oman-Reagan, a PhD candidate in anthropology at Memorial University, believes we don’t have to look that far to find inspiration. His work explores social and cultural factors influencing space science and exploration, and how space scientists increasingly shape the ways we imagine the future, both on and off the Earth. The secret to innovation is imagination. Michael says that by imagining human life in space we’ve opened the doors to finding actual solutions for turning science fiction into science fact. There are many examples of science fiction crossing paths with modern technologies. Take Jules Verne for example. The 19th-century author first imagined a manned lunar landing in his novel The Earth to the Moon, published in 1867, more than one hundred years before NASA’s Apollo 11 succeeded in that exact endeavour. Aspects of both the fictional and the real space missions are similar: both had a crew of three men, had operated under similar projectile calculations, launched from Florida, and returned to Earth with a splash in the Pacific Ocean. The strong similarity between the two begs the question, could some of NASA’s early work on the Apollo missions be inspired in someway by Jules Verne’s remarkably prescient and wild imagination?
Michael says science fiction broadens and challenges our vision of human futures in space and SETI research (a collective acronym for scientific searches for extraterrestrial intelligence.) But he argues that SETI and space exploration, heavily influenced by science fiction as well as prior work in the field, often faces funding challenges due to the problem of perception, more so than merit. The unbelievable and sometimes implausible nature of science fiction can cause people to quickly discredit insights as too farfetched to be worth actually exploring. Michael thinks perhaps we’re too quick to come to that conclusion. In his work he uses methods from social science to study how space exploration drives social transformation. He hopes his research will further our understanding of how social and cultural factors have a mutually productive relationship with space science, exploration and science fiction. “Many of the challenges faced in Newfoundland and Labrador, across the North, and in other places round the world like transportation, planning, labour, mobility, food and energy production, etc. share characteristics of those involved in imagining and building thriving human settlements in space, on the moon, and on Mars to meet all the needs of the residents of those settlements. As space exploration increasingly influences how we imagine, plan, and prepare for the future, this research expands our understanding of the processes that shape possible human futures – both here on Earth, and beyond.” SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT 15
Impact of
Graduate Students MA DE L E I NE M A NT Compared to today’s standards, living conditions in the 18th- and 19th- centuries were austere, at best. But for the poor, particularly poor sailors of the North Atlantic, living conditions were almost unimaginable. This is partly because the impoverished were underrepresented in records from that time period. This lack of representation piqued the curiosity of Dr. Madeleine Mant, whose postdoctoral work investigates the life of 18th- and 19th- century individuals, including sailors and the residents of Newfoundland. Madeleine completed a BA(Hons.) in anthropology at the University of Alberta, a M.Sc. in palaeopathology at Durham University, U.K., and a PhD in anthropology at McMaster University. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow with Memorial’s Department of Archaeology. Madeleine secured one of the 70 Banting fellowships awarded annually, earning $70,000 per year for two years. Banting fellowships aim to attract and retain top-tier post-doctoral talent, develop their leadership potential, and help position fellows as research leaders. Building on her doctoral research examining bones of 18th-century working class Londoners, Madeleine continues to explore that time period but from a new perspective focused on a specific occupational group. Her multidisciplinary project incorporates archaeology, chemistry, history and physics in an effort to stitch together
16 SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT
the life histories of these underrepresented individuals from the past. Madeleine says her work will require her to examine skeletal remains of sailors from Admiral Nelson’s navy, excavated from the Royal Naval Hospital at Plymouth in the U.K., in addition to poring over archival records from Newfoundland and the UK from that time period to gain a better understanding of how these individuals lived on land and at sea. Her research will detail investigations of individual lives, combining broad historical and archaeological interpretations of health, migration and activity achieved through various scales of analysis. Madeleine met her supervisor, Dr. Meghan Burchell, in graduate school at McMaster University. Together they brainstormed a dream post-doctoral project and set out to find a way to collaborate on this fascinating new research topic. “Dr. Burchell’s work is intersectional and interdisciplinary. Her grounding in archaeological theory, specifically relating to mortuary archaeology in combination with archaeological science, will be critical for putting this project into its wider theoretical context while using state-of-the-art technology.” Madeleine says not only will finding out more about the health and experience of these past individuals will provide new details about North Atlantic life in the past, but she hopes it will also offer new ways to better understand human health today.
Professional
Development
PSDP
THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES initiates and supports pan-university collaboration to provide graduate students with professional skills beyond their disciplines. Designed for all graduate students, Enhanced Development of the Graduate Experience (EDGE) is a comprehensive collection of professional development programs and services to help provide students with the complementary skills required to be successful in their lives after graduate school. EDGE fosters skills and knowledge around various themes such as communication, leadership, career development, global competencies, teaching and research. Some of the major programs and services include:
WRITING SKILLS
THE
SERVICES & PROGRAMS ETP CAREER DEVELOPMENT
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
TRAINING
TSEP
for International Students is an eight-week, non-credit certificate program offered each semester which helps prepare international students for professional employment in North America. It covers topics such as communication, culture, volunteering and interactive professional skill development.
(PSDP)
THE THESIS WRITING RETREAT offered by the Writing Centre in the spring and fall semesters is an intensive one-week program designed to help graduate students make significant progress on, or complete their theses. It provides a dedicated time and space free from distractions to help students write within a supportive and interdisciplinary intellectual community.
PROGRAM
Graduate Students is a 16-week program designed and developed to raise awareness of entrepreneurship and new venture creation as viable career options among international graduate students. The ETP also aims to nurture stronger communication, analytical, leadership, organizational, and interpersonal skills in students leading to better integration, success, and employability.
THE
offered by the career development advisor for graduate students focus on career enhancement and the job search on an ongoing basis each semester.
(TSEP)
(ETP) for
GRADSWEP
THE PROFESSIONAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT WEBINARS
GRADUATE
STUDENT
WORK
EXPERIENCE
provides Memorial’s graduate students with the opportunity to participate in 75-hour job placements, providing relevant career experience in the student’s area of study and connecting the student with a community organization for all or part of their hours worked and directed by a Memorial faculty, or staff supervisor.
PROGRAM (GradSWEP)
THE TEACHING SKILLS ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM
is a two-semester, non-credit program that provides graduate students with training and practice in teaching at the undergraduate level. More details on these and additional EDGE programming can be found at: www.mun.ca/sgs/edge.php. SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT 17
Financial Support F U NDING & SC HO L A R SHI PS
FUNDING FROM MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY SOURCES Fellowships Scholarships
Memorial University continues to build on its success to increase graduate student enrolment by providing competitive funding packages and accessing additional financial resources to help support our graduate students in their research activities. Financial support from all sources, internal and external, to Memorial graduate students has once again surpassed $20 million. Internal funding helps students’ professional development through graduate assistantships and conference travel assistance. Our exceptional students are recognized financially from tricouncil agencies, provincial funding agencies and through the support of faculty research grants. All these funding sources give students access to competitive financial support to pursue their studies at Memorial University.
18 SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT
Departmental Funding (includes GAs)
$ 8,642,710 $ 597,323 $ 3,837,645 $ 81,668
Student Conference Travel Assistance T O TA L I N T E R N A L S O U R C E S
$ 13,159,346
FUNDING FROM SOURCES EXTERNAL TO MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY NSERC
$ 585,240
SSHRC
$ 844,951
Research and Development Corporation Scholarships
$ 390,000
Faculty Research Grants
$ 8,258,151
T O TA L E X T E R N A L S O U R C E S
$ 10,078,342
TOTAL FUNDING SOURCES
$ 23,237,688
D U R I N G 2 0 1 6 - 1 7 Y E A R , Memorial provided financial support to 1,764 graduate students, 1,077 master’s students and 687 PhD students. The funding sources include fellowships, graduate assistantships, departmental support, grant funding and scholarships.
Internationalization S G S c o n t i n u e d i t s w o r k i n 2 0 1 6 - 1 7 t o s u p p o r t M e m o r i a l ’s b r o a d e r i n t e r n a t i o n a l i z a t i o n s t r a t e g y by attracting international students and developing high-value support services and programs. Among the more notable achievements are the following: SGS’s international graduate recruitment strategy yielded impressive results. The use of a combination of e-marketing, webinars, foreign social media, and direct sales has helped increase the total number of international graduate students at Memorial by 23 per cent from 2014 to 2016. SGS participated in the 2016 PhD China Workshop in Beijing, recruiting PhD students through a joint sponsorship agreement with the China Scholarship Council, the China Scholarship Council - Memorial University of Newfoundland Joint Funding Program. A similar strategy is underway in a number of countries, including Vietnam, Mexico and Brazil. SGS continues to negotiate MOUs with high-potential partner institutions at various international education conferences. With funding from Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), SGS and the Internationalization Office pursued new institution-level agreements. The MOUs confirm intent between Memorial and its partners to undertake any number of activities, such as: the exchange of faculty members; undergraduate and graduate student mobility; joint research projects, teaching and faculty development; development of joint initiatives with partner institutions, including joint or collaborative degree programs; opportunities for full-degree fee paying undergraduate/graduate study; and an exchange of publications, research materials, or newsletters.
SGS continues to work with Student Life to offer career and professional skills programming for international graduate students. The Enhanced Development of the Graduate Experience (EDGE) program offers a comprehensive range of relevant workshops and sessions for graduate students to make the transition to the labour market more seamless and successful. In 2016, SGS and the Internationalization Office were awarded funding through ACOA’s Business Development Program to continue the Entrepreneurial Training Program for international graduate students. Memorial’s first-of-its-kind program aims to develop both the entrepreneurial attitudes and behaviours as well as provide training in technical and managerial competencies necessary to create new ventures, and makes use of a combination of lectures, social events, special presentations, one-to-one advising, and mentorship.
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SGS Faculty/Staff profile D R . AIMÉE SURPRENANT D E A N , S C H O O L O F G R A D U AT E S T U D I E S Dr. Aimée Surprenant is dean of the School of Graduate Studies and professor in the Department of Psychology. She completed her BA at New York University and her M.Sc. and PhD at Yale University. An expert in the intersection of auditory perception and memory, Dr. Surprenant is the co-author of two books; Human Memory: An Introduction to Research, Data, and Theory, and Principles of Memory. She has also authored, edited and contributed to numerous book chapters, papers, publications
and other scholarly articles. She is a member of the Acoustical Society of America, the Canadian Acoustics Association and the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science and is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association and the Psychonomic Society. She has also served as chair of the Scientific Affairs Committee for the Canadian Psychological Association and is active in Science Atlantic and the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science.
D R . DANINE FARQUHAR S O N A S S O C I AT E D E A N , S C H O O L O F G R A D U AT E S T U D I E S Dr. Danine Farquharson is associate dean of the School of Graduate Studies, and associate professor of English. An established scholar in Irish literature who also teaches literary theory and British literature, Dr. Farquharson is engaged in Cold Water Oil: a joint research project with Dr. Fiona Polack that contributes to the field of energy humanities. They examine how the North Atlantic offshore oil and gas industry is imagined in a wide range of high and popular contexts – everything from
20 SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT
oil company websites, to government-sponsored documentaries to literary fiction. Dr. Farquharson's publications include Shadows of the Gunmen: Violence and Culture in Modern Ireland (Cork UP, 2008, with Dr. Sean Farrell) and Energy Image (forthcoming, with Dr. Arthur Mason). She’s a member of the Petrocultures Research Cluster, the Canadian Association for Irish Studies, and the Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English.
Dr. Aimée Surprenant
School of Graduate Studies Staff (2016-17)
Dean, School of Graduate Studies Dr. Danine Farquharson
Associate Dean, School of Graduate Studies Dr. Susan Drodge
Public Servant in Residence Ms. Katrina Arbuckle
Fellowships Officer Ms. Ruby Barron
Programs Officer Ms. Julie Bowering
Senior Career Development Co-ordinator Ms. Nicole Evans
Entrepreneurship Training Program (ETP) Co-ordinator Ms. Athena Farr
Applications Officer Ms. Heather Harris
Applications Officer
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES 2016-17 PROGRESS REPORT 21
Ms. Ashley Hurley
Ms. Carol Sullivan
Marketing Co-ordinator
Manager, Fellowships and Awards
Ms. Kim Hearn
Ms. Annette Williams
Admissions Officer
Secretary to the Deans
Ms. Cassandra Kean
Ms. Sharon Winsor
Receptionist
Records and Registration Officer
Mr. Andrew Kim
Ms. Chunyan Zhu
Director, Graduate Enrolment Services Ms. Gail Lamkin
Scholarships Officer Mr. Sheridan Moores
Financial Assistant Ms. Dawn Quinton
Programs Assistant Ms. Krista Shea
Committees Secretary
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Recruitment and Retention Co-ordinator
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES MEMORIAL U N I V E R S I T Y OF NEW F OU NDL A ND
ST. JOHN’S
NL
T. 709 864 2445
A1C 5S7
CANADA
F. 709 864 4702
www.mun.ca/sgs
sgs@mun.ca