The IDEAlogue SCHOL ARLY ACTIVITY NEWSLETTER • SUMMER 2014 About IDEAlogue The IDEAlogue shares and promotes news about scholarly projects and applied research happening in our Langara community. We aim to shine a spotlight on faculty, staff, and administrators here at the College who are reaching out and applying their knowledge and learning to the world beyond the classroom – whether it be through community partnerships, educational leave, or experimental research. We also aim to connect Langara scholars with information about the potential funding available to them, so if you’re working on a project, please let us know by getting in touch at scholarlyactivity@langara.bc.ca. Be Inspired. THIRD ANNUAL L ANGAR A SCHOL ARSHIP SHOWCASE ED LEAVE 15 ANNOUNCEMENT We are excited to announce that this year’s Showcase will be expanding to two days. Also, the Applications for Education Leave for dates have moved to later in the term to facilitate more student-based projects. Please join us on the 2015/2016 fiscal year (April 1, 2015 – Nov. 19th and 20th from 10:30 to 1:30 in the breezeway between A and B buildings to celebrate March 31, 2016) must be submitted to the faculty and student success in scholarly activity. We are aiming to have presentations grouped Office of the Academic Deans (B241) by by department, so consider getting your department together to highlight your achievements. A Friday, November 14th. template for poster presentation will be available for you to use or as a starting point for a student assignment. A keynote speaker will be part of the program as well. Stay tuned for more details! Inspire Others. Are you involved in exciting applied research or a unique scholarly project? Do you have students who are conducting interesting research as part of their studies? Or are you looking for a great opportunity to give your research poster a second life? Be part of the Langara Scholarship Showcase! GET THE RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT YOU DESERVE. Have a great idea? Working on a community project? Presenting a paper at a conference? Know someone else from the Langara community conducting research? We want to know. We’re looking for faculty, staff, and students who are involved in scholarly activities to Get the recognition and support you share their work, show off their accomplishments, trade ideas with colleagues, and generate deserve. Contact us at 604.323.5249 or interest in applied research. Whether your work is old or new, we want to experience it. If scholarlyactivity@langara.bc.ca. you’d like more information or you’re interested in participating, contact Marg Heldman at 604.323.5499 or Tomo Tanaka at 604.323.5313. We’re looking forward to hearing from you! September Launch for Course-Based Research Ethics Review Process By John Russell, Philosophy Instructor and Chair of the Langara Research Ethics Board Beginning in September 2014, any instructor disciplined inquiry or systematic investigation. submitted in writing and approved before the who is teaching a course that requires or Course-based research involving humans changes are implemented. allows students to engage in research involving that is not conducted solely for pedagogical humans must have approval from the Langara purposes will normally be reviewed by the Research Ethics Board prior to teaching the full Langara REB and follow a separate review course. The deadline for applications for the process. For example, if students are collecting fall semester is August 15, 2014. Applications data for the instructor’s own research or for should be submitted by this date to the Langara another researcher’s study, an application for REB chair, John Russell (jrussell@langara.bc.ca, ethical review would have to be submitted to 604-323-5453). He or a delegated member of the the full Langara REB (see link below). REB will review applications before fall classes commence. A link to the application and related information is at the bottom of this article. Does My Course Require Ethics Review? What If I Have Questions? If you have questions about completing the application, or if questions about the ethical content of student research proposals arise while the course is being taught, please contact John Russell. While the approval of an instructor’s course syllabus is for an indefinite period, one of the purposes of the application Will I Have to Apply Each Time I Teach My Course? process is to establish a relationship with the No. Once the REB chair or delegate is satisfied REB so it can act as a resource for instructors that the course proposal meets appropriate who have questions about the ethical content ethical standards, s/he shall designate the of student research involving humans. Course-based research involving humans must course as a “Research Ethics Approved Course.” be conducted solely for pedagogical purposes The designation shall remain in effect as in order to be eligible for review by the REB long as there are no changes to the nature of chair or another REB member. Such research the research methods that are being utilized will involve collecting data from living human and the mechanisms for ethics training and participants and involve students in activities oversight of student research remain the that, at least notionally, reflect undertakings same. If any of these elements changes, an intended to extend knowledge through a amendment to the Langara REB must be Where Are the Applications and Related Resources? The link to forms and other resources for REB review of course-based research and other research involving humans can be found at www.langara.bc.ca/about-langara/researchethics-board/resources/forms.html A Collaborative Applied-Research Project: Student Engagement with Seniors’ Communities By Janet Douglas (Social Service Worker Instructor) and John Falcus (School of Management Instructor) Janet Douglas and John Falcus, both members “I think more courses should require our of the Scholarly Activity Steering Committee, assignments and projects to be applied to worked together over the past term to create an businesses and nonprofit organizations in our innovative new research opportunity for the community. It gives us a real sense of connection Langara School of Management’s Marketing to our work… I learned a lot about what a senior Research 2100 students. In keeping with the center provides to the people in our community… College’s focus on community-based projects, Their passion for the center is infectious John and Janet approached the South Granville and it was only a matter of time before I felt Senior’s Centre to discuss their interest in emotionally connected to each of them. Now, working together. The Centre is a nonprofit, I feel personally responsible for helping this community-based agency that provides low- senior center improve… I don’t want to let cost and free educational, recreational, social, for a spot on the team. Overall, 16 students and health-related programs and services were able to participate. Four focus groups for seniors in their area. Clemenica Gomez, were conducted by the students and supervised the director of the Centre, was very excited by both faculty members. Team debriefs after about the opportunity and keen to work the sessions revealed an unintended and with Langara students to learn more about unanticipated outcome for the students. Many perceptions of the Centre and how to increase were deeply moved by the seniors’ experiences participation rates. and felt a strong commitment to help find Student interest in the project exceeded John’s expectations – in fact, students had to compete solutions that would benefit the seniors’ lives. One student writes: them down.” Students went on to develop and administer an in-person survey, which strengthened their relationships with the seniors and contributed to the meaningfulness of their project. The findings of the study will be presented to the South Granville Senior’s Centre by the students this summer. Given the success of the project, more work with the Centre is anticipated for future students. Langara Awarded $25,000 NSERC Grant for Biochar Research By Chris Smith, Communications Officer Langara College has been awarded its first ever NSERC (National Science and Engineering Research Council) grant under the College and Community Innovation Program. The Applied Research and Development grant will provide valuable funding to the biochar project developed and led by Chemistry instructor Kelly Sveinson in partnership with McCue Engineering Contractors. “With this applied research project, we aim to protect the environment, give students deep learning opportunities, and potentially create market opportunities for our partner,” says Sveinson. Sveinson launched the biochar project at Langara College in 2011 to explore the science of biochar production and use. The project uses Langara’s experimental biochar reactor to convert a variety of biomass wastes into biochar, a substance similar to charcoal. Biochar has been shown to improve soil quality and can be used as a renewable solid fuel. The goal of this new research is to explore the potential of biochar – which has the ability to adsorb metal ions – as a filter medium in wastewater-cleaning technologies. Biochar made from different sources, and chemically modified biochar, will be tested in an effort to find the optimum metal adsorption characteristics. Sveinson and his team will work with their colleagues at McCue Engineering to ensure the work has direct relevance to industrial applications. “We are excited to receive the support from NSERC to continue important work in biochar research and education,” says Marg Heldman, Dean of the Faculty of Science. “This research work will be foundational in the development of information on biochar capabilities, while providing important opportunities for students to work with researchers and industry partners.” Much of the grant will go towards funding student researchers, giving them valuable technical training in biochar production, laboratory experiments, and data analysis. The College and Community Innovation Program is managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). The Applied Research and Development (ARD) grants are intended to provide companies that operate from a Canadian base with access to the knowledge, expertise, and capabilities available at Canadian colleges and to train students in essential technical skills required by companies. YOUR SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY STEERING COMMITTEE Leelah Dawson Dean, Faculty of Social Science & Management Janet Douglas Faculty, Social Service Worker John Falcus Faculty, Langara School of Management Vivian Feng Librarian, Coordinator, Reference & Instructional Services Margaret Heldman Dean, Faculty of Science Ian Humphreys Vice-President, Strategic Planning and Business Development Lynn Kitchen Manager, Custom Training Brad O’Hara Vice-President, Academic & Provost Indira Prahst Faculty, Sociology John Russell Chair, Langara The Langara College Apiary By Kenneth Naumann, Biology Instructor Langara College established a small apiary in counteract the serious decline of pollinating May of 2014, situated in a lovely spot next to insects. Loss of natural habitat has caused the Langara Community Garden. To discourage a decline of native pollinator species, and people from walking directly up to the hives, the introduction of parasitic mites and the they are surrounded by beds of plants that were emergence of colony-collapse disorder have donated, in part, by the college’s Biology Club. caused huge losses of honey-bee colonies. As The plants will eventually grow tall enough to part of their goal to help make Vancouver form a hedge. one of the world’s most sustainable cities, the There were three main reasons to bring honey bees to campus: educational, environmental, and the sheer joy of watching honey bees at work. From an educational point of view, the workings of honey-bee societies illustrate important biological concepts such as the origin and organization of social behaviour, foraging strategies, and interactions with flowering City Council encourages beekeeping in urban areas: “Urban beekeeping is an excellent way to improve pollination for plants in backyard, community, and public gardens, which leads to better vegetable production.” The apiary could be considered an extension of the city’s ‘pollinator trail,’ a project that provides a swath of forage and nest sites for bees that runs through central Vancouver. College Research plants and other organisms. Honey bees are Ethics Board also simply fascinating. Whenever I work at the If you have not yet visited the bees, stop by on colonies, someone is sure to come by and ask a warm afternoon. Watch for different coloured questions. In the future, groups of students will pellets of pollen on the legs of returning Kelly Sveinson Division Chair, Humanities Tomo Tanaka Division Chair, Creative Arts Heather Workman Chair, Coop be taken on interior tours of the hives, and the foragers. Which plants do you think the bees may be used for small research projects. different colours of pollen are coming from? Establishing an apiary has also been an opportunity for Langara College to help Education & Internship Contact Us Veronica Yeung Administrative Assistant Office of the Academic Deans Phone: 604.323.5690 Email: vyeung@langara.bc.ca For more information, visit the Scholarly Activity site at www.langara.bc.ca/ about/scholarly-activities.html Photo credits: Tomo Tanaka, Kenneth Naumann, Jennifer Oehler How far do you think the foragers have gone? How did they find their way back?