Course on 'mobilizing' arts knowledge

an announcement from the faculty of arts

The Faculty of Arts is launching a new interdisciplinary graduate seminar called “Knowledge Mobilization to Serve Society.” Knowledge mobilization — getting university research out to policymakers and practitioners who can use it — has become an increasingly important part of successful scholarship.

Academic excellence includes “service to society through the transfer of knowledge”, notes UW’s Strategic Research Plan. This new course, which will be offered during the 2007 winter term, is one of the first of its kind and will equip students with the background and tools needed for such socially-responsive knowledge transfer.

This initiative is one of UW’s responses to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council’s call for more effective and extensive mobilization of university knowledge. In its recent Strategic Plan, 2006-2011, Canada’s federal funding agency underscored the importance of humanities and social sciences research to Canadians: “Humanities and social sciences ideas can have enormous impact on society. There are the paradigm-shifting ideas of great philosophers, historians, economists and psychologists and there is the practical knowledge coming from research that helps us understand and address immediate issues such as third-world poverty, security and human rights, education, and health-care delivery.”

Dean of Arts Ken Coates is pleased to see this new course go forward: “Researchers in the arts disciplines produce work of incalculable value to society at large. We have, however, often fallen into the practice of leaving the work of mobilization of our ideas to others and have largely kept our research and insights to ourselves. This course is part of a broader initiative to take greater responsibility for moving the fruits of our research out of the academy and to engage more directly with those seeking to create societal change.”

The for-credit course will be led by psychology professor Kathleen Bloom, who also directs the Canadian Centre for Knowledge Mobilization and Research Works! for child literacy. She will augment her own knowledge and experience by inviting policymakers, practitioners, journalists, and SSHRC representatives to give public guest lectures on topics related to knowledge mobilization.

The seminar will include discussion of conceptual issues as well as hands-on learning from the perspective of the students’ own research interests. Students will be given opportunities to work together in teams and to meet with community stakeholders both face-to-face and online. “Effective mobilization of knowledge is a two-way process,” says Bloom. “It’s built on partnerships between those who produce new knowledge and those who can use it. This is how decisions about social issues extend beyond opinions and beliefs. This is how researchers make their knowledge count.”

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The president's 25,000 signatures

by Michael Strickland

The importance of story-telling and of the personal touch emerged as two dominant themes during a panel discussion on "The Presidential Reality" in university advancement held on Monday morning.

Sixty advancement professionals turned out for a session at the Accelerator Centre in the north campus Research and Technology Park. UW president David Johnston was joined by MaryLynn West-Moynes, president of Mohawk College and UW graduate, as well as by Marnie Spears, president and CEO of consulting firm Ketchum Canada, which has UW and many other non-profit organizations as clients.

Johnston talked about the importance of personally signing letters that go out from the institution — in his case, some 25,000 letters each year to potential students, alumni and others. West-Moynes continued the point by recounting how her son, a UW graduate, was impressed when he received a congratulatory letter from Johnston. He challenged Mom to do the same, and it's a challenge she plans to accept.

The forum was organized by the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education and moderated by the director of Campaign Waterloo, Linda Kieswetter.

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Pixels in the big picture

Here's a word from the 50th anniversary committee, forwarded by co-op student Diego Merino, who's working hard to make plans for 2007 into realities: "If you are excited about UW's 50th anniversary, enjoy volunteering at fun events, and want a free UW 50th anniversary T-shirt, then we invite you to show your school spirit and volunteer at the anniversary launch event scheduled on January 11 between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. To sign up, please complete the volunteer e-form and we will contact you with the date and time of the first volunteer meeting (in November) when volunteers sign up for specific roles, some of which include decorators, greeters, and activity leaders. All UW students, staff, faculty and retirees are welcome."

The UW-based Christian rock band Critical Mass received the International Group of the Year award at last week's convention of the United Catholic Music and Video Association, held in Davenport, Iowa. . . . The Federation of Students is running an online poll "to gauge people's music interests for Bomber Wednesdays as it has been changed since it reopened in September". . . . The UW continuing education office is presenting a two-day course on "Project Management Essentials", Wednesday and Thursday of next week. . . . 

Fontasy Signs of Markham, Ontario, installed a three-panel information kiosk earlier this month (left) in the Peter Russell Rock Garden south of the Math and Computer building. The panels describe some of the rocks as well as the geology of the campus in general. Funds for the display were given to celebrate the life of William Small (1917-2003). Bill Small was born in Leshan, Sichuan Province, China, and served as bursar at the West China Union University, Chengdu, 1941-49, and later as vice- president (administration) at York University. He was a founding member (1971) of the Canadian China Society.

A UW research team is seeking young volunteers with Down syndrome for a new vision research project. Susan Leat, a professor of optometry, heads the project studying the impact of bifocal glasses on vision and perception as well as educational progress in children and teenagers with Down syndrome. The project, entitled Bifocal Provision in Children with Down Syndrome, is recruiting participants aged six to 18 years old. Leat has already shown that up to 80 per cent of children with Down syndrome have a reduced ability to see clearly for close tasks such as reading and writing. Bifocals can give clear vision at distance and for near tasks. Also, bifocals may improve the early reading skills of children with Down syndrome, thereby improving school performance. Experience demonstrates that they perform well with bifocals when prescribed in a clinical setting. Leat said that reading and perceptual skills, along with aspects of vision, will be measured before children are given new bifocal glasses, and at 6 and 12 months after. "We expect to show that there is a significant improvement in early reading and perceptual skills with bifocal glasses, compared with the usual rate of development in these children," Leat said. To participate, call ext. 3-2040.

And finally, a reminder of two things that aren't happening today. The "internship fair" originally announced for today has been postponed, with the new date not set yet; the staff talent show that was originally planned for tonight is being rescheduled for some time in the new year.

CAR

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