Postsecondary students share stories about why social
sciences and humanities research matters
SASKATOON, SK, May 6, 2024
/CNW/ - Today, Ted Hewitt, president
of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of
Canada (SSHRC), announced the
winners of the 2024 Storytellers Challenge. SSHRC's annual
Storytellers Challenge calls on postsecondary students to
demonstrate—in up to three minutes or 300 words—how SSHRC-funded
research is making a difference in the lives of Canadians.
Students submit stories in the format of their choice about
Canadian social sciences and humanities research and how it helps
improve our society and the world. Hewitt made the announcement as
part of this year's Science Writers and Communicators of
Canada (SWCC) conference.
This year's five winners are:
- Harmata Aboubakar, from the University of Toronto, who spoke about the
transformation of memory and identities through an analysis of the
shifting transnational collective memory of Kenya's 1952-1960 Mau
Mau (Land and Freedom) Uprising. What was initially
condemned as an anti-colonial event against Great Britain is now celebrated as a major
historical example of colonized peoples seeking justice and
self-determination.
- Olivia Abram, from the
University of Saskatchewan and
Leah Alfred-Olmedo, from The
University of British Columbia, who
described the challenges graduate students and early-career
researchers face when it comes to collaboration in academia—a group
they call "fledging" collaborators. The presentation by
Alfred-Olmedo (Kwakwaka'wakw) and Abram (settler) discussed the
systemic incompatibility of academia and collaboration and called
for creating opportunities for more meaningful collaboration in the
Indigenous literary arts and research in general.
- Nancy Lin, from The
University of British Columbia, who
explained that people with cognitive, motor, language and
perceptual impairments resulting from acquired brain injury (ABI)
face difficult psychosocial recoveries, which can be barriers to
receiving existing mental health treatments as they are not
designed to accommodate differences in ability. This project will
identify an inventory of research-based and practice-based
accommodations that will contribute to future research on designing
and providing fully accessible mental health treatments.
- Jul Jeonghyun Parke, from
the University of Toronto, who told us
about the juxtaposition between market research that asserts that
white and female influencers are disproportionately favoured by
both audiences and brands, yet in the virtual influencer world,
where CGI- or AI-rendered characters imitate the work of human
social media influencers, an overwhelming majority of virtual
humans represent themselves as ethnic minorities. This project
addresses the critical questions of who creates virtual social
media influencers, and what drives their choice of race and ethnic
identity in the design of these nonhuman agents?
- Madeline Springle, from
the University of Calgary, who shared a
story about how asynchronous video interviews (AVIs) allow for
flexibility for both job applicants and hiring organizations, yet
individual video backgrounds can reveal personal information about
an applicant such as socioeconomic status (SES) through visual cues
about their living environment. This may influence their evaluation
with those applicants perceived to be from a lower SES rated as
less hireable based on an association of less affluence with lower
professional competence and job performance, pointing to the use of
a standardized AVI virtual background for a more equitable
evaluation process.
The Final Five winners were selected
from 20 Storytellers finalists, who were chosen from a highly
competitive field of over 200 submissions from students across the
country. Each finalist received $3,000, research communications training and the
opportunity to present their story in front of an audience and a
panel of judges at the SSHRC Storytellers Showcase during the SWCC
conference. The Final Five winners receive an additional
$1,000 each, in recognition of their
outstanding ability to communicate research.
Social sciences and humanities research helps us understand what
it means to be human and points the way toward a better future for
all. While research can often seem abstract, stories and
storytelling can help translate complex projects into ideas and
concepts we can all understand, appreciate and learn from.
Quotes
"Congratulations to the 2024 Storytellers Challenge finalists
and winners! Beyond the knowledge demonstrated by these
postsecondary students, their creativity and their commitment to
sharing their passion for social sciences and humanities research
are impressive. By making knowledge accessible to all, they have a
direct impact on the well-being of Canadians and contribute to the
promising future of research in a range of disciplines in
Canada."
—The Honourable François-Philippe
Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
"Congratulations to this year's Storytellers Challenge finalists
and the Final Five winners on their impressive storytelling and
outstanding research communication efforts! Their knowledge
mobilization skills bring a diversity of ideas to life, help make
research more accessible, and demonstrate the impacts of social
sciences and humanities research to Canadians in new and inspiring
ways."
—Ted Hewitt, President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research
Council
Quick facts
- A jury of communications experts chose the Final Five winners:
- Sumeep Bath, editorial and communications manager,
International Institute for Sustainable Development
- Estelle Chamoux, professor, cell biology and
science communication, Bishop's
University
- Joanna Smith,
editor-in-chief, Kathari News
- The Storytellers Challenge is a postsecondary competition in
Canada that accepts written,
graphic, audio and video submissions.
- An additional Engagement Prize of $1,000 was awarded to Laura Killam from Queen's University, one of
the Top 20 finalists in the Storytellers Challenge, for her
excellent work in promoting the Challenge, her submission and those
of her fellow finalists. The winner of this prize is selected by
her peers among the Top 20 finalists.
- The Canada Foundation for Innovation helped sponsor the 2024
Storytellers Challenge showcase.
Associated links
- 2024 Storytellers Gallery
- Storytellers Challenge
Stay connected
Follow SSHRC on social media.
X: @SSHRC_CRSH | #SSHRCStorytellers, Facebook:
@ResearchFunding, Instagram: @SSHRC_CRSH, and LinkedIn
SOURCE Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of
Canada