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| Chris Blanchard is among the Dalhousie professors receiving research funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. |
Chris Blanchard wants to find out why people recovering from pulmonary illnesses often don’t get the exercise they need, even when they know it will improve their health.
“Is it the disease? Are they lazy about exercise? Have they had bad experiences with exercise?” he asks. “We really want to know why they’re not doing exercise and what can we do to tailor our programs to make sure they do.”
Dr. Blanchard, associate professor with the Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology) and Capital Health, is getting the chance to answer those questions thanks to the latest round of funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Ten Dalhousie researchers have been awarded more than $1 million in funding through SSHRC Standard Research Grants this year.
Dr. Blanchard’s research, which is receiving $146,000 in funding, will survey patients in 10 pulmonary rehabilitation programs across the country, checking in with them as they start and finish their programs and at three, six and nine months afterwards.
Hélène Deacon, assistant professor with the Department of Psychology, is receiving $136,039 to study how children develop knowledge in one language and apply that knowledge to learning a second language. Her research is particularly timely with the announcement of significant changes in New Brunswick’s early French immersion programs. The early immersion program that currently begins in Grade 1 will be discontinued in September in favor of an intensive French program for students starting in Grade 5.
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| Professor Hélène Deacon studies how children learn to speak and understand languages. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
“This research won’t sway (that decision) in one direction or another,” says Dr. Deacon. “But we do know that early immersion is effective. Children can transfer knowledge from one language to another. And it's not too much to ask children to do at a Grade 1 level.”
Howard Ramos, assistant professor with the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, has been awarded $95,600 to conduct a study on how non-governmental agencies (NGOs) are able to influence political debate and the media. For example, Dr. Ramos will examine if gay and lesbian organizations were able to influence the political debate around gay marriage.
“I’m interested in the rise of aboriginal, environmental and gay and lesbian issues,” says Dr. Ramos. “Do NGOs influence political debate and media coverage? And vice-versa: does political debate and media coverage influence the NGOs?”
Also included in today’s announcement were the results of the first Management, Business and Finance Special Call for Proposals. An interdisciplinary team led by Raymond Klein of the Department of Psychology will receive $240,500 to study improving worker safety in the offshore oil industry, and Elaine Toms will receive $90,000 to study serendipity within knowledge work.
SSHRC also announced $1.2 million in funding for a “strategic knowledge cluster” led by Dean Irvine of the Department of English. The project, titled “Editing Modernism in Canada,” comprises 32 researchers in universities across Canada, the United States, the U.K. and France and seeks to re-invigorate interest in Canadian literature’s earlier generation.
Finally, 20 master’s students and 13 PhD students are receiving funding from SSHRC for their research, a total investment of $1,330,000. The master’s awards are each worth $17,500, while the PhD awards range from $20,000 to $105,000.
The other Dalhousie faculty receiving Standard Research Grants are:
- Peter Aucoin, Political Science: “Corporate Governance in Government Departments: Canada in Comparative Perspective.” ($82,396)
- John Barresi, Psychology: “Conceiving of self and other in the same way.” ($66,632)
- Philip Girard, Law: “Canadian Legal History, 1500-2000.” ($137,122)
- Dean Irvine, English: “Sinister Plots: Masculinist Modernisms and Modernist Masculinities in Canada.” ($58,924)
- Mohamed Khimji, Law: “Separate Legal Personality and Limited Liability in Canadian Corporate Law: An Empirical and Economic Analysis.” ($117,163)
- Christopher Moore, Psychology: “Interactive and Observational Learning in Toddlers.” ($145,862)
- Kevin Quigley, Public Administration: “Critical Infrastructure Protection in Comparative Perspective: Contextual Factors that Influence the Exchange of Sensitive Information.” ($50,190)
READ: News release from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)