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 Trent University Receives $2.4 Million for Three Canada Research ChairsFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Trent Prepares to Welcome Newest Canada Research Chair in Feminism and Gender Studies Tuesday, June 10, 2008, Peterborough Research at Trent University received a substantial boost today with the announcement that the federal government’s Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program will invest $2.4 million to create one new CRC position and to renew two existing chairholders at the University. Considered one of the most prestigious research appointments in the country, the CRC positions will continue supporting the work of Dr. Bryan Palmer, chairholder in Canadian Studies, and Dr. James D. Parker, chairholder in emotion and health. Trent’s newest Canada Research Chair in feminist and gender studies, Dr. Carol Williams, brings the total number of Canada Research Chairs at Trent to eleven. “Today’s announcement adds significant momentum to the exceptional quality and far-reaching impact of the research taking place at Trent University across the humanities, social sciences and sciences,” said President Bonnie M. Patterson. “Not only will this investment continue fostering research excellence at Trent, it will enrich the learning experience for our students as they study side by side with these leading scholars.” Professor Bryan Palmer Professor James D. Parker Professor Carol Williams “The Canada Research Chairs Program helps to position Canadian universities as world-class research centres,” said Chad Gaffield, President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and head of the CRC Program’s steering committee. "With the help of funds from the CRC Program, researchers are finding solutions to today's social, health and economic issues and are training the next generation of innovative scientists and scholars.” One of Canada's top universities, Trent University is renowned for striking a unique balance between outstanding teaching and leading-edge research. The University is consistently recognized nationally for faculty who maintain a high level of innovative research activity and a deep commitment to the individual student. Distinguished by excellence in the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences and increasingly popular professional and graduate programs, Trent is dedicated to providing its students with an exceptional world view, producing graduates who are ready to succeed and make a difference in the world. Trent's Peterborough campus boasts award-winning architecture in a breathtaking natural setting on the banks of the Otonabee River. Together with its satellite campus in Oshawa, Trent draws excellent students from throughout the country and around the world. The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure. The CFI's mandate is to strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians. For a complete listing of CFI contributions, please visit www.innovation.ca . -30- For further information, please contact: Brittany Cadence |
Prof. Palmer has utilized the Canada Research Chair to maintain and strengthen his position as one of Canada’s leading figures, nationally and internationally, in the fields of labour and social history. His distinguished record of book and journal-article publications, many reappearing in translation around the world, compliment his editorship of Labour/Le Travail, recognized internationally as one of the leading journals in its field. A public intellectual who speaks regularly to trade union and advocacy groups, Prof. Palmer was also recently cited in a Supreme Court of Canada decision on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ relation to collective bargaining. Trent University will receive $200,000 per year for the next seven years from the CRC program for this Tier One chair position. Prof. Palmer is also chair of Trent’s Canadian Studies department.
While holding the CRC in “Emotion and Health” at Trent, Prof. Parker completed three broad projects on relationships among emotional abilities and various outcome variables (i.e., health; academic achievement). This work has been disseminated via eight book chapters, 20 peer-reviewed papers, eleven invited addresses or colloquia, 39 peer-reviewed papers or posters at various conferences, and 18 workshops. He also contributed to the training of a large number of graduate students (relative to the numbers at the University), as well as further established a solid national and international reputation as an expert in the field of emotion and health issues. In March 2007, Prof. Parker was selected as the national psychometric expert by the CBC TV for their inaugural instalment of the Test the Nation program. To advance Prof. Parker’s next research phase as a Tier Two chair, Trent University will receive $100,000 per year for the next five years. Prof. Parker is also the associate vice president of research at Trent University.
Trent’s newest Canada Research Chair, Prof. Williams will begin her appointment on July 1, 2008 with Trent’s Women’s Studies department. Her research explores the historical perceptions and interpretive frameworks of Aboriginal women’s economic agency in the geographic region characterized generally as the ‘North American West.’ Another strand of her research investigates shifts in Aboriginal women’s political and cultural consciousness – and the diverse community organizations that are the result. Further, it determines how women’s presence, whether in the labour force as workers or the public sphere as activists, transforms popular perception and tribal communities on or off the reservation or reserve. Trent will receive $100,000 per year for five years to support Prof. Williams’ research as a Tier Two chairholder.