03/18/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 03/18/2024 13:24
The dynamic work of 40 Brock graduate students and postdoctoral fellows has drawn the attention of the federal government, which recently awarded the rising researchers more than $2 million in Canadian Graduate Scholarships (CGS).
The awards were announced as part of a funding bundle Wednesday, March 13 by Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez on behalf of Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry François-Philippe Champagne.
As part of the same announcement, Brock researchers were granted $477,654 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for early research projects; $206,450 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council to investigate how viruses that infect an insect can be manipulated to avoid infection and disease in humans; and a new Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Child Health Equity and Inclusion.
Among Brock's 40 CGS recipients is Applied Health Sciences PhD student Caroline Hummell, whose research will explore how mentorship impacts the participation of women and girls in sport.
Hummell's personal and academic journey has informed her research. The lifelong basketball player has seen alarming trends along the way from national reports of girls and women dropping out of sport - many expressing a reluctance to return to the field or court following the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In Canada alone, one-third of girls drop out of sport by age 16 and one in four girls currently engaged in sport are not committed to returning. In comparison, only one in 10 boys drop out of sport during the same period," she says.
Hummell's dissertation aims to provide clarity around mentorship as well as best practices for developing, implementing and evaluating sport-based mentorship programs and initiatives so sport organizations can work towards increasing participation rates of girls in sport.
"Mentorship is flagged by major sporting bodies as a potential strategy for keeping girls in sport," she says. "However, little research has explored mentorship for girls in sport to understand how it can address these trends."
Hummell's extensive background in mentorship both on and off the court has given her a grassroots advantage to her research.
"My goal is to be that person who helps build a larger evidence base around sport-based mentorship and program evaluation to inform best practices for researchers and practitioners in the sport sector," she says. "Receiving the funding is an amazing feeling to have others recognize the value in this research."
The Canadian Graduate Scholarships aim to promote and assist research excellence to exceptional graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in criteria set out by the awarding agencies, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Hummell plans to use part of the funding to compensate her study's participants.
"They're making a huge contribution to the research and I'm excited to give something back to them," she says.
In addition to being awarded the CGS Doctoral (CGS D) funding, Hummell is also the first-ever Brock University student to receive the Nelson Mandela Distinction with the scholarship.
The distinction seeks to recognize graduate students conducting research in one or more of five areas that Mandela championed during his lifetime: national unity; democracy, freedom and human rights; leadership; children's participation in society; and children's health.
Only 10 of the highest ranked SSHRC CGS D applications that align with one or more of the five research areas that Mandela championed receive the distinction.
"I am incredibly honoured to be the first recipient of this distinction from Brock," Hummell says. "I hope to pave the way for many other future award winners after me."
In addition to these outstanding accomplishments, Hummell was also provided a supplement doctoral award to her SSHRC CGS D funding that is supported by Sport Canada. The Sport Participation Research Initiative supports research on participation in sport in Canada and the objectives of the Canadian Sport Policy.
As she readies to learn more about mentorship's impact in sport, Hummell is thankful for her own Brock mentors who influenced and played a big part in her academic journey.
"It is one thing to research mentorship for women and another to be fortunate enough to be surrounded by strong, inspiring women mentors myself," she says, reflecting on work with supervisor Corliss Bean, Assistant Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies; dissertation committee members Shannon Kerwin, Associate Professor of Sport Management, Dan Cui, Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies, and Michele Donnelly, Assistant Professor of Sport Management; and Brock's Women in Leadership committee members Ingrid Makus, Associate Professor of Political Science, and Jeannie Mackintosh, Strategic Initiatives Co-ordinator in the Faculty of Social Sciences.
"Each one has played a pivotal role in my growth and development as a young woman in academia."
Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, says "Academic research like Caroline Hummell's can change lives."
"When researchers apply their expertise to societal challenges they can make significant changes to what we know about our world, our culture, our community and ourselves," he says. "Brock's recent success in securing funding through the tri-council research agencies is a reflection of how important the research that happens on campus is. I extend my sincere congratulations and look forward to this research improving lives in Niagara and beyond."
Brock University's 2023 Canadian Graduate Scholarship (CGS) recipients include:
Postdoctoral fellowships:
Doctoral level:
Master's level: