Topic: Storytelling as Medicine: Autoethnography of a Two-Spirit Anishinaabe Nurse Practitioner. Overview: Looking at decolonising health care practices, Zongwe’s research will explore the use of a ceremonial self-reflective practice to promote resilience and address compassion fatigue in nurses. Zongwe creates social change through storytelling in her podcast, “Under the Same Stars” and weekly radio show, “Zee’s Place” on CILU 102.7FM. […]

Grad Chat - Queen's School of Graduate Studies

Zongwe Binesikwe, PhD candidate, Nursing, supervised by Dr Mary Smith

Topic: Queen’s Annual Northern Research Symposium. Overview:  What is the Northern Research Symposium and why it is important to all of us.  Learn more and how to participate on the Symposium website

Carrie Ewins (Biology), Carolyn Bonta and Yifeng Wang (Geography & Planning)

Topic: “How does the coordination of your lower body change based on how high you jump?”. Overview:  By understanding the lower extremity coordination patterns that people use to jump to submaximal and maximal heights, my research can help further knowledge in how to train athletes to jump higher and how to help athletes recover following injury. […]

Robert Mackowiak, MSc candidate, Biomechanics (Kinesiology & Health Studies), supervised by Dr Pat Costigan

Topic: Understanding the lived experiences of spouses who are separated in long-term care facilities. . Overview:  The aim of my research is to explore the lived experiences of older adults who are separated from their partners in two separate long-term care facilities – specifically in relation to feelings of loneliness and isolation

Madison Robertson, PhD candidate, Health Quality, supervised by Dr Rylan Egan

Topic: Women’s Representation in New Democracies: Underrepresentation of Ethnic Minority Women in Burmese Politics. Overview:  My research will investigate how political parties’ actions and attitudes contribute to this underrepresentation, particularly in regions with high concentrations of ethnic minorities.

Isabella Aung PhD candidate, Political Studies, supervised by Dr Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant & Dr Stephanie Martel

Topic: Zambian Political History. Overview:  I am studying the Chona Commission, a constitutional review commission that ushered in the era of the single party state in post colonial Zambia, 1972/3

Diane Whitelaw, PhD candidate, History, supervised by Dr Mark Epprecht

Topic: Racialized sexual attractions and sexual responses Overview:  I’m specifically interested in examining Black people’s sexual responses relative to white people’s.

Trinda Penniston, MSc candidate, Psychology, supervised by Dr Meredith Chivers

Topic: ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) in the Canadian energy sector Overview:  I am taking a deep dive into sustainability reporting for major Canadian energy companies to identify gaps and key areas that are material to their business, which may help to de-risk some of the social, political, and technological issues as well as public perception related to […]

Annie Jian, Masters student in Earth and Energy Resources Leadership

Topic: The Double Minority Dilemma and Conflict Settlement Negotiations in Cyprus and Northern Ireland. Overview:  My research outlines the theory of the Double Minority Dilemma (DMD) which argues that each community’s security dilemma is defined by their perception of their own minority status both domestically and in combination with the geopolitical environment of third-party actors, which serves […]

Samantha Twietmeyer, PhD candidate, Political Studies, supervised by Dr John McGarry

Topic: Retinal Implants. Overview:  My research looks at ways to lower the cost of retinal implants for people with age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa, two of the most common outer retinal degenerative problems and the predominant cause of most blind related diseases.

Iman Abdali Mashhadi, PhD candidate, Electrical & Computer Engineering, supervised by Dr Majid Pahlevani

Topic: Changing the landscape: A critical race informed narrative inquiry of a Canadian University told by racialized students.. Overview:  The proposed research study will use community based participatory research principle that prioritize racialized student experiences to design, conduct and assess a training resource to progress diversity , equity and inclusion from a state of awareness to action […]

Deborah Francis, DSc candidate, Rehabilitation & Health Leadership, supervised by Dr Janet Jull

Topic: The Galaxy Manifold: A statistical and systematic analysis of intrinsic galaxy properties. Overview:  I am exploring a multi-dimensional approach to galaxy modeling. Most traditional analysis is performed on correlations of two parameters at a time. I am developing a framework for examining trends in any number of parameters simultaneously. I use machine learning models and techniques […]

Connor Stone, PhD candidate, Astrophysics, supervised by Professor Stephane Courteau

Topic: The long-term ecological consequences of gold mining operations, urbanization, and climatic changes on sub-Arctic lakes near Yellowknife (Northwest Territories, Canada). Overview:  The lack of long-term environmental monitoring data poses significant challenges to understanding the impacts of past anthropogenic activities on freshwater ecosystems. However, we can use natural archives (e.g. lake sediments that accumulate continuously) to fill […]

Branaavan Sivarajah, PhD candidate, Biology, supervised by Dr John Smol

Topic: Using paleolimnology to reconstruct past seabird populations. Overview:  Most seabird populations are in decline. However, because of sparse monitoring it is impossible to know when the population began to decline. My research uses lake sediments to address this lack in delivery. I am to answer key questions in conservation biology, such as “What are the drivers […]

Matthew Duda, PhD candidate, Biology, supervised by Dr John Smol

Topic: Ideology, Production, and Reproduction in the work of Virginia Woolf, Marie Stopes, and H.D. Overview:  My research looks at how the emergence of debates in the 1920s and 30s regarding reproduction and sexuality influenced the work of three modernist writers.

Andrew Moffitt, PhD candidate, English Language & Literature, supervised by Dr Gabrielle McIntire

A 30 minute radio show featuring one to two graduate students each week. This is an opportunity for our grad students to showcase their research to the Queen’s and Kingston community and how it affects us. From time to time we will also interview a post-doc or an alum or interview grad students in relation to something topical for the day. Grad Chat is a collaboration between the School of Graduate Studies and CFRC 101.9FM