Education

4 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2016 THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG Dr. Reneé Douville in her biology lab with student researchers Alycia Magnusson and Sheena Manghera. Photo by David Lipnowski UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG IS CONNECTING RESEARCH WITH COMMUNITY TO BENEFIT SOCIETY While it may sound technical, the term is actually about sharing research expertise with the greater community. "In essence, research and knowledge mobilization — an important aspect of what we do here — boils down to curious people doing interesting and meaningful work, and engaging with the community for mutual benefit. It's a big part of the value that The University of Winnipeg delivers," explains Dr. Annette Trimbee, President and Vice- Chancellor. That's precisely the vision that inspired Russell Anthony, a UWinnipeg alumnus, to help establish the institution's new Knowledge Mobilization and Community Impact (KMCI) Program with a $250,000 gift. Unveiled in October, the KMCI program is supported by The Anthony-Swaity Knowledge Impact Fund — co-named to honour Anthony's uncle, the late Paul Swaity. The fund is augmented by a significant bequest from the estate of Wallace Schram. "The core to this program is engagement," states Anthony. "It will help researchers translate their findings in ways that allow their work to get out and impact society at large for positive change — not just share information, but actually engage, to the benefit of society." And there is no shortage of research and knowledge at UWinnipeg available to mobilize. Examples include: Dr. Melanie O'Gorman (Faculty of Business and Economics) is presently studying the economic impact of clean drinking water on First Nation communities. The new Prairie Climate Centre on campus is a partnership with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD); it is sharing information to help decision makers plan for the effects of climate change across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Dr. Catherine Taylor recently headed a national study that found most Canadian school administrators want to offer supports to enhance the safety and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, Two Spirit, queer, and questioning (LGBTTQ*) students. Dr. Renée Douville's lab team is pursuing research that will translate into improved quality of life and care for patients with virus-associated brain disorders, like ALS and schizophrenia. Geography professors Dr. Gina Sylvestre and Dr. Nora Casson are studying the relationship between weather and winter walking conditions, to help policy makers better allocate limited snow clearing resources. Additionally, UWinnipeg has, to date, launched 44 experiential learning projects across a range of departments. Experiential learning — an engaged and interactive method of discovery — is a key component of academic excellence and another strong priority at UWinnipeg. These impactful initiatives focus on areas such as feminist art and resistance, prairie ecology, and outdoor recreation. Yet another driver of knowledge mobilization is the recently launched "Experts Guide". The searchable online tool is designed to help those outside of campus — journalists, government, industry, and entrepreneurs — connect with UWinnipeg's wide range of researchers and subject experts. While mobilizing knowledge sounds like a simple, sensible, and obvious concept — it's relatively uncommon in practice. Formal knowledge mobilization programs exist only at a handful of larger Canadian universities. That's why the new KMCI Program at UWinnipeg is significant. It's also why the program's co-benefactor is optimistic about its success. Russell Anthony believes UWinnipeg's history as an effective incubator of ideas and its community relationships will make the knowledge mobilization program a model for other institutions. He also predicts a successful program will naturally help drive student recruitment, alumni support, and wider community regard. "I believe this idea of getting research out into the community and using it for positive social change is the future mark of a successful university," he adds. "As important as research is, it needs to get out into the community." ❚ "I believe this idea of getting research out into the community and using it for positive social change is the future mark of a successful university." The notion of "mobilizing knowledge" is increasingly used in reference to research at The University of Winnipeg. It's only fitting: the high-level concept was identified as one of the institution's strategic priorities last fall.

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