What’s new with 2024’s Aspiration 2030 Research Clusters
October 17, 2024
Three new research clusters were announced in the June Bulletin. When we checked in to see what their first few months have brought, they all had impactful activities to report.
Society-Engaged AI and Robotics (seAIR)
The Society-Engaged AI and Robotics (seAIR) Research Cluster, led by Marianne Black, Homayoun Najjaran, Audrey Yap and Regan Mandryk, hosted a seminar that brought together people from across campus interested in AI and robotics.
The “Balancing Innovation and Risk: AI Governance and Emerging Legal Frameworks’ seminar featured Michael Litchfield, director of the Business Law Centre and adjunct assistant professor in the School of Public Administration.
The cross-campus appeal is obvious: attendees included fifty researchers from six faculties, including students at all levels, post-doctoral fellows, and junior and senior faculty from Philosophy, Chemistry, Writing, Biochemistry, Visual Arts, Law, Public Administration, Early Childhood Education, Computer Science and Civil, Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering.
The next seminar will feature Midori Ogasawara, assistant professor in Sociology: “Mass Surveillance & Artificial Intelligence: The Key Issues and Socio-Historical Accounts”
October 25 at 11:30-12:30 in ECS 660
Please reach out to Marianne Black for questions or to get involved.
Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Research Cluster
The Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Research Cluster, led by Caroline Cameron, Renée Monchalin and Astrid Pérez Piñán, has already added one new cluster member and submitted a Notice of Intent for the , reports Cameron. "The focus is on community engagement for syphilis vaccine acceptability and using the results to guide biomedical syphilis vaccine design.”
They’ve also identified interdisciplinary funding opportunities over the next year that cluster members can apply for, established a process to provide mentoring and support for the cluster’s early-career investigators, and developed a form to collect monthly metrics from cluster members, including grant applications submitted, grants awarded, publications, presentations and whether the cluster support has been acknowledged.
The Dementia-Friendly Aspiration Research Cluster
The Dementia-Friendly Aspiration Research Cluster hosted a , bringing 30 people together to discuss opportunities and priorities for dementia-friendly communities.
“Our long-term aspiration is to build capacity for interdisciplinary research that supports the quality of life and health of persons living with dementia, their family members, and care providers across diverse community settings with impact at local, regional, national and international levels,” says Jodie Gawryluk, one of the cluster leads along with Denise Cloutier, Mariko Sakamoto and Stuart MacDonald.
In line with the priorities discussed at that meeting, the cluster has already been funded to carry out a community-engaged research project throughout the Comox Valley. aims to create dementia-friendly communities through education.
In partnership with organizations including the BC Dementia Care Society and the Alzheimer Society of BC, cluster members have submitted or are working on grant applications for the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Retired Teachers of Ontario/Enseignantes et Enseignants Retraités de l’Ontario (RTOERO) Foundation, New Horizons for Seniors, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and New Frontiers in Research Fund. All of the proposed projects aim to create communities that are inclusive and welcoming for people with dementia.