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FASS News
New research grants kickstart projects and inspire interdisciplinary collaborations
Last fall, Dean Laurel Weldon announced new initiatives to support research at FASS and to increase funding opportunities which will showcase the innovative and pioneering work by FASS researchers and their collaborators.
"It is a FASS priority to enhance research activity and to build vibrant research communities throughout the university. These two new FASS grant programs open up new opportunities for us to work together to realize this vision."
- Laurel Weldon, FASS Dean
The Kickstarter Seed Grant helps get new projects off the ground. Kickstarter grants provide funding for FASS faculty members to bring greater visibility and/or engagement to their research and cultivates projects that are likely to secure external funding.
The Breaking Barriers Interdisciplinary Incentive Grant encourages research collaboration. Breaking Barriers grants support teams made up of at least two disciplines and involve faculty members from outside of FASS. These projects aim to deepen our understanding of the world’s most pressing issues, and to create solutions to these problems.
Kickstarter Seed
The initiative funded 33 Kickstarter projects which range from producing podcasts, hosting townhalls, expanding digital access to materials, to amplifying the experiences of those marginalized by age, race, class, gender, sexual orientation, or ability by fostering new connections with communities outside of SFU.
45
award
recipients
33
research
projects
12
fields
of study
Breaking Barriers
FASS researchers rose to the challenge to develop new interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle a wide range of complex problems. Seven Breaking Barriers projects in total have been funded.
7
Team
Awards
30
Researchers
14
Collaborative
fields
of study
Grant recipients had many great things to say about these two new grants. Here is a selection of their feedback:
"The video being developed using the Kickstarter Fund is part of a series of videos we are developing across different cities in Metro Vancouver for Mobility, Access and Participation (MAP) Partnership Grant's Stakeholders Walkability/Wheelability Audit in Neighbourhood (SWAN) project. The Kickstarter fund is being used to develop the video with study participants and coresearchers in the City of Burnaby."
Atiya Mahmood, Gerontology, Kickstarter Seed recipient
"The Molyvos Connections project team is preparing for its trip to Greece. With institutional support from SFU, students, researchers and community members will be delving into family archives and local material culture as they seek to situate a small part of the North Aegean in global geographies, all by way of a rich family archive that spans nearly one hundred years of history."
Dimitrios Krallis, Global Humanities, Kickstarter Seed recipient
"The Breaking Barriers grant is so important for our SSHRC Insight Grant team to conduct essential research on worker driven social responsibility in the Canadian context. We are all excited to create further research collaboration opportunities between Beedie and the School of Public Policy on the most pressing global challenges impacting British Columbia, Canada, and the world today."
Ali Bhagat, School of Public Policy, Breaking Barriers recipient
"Much Indigenous knowledge has been forgotten, so our project focuses on the star lore of Salish peoples with the intent of reclaiming their insights about the night sky. The intent of our research is revitalize customary wisdom and share it with the campus community."
Eldon Yellowhorn, Indigenous Studies, Breaking Barriers recipient
"The Kickstarter grant is allowing me to reach running communities that I would not be able to connect with otherwise. I'm studying running crews and collectives, especially those that centre women, LGBTQI+ and BIPOC runners in their practice. This research can't be done without fieldwork and the ability to be with and run with people in the same space."
Lindsey Freeman, Sociology and Anthropology, Kickstarter Seed recipient
Images provided by Lindsey Freeman.
Lists of grant recipients
As these research projects get underway, we will share their progress, successes, and impacts. Bookmark FASS News and follow us on social media for updates.