On Wednesday, the University of Alberta team gathered to celebrate the holidays and our progress this year. The event was an excellent opportunity to strengthen our cross faculty team connection. 

Several graduate students had the opportunity to present, receive feedback and engage in discussion about their ongoing research.

The presentations were followed by a potluck lunch and white elephant gift exchange.

Presentations

Augustine Farinola presented second. Augustine is a PHD student working in the project “Advanced digital technologies and immigration governance in comparative perspectives” led by Geoffrey Rockwell. The project is examining privacy and data security in the context of ADTs, immigration service organizations, and newcomers in Canada, particularly focusing on medium and large sized cities. 

Augustine’s presentation focused on the use of textual analysis to explore the experience of Canadian immigrants.

Tyra Mensah presented third. Tyra is a masters student working on the project “Community gardening for cultural food security and mental wellbeing: A mixed methods research with newcomer youth and seniors in Canada” led by Elizabeth Onyango. The project is using community gardens to examine the relationship between mental health and food insecurity among high risk immigrant groups including youths and seniors. 

Tyra outlined how her research would examine the relationship between community gardens and the wellbeing of specific immigrant groups.

Each presentation was followed by a short Q&A period where the team could engage in discussion with the presenter.

While our team is still in the early stages of their projects, the presentations were a valuable opportunity to receive feedback and build team connections.