Conference Schedule 

Land Acknowledgement and Indigenous Elders' Blessings & Teachings (University Commons Atrium)

Elder Marilyn Buffalo

Facilitator: Benjamin Kucher (IGSA)

Opening Panel: "The Future is Interdisciplinary, How do We Pave the Road?"  (Rm. 1-480)

Facilitators: Olesya Kochkina (SGSA) & Calvin Kruger (NGSA)

Building on the rich experience of our panelists in interdisciplinary research and praxis, this panel will explore what are the features of an effective, authentically interdisciplinary project, and what skills we, as scholars and practitioners, need to master to be able to make meaningful connections across disciplines. 

Panellists:

• Dr. Heather Young-Leslie, Professor, Special Project Lead at the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies

• Dr. Danielle Peers, Associate Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation

• Dr. Yelena Gluzman, Assistant Professor, Science, Technology, & Society Studies Department of Art and Design, Media & Technology Studies Unit

• Aninder (Angie) Grewal, PhD Student, Faculty of Nursing

Session #1: "Queerness, Identity, & Politics" (Rm. 1-090)

Session Chair: Navarra Houldin (WGSSA) 

Presenters:

• Maxton Salle, "Queer Togetherness Through Anonymity" 

• Maddie Dempsey, "Feminizing Autism; How Late Diagnosis is Harming Autistic Women"

• Wenny Fan, "Queer Bodies Behind Bars: Experiences of and Attitudes Toward GBQ Men in Western Canadian Prisons" 

• Maigan van der Giessen, "Spells Not Curses: Rage, Reckoning and Repair"

• Makenna Graham, "Experimental Music from a CODA: Hearing, Deaf, and the Spectrum in Between"

Session #2: "Fostering Community, Thriving Together" (Rm. 1-480)

Session Chair: Ajibola (Jibs) Adigun (BGSA) 

Presenters:

• Mohamed El Bialy, "Existentialism as a Response to Depersonalization in Nursing Practice"

• Samantha Knapp, "Can a Unit in Prison be Therapeutic? Insights from Incarcerated Individuals in Alberta"

• Samuel Goertz, "How Do We Define Politics? Toward a New Definition of Politics as Group Cooperation Dynamics"

• Charity Esmero, "Pedagogy of Friendship: Cultivating Resistance and Radical Care in the Neoliberal University"

• Madeline Douglas, "Reimagining Kinship and Happiness: Choir, Queerness, and Collective Belonging"

Lunch & Learn: "Co-authoring and Publishing Academic Papers as Students" (Rm. 1-480)

Facilitators: Emily Berg (SPHSA) & McKayla Kennedy (PSGSA)

Enjoy some complimentary treats while learning from experienced academics about the publishing process. Publishing academic works can be a mystifying process; learn the specifics behind it in a casual environment. Experts in several fields will be available to not only discuss publications but also the ins and outs of life in academia. 

Guest Speakers:

• Dr. Holly Mathias, Assistant Professor of Family Science in the Department of Human Ecology

• Dr. Jared Wesley, Professor of Political Science, Associate Dean of Graduate Studies

• Dr. Samantha Cima, Assistant Lecturer of Sociology

Speed Networking Event (Rm. 1-480) 

Facilitator: Sam Goertz 

Are you looking to improve your research presentation skills and meet like-minded student researchers? Then you should absolutely attend our free (!!) academic speed networking event. Our goal is to help students find research collaborators and sharpen their presentation skills in a low-stakes environment.

During this session, a facilitator will guide participants through very fun exercises to refine their research elevator pitches, followed by activities where students get to meet others working on similar topics and/or with similar data and methods. You won't want to miss this.

Session #3: "Time, Relations & Transformation" (Rm. 1-090)

Session Chair: Jovi Krieger (SGSA) 

Presenters:

• Samantha Dancey, "Towards a Shared Understanding: Terminology in Braiding Western and Indigenous Science in International Interdisciplinary Research" 

• Malik Samara, "Deciphering Quantum Mechanics in Indigenous Onto-epistemologies: Towards Scientizing Indigeneity and Indigenizing Science"

• Karen Abramson, "Eternal or Temporal Origination (Metaphysics)"

• Paolo Fragolino, "Relational Quantum Black Holes: death and rebirth"

Session #4: "Land & Relation" (Rm. 1-480)

Session Chair: Carmen Hamel (REESSA) 

Presenters:

• Luke Beattie, "Backyard Drivers of Urban Forest Dynamics: Tree Planting and Removal Motivations in a Small Alberta City"

• Luke Wonneck, "Can “improved” land be shared? The dynamics of Indigenous land-based practices within privatized landscapes of Treaty 4 and 6"

• Jennifer Laughton, "Tooth size as a genetic proxy in the Cis-Baikal region (Siberia)"

Panel Discussion: "Navigating Mental Health and Self-Care as a Student" (Rm. 1-480)

Facilitator: 

• Louise Concepcion, PhD Student (GMSA)

Panellists: 

• Alyssa Domingo, PhD Student (NGSA)

• Cathrine Becker, PhD Student (SGSA)

• Senyuan Chen, MA Student (SGSA)

Post-secondary education can be exciting and intellectually rewarding, but it can also be emotionally demanding. Students often face a unique combination of pressures including academic expectations, financial uncertainty, imposter syndrome, isolation, and the challenge of balancing personal and professional identities. 

This panel will create a space for open and honest conversations about student mental health. Rather than treating mental health as an individual weakness, a lower priority, and/or a private struggle, we will explore well-being as a shared experience shaped by structures and cultures of academic life. 

Through personal reflections and discussion, panelists will discuss navigating stress, building supportive relationships with peers and advisors, and finding ways to care for ourselves during our time in academia. We also hope to highlight available supports and resources, both on and off campus.

Ultimately, we aim to reduce stigma around mental health in academia, foster solidarity among students, and provide practical strategies for maintaining well-being while pursuing higher education.

Session #5: "Social Impacts of Self-Care & Caregiving" (Rm. 1-090)

Session Chair: Calvin Kruger (NGSA)

Presenters:

• Anila Naz, "'Not Sure Where to Go': Perceptions regarding Mental Health Support among Pakistani International Students in Canada

• Meghan Box, "Understanding the Association Between Neighbourhood Income and Self-Rated Mental Health in Canada

• Annie Huang, Ayo Osindele, & Jianna Diaz, "Acceptability of Remotely Delivered Interventions Designed to Enhance Caregiver Preparedness in Informal Caregivers to Stroke Patients: a Mixed Method Approach"

• Sushanti Chapagain, "Health Service Variations by Degree of Urbanization in Nepal"

Session #6: "Celebrating Diversity and Embodying Togetherness" (Rm. 1-480)

Session Chair: Louise Concepcion (GMSA)

Presenters:

• Stella Crowley, "The Carbon Footprints of Cultural Diversity: Evidence from Canada"

• Chandandeep Sandhu, "Financial Barriers to Indigenous Food Sovereignty: Reimagining Federal Policy Through Community‑Rooted Governance"

• Miho Matsushita, "Holding Hands in a Time of Disconnect: Children’s Play Songs as Embodied Togetherness Across Cultures"

• Spencer Ahearn, "Song in Latin America as a Philosophical Mechanism for Hermeneutical Concordance"

• Paige Repton, "The Existential Dead: Identity Violence Perpetuated on Grave Monuments" 

Lunch & Learn: "Enhancing Social Research Methods Training" (Rm. 1-480)

Are you interested in social research methods? Would you like to have input on research methods training opportunities at the UofA? If so, please join us for a lunch and learn session on Saturday 28th March, 2026. This session will review the phased approach of the TRSI Hub's Transforming Social Research Methods Training initiative. It will also facilitate conversations with students regarding their needs, challenges, and interests in relation to research methods training to better inform these initiatives. Finally, it will share useful information on an upcoming inter-disciplinary, mixed-methods Social Research Methods Institute scheduled for May 2026.

Guest Speakers:

• Dr. Michelle Maroto, Professor, Department of Sociology

• Leigh-Ann Waldropt-Bonair, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology

Session #7: "Commodities, Climate Change, and Community Praxis" (Rm. 1-090)

Session Chair: Farah Elgaweesh (HSSA)

Presenters:

• Farah Elgaweesh presentation "Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals in Nursing Education and Practice"

• Carmen Hamel, "Nowhere Else to Go: Mining Expansion, Climate Uncertainty, and Herder Resilience in Mongolia  "

• Jewel Chidiebere, "Examining the History and Praxis of The Cocoa Farmers Association of Nigeria (CFAN)"

• Joshua Ayer, "Green Extractivism in Kawana'bi'kag"

• Senyuan Chen, "On Protocols and Ethics: Approaching Quantitative Research on the Terms of Community"

Session #8: "Gendered Violence and Insitutional Power" (Rm. 1-480)

Session Chair: Cathrine Becker (SGSA)

Presenters:

• Aaron Kimberly, "Experiences of Sexual Assault Among Transmen: A Feminist Narrative Inquiry"

• Dari Enkhtugs, "Police and Community Stakeholders' Approaches to Sex Trafficking"

• Reilly Bohan, "Disidentification and the Politics of Affect: Analyzing Lesbian Counterpublics in Dykes to Watch Out For "

• Jessica Soman, "(Un)friendly Fire: Narratives of Women's Experiences in Gaming"

• Kaiya Healy, "Transitionary Energies (Reimagining Treaty 7 territory through an Indigenous/Black lens)"

Conference Closing Ceremony with Indigenous Elders (University Commons Atrium)

Elder Marilyn Buffalo

Facilitator: Benjamin Kucher (IGSA)