Spark Newsletter: September 16, 2021
Read our bi-weekly news from Spark: a centre for social research innovation at McMaster University. In this newsletter, we highlight centre news, upcoming events, and updated resources for researchers. To subscribe to our mailing list, please email talk.to.spark@mcmaster.ca.
Oct 02, 2021
Spark’s Annual Open House Event
Join Spark: a centre for social research innovation for our annual open house event happening on September 24th at 10:30am -12:30pm EST.
We will begin with what Spark does and how it can help students, faculty, research staff and community groups who are engaging in research or interested in building those skills. Then, we will have six sessions introducing different social research "toolkits" - the striking range of methods used to understand difficult, complex social issues. Each session will highlight one social research toolkit, the questions these tools are built for, and the range of tools inside. We will end with some Jeopardy style trivia to test your McMaster knowledge. Feel free to come for one or many sessions.
Learn more about the sessions here:
Have we sparked your interest? We hope you'll join us September 24th for fun and informative sessions!
10:30 am - 11:00 am
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Welcome & Introduction
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11:00 am - 11:20 am
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Room 1: Qualitative & Community-Based Research
Room 2: Quantitative Methods
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11:20 am - 11:40 am
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Room 1: Knowledge Mobilization
Room 2: Advanced Computational Statistics
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11:40 am - 12:00 pm
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Room 1: Complex Systems
Room 2: Research Quality
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12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
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Social and Mac Trivia
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The Last Year at a Glance
Spark: a centre for social research innovation strives to help researchers make their work as innovative and relevant as possible, ultimately, helping build a brighter world. In 2020-2021, we changed our name from the Centre for Research in Empirical Social Sciences (CRESS) and relaunched as Spark with a refined and expanded mission and research support services. Our team grew dramatically and we have been able to collaborate with incredible partners, strengthening social research innovation at McMaster and beyond through public talks, workshops, training, and direct research support. To read more about Spark, our team, and what we’ve been up to in lockdown, check out this year’s Spark Annual Report.
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Join Spark on Fridays at 10:30-11:20am for a weekly "Spark Talk" focused on methods and tools of social research. Spark Talks features an innovative speaker and encourages unexpected and inter-disciplinary connections between researchers, including faculty and graduate students.
September 17th, 10:30- 11:20
Spark Talks - "You're Nothing": Researching the Labour Market Experiences of Undocumented Caribbean Careworkers During the Pandemic
Carieta Thomas
Register here:
October 1st, 10:30- 11:20
Spark Talks - Illuminating the future through an equity lens: Why emergent strategy and systems change efforts need to be grounded in decolonized futures thinking
Jen Heeg and Jewlya Lynn
Register here:
October 8th, 10:30- 11:20
Spark Talks - Policymaking Gone Viral: Changing the Velocity of Information in Congress
Annelise Russell
Register here:
In case you missed it:
Spark Talks: Back to School Edition
Michelle Dion
Check it out here.
Research guide - Qualitative Research at a Distance
This guide is a starting point for academic and non-academics to explore approaches to socially distanced but deeply engaged qualitative research methods. It aims to provide a practical foundation (in a concise and sharable format) for imaging what is possible during the current pandemic and beyond while offering suggestions for resources to learn more.
Looking to pool software licences?
Now you can! Fill out this form and we will reach out if we can match you with others looking to pool licences.
We are also attempting a pilot in fall term allowing for virtual desktop access to several licenses for major Qualitative Data Analysis software, and will be seeking volunteers to test out the viability of this option. FSS faculty, please email talk.to.spark@mcmaster.ca if you're interested in participating.
Research Conversations
We provide up to 4 hours of free support each year to all McMaster researchers (students, staff and faculty) on every social research topic imaginable. If we can't help you, we'll help you find someone who can.
Qualtrics Licences
If you are an FSS researcher who would like to request access to Qualtrics survey software, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/Gn2KvYgdebjo8d2W8.
Brighter Spark Applied Research
Spark offers custom research and evaluation, as well as highly skilled assistance in implementing virtually any social research method. Our cost-recovery services include methods and software training, custom research, state-of-the-art facilities, and taking on elements of your project to support its completion.
Help us profile your research, publications, job ads, opportunities, and upcoming events by sending them to: talk.to.spark@mcmaster.ca to be showcased in our following newsletter.
McMaster Institute for Health Equity (MIHE) Seminar
"Family Friendly Community Resources for Better Balance, Health and Well-being"
Seminar by: Dr. Marisa Young
Tuesday September 22nd at 2-3pm
For more information and to register visit: https://mihe.mcmaster.ca/seminar-series-marisa_young/
Interactive Session for new and returning graduate Students
Hosted by: Jeffrey Demaine (Bibliometrics and Research Impact Librarian), and Isaac Pratt (Research Data Management Specialist)
September 23rd at 11-12 pm
Learn how to distinguish yourself from other researchers by creating an ORCiD account, good data management practices and how to organize and document your data to save time.
Register here: https://libcal.mcmaster.ca/event/3616016
LinkedIn Learning renewed at McMaster for three years
Set to expire this summer, LinkedIn learning has been renewed and will continue to be available and free for active McMaster students, faculty and staff. LinkedIn learning offers over 16,000 modules, including short videos about how to use stats tools like Excel, Stata and R.
To learn more about McMaster LinkedIn Learning, visit the website for LinkedIn Learning.
In this new section, we want to celebrate the achievements of colleagues, friends, and those doing important social research with the potential to spark a brighter world. We welcome recommendations for kudos features (including for yourself). Please send them to: talk.to.spark@mcmaster.ca.
Kudos to Bonnie Freeman (The School of Social Work) and colleague Trish Van Katwky (University of Waterloo) for their feature in the Hamilton Spectator.
Read the full article here to learn more about how they embody living the Two Row Wampum principals: https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/2021/08/30/two-row-wampum-grand-river-reconciliation.html
A big congratulations to the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging at McMaster on it's 10 year anniversary, and for a decade of innovative gerontological research and partnerships. The Gilbrea Centre has released an anniversary newsletter to take a walk down memory lane
Check out the anniversary newsletter here: Gilbrea Centre Newsletter
A warm welcome to Jeremy Cohen, who has recently joined the Religious Studies Department and will be teaching undergraduate courses on a range of topics related to religion and culture this fall. Join us in welcoming Jeremy to the McMaster Social Sciences Family.
