Laurentian University receives more than $225,000 to support the humanities

Laurentian University is seen in this file photo. (File)

Laurentian University researchers have received funding in excess of $237,000 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) through its Insight Program.

The Insight, Insight Development and Aid to Scholarly Journals grants were awarded to LU’s School of Social Work, School of Liberal Arts as well as the McEwen School of Architecture.

This is one of the first federal funding announcents for the university since the courts approved their plan of arrangements, as part of their insolvency proceedings, earlier this month.

Doctor Lea Tufford, an associate professor with the School of Social Work, received a 5-year Insight Grant in support of their study, Supporting Social Work Field Education: Developing a Model of Holistic Competition.

Insight grants support original research in the social sciences and humanities that has the potential to be a significant contribution to knowledge in the field.

Doctor Frantz Siméon, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work, along with Doctor Tammy Gaber, the director of the McEwen School of Architecture, have both being awarded 2-year Insight Development Grants.

Siméon’s study relates to how community networks were able to provide support to Francophones, a minority in the region, during the pandemic.

Gaber is studying how communities are losing faith and how it is contributing to the loss of sacred spaces.

Insight Development Grants are issued to encourage research in its early stages to develop new research questions or experiment with new methods or approaches to research ideas.

Doctor Simon Laflamme, a professor at the School of Liberal Arts, has earned a 1-year Aid to Scholarly Journals Grant. This funding will support the journal, Nouvelles perspectives en sciences sociales.

Aid to Scholarly Journal grants support Canadian scholarly dissemination by enabling journals to explore innovative activities as well as helping them cover the costs associated with publishing scholarly articles and journal distribution on Canadian not-for-profit platforms.

“Insight, Insight Development and Aid to Scholarly Journals grants are critically important for researchers and the training of students that often work side by side with faculty to advance scholarship and knowledge dissemination,” Doctor Tammy Eger, vice-president of research at the university, said in a media release Thursday.

“These investments from the federal government ensure that researchers are able to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in fields of social sciences and humanities.”

These 2022-2023 SSHRC grants at LU follow-up on the success of grants received by the university last year, Sarah de Blois of Laurentian University, explained in the media release.

“(These) research efforts help address important questions that impact lived experiences at local, national and international levels,” Eger added.