I'm thrilled to say - I am DONE! I handed in my final research paper this week and now I await graduation. I have been fortunate to have the support of an amazing community on my academic journey. I am tremendously grateful to the following people: First and foremost, my husband Ken, who has always been my biggest champion. Thank you for supporting me in every way. The MACT 2018 cohort – you guys are the best! Thanks for the solidarity in learning. The MACT team – Professors

It's definitely fall. The air is cooler, the leaves are turning shades of red, pumpkin-spice lattes are back and it's conference season. I've been working a number of upcoming presentations to share my work, or as they call it in academia, knowledge mobilization. First up is a presentation I did back in July for Dr. Marilene Oliver's Know Thyself as a Virtual Reality sessions. This was the first time I presented my research results, a month before handing in my final research

Many years ago I hiked the West Coast Trail. It's a 75 km stretch of rugged terrain on the west side of Vancouver Island. After 7 days of traversing gruelling (but beautiful) trails and coastlines, not showering, living off freeze-dried food, falling into a surge channel, suffering through blistered feet and feeling sleep deprived, I saw the sign that said I had ONE more kilometre left to go! I feel the same way now with just over a week left before I hand in my final researc

Regular blog readers will know I’ve been procrastinating just a bit on really digging into my data coding process. Why? Coding qualitative data can be tedious….and it’s summer, it's really nice outside right now! So…I’ve locked myself in a windowless room in my basement today to get down to business. Everyone seems to have their own spin on coding qualitative data but there are some general guidelines. It starts with a careful reading of the text and highlighting key words or

My first job after finishing my undergrad in the mid 90's was Research Coordinator for Metroline Research. I helped manage the Vancouver focus group facility (which I see no longer exists). It was a fancy space, with one way mirrors, fully equipped hidden cameras and microphones to record the groups and a tricked out viewing room for the clients where the mini-bar was always fully stocked. Fast forward two decades and I'm about to conduct my first online focus group. I'm usin

My research focus is on AI researchers and how they are navigating ethical considerations in their work. I’m exploring issues around data, data storage, privacy – all of which is also relevant for my own research. I originally planned to conduct one-on-one in person interviews which are the gold standard for qualitative research. When COVID-19 physical distancing requirements made this impossible, I had to revise my approach and move everything online. The big question I’m wr

I'm having that moment of guilt when you realize that your last blog was close to two months ago! Time to dust off the cobwebs with an update. Late 2019 was spent writing my literature review. The rest of the year was spent recovering from writing my literature review! This major element marks the completion of the coursework for my degree and I can now focus exclusively on my research project. My literature review will undergo revisions and additions but it forms the foundat

This blog is serving a dual purpose for me. It's both a space to share information I’m discovering and a place to work through the process of conducting research. This post is focused on the later part (and yeah, its going to get a little whiny – consider yourself forewarned). You learn a lot about yourself while doing research. As in life, you tend to gravitate towards the things you love doing and procrastinate or avoid the things you wish would go away. I love looking for

A few months ago, I was enticed by a special offer from 23andMe. I'd been on the fence about genetic testing for some time. Like the millions of people who have taken these tests, I was curious about what my genetic profile had to say about me both from an ancestry and health perspective. However, I've heard several stories about how this data can be shared with third parties. I was also worried about how these findings might impact my eligibility or cost of insurance, despit

I’ve been talking with a lot of different people - pretty much anyone who will listen – about where to focus my research. One piece of advice I received was to think about things that you’re passionate about, especially the things that make you angry. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve encountered a few stories about data collection that fit that description. The first was an article about StatsCan trying to get access to private banking data to use in its data set, then hirin

Research is not a linear process. It gets messy. Or maybe I should say, MY approach to research has been messy. I'm currently enrolled in the final course of my masters in communications and technology (MACT) program, Advanced Seminar in Research Design. Each week, we are unpacking a set of instructions on how to do research with the goal of delivering a solid literature review by the end of the course. Topics include "planning a systemic process for a literature review" and