2021 USRI Workshops
Supervisor Workshops
Calling all supervisors: achieving success in human research ethics when working with student researchers
Katelyn Harris, Western Research
Are you supervising students in research involving human participants (incl. their data and/or biological material) this year? Are you aware of the current policies and procedures regarding your research-ethics-related supervisory responsibilities? Whether you’re new to this type of supervision, or this session would be merely a refresher, you are encouraged to join us. Together, let’s foster successful student research opportunities at Western. If you have any questions that you would like addressed in the session, please email ethics@uwo.ca with subject line, “USRI Faculty Workshop” by June 1st or feel free to bring your questions to the seminar for the Q&A period.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
The supervisor's role in promoting EDID practices
Melanie Anne Atkins, Centre for Teaching and Learning
How can faculty mentors implement principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, or decolonization into their supervision practices with diverse students? Join this session to (a) reflect on your own social identities and experiences in academia to decide how you want to take up this work, and (b) develop concrete strategies to use during current and future research activities, including research development, meetings, and output.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Student Workshops
Introduction to literature searching and information evaluation
Shiyi Xie—Western Libraries
In this library session, you will learn:
- How to develop literature search strategies;
- Where to find primary and background
information; and - What criteria and resources can be used to evaluate information.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Knowledge exchange/translation: getting your research noticed
Mariam Hayward, Western Research
Overview of knowledge exchange/translation/mobilization – what is it, what does it mean and how to do it so your research gains attention. Some innovative knowledge exchange approaches that can be used to share and disseminate research will be highlighted. Resources, tips and tricks will be discussed.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Finding statistical data sources
Liz Hill—Western Libraries
This session will explore how research questions can be answered using data resources, such as secondary data collected from sources such as Statistics Canada.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Practicing safe texts: how to research, write and use materials safely
Stephen Spong, Emily Carlisle-Johnston
and Sarah Woloschuk
This session will outline the rights and responsibilities of students for creating and using materials in their classes and research. Rather than focusing on the things you shouldn't do, it will be intended to focus on the things you can do (and maybe a few things that you shouldn’t!).
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Introduction to GIS & digital mapping
Liz Sutherland and Jordan Fuller—
Western Libraries
Get started learning about the fascinating world of geographic information systems (GIS)! In this workshop, you'll learn about what GIS is, how to get started with GIS software yourself, how things we find in the real world can be represented on a map and how we record locations using coordinates.
This session is for anyone who wants to learn about mapping and GIS. You don't have to have any previous experience.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Introduction to NVivo
Kristi Thompson—Western Libraries
NVivo is a tool for organizing, managing and analyzing qualitative data. This introductory session will provide an overview of NVivo’s capabilities and demonstrate how to use it to get started on a qualitative research project. Learn about the capabilities of this popular analysis package, how to set up a project and import different kinds of data and start coding.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Organizing research with reference management tools
Jason Dyck—Western Libraries
This session will explore the advantages of reference management tools. Beyond quickly generating citations, reference managers allow one to construct a library of references, notes, and files in one place for efficient retrieval. While there are many reference mangers to choose from, this workshop focuses on Zotero.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
All about research posters
Mariam Hayward, Western Research
Research posters are widely used in the academic community and most conferences (in-person and virtual) include poster sessions. This session will discuss what makes a good poster and walk attendees through creating a custom size poster using PowerPoint.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Introduction to data handling and management
Kristi Thompson—Western Libraries
This session will introduce some of the basics of handling data for a research project, including planning a data project, file organization and documentation and setting up data for analysis in Excel.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Developing your CV or resume
Mariam Hayward, Western Research
What is a CV and how is it different from a resume? In this session, learn what to include and what not to include in each. Types of CVs and resumes will be covered and students will be walked through how to develop their own professional CV and/or resume. An overview of writing a compelling cover letter will also be discussed. Whether you intend on applying for graduate school or part-time employment, this workshop is for you.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Publishing your work: let's de-mystify the process
Emily Carlisle-Johnston and Courtney Waugh
—Western Libraries
Written something you’re proud of and want to share it with the world? Just generally curious as to how articles that you’ve read got published? Wherever you’re at, this session will walk you through some of the behind-the-scenes processes that go into getting academic work published, like choosing a journal and the peer-review process
Resources (requires Office365 login)
The Power of storytelling
Douglas Keddy—Western Research
Whether you're communicating your research, establishing buy-in for a project or applying for a job, you have a story to tell. What's yours? How you identify audiences, establish key messages and choose tactics for delivering this story will help determine your success — in academia and beyond. This session will provide tips to ensure you're speaking the same language as your audience.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Introduction to data visualization
Joanne Paterson—Western Libraries
Data visualisations communicate numerical or quantitative information in an engaging and visual way. Data visualisations can help to analyze data, see it in a new light or tell a story. In this session we will look at some tips and tricks that make a good visualisation and explore a few simple but effective tools to get started in this growing field.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Building a GIS showcase for your research
Liz Sutherland and Jordan Fuller
—Western Libraries
GIS are highly valuable for translating research to share with broad audiences. Through interactive, visual and impactful map-based web applications, researchers can build collaborations, present their data to the public and engage users in their research. In this session, we will explore some innovative examples of using GIS as a knowledge exchange strategy and take a look under the hood at the customizable interfaces that built them.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Patent searches
Noshin Hashim, WORLDiscoveries
One of the most important steps in bringing research and innovation to the market is effectively identifying patent novelty. Participants in these workshops receive hands-on training from technology transfer professionals on how to search patent databases, augment their knowledge of the patent literature, increase the novelty of the research, and find a potential industry or academic partners working in their field of research.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
Conducting ethical human research: The ABCs
Katelyn Harris, Western Research
Are you a student conducting research with human participants (incl. their data and/or biological material) this summer? Are you interested in conducting research with humans (incl. the use of human data and/or biological material) in the future? If so, come and learn about the principles of research ethics and a few practical tips that will help you this summer and beyond! If you have any questions that you would like addressed in the session, please email ethics@uwo.ca with subject line, “USRI Student Workshop” by Tuesday, June 1st or feel free to bring your questions to the session for the Q&A period.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
How to consider Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in navigating the research and academic landscape: The student life
Olivia Ghosh-Swaby, Schulich Council on Reforming EDI for Trainees
As students, we have different lived experiences that often intersects with the work that we do whether it be in research or interacting with peers or mentors. In this workshop, we will define the key principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). We will also discuss the potential barriers and challenges you may face during your academic and research training along with the tools/resources to overcome them. Additionally, we will answer the following questions:
- How can I consider EDI in my research?
- How can I advocate for myself when it comes to EDI so that I can be successful, including important conversations with mentors/supervisors?
- How can I pave the way in academia for others that come after me?
Resources (requires Office365 login)
A graduate school primer
Mark Wolfe, School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Curious about taking the next step in your educational career? Do you have questions about applying to graduate studies? Join us for a session that will cover the basics about why graduate school might be a good fit for you, how grad life differs from your undergrad experience, and the benefits of continuing your education here at Western. This session will also include the practical details about how to apply and there will be time to ask any questions you might have. Feel free to send us questions in advance [insert email]. You can also post questions online in the OWL site.
Resources (requires Office365 login)
