Rapid Research Responses
A Rapid Research Response (RRR) has become a digital tool/technique to reach out to people and groups as rapidly as possible on an urgent topic. Often this takes the form of an online compository of research on an issue and sharing information with communities.
KIAS has developed a model where we pick a current event for which we have local research knowledge that can be leveraged quickly to showcase the breadth and depth of UAlberta expertise around a particular research theme to enable critical dialogue and engagement with current events.
Some benefits of these types of projects can include laying the groundwork for SSHRC applications, building community outreach opportunities through events and sharing of information, and international collaboration leading to the project and university being the “go to” site globally for timely scholarly responses to current events.
Below is a list of the Rapid Research Responses that KIAS has supported.
On June 26th, the Contemporary Ukraine Research Forum hosted an online video conference featuring papers from three research clusters related to the EuroMaidan in Ukraine including: Folklore, Culture and Religion, Media and Communication, and Politics and Social Structure. The event was organized in collaboration with the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies. The proceedings have been viewed over 950 times online at: http://new.livestream.com/ualberta/UkraineResearchForum
Migration Views was a rapid research response project jointly led by the Kule Institute for Advanced Study, the European Union Centre of Excellence and the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies at the University of Alberta in the fall and winter of 2015/16. It consisted of a large-scale web initiative and a series of on-campus events.
The Migration Views website was created by the Kule Institute for Advanced Study, the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies and the European Union Centre of Excellence at the University of Alberta. It was an initiative to collect scholarly, professional and personal reflections on migration and the refugee crisis. Over 30 video and paper contributions have come from researchers working on various aspects of migration, citizenship, identity, security and conflict, from ambassadors of countries affected by the crisis and from individuals with personal experiences to share. The website brings these perspectives together to highlight the connections between the rich range of academic work on campus on migration and voices from the broader community.
The many topics people can read or watch videos about on the website include terrorism and refugees, the Syrian refugee crisis and the Canadian federal elections, European immigrants' integration into the labour market, the rise of ISIS, hospitality after the Paris attacks, refugee children in schools, the experiences of migrant minors, the EU migration policy response, the role of media, mental health planning for Syrian refugees, a community-based tipsheet for new refugees, and statements from ambassadors.
The organizers teamed up with the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers to host a public roundtable entitled Is Canada Shaping a New Model for Managing the Refugee Crisis? Reflections from Government, Academia, Community and Civil Society in Canada, alongside the EU perspective on Wednesday January 20th, 2016. The roundtable was attended by approximately 150 guests, including members from all three levels of government, media and the broader community. The full and edited video recording of the roundtable is available on the Migration Views website.
As part of the project, Glenn Davidson, former Ambassador of Canada to Syria and Afghanistan visited the UAlberta campus on February 20th, 2016. He gave a public talk about his personal insights on the Syrian refugee crisis and a video interview now available on the project website. Davidson's visit was sponsored by the Wirth Institute and the Canadian International Council.
The Migration Views project and its researchers were featured over 15 times in the media, including CBC News, CBC Radio, Global TV/News, Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Examiner, Alberta Primetime, Metro News. The website attracted 3,141 page views from 1,397 unique page visitors from 69 different countries, 338 cities and 5 continents in its first month.
For further information please follow these links:
Migration Views website: http://migrationviews.ualberta.ca/
UAlberta feature news stories:
- https://www.folio.ca/a-rational-perspective-on-the-refugee-crisis
- https://www.folio.ca/working-to-build-a-new-life
- https://www.folio.ca/helping-child-refugees-bridge-cultural-worlds/
- https://www.folio.ca/are-refugees-a-threat-to-canada
- https://www.folio.ca/canadas-leadership-on-refugee-crisis-part-of-national-identity-says-expert-panel/
- https://www.folio.ca/no-end-in-sight-for-syrian-conflict-says-former-ambassador
- Work of Arts blog post by Adam Dombovari: http://www.woablog.com/2015/10/guest-post-continuing-the-conversation-about-refugees/
- (the blog post was re-posted at http://blog.ualberta.ca/2015/11/a-consider-this-opinion-piece.html)
- Quad blog post: http://blog.ualberta.ca/2016/01/the-migration-views-project-next-step.html
External media:
- http://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/canada-morally-obligated-to-provide-leadership-on-syrian-refugee-crisis-panellists-say
- http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-refugee-programs-under-pressure-to-meet-increasing-demand-1.3411193
- http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2016/01/19/public-invited-to-roundtable-on-refugee-resettlement.html
- http://www.edmontonexaminer.com/2016/01/27/u-of-a-panel-has-government-officials-and-international-experts-discuss-edmontons-efforts-to-resettle-refugees
- http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/migrant-workers-face-ethnic-penalty-in-job-market-u-of-a-researcher-1.3402753
- http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmonton/2016/01/12/student-taps-refugee-community-for-advice-for-newcomers.html
- http://globalnews.ca/news/2466578/educators-have-a-superficial-understanding-of-multiculturalism-expert/
Part of the mandate of the Rupertsland Centre for Métis Research includes building the capacity to conduct systematic research and critical analysis of the impacts of general government policies on Métis communities. The RCMR has built into its architecture a "think tank" emphasis, which will allow it to tackle questions important to Métis society in a scholarly, non-partisan way. One element of this "think tank" is the creation of a "rapid response" website through which we can talk to Métis experts and experts on various Métis issues as they are happening. Several important Métis rights issues have come before the Canadian courts recently - among the most long-anticipated is the Manitoba Métis Federation case against the Canadian government for the loss of their lands under sections 31 and 32 of the Manitoba Act of 1870.
This response, created in conjunction with the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC) is designed to highlight the work being done by University of Alberta scholars on the Holodomor. The Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC) promotes the research, study, and understanding of the Holodomor - the Famine in Ukraine of 1932-33. HREC was established in 2013 with generous support of the Temerty Foundation as a project of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), University of Alberta. You can learn more at: https://holodomor.artsrn.ualberta.ca
The Holodomor (Ukrainian: Голодомо́р; Голодомо́р в Украї́ні; derived from морити голодом, “to kill by starvation”) was a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine in 1932 and 1933 that killed millions of Ukrainians. It is also known as the Terror-Famine and Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, and sometimes referred to as the Great Famine or the Ukrainian Genocide of 1932–33. It was part of the wider Soviet famine of 1932–33, which affected the major grain-producing areas of the country.
During the Holodomor, millions of inhabitants of Ukraine, the majority of whom were ethnic Ukrainians, died of starvation in a peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the history of Ukraine. Since 2006, the Holodomor has been recognized by Ukraine and 15 other countries as a genocide of the Ukrainian people carried out by the Soviet government.
KIAS supported Dr. Andy Knight on a Rapid Research Response project on conversations around race. This has led to the creation of a podcast series titled “BlackTalk”. Launched on May 25, 2021 Blacktalk is a podcast about the personal experiences of global Black experts and Black Canadians contextualized within the historical experience of being Black. Ethnic, modern, inclusive and informative, Blacktalk leaves listeners with new perspectives about anti-Black racism and Black achievement. The show is conversational, not judgemental. It provides a unique take on the Black experience to help people of all backgrounds open their eyes, reflect and challenge their thinking.
Episode 1 - Sir Hilary Beckles - University of the West Indies
Episode 2 - Cecil Foster - University of Buffalo
Episode 3 - Bukola Salami - University of Alberta
Episode 4 - Celina Caesar- Chavannes - Former MP & Parliamentary Secretary
Episode 5 - Ivelaw Griffith - Center for Strategic and International Studies
Each episode is about the personal experiences of Black experts and Black Canadians contextualized within the historical experience of being Black.
In light of the renewed focus on Indian Residential Schools, the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology and the Kule Institute for Advanced Study have partnered to develop a Rapid Research Response 3 part web-series to facilitate conversations by highlighting the voices of experts, community members, and faculty members across the University of Alberta. They are sharing their expertise on the history of residential schools, the current work being done to locate missing children, how the impacts and trauma of residential schools continues to this day, and how we move forward for resurgent Indigenous futures in the lands known as Canada.
To view the webseries visit the Institute of Prairie and Indigenous Archaeology
Episode 1 - Narratives of Truth and Reconciliation - Dr. Matthew Wildcat
Episode 2 - Locating Unmarked Graves of Children at Indian Residential Schools - Dr. Kisha Supernant
Episode 3 - Pre-Service Teachers' Artistic Representation of Socially Responsible Engagement with Indian Residential School Legacy - Dr. Sharla Peltier