UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
UNBC researchers receive $300,000 in federal funding

Two researchers from the University of Northern British Columbia received federal funding worth more than $300,000 to continue their work studying 15^th century Jewish women who converted to Christianity in Spain as well as Kindergarten to Grade 12 climate change education in northern B.C. 

History professor Dr. Dana Wessell Lightfoot (right) and co-Principal investigator University of Toronto Associate Professor Teaching Stream Dr. Alexandra Guerson (centre left) in the Jewish quarter of Girona, Spain.
 

History Professor Dr. Dana Wessell Lightfoot and School of Education Assistant Professor Dr. Hartley Banack earned funding through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Insight Grant and Insight Development Grant programs.

"With support from SSHRC, UNBC researchers are generating knowledge that addresses pressing societal issues and informs public policy," says UNBC President Dr. Geoff Payne. "These grants allow UNBC to leverage its unique position to engage with local and global challenges, furthering its mission to mobilize knowledge and build capacity for the advancement of thriving communities."

The SSHRC Insight Grant program is open to individual researchers and teams of scholars who are advancing knowledge and building understanding about individuals, groups and societies. The grants also create funding and research opportunities for graduate students.

"SSHRC-funded research helps us better understand our past and present, ultimately contributing to a more informed and engaged public," says UNBC Vice-President, Research and Innovation Dr. Paula Wood-Adams. "By involving students in these research projects, we are equipping the next generation of scholars with the skills and knowledge needed to address complex challenges." 

Wessell Lightfoot is collaborating with University of Toronto Associate Professor Teaching Stream Dr. Alexandra Guerson to learn more about daily lives of women in 15th-century Spanish communities of Jews who converted to Christianity, known as conversas. They are investigating how local context influenced their choices, work, marriage and religious identity.

The project, which received an Insight Grant worth $240,994 over five years, focuses on women living in Barcelona, Girona and Valencia within the Crown of Aragon. Although issues of assimilation and acculturation of immigrants and the negotiation of multiple identities are often seen as modern phenomena, these issues have much deeper roots. This project aims to explore those roots in the late medieval period, thinking about the intersection of gender, religious identity and socio-cultural forces. 

"We are excited to continue our collaborative work on the lives of Jewish women and conversas in late medieval Spain," Wessell Lightfoot says. "Many of the questions we face in our own society have deep historical roots so by exploring the interconnections of gender, religious identity and socio-cultural forces, our project demonstrates the importance of studying the past to understand our present and future." 

Banack received an Insight Development Grant, worth $60,489 over two years, for the Climate Education in Teacher Education project. Through participatory action research methodology and community involvement, Banack and a team of researchers seek to understand northern B.C. K-12 teacher beliefs around climate change and their intentions around climate change education. He will also offer workshops on climate change education action.  

"Changes in the climate are already impacting northern B.C.," says Banack. "K-12 teachers have roles to play in preparing students to adapt and respond to the changing climate. The Climate Education in Teacher Education project researches how northern B.C. teachers understand climate change and how they enact climate change education. As well, the project includes action research and works with a design team to craft unique and responsive supports to help prepare K-12 teachers to work with the B.C. curriculum."

Five other UNBC School of Education faculty members are co-applicants on the research team, including Dr. Joanie Crandall, Dr. Christine Ho Younghusband, Dr. Alex Lautensach, Dr. David Litz and Glen Thielmann.

SSHRC is one of the three major federal research funding agencies along with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

"The SSHRC Insight Research program provides funding for research projects aiming to advance knowledge within all areas of the social sciences and humanities," explains Research Project Officer Sharleen Balogh. "Insight Grants fund long term and ongoing research projects of two to five years, while Insight Development Grants support short-term initiatives of up to two years for research projects still in their initial stages."