The world needs experts, now more than ever says Professor Lynne Robinson, the academic director of the Faculty of Graduate Studies’ new OpenThink Initiative.
“In a world with a fractured and polarized media landscape, and where anyone with a Twitter handle can broadcast their ideas, universities need to engage the public with information based in evidence and rigorous thought,” says Dr. Robinson, a faculty member in the School of Health and Human Performance.
Dr. Robinson says OpenThink is designed to shape Dal’s next generation of academic advocates with the skills to bring clarity to an increasingly confusing world. Funded by a generous donor, this year’s cohort of 10 OpenThinkers has attended a series workshops built to equip them with the tools to share their research beyond the confines of campus.
Taught by instructors from Dal and the University of King’s College as well as professionals from NATIONAL Public Relations, the PhD students have learned how to harness social media, write editorials for news publications, pitch and talk to journalists and create infographics.
Diving into important issues
Today (Monday, May 11) sees the launch of the , a platform to share their research-based opinions and discoveries on a monthly basis. Their first posts delve into issues that make headlines around the world: sustainability, social justice, health policy, sexualized violence, urban planning, human rights and resilience in the face of the pandemic.
“Intellectualizing scary ideas, like trauma, makes me feel better about them,” says OpenThinker Tareq Yousef, a PhD student in Medical Neuroscience who wrote on the brain’s physiological reactions to stresses like those caused by COVID-19 and our ability to be nurtured back to health.
“When I understand what’s happening biologically behind the scenes in my brain and other people’s brains during this difficult time it makes me feel better. It helps make sense of a tough reality. So, I hope my post will help other people, as well.”
Empowering researchers to make a difference in peoples’ lives by sharing what they study is the essence of the OpenThink Initiative. With the training and platform to share their ideas and insights, Dr. Robinson says the students are being positioned to become public leaders in their fields with the power to influence public opinion.
“Our OpenThinkers represent the excellence of our graduate students across nearly all of the university’s academic disciplines,” says Marty Leonard, dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. “They’re a new generation of researchers committed to making an impact in the world by applying what they learn as they learn it. I’m extremely excited to see where they take us.”Â
Tari Ajadi, PhD, Political Science
Focus: Race and access to Canadian health care
Tari Ajadi combines academia and activism in his work to transform Canada’s health care systems to address inequal