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Feb 15th 2024

Bi-weekly news from Spark: a centre for social research innovation at McMaster University

Centre News

Work with us - Information Technology Analyst position available

We are seeking a highly motivated, self-starter to help Spark enhance the impact of our research supports by building intranet resources on Sharepoint.  We want to use PowerAutomate features to improve the Centre’s responsiveness and research support for faculty, graduate students, and other clients (including some external to McMaster) and automate routine processes.

The successful candidate will build intranet sites on Microsoft SharePoint for all core Spark services and infrastructure, including our secure data enclave (SEAL), Qualitative Suite with focus group and interview rooms, CoLab co-working space, and Brighter Spark Applied Research service. The new sites will include Microsoft Forms with PowerAutomate that allow users to seamlessly schedule consultations, book resources, or sign-up for events.

Want to join our team? Apply to Job #60516 here by February 23rd 2024.

Reading Week - No Spark Talks

Given no classes and a quieter campus, we have decided to *pause* our SparkTalk series for the weeks of Friday February 16th - 23rd, returning with a seminar on Friday March 1st. 

We hope that everyone has a great reading break, hopefully offering some time to catch up on missed work, decompress, and/or read something inspiring. Another way to pass the time, is to take a look back at some of our amazing SparkTalks that are all archived on our macvideo page. If you haven't already, you can check out our previous talks here.

Have a restful break and we look forward to seeing everyone at our next scheduled SparkTalk on Friday March 1st at 10:30am (more details and registration below under upcoming events)
Upcoming Events

Save the Date: Full Winter Schedule of Spark Talks


As always, all Spark Talks will be on a Friday from 10:30 to 11:30AM EST and will be accessible via Zoom. However, if you feel like joining us in person, you can visit us at L.R. Wilson Hall, where you can network and connect with members of our team directly and treat yourself to some refreshments!

March 1st: Adeline Lo

Topic: "Mapping Literatures with Networks"
Understanding the gaps and connections across existing theories and findings is a perennial challenge in scientific research. To encourage systematic, replicable, and transparent methods for assessing literature, we propose an accessible network-based framework for reviewing scholarship. We demonstrate how network statistics and visualization allow researchers to see patterns and offer reproducible characterizations of assertions about the major themes in existing literature with an example on the redistricting literature.
Register Now

March 8th: Ala Alrababah

Topic: "Learning from Null Effects: A Bottom-Up Approach"
A critical barrier to generating cumulative knowledge is the inability of researchers to observe the results from the full set of research designs. Studies that produce null findings are especially likely to be unobserved, creating biases in publicly accessible research. We call for the establishment of a new discipline-wide norm in which scholars post short “null results reports” online that summarize their research designs, findings, and interpretations. To address the inevitable incentive problems, we argue that decentralized research communities can spur the broader disciplinary norm change that would bring advantage to scientific advance. To facilitate our contribution, we offer a template for these reports.
Register Now

Resources for Researchers

Research Conversations

We provide up to 4 hours of free support each year to any researcher (students, staff, faculty or community) on every social research topic imaginable.  If we can't help you, we'll help you find someone who can.   

Request a research conversation here
Qualtrics Licenses
If you are an Faculty of Social Sciences researcher who would like to request access to Qualtrics survey software, please fill out this form

Looking to pool software licences?

Now you can! Fill out this form and we will reach out if we can match you with others looking to pool licences.

Methods Demonstrations
Faculty in Social Sciences may request demonstrations, short trainings, or code-along sessions from Spark staff for Research Methods or Professional Skills courses.  We're happy to discuss any needs and have already developed trainings for Literature Review, Interviewing, Survey Development, Focus Groups, Data Visualization.  Email us at talk.to.spark@mcmaster.ca to discuss if there's a fit for your course.   
CoLab
Research on research innovation (yes, it's very meta) points to a simple truth.  Being in the same physical space and able to informally interact significantly increases cross-disciplinary collaboration and discovery.  The Spark CoLab aims to be such a space.  It is a free, open co-working space for graduate students, research staff and faculty.  You can learn more on our website or stop by from 9 am - Noon or 1 pm - 4pm on Tuesday or Thursday for a tour and orientation. 

SEAL

Some data is critical to addressing major research questions, but is also profoundly sensitive and must be secured.  SEAL is a high security data repository that allows approved researchers worldwide to access highly sensitive data securely.  Data owners can use it to engage researchers in using their datasets and researchers can access data that otherwise would not be available to them.   

Learn more about SEAL at: https://seal.mcmaster.ca/
Brighter Spark Applied Research
Spark offers custom research and evaluation, as well as highly skilled assistance in implementing virtually any social research method. Our cost-recovery services include methods and software training, custom research, state-of-the-art facilities, and taking on elements of your project to support its completion.

For a full list of Brighter Spark Applied Research's services, visit: https://spark.mcmaster.ca/brighter-spark

Spark Collaborations
Help us profile your research, publications, job ads, opportunities, and upcoming events by sending them to: talk.to.spark@mcmaster.ca to be showcased in our following newsletter. 

 

ICPSR Summer Program in Quantitative Methods

The scholarship application portal for the 2024 ICPSR Summer Program is now open. These scholarships cover one of the General Sessions, where participants can build their own curriculum based on what they need and where they are in their academic journey.

View our full list of scholarships that we offer, along with scholarships offered in partnership with other organizations. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Monday, February 26.

The General Sessions are available either in person or online, live or asynchronously. All materials for the Sessions are available through December 31, 2024. Courses in these Sessions are the equivalent of a semester-long class, quickly strengthening and advancing skills in statistics, data analysis, and quantitative methods! Required application materials may differ between scholarships, but generally to apply you will need:

  • Cover letter stating research interests and how the Summer Program will contribute towards your degree or research goals
  • Current CV
  • One letter of recommendation 

McMaster University Library: RDM Community of Practice - Data as Knowledge Translation

How does data tell stories? How can data be used to improve people’s health and lives? This month, our RDM Community of Practice is focusing on data as knowledge translation! We will discuss the use of data to exchange, implement, and disseminate knowledge for both academic purposes and public good. Join us on February 29th 2024 at 11am-2pm for a great roundtable!

We will be joined by Jack Young, a Research Impact librarian in the Health Sciences Library, and Allana Miller, a research coordinator at the National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools.

Register for this online event here.

McMaster University: Upcoming Events at the Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship

Join us at the Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship for our engaging upcoming events:

Research Data Management Workshops:

Sonification Workshops:

Communicating Data with Sound
Date: March 15

For more information and to register for these events, visit Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship website.

The Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy - 2024 Online Winter Workshops on R and Reproducible Research

The Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy is hosting a series of online workshops on reproducible research in the social sciences during the Winter Reading Week from February 20th to the 23rd. A variety of online courses will be offered for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and researchers in introduction to R and data visualization using R.  Register for one of the following courses: 

  1. Introduction to R (February 20th -21st) – $265
  2. Introduction to Data Visualization with R (February 22nd) – $165
  3. Intermediate Data Visualization with R (February 23rd) – $165

Standards are evolving within the natural and social sciences to increase reproducibility of research. To that end, the Laurier Institute for the Study of Public Opinion and Policy (LISPOP) is organizing a series of online workshops on R and reproducible research. The courses are available to undergraduate, graduate students, faculty, and researchers. A full description of the courses, dates, prerequisite information, and costs, as well as links to the registration page is found on our website (https://lispop.ca/2024_winter_workshops/). Additionally, for a limited time students can receive 20% off by using the code 'student20' at checkout!

McMaster University: Sparking Collaborations in Social Sciences for Summer 2024

McMaster's Social Sciences faculty is gearing up for an exciting summer 2024, offering expanded internship and co-op opportunities for students. This initiative focuses on enhancing summer employment options, particularly full-time, 4-month co-op roles eligible for the Ontario Co-op Tax Credit.

We urge our faculty, instructors, and staff to spread the word about these opportunities, especially during interactions with potential employers in your network.

For more information on these summer positions and how to get involved, visit our dedicated webpage. Interested employers or partners can reach out to Anne Lech at lecha1@mcmaster.ca or hire.socsci@mcmaster.ca.

Join us in forging valuable partnerships and creating enriching summer experiences for our students!

Digital Citizen Initiative Funding Opportunity 

Recently, Minister Pascale St-Onge announced a $7 million call for proposals through the Digital Citizen Initiative (DCI). The DCI aims to aid civil society groups and researchers in producing evidence-based resources to support Canadians in staying safe and informed online. The call for funding confirms that universities and post secondary institutions are able to apply for this funding. The Program is offering successful applicants up to $380,000 per approved project, the Program may award up to $1,000,000 in funding for some projects with budgets of over $1,000,000.

Projects must start in the 2023-2024 fiscal year and all funds received from this call for proposals must be spent by March 31, 2025.

More details can be found here.  

Fostering a community of belonging at McMaster University 

The Equity and Inclusion Office at McMaster University is hosting webinars about inclusion, effective intragroup dialogue, and human rights. Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend a series of webinars entitled Fostering A Community of Belonging at McMaster University, presented by the Equity and Inclusion Office (EIO) along with campus partners, including Student Affairs, Faculty of Health Sciences and Employee & Labour Relations. 

FACULTY AND STAFF WEBINARS: Faculty of Social Sciences – Thursday, February 29 at 10:00 a.m.   

Purdue University: Video Research Institute Workshop Series

Purdue's C-SPAN Center for Scholarship and Engagement is excited to announce its first annual Video Research Institute (VRI) this summer. This unique workshop series, developed and led by Associate Professor Bryce J. Dietrich, offers a comprehensive exploration of NLP, Audio Classification, and Image/Video Classification.

Each day includes a lecture in the morning and an interactive lab in the afternoon, providing hands-on learning experiences. Participants will also collaborate in research teams, working on projects with new video data provided by the VRI.

Travel to West Lafayette, IN, is covered by participants, but all other expenses including tuition, lodging, and food are provided.

Dates: June 23-28, 2024
Location: Purdue University
Register and learn more here
Kudos
Let's celebrate the achievements of colleagues, friends, and those doing important social research with the potential to spark a brighter world. We welcome recommendations for kudos features (including for yourself)! Please send any features you would like us to mention by emailing us at: talk.to.spark@mcmaster.ca.

Shoutout to the Indigenous Studies Department who has launched a new MA program, congratulations! Applications are now open for Fall 2024. (Application deadline March 1). Read more about the course here.

Congratulations to Hendrik Poinar, who has been awarded the first ever Michael G. DeGroote Chair in Genetic Anthropology. Read more about Dr. Poinar's work here.

Kudos to Umniyah Gilani, MA Candidate in the Department of Health, Aging and Society who was awarded the 2024 Karl Kinanen Graduate Scholarship by the Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging. Umniyah's research explores intergenerational relationships: The benefits/challenges of living in South Asian multigenerational households. 

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Spark: a centre for social research innovation

Website: https://spark.mcmaster.ca/
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Email: talk.to.spark@mcmaster.ca
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