Increasing the diversity of voices and having a few people making small and steady changes can lead to a big movement
Last fall, students in a Native Studies course worked to improve representations of Indigenous peoples on one of the most popular websites in the world. The course, Colonialism and the Criminal Justice System, saw students create Wikipedia articles on issues that dealt with Indigenous peoples and Canada’s criminal legal system, filling some of the site’s…
Raylene Whitford will advise the government on how to provide equitable economic recovery for women
Métis Ph.D. student and businesswoman has been appointed to the new federal Task Force on Women in the Economy. She is working alongside 17 other women from across the country to advise the government on a pathway to a national feminist economic recovery from the effects of the pandemic. The task force was announced on March…
Tens of thousands of new students from nearly every country in the world have joined Dan Levy in relearning history from Indigenous perspectives
Since its launch in 2017, the massive open online course Indigenous Canada has been among the most popular MOOCs in Canada. But in 2020, its popularity skyrocketed. “It all started in March with COVID,” said course instructor Paul Gareau. “Normally around 300 new students register each week, but in March we started getting around 1,000. Then, when…
Athletes can find opportunities amid the challenge of cancelled sporting events, say U of A master's student and sport psychology researcher
From the Olympics to rec leagues, in 2020 sporting events all over the world were cancelled due to COVID-19. But as athletes move on from the cancellations, many are seeking out the opportunities in the unprecedented. Lack of competition changed the way ultramarathoner Sara Szabo approached her sport this year. She transitioned from competing against…
Cancer isn’t one disease with one cure, but researchers have made significant progress in understanding and treating it
Nearly half of Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, and all of us will likely be affected by it. But what do we really know about the disease? Cancer is not one disease with one solution, said David Eisenstat, department chair and professor in…
Local responses to pandemic are a necessity to protect people at higher risk of infectious diseases – and a strong assertion of sovereignty, says U of A expert
On the federal government’s Indigenous Services web page, the first piece of information about COVID-19 is advice on how to wash your hands if you’re under a drinking water advisory. This highlights the multiple factors that influence Indigenous health outcomes in times of disease, said Jessica Kolopenuk, a researcher in the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Native…
Award-winning documentary by U of A researcher follows family’s tireless efforts to turn grief into advocacy for change
Tasha Hubbard, a filmmaker and Indigenous studies professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta, had been filming with Boushie’s family since 2016. She wanted to document their experience as they sought justice for their loved one through the provincial legal system, and hoped to provide historical and personal context on Indigenous…