From addressing the effects of climate change on weed ecology to investigating mental health among athletes, TWU students and alumni are producing research that contributes to our society's flourishing.
Here is a look back at some of their work from this year.
“How are you doing today?” is a question that healthcare providers seek to answer with the use of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient reported experience measures (PREMs), which are standardized, validated questionnaires for healthcare settings.
At their core, PROMs are assessment tools used to gain insight into what matters the most to patients. These insights are increasingly valuable to healthcare providers as they allow for care that is more patient-centered.
This summer, TWU nursing students Abner Kooner, Lillian Li, and Gabriella Collins conducted research alongside Dr. Angela Wolff. Together they worked to advance more patient-centered healthcare practices.
Research that represents people who suffer with chronic pain
Hannah Hube cares deeply about people who suffer from chronic pain.
Hube, who is entering her third year majoring in Psychology with a Certificate in Human Services, is researching how psychology may influence physical activity levels among people who live with chronic pain. She is among the winners of 2021 TWU USRA research awards.
Through her work, Hube seeks to represent the lived experiences of individuals who struggle with pain every day.
She explains that the current research on chronic pain correlates the experience of psychological mechanisms with the avoidance of physical activity in many different chronic pain conditions. She notes that research shows, many individuals with chronic pain avoid physical activity for a variety of reasons, including catastrophizing, anxiety and fear-avoidance.
“We know that physical activity can be used as treatment for chronic pain, as it also provides a variety of health and mental health benefits,” Hube said. “My project addresses different mechanisms that may explain why individuals with chronic pain avoid physical activity, or which mechanisms may explain higher engagement in physical activity.”
A calling to advance women's healthcare
Natalie Szakun was on the path to pursuing a degree in medical sciences, when she discovered that health encompasses more than the biological aspects.
“I quickly realized that health is multidimensional and holistic, including a pivotal spiritual domain,” Szakun said.
“It became clear to me that as much as the physical and mental aspects of health are vital components of healthcare, spirituality is also a key player.”
This realization was part of the reason why Szakun decided to transfer to Trinity Western, where she sought to learn how to serve people's health holistically.
This past Spring, Szakun graduated from TWU with a major in Kinesiology and a minor in Chemistry. Throughout her education, Szakun developed a keen interest in healthcare for adult and elderly women.
“My calling into advancing women's health, specifically within the aging population, did not develop until my last semester when I took a directed study with Dr. Anita Coté,” Szakun explains. Dr. Coté holds the Canada Research Chair in Cardiovascular Adaptation to Exercise.
Szakun is among the recipients of the 2021 TWU USRA research awards. Working alongside her faculty supervisor, Dr. Coté, Szakun’s main project is to investigate how exercise can serve as a mitigating factor of heart disease, while also increasing overall cardiovascular health.
“Specifically, my work has been focused on adult women, as unfortunately, women's heart health is often unnoticed, and definitely understudied,” she explained.
“I am extremely proud to be a woman in STEM and feel called to advocate and focus on this overlooked population,” she continued.
“Although very minimal, I hope my research under Dr. Anita Coté's wing will help future generations of Canadian women have healthier hearts and happier lives.”
Studying climate change and weed ecology
Hannah Merritt considers her summer research on knotweed, an invasive plant in B.C., to be highly meaningful.
“This work is super fulfilling for me since knotweed is such a huge problem!” says Merritt, who is the recipient of a federal research award, the NSERC USRA award.
Merritt explains that knotweed, a noxious species, can lower property value, destroy natural habitats, and encourage flooding by destroying riverbanks. She says, “Knowing that my work can help others with controlling knotweed is very encouraging.”
Merritt’s project is called "Climate effects on aquatic regeneration of knotweed rhizome and stem fragments."
In order to maintain the specific temperatures needed for her test results, Merritt had to get creative.
“I ended up setting up egg incubators in my room for two weeks and placing the rhizomes in there,” she said. “It almost felt like they were a pet, as I always had to monitor them.”
As the experiment progressed, Merritt noticed that certain temperatures resulted in significantly higher growth. This data could be used to inform better and more effective knotweed management strategies in the future.
Improving management of one of the world’s most widespread and damaging invasive plant
Maria Goncharova tracked the growth patterns of knotweed, an invasive plant species in B.C. that is extremely difficult to eradicate, and causes costly damage to city buildings and infrastructure. Her research findings could help predict the potential spread of knotweed seeds by water courses in B.C., as well as aid in invasive species management efforts.
This was Goncharova’s third year to receive federal NSERC USRA grant funding to conduct ecological research under the supervision of Dr. David Clements.
In her research, Goncharova explored how knotweed seeds dispersed by water ways of various water disturbances. She studied seed movement by water courses at specific sites in B.C., by mimicking the journey seeds would take as they enter and leave the water system. She sought to determine if seed dispersal by water ways presents an environmental threat. Her research results could help improve the city’s invasive weed management.
Mental health and identity formation among competitive athletes
As an athlete who grew up and is still immersed within the competitive sporting environment, Ashley McTaggart, graduate student in the MA Counselling Psychology program, is applying her research skills to advance knowledge into athletes’ mental health.
Being the recipient of a 2021 Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s Award, Ashley McTaggart wanted to investigate the impact of sporting culture, for its role in both supporting and in challenging mental health, as well as its influence on identity formation and the development of the whole person.
Ashley’s research is particularly significant because it differs from traditional sports research, which tends to focus on the protective nature and positive influence of participating in sports while neglecting the unique challenges that athletes have with mental health issues.
Her research has the potential to inform sport psychologists, sport psychiatrists, health practitioners, and sporting institutions on how to proactively support identity explorations of the whole person within the culture of sport.
Helping people better understand and resolve feelings about their past
When it comes to the emotion of regret, understanding comes before personal healing. TWU researcher Allison Yang aims to help us figure out and overcome our feelings about the past.
“In practical terms, my study aims to provide deep understanding as a necessary prerequisite to understanding how we resolve regret,” she said.
Yang is one of three TWU 2021 recipients of CSG-M awards (her faculty supervisor is Dr. Derrick Klaassen). Her research seeks to understand what it is like to experience regret of inaction in the context of bereavement.
Yang shares that she is fascinated with the phenomenon of regret. “It has seemingly contradictory parts,” she says, in considering regret’s emotion and experience. “But the tension of these parts actually adds something of meaning and significance.”
Yang describes the two opposing inner voices of regret: the "I can" of the past and the "I cannot" of the present.
“Your past self had the ability to do things differently, whereas your present self is not able to go back and change anything,” she noted. “Yet it is precisely the interaction between these two parts that contributes to the experience of regret.”
Healing begins with understanding, as Yang says, “The pursuit of what truly helps heal bereavement-related regret must be preceded by an intimate exploration of what that regret is and how it is experienced.”
Yang believes that her research can provide foundations for designing clinical measures for assessing bereavement-related regret, as well as for tracking the long-term nature of regrets of inaction in bereaved individuals. She hopes that this can aid clinicians in treating complicated grief symptomatology.
Seeking the voices of women in the Bible
Shelby Bennett was surprised and intrigued by something she saw—or rather, didn't see—in the Bible.
"As someone who grew up reading the Bible regularly, I was particularly shocked by how much silencing I had never even noticed. I could have given the names of female Bible characters like Sarah, Bathsheba, Tamar, or Mary Magdalene, but I had never before recognized that these women are almost completely silent," she said.
This March, Bennett defended her thesis, "Silenced Voices: Hearing Biblical Women through the Genesis Apocryphon Scroll," and successfully completed her Master of Arts in Biblical Studies at TWU. She previously graduated with a degree in Applied Linguistics and a minor in Biblical Studies.
Native to Portland, Oregon, Bennett shares that her post-grad dreams are "to find ways to share biblical studies knowledge through workshop-style classes that are accessible to anyone."
"I want to help build a bridge between academic biblical studies and the church," she says, "providing helpful information to curious readers of the Bible, and continuing to advocate for women's voices in biblical endeavors."
Providing practical scientific data to inform the city's land management strategies
"I love the outdoors and plants in particular!" said Emma Nikkel, who graduated from Trinity Western with a BSc in Environmental Studies ('15).
Nikkel has worked in several different positions within the environmental field, but a common theme has been "being hands-on and providing practical measures to improve the well-being of an ecosystem as a whole," and that includes bettering the lives of humans.
This summer, Nikkel worked with a team of researchers led by TWU’s Dr. David Clements to better understand how new invasive plants may spread into Metro Vancouver and beyond. This two-year study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Metro Vancouver Regional District.
The Metro Vancouver area is vulnerable to invasive plants due to its favourable climate and diverse landscapes. Climate change is expected to make it easier for invasive plant species to spread, particularly northward into Canada.
"My hope for this research is that it provides meaningful and practical information for local land managers, (helping them) to implement prevention and management strategies that actually make a difference," Nikkel said.
"I hope to contribute to bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and research, and actual management efforts in the field," she added.
Tackling microplastic pollution
When COVID-19 interrupted Katharine Sell’s work as an environmental educator, she had no idea what new opportunities would open up for her next. A surprise internship with A Rocha USA led Sell to support environmental efforts in Florida, including helping horseshoe crabs to survive and tackling microplastic pollution in the oceans.
A native to Birch Bay, Washington, Sell had been working seasonally with the Birch Bay State Park as an educator and naturalist for five years, prior to the pandemic. Each summer from May to August, Sell would venture out onto the beaches along the Salish Sea to teach Birch Bay’s campers, tourists and the public about marine biology.
When 2020 came and Sell’s park work came to a halt, she was initially unsure of where to go next.
Staying true to her passion for the environment, Sell soon became an online science educator. Through her work with a non-profit environmental organization, Garden of the Salish Sea Curriculum, Sell began designing marine science curriculum for K-12 students throughout the Whatcom County school district.
Sell’s background in environmental education makes her a great fit for the role. A graduate of environmental studies at Trinity Western University, Sell had taught TWU’s Salmon in the Valley program, helping 4th and 5th graders learn about the natural resources of the Salmon River in Langley, B.C. During her studies at TWU, Sell had also conducted research in Hawaii, and in Salt Spring Island, B.C. As well, Sell had supported Canadian conservation efforts through working at A Rocha Canada in Surrey, B.C.
This year, Sell completed an internship at A Rocha’s Florida laboratory, where she studied the migration patterns of horseshoe crabs and helped to tackle oceanic microplastic pollution.
See also—Summer research work prepares TWU students for careers in science:
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About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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