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FPGA Student EDI Research Award

The establishment of this annual award is to recognize the importance of, and to encourage student research in, EDI and reconciliation-related topics.

The Dean’s Office will fund one undergraduate student award, valued at $2,000, and one graduate student award, valued at $3,000. The award period for this inaugural award is from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025.

Project Eligibility

Eligible projects will use EDI-informed considerations and reflect upon diversity and identity in substantial or significant ways.

  1. EDI-informed considerations may involve one or more of the following:
    1. research design, methodology (ex. intersectional analysis, GBA+ analysis),
    2. topic,
    3. social application of the research,
    4. the lived experience and / or community engagement of the student researcher submitting the research proposal, and
    5. other relevant considerations.
  2. “Diversity and identity” may refer to disability, gender identity or expression, racialization, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, religion (creed), language, and other demographic dimensions.
  3. The EDI-informed consideration will be considered substantial where it is the dominant part of the research proposal. The consideration will be considered significant where it is an important but not the dominant part of the research proposal.

Each research proposal must be supported by a separate statement from the faculty member who will be supervising the project. Student proposals should pursue a topic of particular interest to them (e.g., the research proposal could explore new issues/topics of interest to them within existing research/labs/groups). Students must also submit their resume/CV, an academic audit, and a one-page cover page along with their research proposal.

Student Eligibility

To be eligible, undergraduate students must have completed at least the second year of their undergraduate program, have a minimum GPA of 9.0, and be taking a program and/or a major at the Faculty of Public and Global Affairs. Students graduating in June are eligible for this program. Students can only hold this award once during their undergraduate degree.

Graduate students should have a minimum GPA of 9.0 and be taking a program at the Faculty of Public and Global Affairs. Students can only hold this award once during their graduate degree.

Application Process

The application period is now closed.

Adjudication

Assessment will be conducted by an ad-hoc committee lead by the Dean’s Office. For two projects with equal merit, preference will be given to the one from equity-deserving groups, including, but not limited to, visible minorities, and students with disabilities.

Definitions

Equity

Through the removal of barriers and provision of appropriate supports, the principle of equity refers to fair access to opportunity and services for all, recognizing that members come to the university with relative advantages and disadvantages. Equity considerations extend beyond issues of legal human rights compliance, take up issues of demographic representation and underrepresentation, and examine questions of power and resource allocation.

Diversity and Intersectionality

Diversity describes the representation of various demographic segments and dimensions of identity within a population. In this sense, diversity includes the presence of intersectional identities, or the myriad ways in which individuals identify, live through and experience multiple dimensions of difference simultaneously.

Inclusion

The ongoing exercise of ensuring the university values and proactively cultivates difference so that every member can fulfil their potential and bring their whole selves in service of articulated common goals. While inclusion involves and mutually benefits every member of the university, its successful operation is predicated on the fulfilment of human rights and equity objectives.