UNews - Andrea Cuellar

Social sciences and humanities researchers secure greater than $1.175 million from SSHRC

trevor.kenney — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 20:30:55 +0000

The breadth of research excellence at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is reflected in the latest funding announcement from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), with 10 ULethbridge researchers representing four Faculties and one School all earning support for their work.

On behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, Karim Bardeesy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, announced in Edmonton Tuesday more than $289 million in support for 1,788 social sciences and humanities research projects and partnerships across Canada. The funded projects span a diverse range of topics — including climate change adaptation, economic recovery, social justice and impacts of emerging technologies on society — that will generate new knowledge and enable partnerships to help translate insights into solutions for people and their communities.

“Research in the social sciences and humanities is the cornerstone of a resilient, forward-thinking society,” says Bardeesy. “This announcement reflects our deep commitment to Canadian research. By supporting these projects, we are empowering scholars to develop the vital insights and collaborative solutions needed to build a more resilient, equitable and innovative future for everyone.”

The ULethbridge Faculty of Fine Arts, Faculty of Education, Dhillon School of Business and Faculty of Arts & Science, along with the School of Liberal Education combined to earn $1.175 million in SSHRC funding support through Insight Grants, Insight Development Grants and Partnership Engage Grants.

“This funding announcement really highlights the excellent work being done throughout the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, ULethbridge Vice-President Research. “When students come to study here, they are being educated and work alongside nationally funded researchers across multiple disciplines, many of which lead their fields in research initiatives. Congratulations to those who earned this valuable support from SSHRC for their respective projects.”

McMartin also notes that Faculty of Education Dean, Dr. Lisa Starr’s project, was the top ranked SSHRC project in Canada, followed closely by Faculty of Fine Arts Dean, Dr. Heather Davis-Fisch, and her drama project.

Insight Grants

Dr. Heather Davis-Fisch’s (Drama, $413,116) project addresses the problem of English-Canadian theatre historiography's reliance on textual analysis, scripts, and print documents, which has marginalized historically significant practices, particularly from underrepresented communities. Her research team will partner with galleries, archives, and museums to explore how alternate performance histories emerge from the analysis of archival objects and materials.

Dr. Kaylan Schwarz (Liberal Education, $69,014) is investigating the construction of feminist identities, and the social contexts which inform them. Combining visual methods, participatory methods, and intergenerational approaches, her project seeks to develop understandings of feminist representation and placemaking in the Canadian Prairies.

In Sierra Leone, girls and young women are often trapped in a cycle of dependency, health complications and poverty. Dr. Lisa Starr’s (Education, $368,933) project is aimed at reshaping gender dynamics for young female teachers in Sierra Leone by redistributing resources, expectations and responsibilities among new teachers. The intent is to study the impact of an integrative approach on Gender Transformation in teachers' personal lives and teaching practice, including their sense of professional identity and agency.

Insight Development Grants

Dr. David Balcarras (Philosophy, $26,354) seeks to address a fundamental question in philosophy of language: how words come to have meaning. By combining historical perspective with technical analysis, his project aims to clarify how best to explain the unbounded nature of linguistic meaning in finite human terms. If successful, it promises a deeper understanding of what linguistic meaning really is and how language and thus inquiry itself are possible.

Dr. Katharina Stevens (Philosophy, $41,957) proposes a project that will establish the foundation for developing a normative theory of voice allocation in interpersonal argumentation. Decisions on whom we give voice to argue with us, who we listen to and to whom we respond meaningfully significantly impact the way in which deliberation in the private and civic sphere proceeds. Normative argumentation theory aims to provide guidance to everyday arguers that will enable them to argue well in all senses of the term, and in all contexts.

Dr. Abdlmutaleb Boshanna (Dhillon School of Business, $51,253), whose expertise includes corporate governance, corporate disclosure, sustainability, natural language processing (NLP), textual analysis, and machine learning, proposes a project investigating whether firms use tax sustainability disclosure (TSD) as a strategic communication mechanism to navigate fiscal uncertainty and signal investment intentions after major tax reform.

Dr. Rhiannon Mesler (Dhillon School of Business, $77,198) is delving into the world of AI-mediated systems, noting that everyday customer service decisions — such as refund approvals, late-fee enforcement, fraud flags, and service recovery responses — are increasingly shaped by these systems. The project advances the concept of moral outsourcing: the displacement of responsibility for unfavourable but procedurally defensible outcomes from human decision-makers onto AI systems.

Dr. Monique Giroux (Music, $34,275) is examining intergenerational music teaching and learning through an in-depth qualitative case study of the Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party and Fiddle Camp (KLKP), an intentionally intergenerational, community-centred fiddle camp in Saskatchewan. The central research question asks how intergenerational teaching and learning are enacted at KLKP, and how these practices may support both continued musical engagement and the care and continuity of traditions.

Academic Freedom (AF) is the focus of Dr. Dan O’Donnell’s (English, $75,000) project. Academic Freedom, as it is currently understood from a legal and policy perspective, assumed its current form in statements written in late 1960s and early 1970s. This model has recently struggled to accommodate a broader and more contested set of expectations surrounding freedom of expression and inclusivity — his project proposing to address contemporary questions by contextualizing the debate, intellectually, historically, and from a legal and policy perspective.

Partnership Engage Grant

Dr. Andrea Cuéllar’s (Anthropology, $48,825) and co-applicant Dr. Lars Hallström (Political Science), both with the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, are partnering with the Oldman Watershed Council to co-develop the Socioeconomic Pillar of its updated State of the Watershed assessment. The project will analyze socioeconomic indicators relevant to watershed governance, develop reproducible open-source methods for future assessment updates, and translate the findings into accessible narratives and visualizations. It will also support the development of a First Nations-led framework to guide Watershed assessment. The resulting Socioeconomic Pillar will provide a fuller understanding of the social and economic factors influencing land and water stewardship across the Oldman watershed.

Inter-institutional panel affirms commitment to Indigenization and decolonization

trevor.kenney — Fri, 10 May 2024 20:40:27 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty and former students, along with City of Lethbridge and Galt Museum staff, recently presented a panel at the Thinking with and Alongside Critical Indigenous Scholarship Conference at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford. Organized by The Oxford Research Centre on the Humanities (TORCH) and its Critical Indigenous Studies Network, the conference sought to engage Indigenous epistemological and ontological perspectives and the contributions of Indigenous knowledge systems in diverse contexts.

The panel consisted of (top, left to right) Tara Million, Andrea Cuellar, Michelle Hogue, Patrick Wilson, and (bottom, left to right) Ross Kilgour, Camina Weasel Moccasin, Perry Stein.

The panel, Indigenization and Intercultural Collaboration in Municipal and Postsecondary Contexts, was convened by Dr. Patrick Wilson (Modern Languages and Linguistics and Prentice Institute Research Affiliate) and included contributions from Camina Weasel Moccasin (Curator Galt Museum), Perry Stein (Prentice Institute Research Affiliate, BA ’09), Ross Kilgour (City of Lethbridge Senior Community Planner and Prentice Institute Research Affiliate), Tara Million (Indigenous Studies and Prentice Institute Research Affiliate), Dr. Michelle Hogue (Indigenous Studies and Prentice Institute Research Affiliate), and Dr. Andrea Cuéllar (Anthropology and Associate Director of the Prentice Institute).

The panel was organized as a Talking Circle, following Indigenous protocols and ways of sharing knowledge, and consisted of conversations among panelists around four major themes — the TRC Calls to Action in institutional contexts, intercultural collaboration and cross-cultural learning, multiple constructions of Indigeneity and Indigenous identities, and decolonization and Indigenization — as they relate to their work in the City of Lethbridge, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the Galt Museum and Archives.

These themes are connected to the ongoing commitment of each panelist to the work of reconciliation, and participation in this conference allowed them to see the relevance of this work in Lethbridge as well as a broader context.

“Reconciliation is not the job of one person, one department, one institution, one community, or even one People; it is an ongoing, collective responsibility,” says Stein. “Participating in this conference allowed us to share the impact of collective action between and across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, City of Lethbridge and Galt Museum & Archives to advance not only conversations about truth and reconciliation, but concrete action and partnerships.”

Presenting this work at a conference hosted at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Oxford provided a unique opportunity to have discussions around reconciliation and decolonization at a place and institution with deep historical roots to colonization and its legacies and contributed to an ongoing conversation for the need to decolonize academic scholarship.

“Presenting this work in the form of a Talking Circle, where we addressed challenging topics with the audience seated in a circle around us bearing witness to our practice, allowed us to deconstruct conventional forms of conference presentations and offer a different model of disseminating knowledge, rooted in Indigenous ways of knowledge transmission,” says Hogue.

The conference also offered the opportunity for Camina Weasel Moccasin, in her role as Indigenous Curator at the Galt Museum and accompanied by other panelists, to initiate conversations with curators at the British Museum in London and the Pitt-Rivers Museum at Oxford around repatriation and rematriation of Blackfoot items of cultural significance held in those museums’ collections.

“The experience was very overwhelming, but also very enriching. I am grateful I had the opportunity to create new, and positive, relationships with museum staff while there,” shares Camina.

Cuéllar summarized the value of the conference and related activities.

“Participation in this conference allowed us to articulate and share the significance of years of interconnected and collaborative work on Indigenization and decolonization, to assess accomplishments and gaps, and to affirm our commitment to continuing this work.

“The museum visits and conversations with curators were very revealing, they prompted us to think about the need of a transnational reconciliation framework, of which repatriation programs could be a piece.”

The next steps for this collaborative work are to initiate a book project and present the panel at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge during the Fall 2024 semester.

Participation in the conference was made possible by financial support from the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, and two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge SSHRC Exchange grants (awarded to Wilson and Cuéllar).

City Scholars program continues growth, expanding opportunities for ULethbridge students

trevor.kenney — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 15:14:31 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students continue to make valuable contributions to the City of Lethbridge through applied studies projects thanks to a work-integrated-learning (WIL) partnership between the City and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy. Now in its second year, the partnership has grown to encompass a variety of projects, from studying the best practices of artificial intelligence on communications and public engagement, to exploring planning policy implementations related to the City’s Land Use Bylaw Renewal project, and assessing the economic, social and cultural impact of post-secondary students on the community.

Top row from left are Mick Jacobs, Wynonna Smith, Tobi Adeniyi Adebimpe (SAIT), Kes Soup, Morgan Resler, Brie Wilson, Lawrenz Decano, Sydney Whiting, Erica Gonzalez. Bottom row from left are Taylor Manns, Oluwanifemi Oladoye, Mercy Trinh, Hannah Laberge, Bryanne Wandler, Louisa Seitz.

This partnership is now one piece in the broader City Scholars program established by the city to promote a range of WIL opportunities for post-secondary students from both the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and Lethbridge College. The City Scholars program successfully taps into the knowledge of students eager to put their course studies to work in an applicable setting while also allowing students to gain valuable skills working with a municipal government and solving real-world problems. It also creates pathways to future employment opportunities.

"The city is thrilled to be able to work with student talent across two world-class post-secondary institutions. ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and college students bring new insights, diverse ways of knowing and learning, and creativity to support staff with applied research projects. The research that students complete helps ensure that we are designing and delivering programs, plans and services to meet the needs of our diverse community. As a college and university town, it is vital that we build bridges for students to be more engaged in the community," says Perry Stein, Partner Services Manager, City of Lethbridge.

Andrea Cuéllar, Associate Director of the Prentice Institute, notes that this second year of collaboration with the city has opened the doors to working with Lethbridge College.

"The first joint project will be a Policy Innovation Lab in May 2024. Under this novel WIL model, students from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the college will work together on the topic of urban food security to inform the city’s Land Use Bylaw renewal project," she says. “The Policy Innovation Lab puts into sharp relief how work integrated learning is not just about placing students in experiential opportunities, it is, importantly, about building impactful inter-institutional partnerships. High-quality WIL opportunities are bound to develop from that.”

On Tuesday, Apr. 9, the City Scholars Student Symposium was held at the Foster James Penny Building where many of the participating students were able to talk about their projects and showcase the results of their work experiences to a lively audience from the city, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the college:

Amy Cran, Taylor Manns and Sydney Whiting presented on WIL and labour market outcomes.
Lawrenz Decano, Rachelle Phillips, and Bryanne Wandler presented a tool to guide land development practices, which industry professionals can utilize, contextualize, and implement in their projects.
Erica Gonzalez presented on the Policy Innovation Lab, a novel WIL model that will explore urban food security through the lens of the Land Use Bylaw renewal project.
Mick Jacobs presented on WIL opportunities for fine arts students.
Hannah Laberge, Wezi Mutambo, Sydney Whiting and Brie Wilson presented on best practices to inform the Land Use Bylaw Renewal project.
Hannah Laberge and Brie Wilson presented on a tool that examines the effects of consolidating business and industrial districts to improve planning policy implementation.
Oluwanifemi Oladoye presented on AI-powered systems to streamline public feedback and to promote collaboration between city officials and residents.
Morgan Resler and Wynonna Smith presented on project management best practices with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Dhillon School of Business and Niitsitapi Centre of Excellence.
Louisa Seitz presented on current policies for asphalt-applied artworks with the City's Public Art Committee.
Kes Soup presented on the adoption of AI technology in public service settings.
Mercy Trinh presented a plan to facilitate inclusion in the City's hiring process, aligned with the principles of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA).
Brie Wilson presented on best practices and recommendations required to redevelop Lethbridge's Chinatown, 2nd Ave S.

Collaborative Course Work Projects:

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students engaged in the Bridging Cultures class, exploring the application of a Two-Eyed Seeing for Both Ways Knowing approach to public realm enhancement and Indigenous traditional knowledge projects.
Lethbridge College students assessed the feasibility of using shipping containers to house local start-up businesses. Three other Lethbridge College cohorts brought together skill sets in architectural animation, interior design, immersive architecture and block modelling, to support ongoing City planning and design projects in the Civic Commons precinct.

At the end of the showcase, three of the students presented a panel in which they discussed their experiences learning at the city and developing new skills in a municipal government setting. These projects were made possible thanks to the support of Career Bridge and funding from the city, the Prentice Institute, Mitacs, the Niitsitapi Circle of Excellence in Work-Integrated-Learning, the Dhillon School of Business and the Faculty of Fine Arts.

ULethbridge students benefit from unique WIL partnership between Prentice Institute and City of Lethbridge

trevor.kenney — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 17:50:22 +0000

Since the beginning of the Fall 2022 semester, eight ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students participated in five applied studies projects as part of an emerging Work Integrated Learning (WIL) partnership between the City of Lethbridge and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy.

The projects focused on a range of topics, which include formulating inclusive engagement processes for urban design projects, conducting a gap analysis of the City’s heritage program to assess the representation of the community’s diversity, supporting the development of project management tools for upcoming urban revitalization initiatives, researching the history of the Warehouse District as part of the City’s ongoing long-range planning work in that neighbourhood, and researching best practices for inclusive urban planning and policy making.

The students worked under the supervision of two City staff from the Opportunity Lethbridge and Planning and Design departments and benefited from the academic supervision of six Prentice Institute research affiliates and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ faculty.

“There is an impressive knowledge base that exists in Lethbridge that the City of Lethbridge is excited to tap into through WIL projects such as the ones being showcased today,” says Perry Stein, Partner Services Manager with the City. “Working with post-secondary students and faculty allows us to access this knowledge not only to enhance our day-to-day work, but to get a better handle on the talent in the community. We hope that students will gain valuable skills working with us and see us as an employer of choice once they graduate.”

The students shared the following feedback about their experience participating in the applied studies projects:

It allowed for the development of skills beyond the classroom, such as public speaking and a better understanding of government processes.
The opportunity aided their ability to translate academic skills to business and policy work, working on tight deadlines and imagining possible career opportunities.
Students gained confidence with current skills and their ability to learn new competencies, including networking and working on a team.
The applied studies validated how valuable their academic studies are in the workplace.
It challenged students to think about how academic work might translate to a hands-on setting.

"The Prentice Institute seeks to provide an ongoing platform through which City staff, faculty and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ students can collaborate to address pressing issues in our city. Other cities in Canada, such as Kamloops, Vancouver and Toronto are benefiting tremendously from collaborations of this sort with universities, and in the process training the next generation of urban planners, policymakers and innovators. Universities, in turn, fulfill the potential to contribute directly, through their academic and research capacity, to their immediate communities,” says Andrea Cuéllar, Associate Director of the Prentice Institute. “We are aware, however, that access to WIL opportunities can be inequitable. Hence, jointly with the City, we provide student compensation to cover course registration and other costs, since ideally there should be no barriers to participating in these valuable opportunities.”

An event was held Thursday, Apr. 20, 2023 to showcase the completed student projects from the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters.

The City of Lethbridge, Prentice Institute and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge look forward to continuing to partner with students and faculty on future applied studies projects and to develop a broader WIL relationship.

For a more detailed overview of the students and projects, click here.

Cuellar leads Botero discussion

trevor.kenney — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:30:52 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Latin American Film Series, in conjunction with the Lethbridge Public Library, presents: Botero, Born in Medellin, tonight, 7 p.m. at the library's Theatre Gallery.

This free event features German director Peter Schamoni's feature film, followed by a lively discussion led by Department of Anthropology professor Dr. Andrea Cuellar.

On the event of Fernando Botero's 75th birthday, Schamoni documents the life and works of one of the greatest talents in modern art. Botero's celebrated art has drawn intriguing interpretations, in particular in relation to the significance of the oversized humans and forms that populate it.

This film travels to Botero's birthplace of Medellin, Colombia, and explores the growth of the artist and the development of his art form.

Film, discussion examines recycling

trevor.kenney — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:48:05 +0000

The latest offering of the Latin American Film Series examines the old adage that one man's trash is truly another man's treasure.

Cartoneros, an Argentinian film under the direction of Ernesto Livon-Grosman, follows the paper recycling process in Buenos Aires from the trash pickers who collect paper informally through middlemen in warehouses, to executives in large corporate mills.

The process exploded into a multi-million dollar industry after Argentina's latest economic collapse. The film is both a record of an economic and social crisis and an invitation to audiences to rethink the value of trash and the relationship between garbage and art.

Supported by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge President's Office and by the Office of the Dean of Arts and Sciences, Cartoneros is showing tonight, 7 p.m. at the Lethbridge Public Library Theatre Gallery. Created in Spanish with English subtitles, the 2006 film runs 60 minutes in length.

A discussion session, headed by U of L Department of Anthropology professor, Dr. Andrea Cuellar, will follow.

UNews - Andrea Cuellar

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