Talk to Concordia’s three newest Vanier scholars and one thing becomes clear: receiving the distinguished award has boosted their resolve to make an impact.
“The principal Canadian research funding agency has confidence in my work,” says Anne-Marie Turcotte, a PhD student in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
“This is a great responsibility and I’ll do everything that’s necessary for my project to be a success.”
Turcotte, along with Darian Stahl and Amir Hooshiar are the 2017 Concordia recipients of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships.
A maximum of 167 scholarships are distributed annually among the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health. Each award is valued at $50,000 a year for three years.
Stahl and Turcotte’s projects are supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), while Hooshiar’s research is funded through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
For Stahl, a student in the Humanities Interdisciplinary PhD Program, the scholarship provides her with more opportunities to travel while conducting her research.
“Being able to go to the Wellcome Collection in London or the Ars Medica Collection in Philadelphia and look at the medical art that’s happening there is so important,” Stahl says.
“You can only glean so much from a computer screen when you’re viewing artwork. Getting a chance to experience it first-hand will have a huge impact on my research.”
When Hooshiar received news that he was selected as a Vanier scholar, he also understood that this honour comes with a great deal of responsibility.
“You’re expected to do a level of research that demonstrates advanced leadership skills,” explains Hooshiar, a PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Aerospace Engineering.
“Now I have to improve the goals that I already set forth in order to develop a higher calibre research project that answers this call.”
Children’s voices are important
After working for eight years with the Nunavik Youth House Association (NYHA), Turcotte decided to go back to university to pursue a master’s and a PhD degree.
She didn’t leave her experience at the NYHA behind, though, focusing her PhD research on the concerns of children living in Nunavik.
“I want to verify to what extent destructive behaviour is an indicator of youth distress,” Turcotte explains.