Please see our FAQ post that describes our selection process and the nomination-lottery process we used, in detail. We consulted with a number of groups about the selection process. The key question we had in mind was, “How can we be unbiased when the traditional metrics are biased?” We sought to approach fairness as muchContinue reading “How did you decide on the nomination-lottery approach?”
Author Archives: pagegould
What is the Asynchronous Program?
BIPOC students who applied to the Canada SROP but were not selected for the full program were invited to join the “Canada SROP Asynchronous Program.” The Asynchronous Program will effectively be a “members only” section of the Canada SROP Website. Every Friday from the weeks of June 7 – July 30, students in the AsynchronousContinue reading “What is the Asynchronous Program?”
How were applications evaluated?
We received 256 applications. We used a 4-step process to review applications: Eligibility Screening: An initial screening used the self-reported demographics and undergrad transcripts to ensure eligibility. 242 students passed the initial screening and were determined to be eligible for the program. All students who passed the initial screening will be given access to onlineContinue reading “How were applications evaluated?”
How many applications were received?
We received 256 applications. We are so grateful for the interest in the program, but we also find it to be sobering. We wish we could have provided more than 15 fully funded positions this year. However, this response to the Canada SROP will provide a solid justification for us to expand to multiple UniversitiesContinue reading “How many applications were received?”
Why and how were specific identities prioritized in the selection process?
The Canada SROP was launched as an anti-racist initiative to support budding BIPOC researchers, with a focus on countering anti-Black racism and anti-Indigenous racism. Indigenous students were given the highest priority. Our funding structure required at least two spots to be filled by Indigenous applicants, because those spots were funded by the Faculty of ArtsContinue reading “Why and how were specific identities prioritized in the selection process?”
When is the deadline for Recommendation Letters to be submitted?
Recommendation letters should be submitted by 11:59 PST on Friday, February 26, 2021. Recommendation letters can be submitted at this Letter of Recommendation Submission page. Please note that deadline for students to apply to the program is February 15.
May I be enrolled in classes, holding a job, or volunteering at the same time?
Unfortunately, no. The Canada SROP is a 40-hour/week commitment for the 8 weeks of June 7 to July 30, 2021. Therefore, students enrolled in the Canada SROP cannot have another school, work, or volunteer commitment for the 8 weeks of the programme. To provide for living expenses during the Canada SROP, students selected for theContinue reading “May I be enrolled in classes, holding a job, or volunteering at the same time?”
How prior knowledge begets new memories
Mentor: Dr. Asaf Gilboa Project Description Learning something new is easier if we already have knowledge on that topic, but how this happens in the brain is only beginning to be understood. Most studies of how the brain makes new memories use stimuli, such as a list of unrelated words, that separate information from itsContinue reading “How prior knowledge begets new memories”
Online screening for age-related memory decline
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Ryan Project Description The goal of this research project is to use web-based online eyetracking platforms to develop a short task that may screen for memory problems in older adults. The way we view the world is influenced by how we make memories, and what we can remember. This research project willContinue reading “Online screening for age-related memory decline”
Language revitalization through optimized learning techniques
Mentor: Dr. Jed Meltzer Project Description My lab studies language processing in adults, with applications to diagnosis and rehabilitation of disorders such as stroke and dementia, second language learning, and the relationship of language to other cognitive and motor processes. Recently we have studied the use of advanced software-based techniques for efficiently studying words, bothContinue reading “Language revitalization through optimized learning techniques”
Development of autobiographical memory
Mentor: Dr. Nicole Anderson Project Description Autobiographical memory is poor for our early years; we recall few events from our first three years of life, and memory for events occurring between the ages of 4 and 7 is spotty. This Òchildhood amnesiaÓ has been attributed to various sources. The hippocampus is not developed sufficiently inContinue reading “Development of autobiographical memory”
How will the “remotely operated” programme in Summer 2021 work?
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Canada SROP will be operated remotely in Summer 2021. This means that SROP Students will be residing in their current living situation (e.g., at their homes). SROP Students will need to have Internet access for the duration of the programme, and we are providing a $200 “remote work supplement”Continue reading “How will the “remotely operated” programme in Summer 2021 work?”
Am I eligible if I am not enroled in a 4-year degree programme?
During the Canada SROP (June 8 – July 30), you must be enroled in a degree programme that will make you eligible to apply to graduate school at the University of Toronto (UofT) upon completion. International students are welcome to apply to the Canada SROP. We want to be globally inclusive of the different structuresContinue reading “Am I eligible if I am not enroled in a 4-year degree programme?”
Am I eligible if I already graduated?
To be eligible for the Canada SROP, you must be currently enrolled at a university and/or graduated in the 2020 – 2021 Academic Year. In other words, students who are graduating this academic year are eligible for Canada SROP. If you received a bachelors degree (i.e., you graduated) on or before the start of theContinue reading “Am I eligible if I already graduated?”
Advice for Recommenders
The deadline for letters of recommendation is Friday, February 26 at 11:59 PM PST. Thank you so much for agreeing to write a recommendation letter to support a student interested in our programme, the Canada SROP! You were asked for this letter because you have played an important role in this student’s life as aContinue reading “Advice for Recommenders”
Would you please provide instructions for writing the personal statement?
The SROP takes an anti-racist approach to supporting BIPOC excellence. To us, this means creating a workplace culture where people are centred, among other things. Therefore, we want to know about you. This is what we hope to learn through the Personal Statement. Example Content Generally, we want to know the answer to 4 questions:Continue reading “Would you please provide instructions for writing the personal statement?”
Understanding how drivers respond to dangerous situations
Mentor: Dr. Benjamin Wolfe Project Description If you are driving down the road and someone steps into the road ahead of you, what do you need to know to stop in time? How quickly can you understand the scene and understand what you can do to avoid a crash? I’ve shown that we can understandContinue reading “Understanding how drivers respond to dangerous situations”
Technology and You: How Digital Devices and Applications affect Work and Non-Work Performance and Health
Mentor: Dr. Soo Min Toh Project Description How does the work and non-work domains of your life interact to influence how well you perform in each domain? How can one domain enhance the other in a mutually supporting and sustainable way? Different researchers have approached these questions from different perspectives and on different populations. WithContinue reading “Technology and You: How Digital Devices and Applications affect Work and Non-Work Performance and Health”
How do first-year undergraduate students understand “knowledge”?
Mentor: Dr. Romin Tafarodi Project Description The rapid growth and development of the service sector over the past half-century has led to the increased pragmatizing of knowledge as occupational asset. How is this reflected in our understanding of knowledge itself? To examine how university students at the University of Toronto define, identify, pursue, and hopeContinue reading “How do first-year undergraduate students understand “knowledge”?”
Are people blind to their own power?
Mentor: Dr. Jennifer Stellar Project Description Hierarchies in which some individuals have more power than others are a defining feature of almost every group or society. However, holding power does not necessarily mean one fully understands the extent of their power. For example, a boss may think that if they ask their employee to helpContinue reading “Are people blind to their own power?”
Good and Evil, Reward and Punishment
Mentor: Dr. Jessica Sommerville Project Description Even babies possess moral tendencies: infants will help others achieve their goals, and evaluate others based on whether they are helpful or harmful. At the same time, we know that these early moral sensitivities likely differ from more mature moral responses in fundamental ways. The question is, how? TheContinue reading “Good and Evil, Reward and Punishment”
Memory Organization and Development
Mentor: Dr. Meg Schlichting Project Description Past work suggests that the memories of children, adolescents, and adults differ in many ways. There may be important differences in both how memories are stored as well as how they are later accessed that give rise to the myriad behavioural changes we see over development. For example, itContinue reading “Memory Organization and Development”
Children and adults’ thinking about possible, improbable, and impossible events
Mentor: Dr. Samuel Ronfard Project Description Unlike older children and adults, preschool children typically judge improbable events, such as making blue applesauce or finding an alligator under a bed, to be impossible. This developmental pattern is robust and holds for phenomena across the physical, psychological, and biological domains. Children and adults might be making differentContinue reading “Children and adults’ thinking about possible, improbable, and impossible events”
Meaningful Interactions with Friends
Mentor: Dr. Elizabeth Page-Gould Project Description Taken on the whole, interacting with other people Ñ even virtually Ñ seems fundamental to human thriving. Indeed, meaningful interactions make for a good life. However, not all social interactions leave us feeling fulfilled. This descriptive project seeks to map out the qualities of meaningful interactions, with a particularContinue reading “Meaningful Interactions with Friends”
Evaluating eye-movement and brain imaging indicators that predict dementia in healthy older adults
Mentor: Dr. Rosanna Olsen Project Description Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a devastating and costly neurodegenerative illness. A major barrier to the discovery of new treatments is that we currently lack measures that can detect AD prior to symptom onset. Early and effective diagnosis of AD provides a critical opportunity for patients to seek out treatmentsContinue reading “Evaluating eye-movement and brain imaging indicators that predict dementia in healthy older adults”
Responses to Feeling Invisible
Mentor: Dr. Becca Neel Project Description People want to belong and to be valued by others, but sometimes, that desire is thwarted. Devaluation can take many forms. In our lab, we are examining one form of devaluation in particular: invisibility. When someone is invisible, they are overlooked and ignored by others. How does a personContinue reading “Responses to Feeling Invisible”
Diaspora Communities Organizing in Response to Disasters
Mentor: Dr. Ryann Manning Project Description Diaspora communities – individuals who identify with and retain a connection to their country of birth or ancestry, but reside elsewhere (Nielsen & Riddle, 2009)—can play an important role during times of crisis their countries of origin (DEMAC, 2016; Erikson, 2014; International Organization for Migration, 2015; Loebach, 2015; Nagarajan,Continue reading “Diaspora Communities Organizing in Response to Disasters”
Research and Practice Partnership: Building Awareness and Increasing Social Emotional Capacity in the Early Years (RAISE)
Mentor: Dr. Tina Malti Project Description Child emotional and behavioral challenges are a significant health issue in Canada and are of heightened concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Promotion of children’s social-emotional development (e.g., emotion regulation, empathy, and self-reflection) using a trauma-informed approach may be a fruitful means to support children and families in combating difficultiesContinue reading “Research and Practice Partnership: Building Awareness and Increasing Social Emotional Capacity in the Early Years (RAISE)”
Learning, memory, and reasoning: the mutual interplay of cognition’s key mechanisms
Mentor: Dr. Michael Mack Project Description Our ability to learn, reason, and remember often go hand-in-hand. However, scientific research has largely treated them as independent abilities with separate brain systems. More recent cognitive neuroscience findings suggest otherwise—the same brain regions known to support memory, like the hippocampus, also play a role in new learning. InContinue reading “Learning, memory, and reasoning: the mutual interplay of cognition’s key mechanisms”
Singlehood and well-being
Mentor: Dr. Geoff MacDonald Project Description My lab is studying various dimensions of singlehood that may contribute to well-being. Our published research has shown that feeling connected to family and friends as well as feeling sexually satisfied are important contributors. We have several simultaneous projects underway investigating what healthy singles do (e.g., how much timeContinue reading “Singlehood and well-being”
Self-Categorization in the Workplace
Mentor: Dr. Geoffrey Leonardelli Project Description Although Canada’s leaders may envision humans and robots collaborating for the sake of society, such a future is far from guaranteed. Robots, these machines that complete a complex series of tasks autonomously and increasingly under the guidance of artificial intelligence, stoke human fears of unpredictability and human replacement (Frick,Continue reading “Self-Categorization in the Workplace”
Morality, politics, social class, motivation and cognition
Mentor: Dr. Spike W. S. Lee Project Description Broadly speaking, our lab investigates-(1) mental contents that matter for social life (e.g., moral intuitions, political orientation, subjective social class),-(2) higher-order mental processes (e.g., judgment and decision-making, lay beliefs, metacognition),often as they influence and are influenced by-(3) bodily states (e.g., motor action, sensory experience) and-(4) physical toolsContinue reading “Morality, politics, social class, motivation and cognition”
Do you see what I see? Understanding individual differences in visual space perception
Mentor: Dr. Anna Kosovicheva Project Description We often have to make difficult perceptual judgments about where objects are located in the world. When driving in a snowstorm, where is the car in the lane next to you? When catching a baseball flying through the air, where is it relative to your hand? When making theseContinue reading “Do you see what I see? Understanding individual differences in visual space perception”