Research with Reach video series highlights AU's research impact
Athabasca University is a disruptor among universities, with innovative researchers working to solve some of the world’s most pressing challenges in education, health care, business, and technology, improving lives and communities.
From high-tech solutions in AI to working with families and community organizations to improve health outcomes, AU researchers are making an impact, in communities from local to global.
Research with Reach is a video series showcasing the work of AU researchers and graduate students who are tackling some of the world's biggest problems.
They are pushing the boundaries of knowledge and discovery—and helping to realize AU's highest contribution.
Revitalizing Indigenous Healing Systems
Traditional Indigenous Healing Systems have been used since time immemorial to protect the health of Indigenous Peoples, but those systems have been disrupted by colonialism.
Dr. Lana Ray, Canada Research Chair in Resurgent Methodologies for Indigenous Health, shares how those systems are being revived for the benefit of First Nations communities through projects such as Waasegiizhig Nanaadawe'iyewigamig Mino-Bimaadiziwin. The work is both personal and professional for Ray, who is from Opwaaganasiniing, also known as Red Rock Indian Band.
Learn more about Ray's research
How AI can keep students engaged in learning?
Online learning offers flexibility—but how do we keep students engaged from a distance? Athabasca University researcher Dr. Ali Dewan is exploring how artificial intelligence, facial recognition, and deep learning can monitor student engagement and offer real-time support.
Dewan’s innovative approach tracks both emotional and cognitive responses to learning materials, helping to personalize online education and improve student outcomes.
Learn more about Dewan's research
Community research combats gender violence
Dr. Kharah Ross, a health psychologist and researcher at Athabasca University, is redefining the role of academia through hands-on collaboration with community partners.
From developing resources to combat gender-based violence to helping non-profits manage vital data, Ross’s research connects real-world problems with real-world solutions where they’re needed most.
Learn more about Ross's research
Business can help find whole-planet solutions to whole-planet problems
Can business be a force for global equity and sustainability? Dr. F. Haider Alvi, professor of innovation finance at Athabasca University, thinks so.
Alvi’s research explores how humility, understanding, and true partnership between the Global North and Global South can address some of the world’s most pressing challenges—from climate change to economic inequality.
Learn more about Alvi's research
Watch all Research with Reach videos
Research explores food choices, eating habits of teens in rural Alberta
Food has a huge impact on nutrition and health, and what we choose to eat is heavily influenced by our food environments-where we live, but also social, economic, and political factors that affect eating choices.
Dr. Alexa Ferdinands, an assistant professor of health and nutrition, is working with teens in Drayton Valley, Alta., to understand their food choices and eating habits in a rural oil-and-gas town.
Helping nurses advance skills critical to Canada's health-care woes
A worldwide shortage of nurses has resulted in a surge of nursing positions in Canada going unfilled. This puts a heavy strain on health-care systems in Canada.
Dr. Venise Bryan, an assistant professor of nursing, is researching the experiences of nurses and health-care workers as they advance their careers and expand their skills. The results could help improve nursing education and mentorship.
Read more about research to address Canada's nursing shortage
Researcher explores Canada's affordable housing crisis
The spotlight on Canada's affordable housing crisis intensifies as rent hikes, dwindling rental units, and urban encampments grab public attention.
Dr. Katie MacDonald, an associate professor of sociology, is studying the experiences of people working in the affordable housing sector. She also explains why a shift in thinking is needed to ensure housing is a human right.
How microbes can help us protect the environment
Microbes are powerful but unappreciated allies in our efforts to clean up the environment and fight disease, says Dr. Srijak Bhatnagar, a researcher and assistant professor of computational biology in the Faculty of Science and Technology.
Technology enables education for all
A quote from Nelson Mandela that he saw early in his career had a profound effect on the research of AU professor Dr. Mohamed Ally.
"'Education is the only weapon to change the world.' That changed my research," he says of the billboard he saw on a trip to a conference in South Africa. "Whatever I do, I try to do it globally."
Is climate change hurting teen mental health?
A new national study will explore the impact of climate change on the mental health of Canadian teens.
As the climate changes, there will be widespread environmental, social and economic impacts from rising temperatures to extreme weather events. AU researcher Dr. Gina Martin said teens are one of the groups most vulnerable to these effects.
How archaeology can reveal missing voices in Alberta's history
History is selective in what is passed down orally or through documentary evidence. Even the relatively recent history of Prairie settlements from the past century is often dominated by white settler men.
AU researcher Dr. Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown says archaeology plays an important role filling in historical gaps. That means including the voices of women, but also of Indigenous People and children.
Designing smart cities
A "smart city" is less about technology than it is about improving people's lives, says an AU researcher.
Digital technologies are the "core carrier" of a smart city, says Dr. Anshuman Khare, a professor of operations management in the Faculty of Business.
IDEA Lab redefines research through cloud technology
IDEA Lab isn't a traditional university research lab because it isn't a physical space. It represents a new way of doing research virtually using cloud computing and a first-in-Canada partnership between Athabasca University, Amazon Web Services, and RONIN. With IDEA Lab, AU researchers can investigate big problems with even bigger datasets to propel discovery and deliver results.
Harnessing technology to advance and enhance learning
Video games, AI, and phone apps are all great tools to help people learn, and to make learning accessible to more people. At AU, Canada's open university, expert researchers are exploring how to use technology to enhance and encourage learning, how humans interact with technology, and the limits and ethical considerations that come into play.
Protecting food, water, and ecosystems through research and technology
Sustainability is about finding ways to meet our needs for today and for the the future. For Indigenous communities in northern Alberta, it's about protecting water and food sources that are under threat from industry so that future generations can practice traditional ways of living. It's about understanding how environments and systems work, interact, and respond to emerging threats such as climate change. It's about developing new technologies that can solve environmental problems at the local, regional, and global scale.
Designing sustainable businesses and cities through research
Sustainability is also about ensuring that businesses look beyond profit and consider their role and obligations to the communities in which they operate and serve. It's about designing communities and gathering spaces that serve the needs of today and tomorrow.
Discovering a flexible graduate experience
What does graduate student research look like at an online university? Like a rich and rewarding experience, say graduate researchers at AU, Canada's open university. They work in the field and online, seeking answers to important questions in nursing, teaching, business, science and more.
Research like no other
Discover groundbreaking research happening at Athabasca University and explore inspiring stories in our Research with Reach series.