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Biking across Europe and capturing that experience in a pack of cards as part of a visual arts research project may seem incongruous to some, but it's a perfectly natural context for kellyann henderson, who graduated with a master of fine arts in October.

Ms. henderson documents her journey through an "infinite document" - her website - which focuses on playing cards and how they are a vehicle for human connection. And a deck of cards is accessible - "Small and lightweight, they are easily carried (read: bike tour)."

"I collected ephemera along my way - street posters, event cards - and used them as canvases for 100 framed pieces and large format paintings," she said. "The website is a sort of 'choose your own adventure,' through a deck of cards."

In addition, Ms. henderson created a large format accordion book during her travels.

A self-professed bicycle worshipper, Ms. henderson believes everyone should have the opportunity to own and ride a bike.

"I want everyone to have the opportunity to see the off-road beauty of western Newfoundland from the wide-open vantage point of a bike saddle, no matter their income or skill level," she said. "This mind set is rooted in experiences as a life-long cyclist and community organizer, and in the belief that riding bikes strengthens communities and individuals and can foster and reveal the beauty of a place."

And so, she created Corner Broken Spoke, a non-profit community project that partnered with Cycle Solutions, Grenfell Campus, and the City of Corner Brook that supplies tools, parts, bikes, and knowledge to would be cyclists of Western Newfoundland. Now, thanks to donations and volunteers, anyone in the Corner Brook area can create their own bike, or borrow a bike, from the Corner Broken Spoke arsenal at the Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI) in downtown Corner Brook.

The creation of that social enterprise earned Ms. henderson a Grenfell Campus Engagement Award.

Ms. henderson is also the recipient of an A.G. Hatcher Memorial Fellowship, valued at $15,000, which funded her bike trip in Europe. Additionally, she was awarded funding through the Research Innovation Office, which is committed to fostering a progressive culture of technology transfer and commercialization that will promote social and economic benefits for Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Social enterprises make tangible changes toward a future that benefits everyone," said Ms. Henderson. "Of my time at Grenfell, that's what I'm most proud of - that anyone can go to the CRI and build a bike. I started working on this project because I loved riding in Newfoundland so much that when I came to visit for my MFA intensive that I decided to move here."

The public response to her bicycling visual arts project has been encouraging. Ms. Henderson will receive her parchment on May 18, but has already exhibited her work in her first solo exhibition in New Brunswick, at Gallerie Sans Nom.

The exhibition included the ephemera and large format paintings, as well as hand-crafted faux stained glass cabinets, which held dishes she made while in Europe. These cabinets have already sold to a collector in Corner Brook.

"I don't think people realize how good the facilities are at Grenfell Campus," she said. "I made the cabinets using state-of-the-art technology in the fabrication shop. I was so lucky to be able to avail of this technology - Grenfell's facilities are better than most other visual arts schools across the country."

Asked if she had any advice for other graduate students, she answered: "The best riding spot for picking raspberries is the dirt road that cuts to the right on 450 before the turn for the highway. Open views and no traffic."

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Last fall the Office of Research and Graduate Studies celebrated the 10th anniversary of graduate programming at Grenfell Campus.

The celebration kicked off with a gathering of graduate students, alumni, faculty and staff at the Centre for Research and Innovation. The first graduate program, a master of arts in environmental policy, accepted students for the first time in fall 2012.

Since then, Grenfell's complement of graduate programs has grown to include five other master's programs and two PhD programs: a master of boreal ecosystems and agriculture sciences, a master of fine arts (visual arts), a master of applied geomatics, a master of applied literary arts, a master of management, a PhD in transdisciplinary sustainability and a PhD in boreal ecosystems and agriculture sciences.

At the time of the celebration, Grenfell had 138 graduate students from 32 countries. Not only are graduate programs and student numbers increasing, so are the opportunities for research. Through funding agencies such as NSERC, SSHRC and Mitacs, graduate students have the opportunity to work with faculty and post-doctoral fellows in contributing to meaningful work in our communities.

Thanks to support from the federal and provincial governments, the research being conducted through the Centre for Research and Innovation has employed 12 graduate students. For instance, the $15 million Marine Biomass Innovation Project is employing about 12 students, but aims to employ up to 120 graduate students at its peak. Similarly, students in the TRSU, AGEO, MFA and MALA programs work on research that connects to communities through the arts, sustainability practices and geological and geographical analysis.

To mark the anniversary, Dr. Ian Sutherland, vice-president, Grenfell Campus, announced 10 graduate student travel bursaries of $500 each.

For more information about graduate studies, visit the Graduate Studies website.

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From dairy farmers and school food programming to policy advising and board governance, Paige Percy packed a lot into her three years as a student in the master of arts in environmental policy (MAEP) program.

Ms. Percy, who graduated in 2023, was supervised by Drs. Roza Tchoukaleyska and Paul Foley, with committee support from Dr. Kate Pendakis.

Her myriad accomplishments include a SSHRC-Canada Graduate Scholarship (2021-2022), an appointment to the board of "Experiences Canada through the FORA Rise on Boards program, the role of president for the Grenfell Graduate Student Society, the Grenfell Campus Governance Award and a two-year term on the Canadian Council for Youth Prosperity. In addition, she was one of four delegates chosen by the Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC) to attend the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

Ms. Percy's research focuses on different factors impacting dairy farmers' decisions to protest international trade agreements in Ottawa.

"It is not very often that you see a cow or tractor in downtown Ottawa, in front of the home of the Canadian Federal Government. However, this has happened in both 2015 and 2016 in response to international trade agreements," she states in the abstract of her research thesis.

Through interviews and more than two months of data collection, she gained understanding of the rich history of Canadian dairy and how that history informs dairy farmers' material and nonmaterial interests, emotions and perspectives when understanding international trade agreements.

"Through the interviews, it was revealed that dairy farmers were strategic in the timing and choice to protest in Ottawa beyond location with sophisticated mobilization efforts," she said.

"However, there is also significant tension in the motivations for protesting and how dairy farmers interpreted the protests varied across all participants. Overall, the study concludes that protests in the future will need to adapt and change to reflect dairy farmers' vulnerabilities that could be further exacerbated by tensions within policy priorities, protest choices, and popular opinion."

Before graduation, Ms. Percy took on the role of policy advisor at Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, focusing on Inuit housing and food security. And most recently, since graduation, she's working as a trade policy analyst with the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - a position that directly correlates to her thesis topic.

When asked about how her education at Grenfell contributed to her career and professional development opportunities, Percy pointed to her program's excellent staff and focus on practical learning.

"The master of arts in environmental policy (MAEP) is an unparalleled program - from the professors and staff, experiential learning opportunities and to the diverse student cohorts. It challenges students to explore the world with a critical eye and leave a positive impact while doing so. I'm so thankful for opportunities that the MAEP program has awarded me during my degree," Percy said.

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The research of Abdul-Rasheed A. Ature examines how the proponents of two wind energy initiatives engaged the community in the activities of the projects in the Town of Ramea, N.L.

"Access to clean, affordable, and sustainable energy remains a significant challenge in off-grid areas across the world," said Mr. Ature, who completed a master of arts in environmental policy in 2022. "As the energy transition progresses, relevant stakeholders in the energy sector have acknowledged the potential of small-scale renewable energy in addressing this challenge."

Leveraging the cases of two wind energy demonstration projects in the Town of Ramea, his thesis, titled "Local engagement and success of small-scale renewable energy projects in remote areas: insights from Ramea's wind energy projects," investigates how community engagement was a factor in the activities of the projects' proponents. He also explores the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the projects, intending to unearth key factors that can impact the successes or failures of test projects.

By using document reviews, site observation, and in-depth interviews with the various stakeholders of the projects, Mr. Ature's study established that there was "an early, genuine, and multi-faceted engagement with the local community."

"The community's premium wind resources, coupled with both local and external interest in wind energy development, present key opportunities for the energy transition in the town," he said.

That said, Mr. Ature also found that despite contributing to a reduction in the use of diesel, the creation of employment, and the development of wind-hydrogen-diesel integration control technology, one of the projects has been discontinued due to technical challenges with part of the project's equipment.

Competing energy priorities, rate uniformity in NL, and large-sized diesel engines in Ramea significantly challenged the optimum integration of wind energy in the island's electricity grid and limited the benefits the community enjoys from the projects.

Mr. Ature concluded that effective local engagement may not be enough to ensure the success of SSRE projects in off-grid areas, recognizing that the proponents' internal organizational issues and the broader energy ecosystem affect the success of demonstration projects as well.

Mr. Ature's full thesis is available here through Memorial University's Research Repository. He will present his findings at Grenfell Campus in January 2024. For more information, contact Mr. Ature at araature@grenfell.mun.ca.

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During the summer of 2022, theatre alumna Faith Young had the opportunity to gain experience in her discipline through a Mitacs position.

Mitacs powers research and development creation by connecting private and non-profit sectors with the best post-secondary institutions to solve organizational challenges.

Ms. Young was able to develop her career through artistic connections, experience and professional skills training at Stephenville Theatre Festival (STF). In turn, the theatre company gained trained experience to help meet employment gaps in the summer season, as well as provide valuable mentoring.

"The Mitacs grant was a great way for STF create a valuable work opportunity for one of our students," said theatre faculty member Vickie Marston, who oversaw the Mitacs position for Grenfell Campus.

Thanks to the Mitacs application from STF artistic director Heather Braaten, Ms. Young was able to take on the role of assistant production manager, reporting to the production manager/lighting and set designer, Laird Macdonald.

"I learned what it took to balance a festival budget, and it helped aid my communication skills, which I'd already begun to improve through the stage management portion of my training in the technical theatre stream at Grenfell Campus," said Ms. Young, who added the position also gave her a window into all the areas that support producing theatre in a professional environment. "A lot of the time I was jumping in to assist other departments in their production process, specifically paint and props, which helped me hone my skills in those specialties."

Ms. Young, who has worked with STF in various capacities since 2017, said she had particular goals when approaching the Mitacs opportunity.

"That was my third full summer season with STF," she said. "I had expressed interest in working in other departments, and wanted to be trained specifically by Laird. I'd worked with him previously, and I knew he had so much knowledge I wanted to tap into. Running a rep theatre festival is hard work, and I knew how much work went into planning and executing a season - seeing it first hand gave me a whole new appreciation of another side of management in theatre."

Ms. Young is currently the touring stage manager of STF's production of "To the Girls."