Justin Davis

Educational Background

BSc Honors cell biology University of Western Ontario (2004)
MSc Neuroscience UBC (2006)
PhD Human Kinetics UBC (2010)

How did you get into research?

In my last year of undergrad, a visiting researcher from the University of Toronto visited our class at UWO and delivered a lab class on C.elegans (a microscopic nematode worm). Using fluorescent microscopy, we were able to literally watch developing neurons grow axons in-vivo… I was hooked. Watching a neuron grow and form connections is still one of the most fascinating things I have ever seen.

Why did you continue to pursue research?

Research is not for everyone, but for me… it was an opportunity to be on the front lines of science and a road to greater understanding of the natural world around us.

What did you find most valuable about your graduate experience?

Grad school is freedom! You get to follow your own schedule, design and plan your own experiments and make a contribution to the research. In the end, it may only be one small contribution you make, but every drop in the bucket counts.

Tell us what you think about attending conferences?

Attending conferences is a huge perk that comes along with the freedom of grad school. You get to meet first class researchers from around the world, learn from them and ultimately make connections that are going to help you in your career.

How did you start working for Nognz?

When I finished my PhD, I knew I needed to take what I had learned in the laboratory and apply it outside the halls of academia. I was introduced to a team of technology entrepreneurs who needed someone with expert knowledge in the field of neuroscience and luckily, I fit the bill.

A little bit about Nognz

The brain is the single most important tool we use each and every minute of each and every day. At nognz, we have created workshops and interactive on line tools to teach people more about their amazing brains and what they can do to keep their brains healthy and thriving. We mainly work with corporations to support their wellness initiatives and leadership development programs. Teaching people about the brain and the amazing research that is going on in labs just like the one I did my work in is an incredibly rewarding experience.

Liv Yoon

Liv Yoon yoon.liv@gmail.com

Supervisor: Dr. Brian Wilson
Current Program: PhD
Research Interests: socio-political-cultural studies; social inequality with a focus on race and class; power and ‘post-politics’; environmental sociology; environmental communication; ecological democracy; media democracy; sport mega-events and society

Background: BPHE(H), 2010, Queen’s University
MA, 2013, University of British Columbia

Publications:

Yoon L & Wilson B (2014) ‘Nice Korea, Naughty Korea’: Media framings of North Korea and the inter-Korean relationship in the London 2012 Olympic Games. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. Published online before print September 2, 2014, doi: 10.1177/1012690214547745

Yoon L & King S (2012) “Dae-Han-Min-Guk”: The “Red Devils,” Korean Identity, and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Asian Journal of Exercise and Sport Science 9(2): 13-35.

Jade Werger

jade.werger@alumni.ubc.ca

Supervisor: Dr. Shannon Bredin
Current Program: MA in Kinesiology

Nicolien van Luijk

nicolienvl@gmail.com

Supervisor: Dr. Wendy Frisby
Research Area: Sport Sociology

Without knowing what my specific research area would be, my interest in undertaking critical social science research led me to UBC to work under the supervision of Dr. Wendy Frisby. As soon as I arrived in the city my future research topic became clear; the Olympics, a highly controversial and fascinating phenomenon was coming to town.

My research concentrates on examining the Vancouver Games through a marginalized perspective. As I became aware of the presence of community resistance groups formed to protest against the Games, I felt that this was a perspective that was deserving of critical attention. While community protests have been present at nearly every Games for the last thirty to forty years very little research has noted the presence of them, let alone focused their research on these groups.

For my specific thesis project I have become interested in examining how a community resistance group challenges the dominant ideologies of the Olympics through their use of public space. I’m intrigued as to how the protestors frame the use of public space in relation to the dominant Olympic framing and how they negotiate their way through that space.

Regan Taylor

Regan Taylor regangeiger@yahoo.ca

Supervisor: Dr. Shannon Bredin
Current Program: MSc
Research Area: Coaching Issues, Skill Acquisition and Development of Youth in Sport, Sport Administration, Coaching Development

Background: Level 3 Certified Coach, Advanced Coaching Diploma Program- National Coaching Institute, Bachelor of Science (Chemistry), Bachelor of Education (Minor – Secondary Mathematics), Professional Teacher Certificate – BC College of Teachers

Ben Sylvester

Ben Sylvester Supervisor: Dr. Mark Beauchamp
Current Program: PhD
Research Area: Exercise Psychology

I completed my BKin and MA degrees at Brock University in Kinesiology and Applied Health Science, respectively. My primary research focus has been on the association between the experience of variety and exercise-related well-being and motivation from a Self-Determination Theory Perspective. I am funded through a CGS Doctoral Research Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada as well as a Faculty of Education Graduate Tuition Award. In my free time, I enjoy Crossfit, skiing, camping, and traveling.

Publications:

Sylvester, B. D., Standage, M., Ark, T., Sweet, S. N., Crocker, P. R. E., Zumbo, B. D., & Beauchamp, M. R. (in press). Is Variety a Spice of (an Active) Life?: Perceived Variety, Exercise Behavior, and the Mediating Role of Autonomous Motivation. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology.

Sylvester, B. D., Standage, M., Dowd, A. J., Martin, L. J., Sweet, S. N., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2014). Perceived variety, psychological needs satisfaction, and exercise-related well-being. Psychology & Health. doi:10.1080/08870446.2014.907900

Morton, K. L., Sylvester, B. D., Wilson, A. J., Lonsdale, C., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2014). Transformational Leadership. In Papaioannou and Hackfort (ed.) Routledge Companion to Sport and Exercise Psychology: Global Perspectives and Fundamental Concepts. Routledge.

Dowd, A. J., Schmader, T., Sylvester, B. D., Jung, M. E., Zumbo, B. D., Martin, L. J., & Beauchamp, M. R. (2014). Effect of social belonging and task framing on exercise cognitions and behavior. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 36(1), 80-92. doi:10.1123/jsep.2013-0114

Jordan W. Squair

Jordan Squair jordansquair@gmail.com

Supervisor: Dr. Mark G Carpenter
Current Program: MSc
Research Area: Motor Preservation in Spinal Cord Injury, Postural Control in Spinal Cord Injury, Origins of Postural Sway

My name is Jordan, originally from Vancouver, British Columbia, I am a graduate student at the University of British Columbia, working towards a Master of Science degree in Kinesiology. Prior to graduate school I completed my Bachelor of Kinesiology degree at UBC. It was during this degree I found my passion for neuroscience and working towards novel techniques to improve our understanding and our rehabilitation techniques for various neurological and orthopaedic disorders.

Publications:

Murnaghan, C.D., Squair, J.W., Chua, R., Inglis, J.T., Carpenter, M.G. (2014). Cortical control of posture during unrestricted and restricted stance. Journal of Neurophysiology (in press).

Campbell, A.D., Squair, J.W., Inglis, J.T. and Carpenter, M.G. (2013). First trial and StartReact effects induced by balance perturbations to upright stance. Journal of Neurophysiology (in press).

Squair, J.W. (2013). Psychogenic paralysis: A neuroanatomical explanation of conversion. Health Science Inquiry, 4, 98-99.

Murnaghan, C.D., Squair, J.W., Chua, R., Inglis, J.T., Carpenter, M.G. (2013). Are increases in COP variability observed when participants are provided explicit verbal cues prior to COM stabilization? Gait & Posture (in press).

Cameron, B.D., Blinch, J., Plecash, A., Squair, J., Wou, L. and Chua, R. (2013). Adapting to target error without visual feedback. Acta Psychologica, 143,129-135.

Squair, J. (2012). Craniopagus: Overview and the implications of sharing a brain.UBC Undergraduate Journal of Psychology, 1, 21-28.

Sean Sinden

Sean Sinden smsinden@alumni.ubc.ca

Supervisor: Dr. Michael Koehle
Current Program: MSc
Research Area: Doping psychology, anti-doping, genetics in sport

Background: BSc in Kinesiology (Exercise and Health Physiology) University of Calgary

Coralie Riendeau

Coralie Riendeau coralie.riendeau@alumni.ubc.ca

Supervisor: Dr. Peter Crocker
Current Program: MA – Sport & Exercise Psychology
Research Area: coping, stress, burnout, perfectionism, cognitive processes

I am a second year Masters student at UBC working under the supervision of Dr. Peter Crocker. I completed my B.Sc. in Psychology at McGill University. I am originally from Quebec City. My masters research project investigates the relationship between dimensions of perfectionism and burnout in elite athletes. More specifically it looks at the potential mediating effect of coping strategies on this relationship. I am interested in the coping process and how it relates to athlete’s experience of stressful training demands. In addition to research in the field of sport and exercise psychology I am also interested in doing some applied work with athletes. My studies are supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

Eveline Pasman

Eveline Pasman e.pasman@alumni.ubc.ca

Supervisor: Dr. Mark Carpenter
Current Program: PhD
Research Area: Influence of fear and anxiety on static and dynamic balance control in healthy adults and clinical populations. StartReact effect in balance correcting responses. Proprioception in Parkinson’s disease patients.

Background: M.D. from Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Publications:

The effects of vibrotactile biofeedback training on trunk sway in Parkinson’s disease patients. Nanhoe-Mahabier W, Allum JH, Pasman EP, Overeem S, Bloem BR. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2012 Nov;18(9):1017-21. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2012.05.018. Epub 2012 Jun 20.

Balance problems with Parkinson’s disease: are they anxiety-dependent? Pasman EP, Murnaghan CD, Bloem BR, Carpenter MG. Neuroscience. 2011 Mar 17;177:283-91. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.12.050. Epub 2011 Jan 8.