Federation news
Find Your Inner Founder
Graduate students and early career scholars, take part in the Federation’s online summer course Find Your Inner Founder from August 17 to 28, facilitated in partnership with Hikma, and learn how to translate your skills to new opportunities, communicate your value to employers, and pursue meaningful employment and professional growth. Learn more and register before August 14.
New on the Big Thinking Podcast: Turning research into action on student homelessness
Those who’ve completed a degree in Canada know that it’s a demanding experience, but for many students without safe or stable housing, the challenge is even greater. By applying a collaborative and human-centred approach to the issue, and drawing on the work of a collaborative research team, one researcher is sharing new understandings of student homelessness and pointing towards action. In this episode, Karine Morin is joined by Emily Berg, PhD, at the University of Alberta. Together, they unpack what it takes to turn evidence into action, examining how research can move beyond documenting a problem to driving meaningful change. Listen now.
New on the Big Thinking Podcast: More than a game: Finding belonging through soccer
Soccer is often described as the world’s game. It crosses borders and brings people together through languages and cultures in ways few other sports can. And every four years, the FIFA World Cup turns that connection into a global spectacle, drawing billions of people into the same unfolding story of victory, heartbreak, and national pride. Soccer has the power to bring people together, but it can also reflect on the visions that already exist beyond the field. So, who actually gets to belong? In this episode, Karine Morin is joined by Greg Yerashotis, assistant professor at Trent University who has looked at the relationship between sport and social inclusion. Listen now.
AIELCEF seeks new executive members
The Association internationale d'étude des littératures et cultures de l'espace francophone (AIELCEF), a Federation member association, is seeking new executive members. Those interested in contributing to AIELCEF’s work are invited to contact AIELCEF President Mbaye Diouf at mbaye.diouf@mcgill.ca.
Big Thinking Summit news
Graduate Mobilization Awards recipients
Thirty graduate students from institutions across Canada who attended last month’s Big Thinking Summit received Graduate Mobilization Awards, which recognized their various contributions to the sharing and mobilization of knowledge. Meet the 2026 recipients.
HSS news
Government of Canada invests more than $289 million to address social and economic challenges – On behalf of the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, Karim Bardeesy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, announced more than $289 million in support for 1,788 social sciences and humanities research projects and partnerships across Canada. Learn more.
International research call on wildfires in the wildland-urban interface is now open for applications – This collaborative opportunity seeks to improve understanding of and resilience to wildfire in zones where natural and human environments meet. The Canadian funding provided by the Tri-agency for this call is up to $9 million. Learn more.
The/La Collaborative secures over a million dollars in funding from SSHRC - The Federation was pleased to support the two funded projects that will advance understanding of successful cross-sectoral and cross-disciplinary collaborations by leveraging co-creation and a state-of-the-art database combining data from funders, communities and governments. Learn more.
Fostering Black brilliance – Twice every week, six students of African descent meet in an Acadia University classroom. Together, they discuss research, social justice, anti-Black racism, and methodologies that are rarely taught in class. These meetings are a tangible step towards improving Black student representation in higher education. Read more.
Experiential and ‘work-integrated’ learning aren’t the same – and it matters for higher education – Experiential learning programs are ubiquitous in post-secondary education. Formalized in the mid-20th century, experiential learning is defined by the Association of Experiential Education as a teaching philosophy that engages learners in direct experience and focused reflection. Read more.
Quebec’s Anglo universities prepare to meet French language targets – After a deal struck in June with the Quebec government, the province’s three English-language universities, McGill, Concordia, and Bishop’s, are preparing for the task of making their incoming students more fluent in French. Read more.