Faculty of Art
First Nations Technology Council (FNTC)
Keywords: environmental scan, First Nations, nonprofit, education
A cohort of three graduate students conducted research on critical areas of career development and digital skills training that FNTC identified as focus areas for the First Nations communities they serve.
Highlights
- Completed an environmental scan of best practices in career development and tech training
- Developed a final report synthesizing and presenting findings to key stakeholders
Centre for International Contemporary Art
Keywords: nonprofit, writing, art exhibition, copyediting and proofreading
A cohort of six graduate students supported the launch of an art exhibition featuring the work of James Jean for a local, independent gallery focused on international contemporary art.
Highlights
- Developed public facing writing and releases leading up to the opening
- Copyedited and proofread a gallery catalogue for publication
- Researched funding and donor strategies
Heritage Vancouver Society (HVS)
Keywords: nonprofit, web design, grant writing, oral history, online resources
A cohort of seven graduate students across three teams developed projects with HVS and its community partners.
Highlights
- Researched, designed, developed, and produced a virtual walking tour in partnership with Sliced Mango Collective and UBC Asian Studies as part of the Kuwentong Pamemahay project
- Researched and applied for grants to execute a series of events centering the historic Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium as a part of Vancouver’s queer heritage and history
- Researched and prototyped a creative performance installment around Vancouver’s historically Black neighbourhoods
Hikma Collective
Keywords: knowledge mobilization, literature review, social media, education
A cohort of two graduate students collaborated with a research collective and their community partner to analyze qualitative interviews with PhDs-turned-entrepreneurs with the goal of writing a research article and developing courses on the subject.
Highlights
- Created an annotated bibliography in support of a research article around graduate student career pathways
- Developed and organized social media campaign strategy
- Supported curriculum design for course offerings
Public Humanities Hub
Keywords: environmental scan, public humanities, UBC, mapping
A cohort of three graduate students created a report detailing public humanities research support and activities within UBC-Vancouver and UBC-Okanagan.
Highlights
- Completed an environmental scan of current, ongoing projects within UBC-V and UBC-O looking for research, potential partnerships, and initiatives that might fall within the purview of the community partner
- Developed a comprehensive research report discussing research outcomes
- Created a set of recommendations aligning with the community partner’s goals
- Presented findings to interested groups
I would encourage any graduate student interested in joining a CCP to go for it! Each member of our project team brought different, complementary skillsets and perspectives to the project. I felt like my individual skills were always valued and I was always met where I was by my team members and community partner in terms of capabilities and interests. (Allegra Stevenson-Kaplan, MA English)
Writing Short is Hard
Keywords: accessible language, textual analysis, interviewing
Two graduate students conducted research and interviews with SSHRC merit review committee members to produce a series of informational advice posts for academics navigating grant applications. Read our profile of the students here.
Highlights
- Interviewed faculty involved with SSHRC IDG and IG Grant Committees in the social sciences; edited and coded transcripts
- Compiled and interpreted data into the form of informative blog posts that SSHRC IDG and IG applicants can consult for guidance and insight about the application process
“The CCPs and Arts Amplifier in general are a great resource for graduate students wanting to broaden their academic horizons. Especially for those that are uncertain about what life after graduation will look like (myself included), these programs and initiatives are good opportunities to see what’s out there and connect with community partners from a wide range of fields.” (Athena Loredo, DMA candidate)
UBC Research Commons
Keywords: digital humanities, education, digital design, UBC, digital literacy, Canvas
A cohort of seven graduate students designed workshops to introduce tools and skills within the digital humanities (e.g., International Image Interoperability Format), showcasing how they may be useful in learning, teaching, and research.
Highlights
- Developed Canvas assignment sheets on core literacies to complement workshop content
- Researched existing digital humanities software and created GitHub pages for workshops
- Developed a WordPress site to house a project library of Digital Scholarship in the Arts
“This collaborative project was meaningful to me because it involved working with library spaces, and allowed me consider meaningful exhibit possibilities for public to engage with and participate in.”
Women Transforming Cities (S2022/S2023)
Keywords: nonprofit, digital design, digital humanities, education, civic engagement
A cohort of six graduate students worked together to create digital tools and infographics that would empower Vancouver community members to participate in civic life. Read our interview with the community partner on their experience working with graduate students here.
Highlights
- Developed familiarity with issues of civic advocacy and municipal governance
- Created infographics on Canva that explained various topics regarding the local government in the form of concise social media posts
- Translated complex ideas into plain language, according to accessibility and inclusive communications best practices into long-form, downloadable resources to accompany workshops on civic literacy
“It is extremely important for me to make a positive impact in my community, through the infographics we made we will be able to help marginalized communities and individuals in making their voices heard.”
PhoneMe
Keywords: UX design, digital humanities, accessibility, digital literacy, UBC
A cohort of three grad students designed an onboarding experience informed by theories of community engagement, digital literacy, and storytelling for the PhoneMe app, a platform for global poetry creation and sharing.
Highlights
- Identified a research component that would both benefit the industry partners and be feasible to complete within the time allocated for the project.
- Created an adaptable framework for onboarding (e.g., user communication, universal icons) on a mobile app according to best practices for accessibility
- Conducted user experience research and project management
- Collaborated on platforms such as Miro
“This was by far one of the best experiences I have had in academia. The support offered by the Amplifier and the trust that we could direct the project where it needed to go was an empowering experience. The way in which my team and I worked together, supported each other, championed each other, and encouraged each other to try new things, to step out of our comfort zones while also honing our individual skillsets was a profound way to work. I hope to continue the momentum and the mindset that this project (and this experience) have instilled.”
CityStudio Vancouver
Keywords: urban planning, interviewing, policy and city governance, environment
A cohort of four grad students designed and executed a study of the relationship between green infrastructure (biophilic design) and public wellbeing in the neighborhood of Sunset in Vancouver. Access the project report here.
Highlights
- Conducted policy analysis of city governance
- Conducted literature review of gaps and challenges in green rainwater (biophilic) infrastructure development and reception
- Designed survey and interviewed Sunset community residents to look at attitudes towards green infrastructure, and feelings of connectedness to nature and mental health impact
- Completed quantitative and qualitative analysis of surveys and interviews
“I have learnt how to connect my academic thinking to real world problems and how to work with relevant parties to develop practical solutions.”
Friends for Life
Keywords: archive, accessibility, interviewing, nonprofit, digital humanities
A cohort of three grad students wrote and made digitally accessible the public history of Vancouver Friends for Life Society, a local community organization that provides support services for people living with terminal illnesses.
Highlights
- Conducted archival research of the community organization
- Designed effective qualitative interview questions
“I learned how to co-manage a collaborative research project and participate at several ‘levels’ of the research design/creation, organizational process, and so on, at once. Often, collaborative research involves shifting priorities several times throughout a process that continues to move forward regardless of these changes; I have learned to ‘multitask’ by occupying multiple roles at once - researcher, administrator, and liaison, to name three primary roles.”
BC Forestry Discovery Centre (FDC)
Keywords: digital design, education, graphic design, brand, museum
A cohort of four PhD students collaborated with BCFDC to redesign and digitize the curriculum of five education packages for primary school-aged children.
Highlights
- Completed an environmental scan of current activities and literatures offered by different museums and cultural centres
- Created and supported a coherent brand identity for the community partner through graphic design and digital strategy/marketing
- Aligned learning outcomes with current BC Education Ministry recommendations
- Designed accessible educational packages in PDF and PowerPoint format
“I'd love to work on another Arts Amplifier collaborative cohort project! My professional plans involve taking the work involved in this project, identifying the discrete skills the client found most valuable, and creating a strategy to develop those skills further and translate their value into documents like a cover letter and resume. I'd also like to take this experience working with a nonacademic partner and incorporate it into the public-facing side of my own research, even as the target audiences are different.”
Squamish Nation Member Services Office (S2021/F2021)
Keywords: applied research, interviewing, environmental scan, infographics, First Nations
A cohort of four PhD students worked together on an applied research project to determine gaps in service delivery for members of the Squamish Nation in the areas of mental health, addiction, disability, and housing.
Highlights
- Completed an environmental scan of gaps in service delivery
- Conducted literature review of Indigenous best practices and critiques of service delivery
- Designed questions and interviewed key service providers partnering with Squamish Nation; edited and coded transcripts
- Collaborated on data analysis using software such as Asana and Miro
- Developed infographics to benefit the community partner
“(I learned) SO MUCH. I built a great deal of confidence, learning that I could push myself out of my comfort zone and actually do collaborative work, applied research, and analysis of data using new software, much better than I’d thought I could do... Since this project involves working closely with a First Nation, and two of the cohort members are Indigenous, I learned more about my own emerging identity and identification as a Métis person. I learned a great deal about the Squamish Nation and about issues that impact Indigenous people, including a great deal about mental health, as well as addiction, disability, and housing, services in the Lower Mainland.”