Vancouver, BC – Mitacs, a national, not-for-profit research and training organization, announces its 100th internship in partnership with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The joint initiative between Mitacs and SSHRC provides Mitacs Accelerate internships to social sciences and humanities graduate and postdoctoral students working on research projects with recipients of SSHRC grants.
The 100th internship is being carried out by Mitacs intern Elizabeth Brey, a PhD student at the University of Waterloo’s Department of English Language and Literature. In partnership with Toronto-based organizational development consulting firm, ODScore, she is researching how the use and creation of personal narratives can influence employees’ adoption and commitment to new processes during times of corporate organizational change.
Through the Mitacs-SSHRC partnership, social sciences and humanities students have the opportunity to develop business skills while working on a research project with a business partner. These vital skills—including strong analysis and communications skills, the ability to address complex issues, and knowledge of the history, culture and languages of emerging markets—will help them succeed in today’s global marketplace. As a result, students have increased opportunities to enhance the contribution of their research while applying their expertise to unique industry challenges.
Quotes:
Alejandro Adem, CEO and Scientific Director, Mitacs
“Our partnership with SSHRC signifies the importance of creating stronger connections between Canadian companies and social sciences and humanities graduate students. Interns from these disciplines bring important and valuable skills to Canadian businesses and not-for-profit organizations, making them more innovative, competitive and productive.”
Ted Hewitt, President, SSHRC
“Social sciences and humanities research enhances our ability to understand and creatively respond to complex issues that profoundly impact our lives. Our partnership with Mitacs helps prepare the next generation of researchers who will be on the front lines of addressing these challenges. With this milestone we celebrate one more positive step towards SSHRC’s ultimate goal of developing talent, generating insights, and forging connections that advance research and innovation to the benefit of Canadians.”
Elizabeth Brey, Mitacs intern, University of Waterloo
“Working with ODScore through Mitacs Accelerate has been eye-opening. This internship gave me the opportunity to mobilize the skills I have as an academic researcher within an industry context—a chance I would have missed without Mitacs. This experience was helpful for both ODScore and for me; we were both able to see first-hand how industry can work seamlessly with fields like English Language and Literature. We quickly saw how much overlap there is between industry demand and academic research skills, and everything worked out great.”
Quick facts:
- Mitacs is a national, not-for-profit organization that has designed and delivered research and training programs in Canada for 17 years.
- Working with 60 universities, thousands of companies, and federal and provincial governments, Mitacs builds partnerships that support industrial and social innovation in Canada.
- Mitacs’ Accelerate program connects graduate students and postdoctoral fellows with partner organizations for research internships supervised by faculty.
- Open to all disciplines and all industry sectors, projects can span a wide range of areas, including manufacturing, business processes, IT, social sciences, design and more.
- The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is the federal granting agency that promotes and supports postsecondary research and training in the humanities and social sciences.
- Through its programs, SSHRC develops talented leaders, supports research that generates insights about people, and builds connections across all sectors of society, with a view to creating a better future.
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