Student Success
Yaren Koca
I’m a PhD candidate in the Experimental and Applied Psychology program under the supervision of Dr. Chris Oriet. I am from Türkiye where I also did my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. I moved to Canada in 2019 to pursue grad school and have lived in Regina since. I enjoy learning about the human mind (duh!), philosophy, coding, yoga, aerial fitness, endurance running, visual arts and design, and anything in between where I can learn and craft stuff!
Research Information:
I like learning how we remember the things that we see. Specifically, I study how our memories store facial identity so that we can recognize the people we know. On one hand, all faces look the same with two eyes at the top, a nose in the middle and a mouth at the bottom. On the other hand, one person’s face can look very different from one time we seem them to the next. In fact, every person’s face changes in ways that are unique to them like a fingerprint. Our ability to recognize faces then, involves dealing with two opposite problems: homogeneity between people and variability within person. How do we organize faces in memory in a way that deals with these opposing problems? In my master’s thesis, I found that we average a person’s face as we become familiar with them. Because an average retains commonalities across items that are otherwise different, it helps us tolerate the changes in people’s appearance. In my doctoral dissertation, I found that we represent facial identity as clusters of different views within a multidimensional psychological space with their average at the centre of these clusters. For my postdoctoral research, I aim to investigate the higher-level conceptual and social factors that influence our representation of facial identity, and how these factors can be integrated with perceptual accounts of face recognition.
Jerit Mitchell
When PhD student Jerit Mitchell first noticed an odd structure in a 2018 scan of Scotty’s rib, he nearly dismissed it.
“I remember showing my supervisors, Dr. Barbi and Dr. McKellar, a strange structure… They were quick to point out that what I discovered could be preserved blood vessels, which has since led to a much more expansive research project.”
That moment of curiosity sparked years of investigation. Using powerful synchrotron X-rays from the Canadian Light Source, the team created a 3D model of both the bone and the vessel structures without damaging the fossil—revealing not only preserved blood vessel structures, but also a healed fracture from what was likely a violent encounter with another dinosaur.
The find is helping scientists understand dinosaur healing potential, compare injuries across species, and explore how life on Earth evolved over millions of years.
Read the full story in Discourse Magazine Watch the video at Scotty the T. rex or read the national coverage at Conversation Canada
Dr. Ken Wilson (alumni)
Dr. Ken Wilson is celebrating his forthcoming book, Walking the Bypass: Notes on Place From the Side of the Road, based on his PhD work in MAP's interdisciplinary artistic and media research program, co-supervised by Jim Daschuk and Sherry Farrell-Racette. Ken was that PhD program's first graduate, and his research received the President's Distinguished Graduate Student Award.
Walking the Bypass will be officially released on October 14 by University of Regina Press here.
Marjorie Roden
"My novel, Preflight Launch: The Missing Chapters, is a science fiction novel based mostly in Saskatchewan. Taking place in the 2200's, it shows a dystopian future where anyone who uses older technology and traditional knowledge is seen as rebellious. Although the characters were created as part of a web series made in 2013 through to 2016, one does not need to have watched the series to appreciate the book, as very little of any of the webisodes appears in the book."
Marjorie's book, Preflight Launch: The Missing Chapters, can be found on Amazon.
Marjorie D.L. Roden is a proud woman of Norwegian, English, Irish, Scottish, and Cree ancestry. She grew up near Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and loves to do varied forms of artwork, including but not limited to writing, painting (such as the cover of this, her first novel), drawing, performing, and designing clothing. She’s also a farmer, who loves nature and preservation of the natural elements. Her mother Diana was also creative, allowing her the unusual freedom of exploring as many forms of artwork from the time she was able to pick up a pencil or paintbrush. Thanks to the influences made by her mother to value education, Marjorie has earned her Bachelor of Education Degree in Physical Geography and Visual Arts (Usask 1998), Certificate in Media Arts Production at SIAST Woodland Campus (Prince Albert, 2007), and certifications through the National Screen Institute of Canada in Winnipeg (2008) & Acting for Film and Television (Academy of Business, Winnipeg, 2009), and her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theatre and Film Studies (U Manitoba,2018). The final wish her mother made was for Marjorie to complete her Master of Fine Arts in F ilm & Television prodiction, which is exactly what Marjorie shall be completing in the months following this book’s release.
Dr. Brendan Bishop
Congratulations to Dr. Brendan Bishop, recipient of the Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal!
Dr. Bishop is being recognized for his outstanding doctoral research on critical mineral extraction from coal waste and subsurface brines in Western Canada. With a remarkable 92% average and six published articles—including two in Environmental Science & Technology—his academic excellence speaks for itself.
Beyond the lab, Brendan also founded the Department of Earth Sciences’ student chapter of the Society for Economic Geologists. His supervisor called him “a once in a career PhD student.”
Next, Brendan will be starting his Postdoctoral Fellowship - "Excited to begin my Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) funded Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin."
Great job, Brendan and wishing you future success!
Adhika Ezra, MA
Adhika Ezra won Best Student Paper Award - MA Category from the Canadian Sociological Association, on his research "The Role of Milieu in Governance: The Case of Homelessness and Extreme Weather in Regina."
Extreme weather events increase the risk of disaster for people experiencing homelessness (PEH) who are exposed to harsh temperatures. Based on a qualitative case study in Regina, Saskatchewan involving 22 service providers, city officials, and advocates, I use the concept of governmentality to analyze how homeless governance and extreme weather responses contribute to the marginalization of PEH. Governmentality coordinates social life by considering the non-linear interrelations of rationalities, societal rules and expectations, governance techniques, and the environment. In an advanced liberal society, governance relies on shaping the milieu and determining possible fields of action that align with the desired outcomes of governance.
The findings show that shelter bans, shelter rotations, encampment evictions, move-along orders, and people’s reluctance to enter shelters are attached to rationalities of responsibilization, colonial Othering, private property, and the market. These forms of governance shape the milieu by dictating spatial circulations which end up denying PEH access to safe shelters. The milieu is also shaped by weather; during extreme weather, PEH is pressured to enter shelters. PEH who enter face the risk of re-traumatization and must accept disciplinary rules. Others without a shelter find ways to adapt, but face increased risk of getting injured-or worse-from maladaptation or direct exposure to extreme temperatures. By describing the interaction between technologies and rationalities of governance, weather, and spatial circulation, I argue that weather is accounted for by governmentality: 1) as part of the milieu that shapes people’s possible field of action, indirectly guiding people to consent to be disciplined; 2) to punish PEH who are unable to be “responsible.” Environmental disasters are a product of homeless governance that marginalizes PEH.
This outstanding MA-level paper offers a compelling and theoretically grounded analysis of how neoliberal and settler colonial governance structures shape the lived experiences of people experiencing homelessness (PEH) in Regina, Saskatchewan — particularly during extreme weather events. Drawing on 22 qualitative interviews with service providers, city officials, and advocates, the author skillfully applies Foucault’s concept of governmentality and milieu to explore how space, climate, and institutional practices intersect to produce exclusion and risk. The paper is notable for its nuanced attention to the complexities of trauma, substance use, and Indigenous dispossession, and for its clear, well-structured argumentation. The committee was especially impressed by the paper’s ability to synthesize theory and grounded research into a meaningful critique of policy and practice.
For more on his research and the award, visit the CSA site here.
Shaelyn Carr, Psychology
Warm congratulations to our very own Shaelyn Carr, who has been named a finalist in the national SSHRC Storytellers Challenge!
Her powerful research, "Innocent Until Proven Guilty? Or Guilty Until Believed?", tackles critical issues in the justice system and holds profound policy and public interest implications.
Shaelyn Carr is a PhD student in Experimental and Applied Psychology at the University of Regina, where she also completed her master’s degree. Her master’s thesis focused on a novel eyewitness lineup technique designed for use with children. She received a SSHRC Doctoral Award to support her PhD studies from 2024 to 2027, to support her research into alibi witness evidence with the goal of providing a more comprehensive understanding of this area. Her work explores how judges evaluate and weigh alibi evidence, how alibi witness evidence is perceived, and how both truthful and deceptive alibi witnesses generate their narratives.
Shaelyn’s broader research interests fall within the realm of forensic psychology, with a specific focus on alibi evidence, memory and accuracy of witnesses (both children and adults), lawyer interviewing techniques with children, and police interview practices with children.
Earlier this year, Shaelyn won FGSR’s internal SSHRC Storytelling Challenge, and we’re thrilled that her video has now earned her a spot as the University of Regina’s first-ever finalist in this prestigious national competition. For SSHRC's official announcement, visit here.
Shae’s outstanding student leadership and communication skills mark her as one of Canada’s top emerging scholars.
📽️ Watch Shae's video here.
Kwaku Ayisi
Congratulations to Kwaku Ayisi on the launch of his ARMS podcast series which was funded by the Digital Research Alliance of Canada.
The Digital Research Alliance of Canada awarded Kwaku Ayisi the DRI EDIA Champions funding for his project, “Academic Research Made Simple.” He aims to present the incredible research being done at the U of R to a wider audience through podcast interviews with racial minority graduate students and faculty.
The ARMS podcast series includes one-on-one interviews with racialized graduate research students (Masters and PhD) and racialized faculty with the discussion focusing on a research study they have conducted or in the process of conducting.
Watch the videos here on UR YouTube Channel.
Desia
Congratulations to Delasi Essien, awarded "Nursing Champion" through Canada's Top 25 Immigrants for the 2024 year.
As a doctoral student at the University of Regina, Essien further found her niche in academia, expanding the dialogue around equity, diversity and inclusion, through Indigenization and decolonization within the nursing profession.
For more information, you can watch the video here or read the article here.