During this half-hour session, Dr. Carlin Miller will briefly introduce the practice of mindfulness and its research outcomes, and lead participants through several guided meditations focused on deep relaxation. This mindfulness session is particularly well-timed for overtaxed research administrators recovering from the busy fall grant season: more than 10,000 published studies in multiple populations support mindfulness-based interventions as highly effective for reducing stress, distress, and rumination, as well as increasing resiliency! Open yourself to a restorative half hour -- and perhaps the beginning of a new practice.

Dr. Miller has been meditating for more than a decade and uses mindfulness-based interventions in her research on complementary interventions for people with Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and those around them. She is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Windsor and is also affiliated with the Behaviour, Cognition, and Neuroscience program. As a trained clinician, she is proud that her teaching responsibilities include training the Clinical Psychologists of tomorrow.

Dr.Trevor Pitcher is currently an Associate Professor, Director of the Freshwater Restoration Ecology Centre (a partnership with the Town of LaSalle) and Executive Director (Acting), for the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) at the University of Windsor. In his capacity as Executive Director (Acting), Dr. Pitcher oversees the activities of the University of Windsor’s research related to safeguarding healthy Great Lakes, providing leadership and direction with respect to the implementation and promotion of the University’s strategic research mandate. Dr. Pitcher formerly served as the Interim Executive Director of the Office of Research and Innovation Services.

Specializing in aquatic ecology, Dr. Pitcher's research focuses on the conservation and restoration of Great Lakes fishes (e.g. Lake Sturgeon, Atlantic salmon) fish aquatic contaminant stress, and restoration ecology. As the Founding Director of the University of Windsor’s Freshwater Restoration Ecology Centre (FREC) in LaSalle, Ontario, Dr. Pitcher is currently engaged in scientific research aimed at restoring ecologically and economically important species of fish in the Great Lakes to self-sustaining population levels. He is a frequent invited conference speaker and has published more than 80 scientific papers on these topics. In addition to research, the centre hosts many public and school groups to educate them about water quality, invasive species and species at risk in the Great Lakes.

In February this year, the federal budget provided significant reinvestments in fundamental research and research infrastructure totaling more than $3 billion. This included $763 million over five years starting in 2018-19 for the Canada Foundation for Innovation, with “permanent funding at an ongoing level of $462 million per year by 2023-24.” The CFI has worked closely with senior officials at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and we are working towards finalizing an agreement for our Budget 2018 allocations this fall. For this session the CFI will provide an update on its activities and programming in light of these allocations and the status of our agreement with the Federal government. We look forward to addressing your questions and hearing your feedback during this session.

This session will provide participants with an opportunity to receive the latest news on CIHR programs, policies and initiatives, including recent competitions and changes to funding opportunities.

Delivered by Mohawk College, in partnership with the Canadian Association of Research Administrators (CARA), the Research Administration College Certificate program is aimed at pre-management research administrators or those planning a career in research administration.

Industry leading faculty will guide students through 6 core components of research administration. Students can take just one or as many courses in the Program of Study that they would like. If students complete all required courses they can apply for the certificate.

With a flexible, fully-online program delivery and innovative teaching technologies, this program will prepare graduates for a successful and rewarding career in research administration.

Have an idea for something you'd like to talk about in a less formal setting than a conference session? Feel like you're not exactly an expert but still have something to share? We will collect topics of interest throughout the CARA Ontario conference. Once we've collected them and identified common themes we will create discussion tables where we can discuss, enjoy coffee and gelato, and mingle.

Fill in the Knowledge Cafe Survey to let us know what you'd like to talk about.