David M. Secko, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Team Leader
Department of Journalism
Concordia University
Dr. Secko’s amazement at the speed at which an amoeba could crawl, led him to a Ph.D. (2004) from the University of British Columbia that focused on the soil amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. However, upon finishing his PhD, he started writing about science for the likes of The Scientist magazine and Vancouver’s Tyee. Now at Concordia University, David is working to give journalists new tools to communicate science. His interests further extend to research that links across journalism, science and ethical issues to clarify and experiment with the roles of the public, experts and journalists in the democratic governance of biotechnology. David won a Concordia University Research Award for his research contributions in 2011, the Dean’s Award for excellence as a new scholar in 2010 and was awarded the Hal Straight Gold Medal in Journalism from UBC’s School of Journalism in 2006.
He can be contacted at: dsecko [at] alcor.concordia.ca
Elyse Amend
Research Assistant (Recent MA Graduate)
Department of Journalism
Concordia University
Elyse is recently completed her MA in Journalism Studies at Concordia University (supervised by David Secko) and is now a research assistant with the CSJP. She has previously worked as a community journalist for the Hudson Gazette and The Chronicle, as well as assistant editor for the trade magazine, Pulp and Paper Canada. Her research interests include science journalism, examining how news media “translate” scientific reports and findings for the general public and the discrepancies that may arise in the process, and the effects science journalism has on the public’s attitudes and behaviours.
Patricia Hanney
Research Assistant
Genozymes-GE3LS Project
Patricia Hanney is a research assistant with the Genozymes-GE3LS project at Concordia University, Montreal. Her research examines the interplay of emerging biotechnologies with environmental and sustainability issues. She is currently investigating sustainability frameworks for cellulosic conversion processes and co-products. Patricia holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Social Policy from Trinity College, University of Dublin and an M.Sc in Sustainable Development from the Dublin Institute of Technology.
She can be contacted at: phanney [at] alcor.concordia.ca
Emily Brass
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Department of Journalism
Concordia University
Emily is an undergraduate student at Concordia, majoring in Journalism and Community, Public Affairs and Policy Studies. She wants to learn how to make green news more
scintillating, and is researching best practices in environmental journalism for the CSJP. Emily is also a singer-saxophonist, and host of the show Grrls Groove on CJLO 1690 AM in Montreal.
Holly Longstaff, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Department of Journalism
Concordia University
Dr. Holly Longstaff specializes in lay citizen engagement and policy analysis from a social science perspective. Holly was recently named one of Canada’s Rising Stars by Genome Canada for her research in the area of public engagement. She received her doctorate from The W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics at UBC in 2009. Her graduate research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) through their Ethics of Health Research and Policy Training Program and the CIHR Institute of Genetics. Holly has published her work in a variety of journals including Nature Reports Stem Cells, Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, Global Environmental Change, the Journal of Environmental Science & Policy, and Public Understanding of Science.
Alamir Novin
M.A. Student
Department of Journalism
Concordia University
As a child Alamir would skip immediately to the Social Studies section of the Globe and Mail to read the latest published findings. His love for science grew and by the time university came around he was ready to absorb as much as he could. During that time, he worked at an animal hospital with the Wildlife Rescue, taught children about ecology at the Lynn Valley Ecology Centre, and helped band hummingbirds for the Hummingbird Monitoring Network. He also wrote a bi-weekly science column for four years until he graduated from UBC. He later became the Editor for his paper and is now working on his Masters at Concordia to further his studies in science journalism.
Lor Shirley Tran
M.A. Student
Department of Journalism
Concordia University
Shirley is currently a graduate student from the Master of Arts in Journalism Studies program at Concordia University. She has an undergraduate degree in political science from Université de Montréal (2008). Her research interests include news media coverage of environmental issues such as climate change and energy technologies, and research methods of news content in journalism studies. The topic of her thesis concerns the news coverage of the bituminous sands in Alberta.
Shereen Joseph
M.A. Student
Department of Journalism
Concordia University
Shereen is a masters student in the Journalism Studies Program at Concordia University. She has worked as a science journalist/editor and communications consultant for over 10 years, including 2 years as a communications/publications specialist at UNESCO. Her research interests include the impact of science journalism on public perceptions and science policy.