The One Market Podcast The One Market podcast was launched in March 2020 as a way to help keep the Laurier Brantford community connected as we worked, learned, and taught remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of one year, it aired 35 episodes featuring 111 guests, 43 of whom were students or alumni, 37 were staff, and 31 were faculty or librarians. The podcast featured a special episode focused on Homecoming, produced with Development & Alumni Relations, as well as a series of special episodes featuring segments produced by fourth-year capstone students in the Digital Media and Journalism program. Between 2020 and 2021, the podcast was downloaded more than 3,200 times by about 1,700 unique listeners. It received a Minister’s Award of Excellence from the Ontario Ministry of College and Universities in October 2020, one of 39 recipients selected from more than 260 submissions in the areas of digital transformation and community impact for its work in keeping the Laurier Brantford community connected.
Public Health Survey The objective of the research project was to better understand the demographics, attitudes and professional concerns of public health professionals in Canada with particular emphasis on the interaction between scientific evidence and policymakers. The team designed and executed a pair of surveys that was fielded to two different populations: Canadian public health professionals and the general population. These surveys asked questions that solicit respondents’ experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, their general political attitudes, and demographic characteristics. Public health professionals were also asked unique questions about how they interacted with policy makers and political leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. The information gleaned from this analysis will improve the capacity to advocate for public health measures and provide effective advice to the public and policymakers.