Arts and Science faculty, students recognized for their outstanding, impactful RSAW contributions

From literature to land use and water planning, research, scholarly, and artistic work (RSAW) at the College of Arts and Science makes a tremendous impact within and beyond academia.

Six College of Arts and Science faculty, and four students—current and recent—were presented with awards recognizing their achievements in RSAW at the Arts and Science Celebration on April 30.

"It is important that we gather to recognize the incredible achievements of our scholars and artists, who put not only the college but also the university as a whole on the map. I congratulate all of this year’s recipients. With the breadth of inquiry and activity that occurs in Arts and Science, how can we not be the University the world needs?” asked Dr. Steven Rayan (PhD), Interim Vice-Dean of Research, Scholarly, and Artistic Work, and professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

This year, the New Scholar Award was renamed the Emerging Scholar Award. Additionally, a new award for recognizing RSAW contributions was introduced this year: the Expression Prize. This prize recognizes a piece of scholarly or artistic work released or performed within the last five years, which has made a clear impact on its discipline or beyond. Faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, research associates, and students are all eligible for the prize.

"As much as it is crucial to recognize a lengthy sequence of contributions over a portion of one’s career, it is also essential to recognize singular, stand-out contributions to the RSAW landscape: a book, a paper, a poem, a song, a sculpture, an equation, an experiment, a computer program, a geographical survey — the list goes on,” Rayan said.

“It is also important to recognize that the creators or performers of these works might be any member of the college, including students, who are essential to the cultivation of high-quality RSAW.”

Emerging Scholar

The Emerging Scholar Award recognizes exceptional research, scholarly and artistic work contributions by an assistant or associate professor who started at USask fewer than 10 years ago.

Dr. Michelle Gagnon (PhD), Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training
Department of Psychology and Health Studies

Gagnon received the Emerging Scholar Award for her exceptional and impactful program of pain research. Her work has two focus areas: advancing, understanding and treating menstrual pain in youth, and improving pain communication tools for all ages.

Since starting her tenure-track appointment in 2017, Gagnon has produced more than 30-peer reviewed publications, several book chapters and collaborated on national and international levels. She has secured more than $850,000 in research funding as a principal investigator.

Gagnon is a founding member of the PICASSO (Promoting Interpersonal Connection and Alignment for Self and Society) Research Cluster, where she contributes to transdisciplinary research across psychology, neuroscience, kinesiology and drama. She has led and mentored 12 graduate students, eight honours students and more than 55 research assistants and volunteers in her Family Health Lab.

Dr. Robert Green (PhD), Associate Professor
Department of Physics and Engineering Physics

After completing his PhD, Green returned to USask as an assistant professor in 2017. Green’s research focus is on advanced synchrotron spectroscopy, theoretical modeling, and computational methods to address problems in the study of correlated electron systems.

In 2019, Green received the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics Research Excellence Award. In recognition of his synchrotron research, he also received the Canadian Light Source (CLS) Young Investigator Award the following year.

His scholarly work has been cited more than 3,400 times with an h-index of 31 in Google Scholar. Green is known for innovating methodology and high impact discovery. He has created an interdisciplinary training environment for students and postdoctoral researchers at the interface of theory and experiment. He has demonstrated exceptional leadership within Canada’s synchrotron science community as Chair of the CLS Users’ Executive Committee and co-chair of the Advanced Materials Subcommittee.

Distinguished Scholar Award

The Distinguished Scholar Award recognizes a tenured faculty member at the associate or full professor rank, who has worked at USask for more than 10 years, for their established, sustained and transformational scholarly or artistic work.

Dr. Wendy Roy (PhD), Professor
Department of English

During her 22-year career at USask, Roy has shaped how scholars understand Canadian literature. Her work has focused on speculative fiction, women’s writing and the power of relationships in Canadian literature. She has published 20-peer reviewed articles, authored two books, and edited and contributed to two more books.

Throughout her research, Roy has mentored more than 46 graduate students in their pursuit of master’s and PhD degrees. In 2023, she was chosen as the Bateman Chair of English. Her leadership has impacted every level at USask, from the English department to the college, to university-wide academic programs. She also brought literary studies to the community through her stewardship of the department’s Literature Matters: Literature in the Community and the Word on the Street annual literary festival.

Publicly Engaged Scholar Award

The Publicly Engaged Scholar Award recognizes research, scholarly or artistic work that benefits and brings voice to communities beyond academia. Recipients demonstrate collaboration and reciprocity with stakeholders through sustained and impactful work.

Dr. Robert Patrick (PhD), Professor
Department of Geography and Planning

Since joining the Department of Geography and Planning in 2008, Patrick’s work has focused on community-engaged research and scholarship.

In his community projects, Patrick has worked to build local capacity in First Nations communities to manage their research finances and oversee ongoing projects, including weather monitoring stations, land use planning, and water protection planning across Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

Patrick has also worked with faculty in Mexico to share urban planning initiatives from Canada to engage citizens, community leaders, and university students. He has built community engagement in research on local, national and international levels.

Expression Prize

Synthesis of a Highly Aromatic and Planar Dehydro[10]annulene Derivative

Published by chemistry professor Dr. Michel Gravel (PhD)
Developed and written by Karnjit Parmar, Christa Blaquiere, Brianna Lukan, Sydnie Gengler, and Michel Gravel

Authors of the paper titled, “Synthesis of a Highly Aromatic and Planar Dehydro[10]annulene Derivative,” received one of the first Expression Prizes at the Arts and Science Celebration on April 30.

The paper was first published in the Nature Synthesis journal in September 2022, where it gained attention on a global level from the chemistry community. The group, including Gravel, graduate, and undergraduate students, had synthesized a significant molecule whose properties were described thirty years earlier.

In 1996, the molecule and its predicted features were published in a landmark paper in the Journal of American Chemical Society but no research groups could produce evidence to verify them. Gravel and his research group proved these predictions to be accurate. Nature Synthesis journal editors selected the work to be featured on the cover page of the journal. Chemistry research groups and peers have dedicated resources to studying the newly-disclosed aromatic molecule.

Cree and Christian: Encounters and Transformations

By Dr. Clinton Westman (PhD), Professor
Department of Anthropology

The second recipient of the inaugural Expression Prize is a book titled, Cree and Christian: Encounters and Transformations, by anthropology professor Dr. Clinton Westman (PhD). Published in 2022 by the University of Nebraska Press, Westman’s book explores Cree religiosity, cultural perspectives, complexity of religion and the concept of “transformative continuity.” He analyzed how Cree people engaged with Pentecostalism and Evangelical Christianity on their own terms.

The book was named “Outstanding Academic Title” by Choice Magazine and was shortlisted for a Saskatchewan Book Award.

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