Grad is first from RRU to be awarded PhD scholarship
For immediate release – Oct. 28, 2009
Victoria, B.C. – Royal Roads University graduate Louise Comeau has been awarded a PhD scholarship worth $105,000 from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council. She is the first graduate from RRU to receive the prestigious scholarship.
Now completing a contract in the Cabinet Offices of the Government of Ontario as a climate change advisor, Comeau started her doctoral studies at the University of New Brunswick part-time this fall and will be in Fredericton full-time this winter.
“Louise came to the Environmental Education and Communication program as a mature student with a tremendous track record of accomplishment both nationally and internationally,” said associate professor Rick Kool, the former program head of the Environmental Education and Communication program. “Her thesis, done in collaboration with environmental psychologist Dr. Robert Gifford at the University of Victoria, was absolutely top-notch.”
Comeau looked at how stories we tell each other about climate change can affect our confidence in our ability to reduce greenhouse gases emissions. She concluded that negative messages undermine confidence: we need to frame environmental discussions in a positive, motivating way. People need to be encouraged to take ownership: to track their own environmental performance, compare their performance to others, and learn what others are doing.
“Stories about the environment should describe a sustainable world in which ordinary people can take steps to solve climate change,” she said.
Comeau began RRU’s MA program in 2006 after helping organize the Montreal Climate Change conference in 2005. Without a BA, she was eligible – under the flexible admissions policy – for entry to Royal Roads University but not eligible for MA fellowships from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council.
“Once Louise entered the program, she was a phenomenal student, hungry for learning and intellectual challenge,” said Kool.
Comeau completed her MA at Royal Roads in September, 2008.
Royal Roads University was established by the Province of British Columbia in 1995 as a special purpose university charged with advancing professionals in the workplace. It is the only public university in Canada exclusively designed for this demographic and, as such, all its programs and research are focused on applied, real-world relevance and experience.
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For media queries, contact:
Communications Officer, Phil Saunders
phil.saunders@royalroads.ca 250-391-2526, cel 250-812-5065 or,
Community Relations Director, Stephanie Slater
stephanie.slater@royalroads.ca 250-391-2712, cel 250-361-5020
