Our research initiatives were created on the foundation of three major organizational pillars:
- Differentiation: By aggressively securing government grants,identifying academic leaders to lead research activities and formingpartnerships with business and industry, Sheridan has secured its placeas a leading edge polytechnic.
- Academic Advancement: By enhancing unique bodies of knowledge residentin the Institution, and encouraging faculty to conduct investigationsin these areas, Sheridan has developed several niches in which we arerecognized as a credible authority.
- Building Partnerships: Sheridan has been successful in creatingpartnerships with funding agencies, governments, business and industrygroups and universities.
Sheridan Research operates our applied research centres under three pillars of focus: Digital Media, Technology and Health, Well Being and Social Innovation.
Digital Media
- Visualization, Design and Simulation will continue to be an area of research focus, particularly related to developing visualization technologies for education, training and entertainment. Sheridan’s Visualization Design Institute (VDI) has an 11-year history of conducting diverse research programs in collaboration with industry and academic partners.
- New media and digital research is flourishing and our ability to develop new areas of investigation includes content design, hardware and software. We have the ability to support the content providers, the equipment providers and the facilitators. School of Animation, Arts and Design Professor and Principal Investigator John Helliker has recently received OMDC funding and NSERC CCIP funding to support the establishment of a Screen Industries Research & Training Centre.
Technology
- Computing research is being conducted in a number of groundbreaking areas including forensics and supercomputing.
- Advanced manufacturing research is a new component in Sheridan’s strategy. Sheridan has been selected to lead a consortium of colleges in manufacturing research and the City of Brampton has indicated that it is interested in pursuing this initiative.
Health, Well Being and Social Innovation
- Research related to population aging represents an important area of research at Sheridan. Recognizing the realities of a growing olderpopulation, the Sheridan Elder Research Centre (SERC) provides a unique on-campus facility. Students and faculty from across disciplines at Sheridan have opportunities to become involved in research and to explore the impact of an aging population upon their particular disciplines. The goal of research conducted at SERC is to “identify, develop, test and support implementation of innovative strategies that improve the quality of life for older adults and their families”. Areas of research interest include, among others: technology applications, accessibility and design, lifelong learning, civic engagement, health promotion and the impact of the creative and performing arts on self reported health status and quality of life.
- Applied health represents an area of great potential at Sheridan.We recently opened a new building, the Centre for Healthy Communities at our Davis campus in Brampton. It includes a state-of-the-art sports injury facility that will facilitate research conducted by faculty and students in the following two applied degree programs: Bachelor of Health Sciences: Athletic Therapy and Bachelor of Health Sciences: Exercise Science and Health Promotion. In addition, both students and faculty in the Practical Nursing Program have expressed interest inapplied research.
- The Region of Peel has expressed interest in developing a “Centre for Healthy Workplaces” that would support business and industries in the area of developing practices that would make them “employers of choice”. Research investigations could include health and lifestyle practices, workplace culture, leadership development and supportive environments, physical environments, and occupational health and safety.
Sheridan Research continues to work with
staff,
students and
partners to develop new opportunities for applied research within Ontario and across Canada.
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