Project Team

Project Management Team

Karen Barkley, Project Manager

Karen Barkley co-founded CORE International, a Canadian international NGO in Nepal working with local partners in development projects. She has extensive international experience in project management,  event and communications planning, and also has a background in the arts and theatre production.

Marisa Cooper, Communications Assistant

Marisa Cooper has just returned to Canada from a Canada World Youth stint in India where she helped to coordinate a field research project on child vulnerabilities in west Delhi. Marisa graduated from the University of Calgary with a degree in Communications and International Development Studies.

Zina Kwan, Communications Assistant

Zina Kwan is completing  a B.Sc in Mathematics (Actuarial Science) with minors in International Development Studies and Statistics. She serves as Executive with the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Calgary chapter and has led a composting pilot project at the university.

Project Co-Directors

Dr. Edna  Einsiedel, Project Lead

Dr. Edna Einsiedel is University Professor and Professor of Communication Studies and International Development Studies. Her research program has focused on public views and public participation on science and technology issues, with research support from Genome Canada, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Dr. Gwendolyn Blue, Research Director

Dr. Gwendolyn Blue is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Communication and Culture at the University of Calgary. Her research focuses on citizen engagement with science and technology, specifically how this unfolds within informal realms such as consumer and lifestyle practices. She is currently working on a pilot project examining informal, dialogue based forms of public engagement, such as science cafes, with respect to their efficacy for mobilizing critical public dialogue about emerging issues in science and technology.

Jennifer Medlock, Research Project Manager

Jennifer Medlock is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Communication and Culture. Her research interests are in the area of public involvement in science and technology issues, specifically the use of deliberative models of consultation and the institutionalization of public participation practices into policy development processes.