Island Studies Graduate Student Presents Research at International Sustainability Conference
Students following the Master of Arts Programme in Island Studies (MAIS) at UPEI are presenting their research in international and regional conferences and starting to have their research published.
Graduate student Kathy Stuart recently presented an academic paper at the 11th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference in Helsinki, Finland. Her paper, "The impact of scale on energy pricing in small islands" identified social, political, and environmental factors affecting the cost of electricity in small islands, using case studies from eight islands in the Caribbean. Participants from over 40 countries presented more than 400 papers during the three-day conference. Speakers included well-known international experts on sustainable development research and practice, industrial ecology, cleaner production, and environmental policy. and those working for the implementation of corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility strategies.
Kathy Stuart's paper "Energizing the Island Community: a review of policy standpoints for energy in small island states and territories" has been accepted for publication in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Sustainable Development, published by Wiley Inter-Science.
"Participation at international conferences allows students to get a direct sense of the ongoing, and#145;cutting-edge', academic debates in their areas of interest. Getting published in international journals is the epitome of scholarship and a clear recognition that one's research is recognized by peers as a contribution to knowledge," says Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino, Canada Research Chair in Island Studies at UPEI, and a tutor in the MAIS Programme.
The Master of Arts in Island Studies Programme introduces participants to the fresh and creative insights that an islands perspective brings to economic development, public policy, environmental management and cultural appreciation. Other MAIS students have been busy too: Joy Elliott, Laura Lee Howard, Janice McKendrick, and Luke Walker presented papers at the 8th International Small Islands Studies Association Conference in Kinmen, Taiwan, and Laurie Brinklow presented at the 1st Small Island Cultures Research Institute Conference in Kagoshima, Japan.
