By Christina Lépine – Features Editor

On Thursday March 30, social sciences students had the opportunity to meet other students in their programs as well as professors through the Social Sciences Wine and Cheese event at the Gait. Unlike other Wine and Cheese events, this one was more participatory as it was combined with the Social Sciences Conference where students could present a paper they had worked on in the past. Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from the social sciences professors’ research and projects.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., students could come to the Gait to grab a drink and some snacks, discuss with fellow students, and listen to presentations. Three students, Fabrice Blais-Savoie, Gabrielle Liu, and Christina Lépine, presented projects they had previously worked on for their classes. Professors then had the opportunity to share their work at Bishop’s. Gabrielle Liu started this conference off strongly with her presentation on the political economy of long-term care which surely captivated the attention of students. I transformed a paper on which I had worked on in my first year at Bishop’s into a presentation titled Deviance in the Obsession for Beauty, and Fabrice Blais-Savoie presented on Quebec, the Coevolution of the Welfare State and Secularism. All three presentations were very distinct and covered a wide array of topics which permitted a conference full of variety. It was a refreshing experience to undergo a conference so diverse in topics compared to many political conferences which often revolve around similar fields and topics.

Following these students’ presentations, social sciences professors introduced themselves, notably psychology professor Dr. Courtney Plante, sports studies professor Dr. Danilo Fernandes DaSilva, sociology professor Dr. Alex Miltsov, and political and international studies professor Dr. Heather McKeen-Edwards. Some presentations were more detailed, as Dr. Fernandes DaSilva for instance, introduced his research on patterns of physical activity and sedentary behaviour among pregnant adults in Canada. Other professors gave a broader overview of the courses they are teaching and their interests which opened a busy question period where all students asked professors about their research and work opportunities in different fields.

This was also a great opportunity to spend time with friends in a lighter academic setting due to the presence of the open bar. Indeed, it is a very busy time of year for students and professors, so having such opportunities to learn for fun and to spend time with friends is much appreciated. It was also a great occasion to support fellow students as a few friends showed up to support the presenters which is not always possible for conferences taking place outside of campus or in other cities.