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Karen Louise Smith
PhD Candidate
Faculty of Information and Knowledge Media Design Institute
University of Toronto



RESEARCH INTERESTS

My research explores the connections between information communication technologies (ICTs), citizenship and society. Through my dissertation, I am currently examining processes for citizen participation in policy-making in Ontario. I am exploring whether traditions such as government run public hearings and citizen facilitated social media sites are intersecting to foster effective public involvement.



EDUCATION

PhD Candidate, Faculty of Information(FI) and Collaborative Program in Knowledge Media Design (KMDI), University of Toronto (U of T), Toronto, ON (2006-present)

  • Dissertation title: Inside and/or outside government? ICTs and social media’s use in participatory policy processes in Ontario.

Master of Arts, School of Communication, Simon Fraser University (SFU), Burnaby, BC (2004-2006)

Bachelor of Arts (Honours), McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, (1998 – 2002)



AWARDS AND DISTINCTIONS

i) External (National, Provincial and Regional)

  • Canadian Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral Award), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (2006-2009)

  • Affiliate Studentship, Western Regional Training Center for Health Services Research, University of British Columbia (2005-2006)
  • Canadian Graduate Scholarship (Master’s Award), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (2004-2005)
  • Ontario Graduate Scholarship, Province of Ontario (2004-2005) - Declined

ii) Internal (Home Institution)

  • University of Toronto PhD Stipend (2009-2010)

  • Faculty of Applied Sciences Graduate Fellowship, Simon Fraser University (2005)
  • Graduate Fellowship (Entrance), Dean of Graduate Studies, Simon Fraser University (Deferred to 2005)
  • Bank of Montreal Humanities Multimedia Scholarship, McMaster University (2000)

iii) Fellowships and Doctoral Consortiums

  • iGovernment Research Institute. University of Washington. June 22-28, 2009 (Registration and residence funding)

  • Doctoral Student Workshop in Values in Design. Santa Clara University, California. August 8-16, 2008 (Registration and residence funding)



RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Research Assistant. Performing Identity. Faculty of Information. University of Toronto (08.2008-present)

  • Performed various research tasks to better understant identity infrastructures and everyday experiences (i.e. identity cards and databases)

  • Assisted to implement a prototype demonstrating security and privacy risks with enhanced driver's licenses (EDLs) equipped with RFID
  • Contributed to and updated www.idforum.ca
  • Assisted in the organization of public education events surrounding EDLs

Research Assistant. Everyday Technologies for Alzheimer Care (ETAC) and SenseCam Research. KMDI & Computer Science. University of Toronto (06.2007-present)

  • Managed the transcription and data analysis of ethnographic video data from multimedia biography screenings with individuals experiencing Alzheimer’s Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment for the ETAC project

  • Assisted with the authoring of an ethics proposal for photo-based research with SenseCam to be used in households where a family member is experiencing AD
  • Completed pilot use of the SenseCam
  • See Dr. Ron Baecker’s homepage for more information

Contract Position (Co-op). Directorate of Information Management Enablement Services. Public Works and Government Services Canada. Gatineau, PQ (05.2006-08.2006)

  • Reviewed academic literature and media to augment understanding around online consultation technologies used across departments within the federal government (surveys, workbooks, and webinars) for the Online Consultation Center of Expertise

  • Analyzed health policy online consultation workbooks using usability heuristics
  • Researched and wrote a comparison report of US and Canadian practices around regulatory consultations

Research Assistant, Applied Communication Technology Information Organization Networks (Action) for Health Grant, SFU (09.2004 – 12.2005)

  • Executed research tasks related to the design, use, and implementation of technology in the health sector

  • Participated in research planning and research projects related to lay use of consumer health information with community partners such as the Mid-Main Community Health Center and Vancouver Public Library
  • Planned and implemented a research project to gather interview and motion screen capture video data from health information seeking activities carried out from a publicly available internet terminal in the waiting room of the Mid-Main Community Health Center (used data for masters thesis)



AFFILIATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

  • Secretary and Graduate Students' Union Representative, Doctoral Students’ Association, FIS, U of T (2007-2008)

  • President, Doctoral Students’ Association, FIS, U of T (2007-2008)
  • Committee Member, Hiring Committee, FIS, U of T (2007)
  • Committee Member, Student Section of the Society of the Social Studies of Science, (planned student accommodations and events for the 4S conference) (2006).
  • Member, Assessment of Technology in Context Design Lab, SFU (2004-2006)
  • Member, Vancouver User Experience Group (VanUE) (2004-2006)
  • Treasurer, SFU Communication Graduate Caucus (2004-2006)



SOFTWARE

  • Qualitative Data Analysis: Nvivo 7.0, HyperResearch

  • Multimedia Authoring/Editing: Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, iMovie/Premiere
  • Office: Word, Excel, Powerpoint



LANGUAGE SKILLS
Conversational Danish and interested in expanding French skills