Hannah Carpendale

School of Interactive Arts and Technology doctoral student in the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology

Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field

Throughout my life, I have always sought to weave my deep appreciation for nature with my passion for creative expression. These overlapping interests have led to my interdisciplinary background that spans social sciences, writing, artistic practice, and a long history in environmental advocacy. In addition to working on old-growth forest conservation and sustainable forest stewardship initiatives, I have collaborated on several interdisciplinary projects merging art and environmental activism. Through this work, I have become more and more interested in exploring creative ways of supporting data understanding, engagement and advocacy relating to forest policy as a means to address biodiversity loss and climate change more broadly.

Why did you choose to come to SFU?

While working on smaller contracts to create visual resources communicating data around forests, carbon and related topics, I was struck by the depth of the challenges we were grappling with under very limited timelines. Pursuing research in this area has allowed me to explore these questions more deeply and leverage research insights from a range of interrelated academic fields. SIAT and the Imaginative Methods Lab offer a space to apply critical perspectives and an interdisciplinary lens and use creative, process-based methodologies (such as Research-through-Design and Research-Creation) to better understand and address the complexity of such challenges. Having a welcoming venue to undertake such research has greatly supported me in contributing in a sustained way to this important community-based work.

How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?

I am interested in how we can better support diverse communities in understanding and actively engaging with ecological and climate data, in order to foster advocacy and policy change to address biodiversity loss and climate change. I am exploring this question through the process of designing an array of data communication/engagement resources through active community collaboration, and exploring insights gained through the process.

What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?

critical data literacies; communication co-design; data visualization

How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?

Through my coursework, lab community, and conference experiences, I have had the opportunity to consider and integrate new perspectives and ideas into the ways I approach my work, and witness the interesting and inspiring ways that others are merging theory and practice to shape their own research.

Have you been the recipient of any major or donor-funded awards? If so, please tell us which ones and a little about how the awards have impacted your studies and/or research

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship

Contact Hannah:hannah_carpendale@sfu.ca