Meet Applied Research and Innovation Team

The Applied Research and Evaluation unit is supported by a team of passionate people interested in using applied research and academic evaluation to initiate both large and small-scale change on a local, provincial, and national level.

Russ Wilde, Director of Learning Resource Services
Russ Wilde is a graduate of the Master of Distance Education program at Athabasca University and has worked in various learning technology and instructional design roles at Bow Valley College since 2004. Previously he worked on curriculum development at SAIT Polytechnic. Russ's professional interests focus on use of technology to create learning and support systems that are effective, efficient, and flexible in meeting the needs of diverse learners. His experience in research includes participation in two research projects on the web resources for students' online support at Athabasca University and the role of a Project Lead in the recently completed province-wide study on distributed learners' support services.

Dr. Augusto Legaspi, Applied Research and Evaluation Lead
Dr. Augusto (Aggie) Legaspi brings expertise in research and evaluation in both academic and non-profit sectors. He holds a MA in Social Psychology degree from the University of the Philippines and a PhD degree in Ecological-Community Psychology from Michigan State University. Aggie has vast experience in teaching of graduate and undergraduate students. While at the University of the Philippines, and later Michigan State University, the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Bow Valley College, he conducted a wide variety of research studies related to self-help, health services provision, community health, and church communities. These projects involved various populations from both urban and rural settings in the Philippines, Michigan, Alaska, and Calgary. Aggie will provide this expertise as the "resident researcher" to support employees and departments in their desire to increase their applied research capacity.

Agnes (Scottie) Ray, Applied Research Officer
Scottie has over 20 years of project management experience with provincial government and post-secondary sectors, including managing multi-million dollars projects for the PEI Department of Health and Social Services and the PEI Liquor Control Commission.
Scottie's role and responsibilities include overseeing the distribution of relevant research information throughout the college; the administrative management of the internal grants; the administrative management of the Hannover Research projects, and the maintenance of the research data base and the policy driven procedures for the Research Ethics Board. She is also responsible for supervising and managing the day-to-day operations of the Applied Research and Evaluation unit.

Sarah VanDusen, Researcher
Sarah VanDusen has a M.Sc. with distinction from the University of Leeds (UK) in Nutrition, Obesity, and Health and an Honours B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from the University of Guelph. She is the recipient of the 2010 Alpro Foundation Award for Master's in the UK. Sarah's passion for nutrition and health research led her to work with Alberta Health Services and ultimately with Bow Valley College. She is responsible for providing research assistance on the current project "Understanding Licensed Practical Nurses' Full Scope of Practice" from the literature review to data collection to drafting reports.

Kaylee Ramage, Research Assistant
Kaylee has an Honours B.A. in Linguistics and Psychology from the University of Alberta, and is currently completing a B.Sc. in Communicative Disorders from Utah State University. Kaylee has long since been interested in research, particularly as it relates to health and the community. She has previously worked in the field of health promotion research, assisting on several projects related to health, community development, and capacity building. In her current role as a research assistant, Kaylee provides research support for various projects, including "Understanding Licensed Practical Nurses' Full Scope of Practice", as well as for the Research Ethics Board at BVC.

Scott Henwood, Researcher
Scott Henwood holds an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Calgary, as well as a B.A. (Honours) from St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Long interested in social research, Scott has previously conducted studies in the fields of public policy, the non-profit sector, and gambling. At Bow Valley College, he has instructed and also assisted with the development and launch of Read Forward, a literacy resource for adult learners. Scott now provides assistance for research and evaluation projects at Bow Valley College, including data collection, analysis, and the drafting of materials for publication.

Natalia Rostova, Administrative Assistant
Natalia Rostova was born and raised in Moscow, Russia. She holds a M.Sc. degree in Electronics. She is now in her fifth year of living in Canada and "she is getting used to it." Natalia has vast work experience which includes eight years at the International Students Office of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, six years for an American financial company and one and a half years for a Canadian financial company here in Calgary. Natalia provides administrative support for the projects and the unit.

Dr. Rena Shimoni, Applied Research Associate
Although Dr. Rena Shimoni has retired from her position as the Dean of the Office of Applied Research and Innovation at BVC she contributes her valuable experience in identifying topics and areas of research, securing funding and leading major projects, to the growth and development of applied research at Bow Valley College. Rena holds a M.Sc. in Applied Social Studies from Oxford University and a doctorate in Educational Policy and Administration from the University of Calgary. Her former positions include the Associate Dean of Health and Human Services at Mount Royal University, Dean of Health Programs at Bow Valley College, and Dean of Applied Research and Innovation at Bow Valley College. In these roles, Dr. Shimoni has spearheaded and managed grants from federal, provincial and corporate sources totalling several million dollars.