Beedie PhD Bryan Gallagher nets SSHRC Storyteller award

Beedie School of Business PhD student Bryan Gallagher has been selected as one of five winners of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) 2015 Storytellers contest.

Gallagher – who will also receive the Dean of Graduate Studies Convocation Medal award when he graduates in June – was selected as one of the winners from among a field of 25 finalists in the national contest on June 1.

The final was held at the 2015 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, and hosted by the University of Ottawa. After presenting in front of a live audience, Gallagher was chosen as one of the five winners by the judging panel, which consisted of:

Stephen Toope, president of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and former president of UBC;

Paul Kennedy, host of CBC Radio’s Ideas;

Véronique Morin, science journalist and former president of the Canadian Science Writers’ Association;

Shari Graydon, journalist and communicator;

Kirk Luther, Storytellers Final Five winner and 2014 SSHRC Impact Award recipient.

“I feel very honoured to have won this award, particularly since the competition was so fierce,” says Gallagher. “Each of the top 25 was passionate, quick, and a great communicator. I am delighted to represent the Beedie School of Business amongst such great scholars and storytellers.”

Gallagher was chosen for the award based on the strength of his three-minute live presentation, drawn from his original video submission explaining key findings from his dissertation, “Urban Entrepreneurship and Indigenous Identity: An interview Study on the connections between indigenous identities and Entrepreneurial Practices in Australia”.

The dissertation examines the effects that Indigenous entrepreneurship has on Indigenous peoples’ identity, as well as how Indigenous people leverage their identity in their business.

The video was produced by Beedie School of Business videographer Richard Maerov, who also helped Gallagher plan and design the winning presentation.

The annual Storytellers contest challenges postsecondary students to demonstrate – in three minutes or 300 words – how SSHRC-funded research is making a difference in the lives of Canadians.

The 25 finalists this year addressed a range of issues – from water security and immigration, to social justice, education and food security – and highlighted how knowledge from the social sciences and humanities helps Canadians understand and improve the world around us.

For more information on the SSHRC Storyteller contest, visit www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca/society-societe/storytellers-jai_une_histoire_a_raconter/index-eng.aspx

View the award winning video below: