{"id":19713,"date":"2026-01-20T15:19:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T20:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/?page_id=19713"},"modified":"2026-01-20T15:19:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T20:19:41","slug":"opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Opening the Lab Doors: Why Community Belongs in Research\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

At Connected Minds, community engagement isn\u2019t an add-on to research, it\u2019s part of how we understand impact. If our work is meant to shape healthier, more just futures, then it needs to be visible, accessible, and meaningful beyond academic walls, especially to young people who are often left out of conversations about research, technology, and innovation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This belief guided a recent collaboration with the Go Green Youth Centre (GGYC), a community-based organization that supports children and youth in Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park through sport, education, and leadership development. Through its Leaders in Training program, GGYC creates spaces where young people build confidence, connection, and a sense of possibility. Welcoming these students into the research spaces of Connected Minds allowed those values to connect with the interdisciplinary work happening across the program and at ¿ì²¥ÊÓƵ more broadly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"
Staff and Students from the Go Green Youth Centre (GGYC) with Connected Minds Staff<\/sub><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The visit was rooted in the simple but powerful idea of showing youth what research looks like in practice, who it involves, and how it connects to real lives and real communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

The day began with an engaging session led by\u202fProfessor\u00a0Alison Harvey<\/strong>, who introduced students to research on video games and digital literacy. Through\u00a0discussion and a lively Kahoot game, students explored common stereotypes about gaming and learned how researchers examine\u00a0the benefits and risks of digital play in today\u2019s connected world. Many were surprised to discover that video games can be studied as cultural, social, and communicative tools, and even more excited to learn that programs like Connected Minds support this kind of work. For students who already game regularly, seeing their everyday experiences reflected through an academic lens opened new ways of thinking about how hobbies and research intersect.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

From there,\u202fMarriah Alcantara<\/strong>\u202fled a\u00a0discussion on the ethics of using machine learning to decode animal communication. Students were invited to consider animal translation projects, which aim to use AI to interpret animal signals, and to grapple with the potential benefits and harms of such technologies. The session\u00a0pushed\u00a0students to think beyond human-centered technology and consider how interdisciplinary research, drawing from philosophy, ethics, and computer science, can shape more responsible relationships between humans and other species.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The group then visited\u202fProfessor\u00a0Robert Allison\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>Virtual Reality and Perception Lab\u202fin the Lassonde School of Engineering.\u00a0Students experienced firsthand how virtual reality and\u00a0perception\u00a0research brings engineering and psychology together. By wearing VR headsets and engaging with immersive simulations, they learned how depth perception, vision, and sensory cues interact to shape our experience of virtual and augmented environments. Seeing how subtle changes in visual information can affect perception made abstract concepts tangible and highlighted how interdisciplinary approaches drive innovation in emerging technologies.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

In\u202fProfessor\u00a0George Mochizuki\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>Disorders of Neurologic Motor Control (DyNaMiC\/Balance) Lab, students took part in balance activities and movement exercises designed to\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0how neurologic injury can affect mobility and coordination. Using examples from neuroimaging and neurophysiological research, the lab\u00a0showcased\u00a0how scientists study balance and movement\u00a0both in clinical settings and in the community. For many students, this\u00a0helped\u00a0illustrate\u00a0how research can translate directly into improved practices and outcomes for people living with neurological\u00a0conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

The afternoon continued in\u00a0Professor\u202fOzzy\u00a0Mermut\u2019s\u00a0<\/strong>MiBAR\u00a0Lab, where students were introduced to the field of\u00a0biophotonics\u00a0and the role light plays in medical research. Hearing directly from graduate trainees, students learned how radiation techniques are used in cancer research and how\u00a0biophotonics\u00a0connects to fields ranging from medicine and chemistry to agriculture and beyond. The session emphasized that the skills developed through scientific research can open doors to a wide range of careers, often in ways students may not have previously imagined.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

The day concluded with an exciting visit to\u00a0Professor\u202fLaurence Harris\u2019s <\/strong>lab\u202fin the Faculty of Health, where students explored how our senses work together to shape\u00a0perception. Through hands-on demonstrations involving motion, balance, and visual orientation, including experiences with tumbling stations and the Edgeless Graphics Geometry (EGG) system, students saw how perception is far more complex than the idea of \u201cfive senses.\u201d Experiencing these research tools in action brought abstract concepts to life,\u00a0including\u00a0how\u00a0humans perceive the world both on Earth and in space.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The visit with\u00a0GGYC\u00a0reinforced why partnerships like this matter. When research meets community, both are changed. For Connected Minds, it was a meaningful reminder that our impact grows strongest when we open our doors, listen closely, and build relationships that extend beyond the lab and into the lives of the people our work is meant to support.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At Connected Minds, community engagement isn\u2019t an add-on to research, it\u2019s part of how we understand impact. If our work is meant to shape healthier, more just futures, then it needs to be visible, accessible, and meaningful beyond academic walls, especially to young people who are often left out of conversations about research, technology, and innovation.  This belief guided a recent collaboration […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2164,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19713","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nOpening the Lab Doors: Why Community Belongs in Research\u00a0 - Connected Minds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opening the Lab Doors: Why Community Belongs in Research\u00a0 - Connected Minds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At Connected Minds, community engagement isn\u2019t an add-on to research, it\u2019s part of how we understand impact. If our work is meant to shape healthier, more just futures, then it needs to be visible, accessible, and meaningful beyond academic walls, especially to young people who are often left out of conversations about research, technology, and innovation.  This belief guided a recent collaboration […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Connected Minds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-20T20:19:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/774\/2026\/01\/1768922972886_target-edited.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\\\/\",\"name\":\"Opening the Lab Doors: Why Community Belongs in Research\u00a0 - Connected Minds\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/774\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1768922972886_target-edited.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-20T20:19:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-20T20:19:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/774\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1768922972886_target-edited.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/774\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1768922972886_target-edited.jpeg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Opening the Lab Doors: Why Community Belongs in Research\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/\",\"name\":\"Connected Minds\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yorku.ca\\\/research\\\/connected-minds\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Opening the Lab Doors: Why Community Belongs in Research\u00a0 - Connected Minds","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Opening the Lab Doors: Why Community Belongs in Research\u00a0 - Connected Minds","og_description":"At Connected Minds, community engagement isn\u2019t an add-on to research, it\u2019s part of how we understand impact. If our work is meant to shape healthier, more just futures, then it needs to be visible, accessible, and meaningful beyond academic walls, especially to young people who are often left out of conversations about research, technology, and innovation.  This belief guided a recent collaboration […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/","og_site_name":"Connected Minds","article_modified_time":"2026-01-20T20:19:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/774\/2026\/01\/1768922972886_target-edited.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/","url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/","name":"Opening the Lab Doors: Why Community Belongs in Research\u00a0 - Connected Minds","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/774\/2026\/01\/1768922972886_target-edited.jpeg","datePublished":"2026-01-20T20:19:38+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-20T20:19:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/774\/2026\/01\/1768922972886_target-edited.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/774\/2026\/01\/1768922972886_target-edited.jpeg","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/opening-the-lab-doors-why-community-belongs-in-research\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Opening the Lab Doors: Why Community Belongs in Research\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/","name":"Connected Minds","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"}]}},"taxonomy_info":[],"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"ahaidari","author_link":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/author\/ahaidari\/"},"comment_info":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2164"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19713"}],"version-history":[{"count":54,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19713\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19799,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19713\/revisions\/19799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yorku.ca\/research\/connected-minds\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}