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Past Spark Talks

This archive is a treasure trove of knowledge and inspiration, allowing you to search and view previous sessions at your convenience. If you’re looking for just the videos of these talks, you can also visit our channel on MacVideo, where our rich history of events continues to inspire and connect the community of thinkers and innovators in social research. Whether you’re here to find the next enlightening talk or to delve into past discussions, Spark is your gateway to a world of transformative ideas and collaborative discovery.

Events Listing

Spark Talk: Empowering Indigenous Research-Action Partnerships by Sara Buckingham (March 22, 2024)

Spark Talks

Mar 22, 2024
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Doing-Duo: A Collaborative and Feminist Method as Praxis by Jessica Hardin (March 15, 2024)

Spark Talks

Mar 15, 2024
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Learning from Null Effects: A Bottom-Up Approach by Ala Alrababah (March 8, 2024)

Spark Talks

Mar 8, 2024
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Mapping Literatures with Networks by Adeline Lo (March 1, 2024)

Spark Talks

Mar 1, 2024
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Ethnographic Methods for Identifying Cultural Concepts of Distress: Developing Reliable and Valid Measures by Jeffrey Snodgrass (Feb 9, 2024)

Spark Talks

Feb 9, 2024
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Remaining Unreconciled: Philanthropy and Indigenous Governance in Canada by Damien Lee (Feb 2, 2024)

Spark Talks

Feb 2, 2024
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Does the tale of two “methods cultures” hold up? by Ingo Rohlfing & David Kuehn (Jan 26, 2024)

Spark Talks

Jan 26, 2024
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Handling Missing Data in Social Science Studies by Rod Little (Jan 19, 2023)

Spark Talks

Jan 19, 2024
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: The Augmented Social Scientist: Using Sequential Transfer Learning to annotate Millions of Texts with Human-Level Accuracy by Salomé Do (Jan 12, 2024)

Spark Talks

Jan 12, 2024
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Participant Observation, Observant Participation, and Hybrid Ethnography by Josh Seim (Dec 1, 2023)

Spark Talks

Dec 1, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: How can practitioners assess the value of social work interventions? by Knut Sundell (Nov 24, 2023)

Spark Talks

Nov 24, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Using Multinomial Logistic Regression to identify bias in Predictive Policing Algorithms by Andrea Daviera (Nov 17, 2023)

Spark Talks

Nov 17, 2023
10:30PM to 11:30PM

Spark Talk: Moving from What Works to What Replicates by Bryan Cook & Vivian Wong (Nov 10, 2023)

Spark Talks

Nov 10, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: A Hidden Universe of Uncertainty by Nate Breznau (Nov 3, 2023)

Spark Talks

Nov 3, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Give up Your Mic: Exploring Capacity Building in CBPR Partnerships by Joy Kaufman & Keisha April (Oct 20, 2023)

Spark Talks

Oct 20, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: A Crash Course in Good and Bad Controls by Carlos Cinelli (Sep 29, 2023)

Spark Talks

Sep 29, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Centering Positive Change in Research using Photovoice by Andrea Belgrade & Joy Agner (Sep 22, 2023)

Spark Talks

Sep 22, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Turning critique into promise: How situationalism can aid qualitative interviewing by Anders Vassenden & Marte Mangset (Sep 15, 2023)

Spark Talks

Sep 15, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Introduction to Impact Evaluation by Paul Bakker (Apr 7, 2023)

Spark Talks

Apr 7, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Research Creation as Responsive Design by Julia Brook & Colleen Renihan (Mar 31, 2023)

Spark Talks

Mar 31, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Constructing “mental health research” among (im)migrant communities by Zoha Salam (Mar 24, 2023)

Spark Talks

Mar 24, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Privacy and "The Biggest Lie on the Internet" by Dr. Jonathan Obar (Mar 17, 2023)

Spark Talks

Mar 17, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Transparency and Reproducibility: Doing Open Quantitative Social Science by Dr. Jeremy Freese (Mar 8, 2023)

Spark Talks

Mar 8, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Ageism in Tech: Using an online survey as a qualitative tool by Stephanie Hatzifilaithis (Feb 17, 2023)

Spark Talks

Feb 17, 2023
11:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Qualitative Research Methods 101 by Allison Van (Feb 3, 2023)

Spark Talks

Feb 3, 2023
10:30PM to 11:30PM

Spark Talk: Security Options for Sensitive Data by Lily Wang (Jan 20, 2023)

Spark Talks

Jan 20, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: So, you want to make a podcast? by Vinita Srivastava (Jan 13, 2023)

Spark Talks

Jan 13, 2023
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Relevant Research: Session 1: Mental Models, Trust, and the Translation of Science by Dr. Brian Southwell (Dec 6, 2022)

Spark Talks

Dec 6, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: We All Make Mistakes: Stories of Research Gone Wrong by Akacia Propst and Brianne Morgan (Nov 18, 2022)

Spark Talks

Nov 18, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Social Science Methods in Meta Research by Dr. Zacharias Maniadis (Nov 11, 2022)

Spark Talks

Nov 11, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talks: Systemic Social Observation of Civil Society by Dr. Matthew Baggetta (Nov 5, 2022)

Spark Talks

Nov 5, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Building a Digital Space for Qualitative Research Collaboration by Dr. Kim Fortun (Nov 4, 2022)

Spark Talks

Nov 4, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talks: Transparency and Positionality in Qualitative Team Coding by Dr. Victoria Reyes (Nov 1, 2022)

Spark Talks

Nov 1, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Intro to Data Management in Research with Data Champions (Oct 28, 2022)

Spark Talks

Oct 28, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Inclusive by Design: Translating Data Feminism for Policy by Priya Kumar (Oct 21, 2022)

Spark Talks

Oct 21, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: What to Expect in Grad School by Allison Van (Oct 21, 2022)

Spark Talks

Oct 21, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Inclusive by Design: Translating Data Feminism for Policy by Priya Kumar (Oct 21, 2022)

Spark Talks

Oct 21, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: What to Expect in Grad School by Allison Van (Oct 21, 2022)

Spark Talks

Oct 21, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Improving the Measurement of Sensitive Survey Questions with Double List Experiments by Gustavo Diaz (Oct 7, 2022)

Spark Talks

Oct 7, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Improving the Measurement of Sensitive Survey Questions with Double List Experiments by Gustavo Diaz (Oct 7, 2022)

Spark Talks

Oct 7, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Linguistic Challenges of Fieldwork for First-Generation Ethnic Researchers by Dr. Shirin Khayambashi (Sep 23, 2022)

Spark Talks

Sep 23, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Applied Social Research: Insights and Opportunities with Brighter Spark Applied Research (Mar 25, 2022)

Spark Talks

Mar 25, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Applied Social Research: Insights and Opportunities with Brighter Spark Applied Research (Mar 25, 2022)

Spark Talks

Mar 25, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: White Supremacy and Statistical Regression Models by Dr. Mosi Adesina Ifatunji – Identity In Research (Mar 18, 2022)

Spark Talks

Mar 18, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: The Trump Election and Attitudes toward the United States in Latin America by Dr. Giancarlo Visconti & Dr. Regina Bateson (Mar 11, 2022)

Spark Talks

Mar 11, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: The Trump Election and Attitudes toward the United States in Latin America by Dr. Giancarlo Visconti & Dr. Regina Bateson (Mar 11, 2022)

Spark Talks

Mar 11, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Wins and Losses: Measuring Protest Effects by Dr. Kimberly Turner (Mar 4, 2022)

Spark Talks

Mar 4, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Reproducibility of 1,000 articles; Lessons Learned by Lars Vilhuber (Feb 12, 2022)

Spark Talks

Feb 12, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Saving Lives with Better Sound by Dr. Michael Schutz (Feb 11, 2022)

Spark Talks

Feb 11, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: The Future of Machine Learning is Qualitative with Dr. Laura K. Nelson (Feb 4, 2022)

Spark Talks

Feb 4, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Survey Pre-Testing: Web Probes and Cognitive Interviewing by Dr. Cornelia Neuert (Jan 28, 2022)

Spark Talks

Jan 28, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Addressing Sensitivity Bias on Surveys by Dr. Matthew Nanes (Jan 21, 2022)

Spark Talks

Jan 21, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: The Social Autopsy by Dr. Stefan Timmermans (Jan 14, 2022)

Spark Talks

Jan 14, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Ethics in Contact-Based Research: Standing Out vs. Blending In by Dr. Carolyn Holmes (Jan 4, 2022)

Spark Talks

Jan 4, 2022
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Word Embeddings for Social Science by Dr. Dong Nguyen (Dec 10, 2021)

Spark Talks

Dec 10, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Session 2: Algorithmically-Encoded Identities by Alex Hanna & Google's Ethical AI Team – Identity in Research (Dec 3, 2021)

Spark Talks

Dec 3, 2021
12:00AM to 12:00AM

Spark Talk: A Text-As-Data Approach for Using Open-Ended Responses as Manipulation Checks by Dr. Jeff Ziegler (Nov 26, 2021)

Spark Talks

Nov 26, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Session 1: Algorithmically-Encoded Identities with Google's Ethical AI Team — Identity in Research (Nov 19, 2021)

Spark Talks

Nov 19, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talks: Getting Started with Computational Social Science by Dr. Sarah Shugars (Nov 13, 2021)

Spark Talks

Nov 13, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talks: The Emotional Piano Project by Dr. Michael Schutz (Oct 22, 2021)

Spark Talks

Oct 22, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Computational Social Science Toolkit: An Introduction with Michelle Dion – Open House Fall 2021 (Oct 21, 2021)

Spark Talks

Oct 21, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Complex Systems Toolkit: An Introduction with Allison Van – Open House Fall 2021 (Oct 15, 2021)

Spark Talks

Oct 15, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Knowledge Mobilization Toolkit: An Introduction with Allison Van – Open House Fall 2021 (Oct 15, 2021)

Spark Talks

Oct 15, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talks: Policymaking Gone Viral by Dr. Annelise Russell (Oct 8, 2021)

Spark Talks

Oct 8, 2021
10:30AM to 10:30AM

Spark Talks: Illuminating the Future Through an Equity Lens by Dr. Jewlya Lynn and Dr. Jen Heeg (Oct 8, 2021)

Spark Talks

Oct 8, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Research Quality Toolkit: An Introduction with Michelle Dion – Open House Fall 2021 (Sep 24, 2021)

Spark Talks

Sep 24, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Quantitative Methods Toolkit: An Introduction with Dr. Michelle Dion – Open House (Sep 24, 2021)

Spark Talks

Sep 24, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talks: "You're Nothing" - Researching the Labour Market Experiences of Undocumented Caribbean Careworkers with Carieta Thomas (Sep 17, 2021)

Spark Talks

Sep 17, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talks: “Nothing About Us Without Us”: Ukrainian Sex Worker Politics by Dafna Rachok (Aug 7, 2021)

Spark Talks

Aug 7, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Session 2: Design Principles for Data Visualization by Juan Velasco (Mar 15, 2021)

Spark Talks

Mar 15, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Session 1: Design Principles for Data Visualization by Juan Velasco (Mar 5, 2021)

Spark Talks

Mar 5, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Building Compelling Video for Knowledge Mobilization by Supriya Thukral (Feb 23, 2021)

Spark Talks

Feb 23, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Open House: Using Digital Ethnography To Understand Online Communities by Astara van der Jaght (Feb 12, 2021)

Spark Talks

Feb 12, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Open House: Compelling Websites by Celine Keomany (Feb 9, 2021)

Spark Talks

Feb 9, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Open House: Data Visualization in Excel by Allison Van (Feb 8, 2021)

Spark Talks

Feb 8, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Open House: Leveraging Social Media for Career Success and Research Communication by Equity Burke (Feb 8, 2021)

Spark Talks

Feb 8, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Open House: Data Collection in AppSheet by Gavin Zhao

Spark Talks

Feb 8, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Open House: What We Do at Spark by Michelle Dion (Feb 8, 2021)

Spark Talks

Feb 8, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Open House: Data Management 101 by Michelle Dion (Feb 8, 2021)

Spark Talks

Feb 8, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Open House: Asking and Analyzing Demographic Questions for Intersectionality by Rochelle Wijeshingha (Feb 8, 2021)

Spark Talks

Feb 8, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Better Interviews: Tips for Listening by Allison Van (Feb 6, 2021)

Spark Talks

Feb 6, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Data Visualization Tools by Juan Velasco (Feb 25, 2021)

Spark Talks

Feb 5, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Gaming When Things Get Tough: How Emotion Regulation and Coping Self-Efficacy Influence Gaming by Camila Caro (Jan 29, 2021)

Spark Talks

Jan 29, 2021
11:30AM to 11:30AM

Open House: Dealing with Data Outliers by Dr. Michelle Dion (Jan 25, 2021)

Spark Talks

Jan 25, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talks: Research Driven Art by Caroline Sinders (Jan 23, 2021)

Spark Talks

Jan 23, 2021
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Relevant Research: Session 2: Mental Models, Trust and the Translation of Science by Dr. Brian Southwell (Dec 11, 2020)

Spark Talks

Dec 11, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Relevant Research: Mental Models, Trust and the Translation of Science by Dr. Brian Southwell

Spark Talks

Nov 24, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Relevant Research: Session 2: Designing a Communications Plan by Mihaela Gruia (Nov 20, 2020)

Spark Talks

Nov 20, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Relevant Research: Session 1: What is the central message of my research by Mihaela Gruia (Nov 13, 2020)

Spark Talks

Nov 13, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Research Retold Video 2: 5 building blocks of a research communications plan (Nov 11, 2020)

Spark Talks

Nov 11, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Better Interview Questions by Allison Van (Nov 6, 2020)

Spark Talks

Nov 6, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Accessing Data Resources Remotely by Vivek Jadon (Oct 30, 2020)

Spark Talks

Oct 30, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Research Retold Video 1: 5 reasons for communicating research beyond academia (Oct 28, 2020)

Spark Talks

Oct 28, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Bibliometrics Approach to Evaluating Research Impact by Dr. Fei Yu (Oct 14, 2020)

Spark Talks

Oct 14, 2020 to Dec 14, 2020
10:00AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities in the Measurement of Global Norms by Tyler Girard (Sep 30, 2020)

Spark Talks

Sep 30, 2020
12:00AM to 12:00AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Norm Emergence and Change in a Collective-Risk Social Dilemma by Dr. Giulia Andrighetto (Sep 30, 2020)

Spark Talks

Sep 30, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Group Process Mapping by Allison Van (Sep 29, 2020)

Spark Talks

Sep 29, 2020
12:00AM to 11:59PM

Productivity During Pandemic: Managing References & Digital Files with Zotero by Dr. Michelle Dion (Sep 21, 2020)

Spark Talks

Sep 21, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Black Christian Millennials "Doing Religion" In and Outside of the Black Church with Shaonta' Allen M.A., Ph.D. Candidate (Sep 14, 2020)

Spark Talks

Sep 14, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Truth and Consequences: How Scientists think about Error and Fraud Research by Dr. Justin Esarey (Sep 1, 2020)

Spark Talks

Sep 1, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: How the McMaster Library Can Support Your Research by Olga Perkovic (Aug 28, 2020)

Spark Talks

Aug 28, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talks: Applying Research Methods to Environmental Decision Making by Dr. Heather Dantzker (Aug 19, 2020)

Spark Talks

Aug 19, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Technology Education for Women Transitioning From Incarceration by Dr. Hyunjin Seo (Aug 12, 2020)

Spark Talks

Aug 12, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Conservation Psychology as a Pathway to Change and Action by Dr. Rupu Gupta (Aug 11, 2020)

Spark Talks

Aug 11, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Back to School: Tips and Tricks by Dr. Michelle Dion (Aug 7, 2020)

Spark Talks

Aug 7, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Enhancing the Diversity of Course Syllabi by Dr. Jane Summer (Aug 6, 2020)

Spark Talks

Aug 6, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Being Kept Out of Sexual Fields: The Intimate Lives of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities in Ontario, Canada by Alan Santinele Martino (July 30, 2020)

Spark Talks

Jul 30, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Working with an Academic Editor by Melissa Van (July 28, 2020)

Spark Talks

Jul 28, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Virtually Anonymous: Conducting Online Interviews with Anonymous Participants by Andrey Kasimov (July 28, 2020)

Spark Talks

Jul 28, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Private Consulting as a Career by Ben Chan (July 27, 2020)

Spark Talks

Jul 27, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: Practical Tips for Tweeting Research and Networking by Dr. Firas Khalid and Ahmed Ali (July 24, 2020)

Spark Talks

Jul 24, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity During Pandemic: Rethinking Group Consent in Community-Based Research by Dr. Karen Nairn and Dr. Carisa Showden (June 25, 2020)

Spark Talks

Jun 25, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Spark Talk: How People’s Experience with Local Government Can Hamstring National Governments in Times of Pandemic by Dr. Tom Vargas – Productivity During the Pandemic (Mar 10, 2020)

Spark Talks

Mar 10, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM

Productivity during Pandemic: Emerging Powers and Big Data by Laura Mahrenbach (Feb 21, 2020)

Spark Talks

Feb 21, 2020
10:30AM to 11:30AM