A University of Northern British Columbia professor has been appointed to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, a federal body that funds research in that area.
Tracy Summerville, an associate political science professor, recently began her three-year term on the 12-member council, which has representatives from public institutions and private industry. The council does not have any say over how individual funding requests are handled; instead, it's focused on setting the big-picture priorities of the organization.
Summerville said in a press release she is inspired by the dedication shown from the other members of the council.
"The members of the council are absolutely committed to social sciences and the humanities research and to communicating the need for such research," she said.
Summerville is the only member of the council from a university with fewer than 10,000 students and one of two members from B.C. She is the second person from UNBC to sit on the council. Greg Halseth, a geography professor, served a term from 2003 to 2007.
In 2013, the council awarded 3,822 grants, fellowships and scholarships worth $337 million.
Summerville also writes a political affairs column that appears every Saturday in The Citizen.
