December 2019
PhD Candidate Michael Lawrence successfully defends his thesis
Congratulations to Michael Lawrence, who successfully defended his thesis on December 19, 2019.
Dispatch from Breaking the Silence in Guatemala: Laura Robinson’s second blog from the field
In her second blog from Guatemala, MAGG student Laura Robinson talks about her travels as part of a delegation to learn more about BTS' partners.
Dispatch from the United Nations Development Programme in Viet Nam: Cassandra Bangay’s second blog from the field
In her second blog from the field, MIPP student Cassandra Bangay talks about the complexities of writing grant proposals for the UN.
BSIA PhD candidate awarded an IDRC Doctoral Research Award
Warm congratulations to PhD candidate Allison Petrozziello who has won an International Development Research Centre 2019 Doctoral Research Award.
Dispatch from the Global Arena Research Institute in the Czech Republic: Nathaniel Welch’s second blog from the field
In his second blog from the field, MAGG student Nathaniel Welch provides some Prague highlights and an update on GARI's annual conference and central project.
Dispatch from UNICEF in Nepal: Katelyn Forsyth’s first blog from the field
MAGG student Katelyn Forsyth's first blog from Kathmandu describes why her arrival timing couldn't have been better, and some of the exciting projects she's already been a part of.
Dispatch from the Global Arena Research Institute in Prague: Logan Miller’s second blog from the field
In his second blog from the field, MAGG student Logan Miller tells of his revolving role, and the new skills he is acquiring on the job.
Alison Blay-Palmer named UNESCO Chair in Food, Biodiversity and Sustainability Studies
Congratulations to the BSIA's Alison Blay-Palmer, who has been named United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Chair in Food, Biodiversity and Sustainability Studies.
November 2019
Dispatch from the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine: Alison Reiszadeh’s second blog from the field
In her second blog from Kyiv, MAGG student Alison Reiszadeh talks about the Accelerator Lab's work on the air quality crisis in Ukraine.
Dispatch from UNDP in Cambodia: Ambika Opal’s second blog from the field
In her second blog from the field, MAGG student Ambika Opal talks about the many ways in which UNDP Cambodia is addressing climate change.
Blog Post | The Populist Challenge and the Domestic Turn in Diplomacy
BSIA faculty member Andrew Cooper had the honour of writing the first post for the newly launched “The Hague Diplomacy Blog,” found on the Leiden University website.
Dispatch from The Vaccine Alliance in Geneva: Clare Urquhart’s first blog from the field
In her first blog from the field, MAGG student Clare Urquhart talks about the sites to see while in Switzerland.
Dispatch from Breaking the Silence in Guatemala: Laura Robinson’s first blog from the field
In her first blog from the field, MAGG student Laura Robinson prepares herself for her internship with Breaking the Silence by taking Spanish classes in the highlands of Guatemala.
Dispatch from the UN Women’s Regional Headquarters in Istanbul: Adnan Ali’s first blog from the field
In his first blog from the field, MAGG student Adnan Ali talks about his first impressions of Istanbul and his role at UN Women.
Dispatch from the United Nations Development Programme in Viet Nam: Cassandra Bangay’s first blog from the field
In her first blog from the field, MIPP student Cassandra Bangay talks about some of the unique cultural differences that have stood out to her in Viet Nam.
Dispatch from the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam: Kayleigh Swanson’s second blog from the field
In her second blog, MAGG student Kayleigh Swanson talks about the many opportunities she has had to network with people from different UN agencies that are located near hers.
Dispatch from the United Nations Girls Education Initiative in New York: Sophie Wang’s third blog from the field
MAGG student Sophie Wang reflects on all that she has learned - and what she has yet to learn - in her final blog from the field.
October 2019
Dispatch from the Global Arena Research Institute in the Czech Republic: Nathaniel Welch’s first blog from the field
MAGG student Nathaniel Welch talks about his first few projects at GARI and his first impressions of Prague.
Dispatch from the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine: Alison Reiszadeh’s first blog from the field
In her first blog from the field, MIPP student Alison Reiszadeh talks about the (underrated) city of Kyiv and her work in the Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme.
Dispatch from the United Nations Development Programme in Vietnam: Kayleigh Swanson’s first blog from the field
In her first blog from the field, MAGG student Kayleigh Swanson talks about her role in the Climate Change and Environment Unit at UNDP Vietnam, and her first impressions of Hanoi.
Dispatch from the Global Arena Research Institute in Prague: Logan Miller’s first blog from the field
In his first blog from the field, MAGG student Logan Miller discusses his first few weeks as a researcher at GARI, a think tank in Prague.
BSIA PhD candidate receives best paper award from the International Studies Association
Congratulations to PhD candidate Abdiasis Issa, who was awarded the James Winkates Graduate Student Paper Award by ISA-South.
September 2019
Dispatch from UNDP in Cambodia: Ambika Opal’s first blog from the field
In her first blog from the field, MAGG student Ambika Opal describes the complexities of assessing the impact of government policies and her home life in Phnom Penh.
Dispatch from the UN Girls’ Education Initiative in New York: Sophie Wang’s second blog from the field
In her second blog from the field, MAGG student Sophie Wang talks about how valuable being immersed within the UNICEF NYHQ office has been in teaching her about education programming.
Laurier faculty member at the BSIA elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Congratulations to Rianne Mahon for being elected as a RSC fellow!
Dispatch from the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.: Jacob Dinn’s third blog from the field
MAGG student Jacob Dinn shares his thoughts on his recent tour of the White House!
Laurier food sustainability researcher at the BSIA named finalist for prestigious research impact award
Alison Blay-Palmer named a finalist for SSHRC Impact Award.
BSIA welcomes its new Director and its largest cohort ever
The BSIA starts a new academic year with a new Director and the largest cohort of students in its history.
PhD Candidate Karolina Werner successfully defends her thesis
Congratulations to Karolina Werner, who successfully defended her thesis on August 26, 2019.
August 2019
Dispatch from the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.: Jacob Dinn’s second blog from the field
In Jacob's second blog from the field, he describes some of the exciting experiences he has had so far in Washington - including helping to ensure Prime Minister Trudeau's visit was a success!
PhD Candidate Skylar Brooks successfully defends his thesis
Congratulations to Skylar Brooks, who successfully defended his thesis on August 6, 2019.
July 2019
Dispatch from the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.: Jacob Dinn’s first blog from the field
MAGG student Jacob Dinn talks about his life and work in Washington D.C. during the first two months of his internship.
BSIA appoints global security expert as new Director of the School
The Board of Directors of the BSIA is pleased to announce the appointment of global security expert and political science professor Ann Fitz-Gerald as director of the School for the next five years, beginning Aug. 1.
PhD Candidate Matthew Gaudreau successfully defends his thesis
Congratulations to Matthew Gaudreau, who successfully defended his thesis on July 4, 2019.
June 2019
Dispatch from the UN Girls Education Initiative in New York: Sophie Wang’s first blog from the field
In her first blog from New York City, MAGG student Sophie Wang compares the Hollywood version of NYC with her reality.
PhD Candidate Wayne Gill successfully defends his thesis
Congratulations to Wayne Gill, who successfully defended his thesis on June 18, 2019.
May 2019
Balsillie School to offer Foundations in International Public Policy (FIPP) course
The Foundations in International Public Policy (FIPP) is a non-credit course offered at the BSIA from August 6-30, 2019.
Dispatch from the United Nations Development Program in Cambodia: Sakshi Jain’s fourth blog from the field
MIPP student Sakshi Jain talks about the 3-day workshop she led, developed specifically for youth with little to no background in policymaking.
BSIA PhD candidate speaking at “GRADtalks: Feeding the Future”
Lucy Hinton will be speaking at "GRADtalks: Feeding the Future" on June 6.
BSIA Director Awarded Best Article Prize
Warm congratulations to John Ravenhill for receiving a Sage Publishers prize.
Kim Rygiel honoured with Faculty Award for Service Excellence and Community Engagement
Congratulations to Kim Rygiel for being one of this year’s recipients of the Laurier Faculty Award for Service Excellence and Community Engagement.
Book Launch: “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: Global Governance Challenges”
"Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: Global Governance Challenges" features contributions from 18 members of our BSIA community, who authored chapters, provided the foreword and/or were editors.
April 2019
PhD Candidate Anastasia Ufimtseva successfully defends her thesis
Congratulations to Anastasia Ufimtseva, who successfully defended her thesis on April 24th.
PhD Candidate Maissaa Almustafa successfully defends her thesis
Congratulations to Maissaa Almustafa, who successfully defended her thesis on April 1st.
March 2019
BSIA faculty member will be recognized at ISA with the Distinguished Scholar Award
Warm congratulations to Andrew Cooper, the recipient of the 2019 Distinguished Scholar Award in the Diplomatic Studies Section of the International Studies Association.
Call for Applications – International Law Summer Institute at the BSIA
Applications to attend the ILSI are now available. Apply by April 8th to be considered.
BSIA PhD candidate co-launches non-profit organization “Women of the Arctic”
The BSIA is pleased to announce that PhD student and Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar Tahnee Prior and a colleague from the University of Lapland recently launched a non-profit organization called "Women of the Arctic".
February 2019
Simon Dalby quoted in “Nature Middle East” article highlighting the challenges of linking climate change, conflict and migration
A new study supports the notion of a link between drought, the Syrian war and the subsequent wave of refugees, demonstrating how climate change can force migration.
Dispatch from the United Nations Development Programme in Cambodia: Sakshi Jain’s third blog from the field
In her third blog, MIPP student Sakshi Jain participates in her first field research project - a qualitative study to analyze and understand the barriers to employment that young people with disabilities face in Cambodia.
Balsillie School closed again today, Feb. 12, due to severe weather conditions
Due to freezing rain conditions, both the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University have decided to close all campuses and cancel all classes today. Therefore, the Balsillie School will also be closed today.
Dr. Scott Hamilton wins federal NDP candidacy for Cambridge
Congratulations to Scott Hamilton on his nomination as the federal NDP candidate for Cambridge.
Call for Papers: Engage, Exchange, Educate (E3)
Papers for the Engage, Exchange, Educate symposium are due 22 March 2019.
January 2019
Dispatch from the United Nations Development Programme in Namibia: Kelsey Goodman’s fourth blog from the field
In her fourth blog from the field, MIPP student Kelsey Goodman looks ahead to her upcoming tasks at UNDP Namibia.