Kinesiology is all about the science of human movement, and Brenda Brouwer (BSc Kinesiology ’80) is taking this in different directions – one literal and one somewhat metaphorical.
The literal part of her work has to do with the lab she runs at Queen’s University, where she works to understand the physical demands associated with mobility, especially for those recovering from strokes. When she started her lab, she found a passion in working with graduate students. She says, “Grad students are the fuel of university research, supporting faculty in advancing their work.”
This led Brouwer to initiate and coordinate a PhD program in rehabilitation science. While still maintaining her lab and her research from there, Brouwer moved into a more metaphorical version of kinesiology: Connecting knowledge development with others, inside and outside academic settings – helping the pieces to interact and mobilize people and solutions.
To this end, Brouwer took on roles as vice-provost and dean in graduate studies, and most recently was seconded as head of academic partnerships to the Vector Institute, an independent, not-for-profit research institute focused on machine learning. There, she led the RAISE AI talent development and mobilization initiative.
“I love to better understand and unravel the complexities of how the brain controls movement to inform innovation in rehabilitation,” she says, noting that similarly, her work as dean and at the Vector Institute helps academics share their discoveries and innovations with the public, offering an opportunity for knowledge to transform those sectors. “It’s not a stretch to appreciate the value of AI with respect to my field. Neuroscience and how the brain integrates inputs to generate different muscle responses and combined actions provides all the fundamental data that can ultimately form a database for data mining and AI applications.”
She adds, “Some folks may not know what to think about all that AI stuff, but we can show them examples of how AI can help transform health care and other fields. Mobilizing knowledge can provide better futures for all Canadians.”
