Paula Gardner

Overview

Paula Gardner is a professor in the Department of Communication Studies and Media Arts, the Asper Chair in Communications, and the director of the Pulse Lab at McMaster University. Her research interests include feminist media studies, digital and technological culture, and ethical intersectional and interdisciplinary practice. This background allows Paula to explore research using various technology and production mediums. The ABLE Village project (Arts Based Therapies Enabling Longevity in Elders) brings together researchers from three McMaster Faculties, five Canadian universities, and five aging community partner organizations. As co-researchers, we aim to develop opportunities for learning, creating, and engaging in art and other social activities in an online village platform. The project counters trends in using technology as a tool to correct aging; instead we position older adults as research leaders, as we explore how to engage technology to develop opportunities for older adults to explore their creativity and interests, and to thrive as they age.

Affiliations

• Professor
• Faculty of Humanities, McMaster University
• Member, McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA), McMaster University
• Member, Centre for Networked Media and Performance, Faculty of Humanities
• Member, Gilbrea Centre for Studies in Aging, Faculty of Social Sciences,
• Member, Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice, Faculty of Humanities
• Professor, Communication Studies u0026 Media Arts, Faculty of Humanities
• Member, McMaster Institute for Music u0026 the Mind, Faculty of Science

Education

• BA (Political Science and Creative Writing), State University of New York at Potsdam
• MA (Media Studies), New School University
• PhD (Communication and Media Studies), University of Massachusetts

Additional Links

• https://pulselab.humanities.mcmaster.ca
• https://paulagardner.ca