My project will be examining different aspects of Chinese popular religion, including online representations, physical landmarks, and firsthand accounts, and drawing connections between popular religion in China and the self- and community-identities of lay practitioners in Beijing. I will be visiting sites in Beijing, including St. Joseph’s Cathedral, Yonghe Gong, and Baiyun Guan, examining primary […]

Contemporary Daoist leaders in North China often consider their religion was poorly organized and therefore weak: their efforts at institutionalization and modernization are, therefore, described in terms of revitalization in the face of decline. The case of Baiyun guan (White Cloud Abbey) in Peking during the early 20th century, however, shows otherwise. Baiyun guan, initially […]

ZnO is an important large bandgap semiconductor with good chemical, mechanical, and particularly, optoelectronic properties. Due to its unique properties, ZnO is one of the most promising materials as a novel type of emitting device, e.g. polariton lasers. ZnO nanostructure fabrication processes range from expensive, time consuming methods such as Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) to […]

With the increasing numbers of economically motivated food adulteration, sensitive, rapid, portable, and cost-effective detection techniques for food fraud is highly demanded. Ground beef products have the potential to be adulterated by the livestock’s by-products, such as beef and pork offal. Traditional techniques failed to meet the requirements by government, food industry, and consumers (i.e. […]

The present dependence of human society on fossil fuels indicates the inevitable increase of energy de-mands and emissions of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide (CO2). These problems need to be resolved with sustainable energy solutions, including the idea of capturing CO2 to synthesize renewa-ble or sustainable hydrocarbon, and carbonaceous fuels. Our proposed research project […]

This research will explore factors contributing to the adoption rate of big data sports analytics in Brazils’ soccer industry. The participating student will conduct interviews with major Brazilian soccer clubs and sport statistic companies to assess the root problems, perform secondary research to support analysis, and explore potential alternatives to enable Brazilian soccer clubs to […]

Using the case of Chengdu, this research is about neighbourhood redevelopment and residential relocation in post-reform cities of China. In this project, the key process is defined as state-facilitated, new-build gentrification. The thesis attempts to understand why politicaleconomic actors initiate gentrification in the inner city, how consensus building is achieved, conflicts are mediated, and what […]

Degenerative brains diseases such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), are getting more common as the population ages. Ways to assess brain diseases, so that disease progression can be predicted and effects of treatment can be measured, are important. Brain imaging technologies are widely available, but extracting the important information from brain images is still a challenge. […]

Blood is composed primarily of cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, etc.) and plasma (the fluid in which the cells are suspended). Health care providers commonly require the components of blood to be separated before performing tests; currently, this requires blood samples be taken to a medical laboratory for processing. Recent advances in […]

With the benefit of three months supervision from Dr Argha Banerjee at the Indian Institute for Science Education and Research, my research on glacier dynamics and hydrology in High Mountain Asia (HMA) will make an important contribution to understanding the likely impacts of climate change, understanding that will improve people’s resilience. HMA is the most […]

The student will travel to the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianopolis, Brazil, for 12 weeks to develop the chemical synthesis of new organo-tellurium compounds whose molecules will be used as building blocks for large self-assembled structures with functional properties. This project will combine the expertise of I. Vargas-Baca (McMaster) and A L. Braga, […]

There are a number of factors that can impact ones level of physical activity. Interpersonal, intrapersonal, and environmental factors are all important when looking at how active or sedentary an individual can be. For schoolchildren, it is important to promote active behaviors that will lead to a healthy lifestyle. By creating a tool to identify […]