Innovative Projects Realized

From Cuba with Love: Domesticity as Transnational Media and Networking Strategy .

The project explores the role of domesticity in general as a symbolic and material realm fostering transnational networking and communication tactics involving Cuba and the North American peoples. This research looks at homemaking in Cuba as an activity at the center of large communication initiatives revolving around material exchanges, human international travels and domestic media such as video recorders, DVD, ham radio and others. The project will reveal alternative, low-environmental impact, sustainable means of communication established between Cubans in and outside the island, that have also served to reanimate forms of social economy and empowerment in Cuba with American and Quebec partners. The tactics analyzed might serve as templates for future investment strategies in the domain of telecommunications in a changing Cuban market in times of transition.

Examining microclimatic effects on vertebrate interactions with foundational plant species.

Desertification and arid region expansion are critical global change issues. Temperature, variability in precipitation, extended drought periods, and radiation are probable factors affecting the function of foundations shrubs. The changes in the above weather parameters are primarily due to anthropogenic climate change that significantly modifies physical and biological systems in all continents. Micro-climatic-driven behavioural plasticity can promote shifts in habitat so behavioural regimes can continue to function despite changes in climate. I propose that changes in weather parameters can alter vertebrate behaviour and hence their interactions with foundation plant species such as shrubs, who’s canopy can act as a shelter protecting vertebrates from direct sunlight and maintain moisture. Particularly, I’m interested in examining to what frequency and extent temperature and solar radiation can influence this interaction through the use temperature and radiation loggers paired with camera trap imagery- a method that allows researcher to obtain wildlife data with relatively little to no human disturbance. Additionally, I’m interested in understanding how shrub-grass interaction and invasion by non-native plant species influences the above dynamics. Sedgwick Reserve is a great grassland location allowing you to not only examine the above parameters, but also explore… TBC.

Opportunities for Alleviating Indigenous Energy Poverty in BC

Indigenous communities, especially those in remote locations, experience much higher rates of energy poverty than the rest of British Columbians. Energy poverty occurs when an individual allocates a disproportionately high percentage of their income towards household energy costs. The negative repercussions of energy poverty are not only economic, but also social, physical and environmental. Activities in the home such as cooking, cleaning, bathing and sleeping are examples of daily tasks that are directly affected by a lack of affordable and accessible energy.
This research project has two components. The first involves an investigation into the extent of on-reserve energy poverty in BC. This will be done through primary research and consultation with Indigenous communities throughout the province. The second component involves hosting an event with Indigenous leaders. TO BE CONT’D

Développement de marqueurs génétiques mycorrhiziens pour améliorer la production et la formulation industrielle

Outre Ie developpement d’outils de quantification, ce projet vise a developper un

inoculant multi-especes capables d’etre plus performant dans certaines conditions de culture

du maIs dans I’Est du Canada. En effet, bien que des inoculants mycorhiziens commerciaux

soient de plus en plus presents sur Ie marche canadien, ils ne sont pas necessairement

adaptes a toutes les conditions rencontrees dans la culture du maIs au Quebec et en

Ontario, particulierement lorsque Ie niveau de Pest eleve dans Ie sol. A niveau de Pest eleve dans Ie sol. A cette fin, une

deuxieme espece du genre Glomus (G-sp) complementaire au Gi-PR presentement

commercialise sera selectionnee. La combinaison de deux especes ayant des proprietes

complementaires quant a leur fonctionnalite permettra d’augmenter la performance des

inoculants sous des conditions de champ particulieres (ex: niveau de P eleve). Une partie

importante du projet visera d’une part a determiner les parametres de production et de

formulation de cette nouvelle espece et a valider ses performances sur Ie……

Do you take this couple as your lawfully wedded residents?

Sham marriages or marriages for immigration purposes have been a common occurrence in many parts of the Global West for some time now. A highly controversial subject, sham marriages has been shunned by the gatekeepers of the western countries. The very core and understanding of what a ‘marriage’ looks differs from culture to culture, in as such, a lot of genuine couple often find themselves in crossfire with the host country’s immigration laws. There is, however, a significant involvement of many Organized Crime Groups who arrange these kind of marriages for papers. Another phenomenon that is spreading to Canada is the sham marriages between two temporary migrants, one potential international student and another, a job seeking individual, especially from Southeast Asia to jump the loops and gain permanent residency status in few years. This research intends to analyze the presence of sham marriages especially as it relates to the international student groups in the European Union countries with a special focus on Germany. This paper will make policy recommendations to help identify Organized Crime Groups that facilitate the many sham marriages that happen in the western world and to identify the sham marriages in the incoming international student crowd.

Polar edge localization in the early-diverging Bryophyte land plants

The process of cell division and polarization is a relatively well-known phenomenon in yeast and animals. The gene expression during development and growth in multicellular organisms is key for the formation of body axis and cell division. If gene expression is altered, the body of the organism of interest can undergo modifications during growth. In plants, the way cell polarity is connected to growth is not well understood, because polarity markers were so far not discovered. The recent identification of the SOSEKI1 (SOK) proteins opens many exciting new avenues for exploring cell polarity and cell division orientation. This project will significantly expand the knowledge on how SOK proteins is responsible for cell polarity during the life cycle of ancestral organisms and the conservation of SOK functions through evolution. Further understanding of SOK genes could help understand even more cell polarization in other multicellular Eukaryotes.

Computer Lenses and Sex Influence on Shoulder-Neck Discomfort and Musculoskeletal Mechanisms in University Students Identifying as Laptop Users

Adults exposed to screens for prolonged periods of time have complained of shoulder-neck discomfort. Ergonomic solutions can help prevent the development of computer work-related pains later on in life as young adults move on to careers in an office or administrative setting. Many computer users have also expressed eye strain. As a response, ergonomic computer lenses have been brought forward, said to make viewing a computer screen easier on the eyes. Mechanistic links between eye strain and neck discomfort have been suggested; however, existing studies lack sophisticated methods of postural and electromyographical analysis, and have not compared effects on males vs females. The goal of this research project is therefore to evaluate the effects of computer lenses on shoulder-neck discomfort, and postural alignment, during a 90 minute computer typing task among young adults of the university setting. TO BE CONT’D

Countering the Authoritative Viewpoint: reinterpretations in the “Park-Monument of the Bulgarian-Soviet friendship”

I would like to reposition the viewer in the spaces within the “Park-Monument of the Bulgarian Soviet Friendship” in Varna, Bulgaria, to question the purpose and value of this monument which is carrying an ideology from a communist past, into the present Bulgarian society. As I understand it, to place something in its context, be it environmental, historical, political or any other context is to contextualize it. Contextualizing the monument in the current landscape and in its post-communist society would allow the individual to relate more intimately with the events that took place; to understand the events related directly and indirectly to the creation of this monument. The questions are many. Can it be re-contextualized to an end of a different understanding? How can a monument of past regimes represent a current society? How should we treat monuments, and can monuments of such kind help us reconcile with the past? This is a very relevant topic for monuments around the world including Canada and the US. This research project’s goal is a design proposal, with suggested intervention of the monument itself and the park land around it. TBC

Uncharted Waters: Indigenous Water Ethics and Water Governance

With two Indigenous communities, one in Northern Canada and one in Southern Australia, my research explores Indigenous water ethics and water governance models. During my proposed project, using a Participatory Action Research approach, we will video document interviews and collectively edit them to make a short video documentary focused on caring for water. This proposed Mitacs-funded trip to Australia would allow us to conduct the Australian interviews, gather video-footage, and do video editing with community members. The documentary will highlight similarities and differences from the two Indigenous cultures, linking them together through a collective knowledge-sharing project, subsequently contributing to international networks working for water projection. The short video can then act as a catalyst for future collaborative research, specifically as related to an idea to for a future exchange program that brings members of each community to the other to experientially learn about different water contexts in person.

Expected outcomes for this specific visit to Australia include:
1. Video interviews with Indigenous research community partners in Australia, edited into a short documentary;
2. Capacity building: Learning from one another and widening water-related networks;
3. Evolved plans for future participatory research collaborations;
4. TBC

Personalizing gamification strategies to improve young adult life skills training

By making life skills education more game-like, we propose to help young adults improve valuable life skills and feel empowered in their choices.
There is a growing body of evidence to show that adding game elements into non-game contexts, a persuasive strategy known as gamification, is effective at improving students’ motivation and skill learning.
In this project we will match young adult mobile gameplay preferences with game design elements in order to teach life skills in a fun and engaging way that maximizes the motivational power of gamification.
This project is an important first step in the design of a mobile life coaching game that empowers young adults through playful learning.

From Violent Ideation to Early Detection: Social Media and Mass Shootings

Les tueries de masses font maintenant partie du quotidien aux États-Unis. Depuis 1966, le nombre d’incidents à augmenter de manière significative et la fréquence semble s’accélérer depuis 2012. Afin de mieux comprendre les dynamiques sous-jacentes à ce phenomène, nous proposons d’explorer un angle particulier: l’influence des médias sociaux sur l’idéation de violence des tueurs et la validation sociale de leurs intentions de commettre un acte de violence. Plus précisément, nous partons de la proposition que les medias sociaux peuvent offrir une plateforme d’expression qui facilite l’idéation de commettre des tueries de masse et permet la formation de petits groupes sociaux qui valorisent ce type de comportement. Il semble que plusieurs cas récents pointent dans cette direction. TO BE CONT’D

Amélioration de la convergence d’un modèle PEEC d’électromaimant supraconducteur

L’objectif du projet de stage sera d’améliorer la convergence et la vitesse de résolution des problèmes électromagnétiques et thermiques fortement couplés pour simuler le phénomène d’emballement thermique (i.e. « quench ») dans des électro-aimants supraconducteurs soumis à des variations rapides de courant et/ou de champ magnétique. Les électro-aimants ont de nombreuses applications pratiques, la plus connue étant les systèmes d’imagerie à résonance magnétique.

La méthode numérique utilisée est la méthode PEEC généralisée, qui permet de trouver une équivalence du problème électromagnétique en termes de circuits électriques. Il s’agit d’une méthode numérique contemporaine, très efficace pour résoudre des problèmes complexes, mais qui requiert encore quelques ajustements pour en accélérer la convergence. Des compromis doivent être fait entre vitesse et précision, et ce sera le but de ce stage de mieux explorer les différentes avenues possibles.