title: Unsettling the Settler Colonial Structure of Canadian Legal Education: An Examination of Three Law Schools’ Engagement with Reconciliation

abstract: Indigenous law has a long and rich history in Canada, and it has played an important role in the formation of Canada's constitution. Unfortunately, the Canadian state has ignored and devalued it, treating it as less important than common law and civil law. In the context of Canadian legal education, law schools have, since the very beginning, been directed towards the study of common law and civil, at the exclusion of Indigenous law. This exclusion exists alongside other barriers for Indigenous law students, including racism and discrimination, isolation and culture shock, and stigma and feelings of powerlessness. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada published its final report and 94 calls to action to advance reconciliation between the Canadian state and Indigenous Peoples. Two calls to action are aimed at legal education: call to action 28 calls for all law students to take a mandatory course in Aboriginal people and the law, and call to action 50 calls for the establishment of Indigenous law institutes. This study explores how Canadian law schools are engaging with reconciliation. Through the use of semi-structured interviews with faculty members and Indigenous law students at the University of Ottawa, Dalhousie University, and the University of Victoria, the study examines how participants conceptualize reconciliation and whether their engagement with reconciliation is consistent with the liberal or transformative approach to reconciliation. Employing an anti-colonial framework, analysis of the data reveals that participants at all three law schools explain reconciliation, both as a general concept and in the context of legal education, in ways that are consistent with the transformative approach to reconciliation. The data also shows that all three law schools are on the path to implementing transformative reconciliation, but that much work remains to be done to unsettle the settler colonial structure of Canadian legal education.


title: The Affordability Cooperative: An Affordable Housing Plan in Ottawa

abstract: The thesis will revolve around the need for affordable housing and densification in the downtown Ottawa area. In June, 2020, the city of Ottawa announced that they will be committing 15 million dollars towards these efforts. One of the sites in which they will be using for this affordable housing proposal will be Gladstone village as well as 1010 Somerset, which is now a large plot of green space with a low-rise, vacant government building and is adjacent to small, detached and semi detached homes. This thesis takes the project proposal by local Ottawa firm Hobin Architects, which proposes a 50% affordable housing allotment, as a design catalyst and point of departure. It proposes a counter plan, using a different set of housing models to de-centers profit and emphasize social interaction and connectivity for a broader, and more inclusive Ottawa community demographic.


title: Development, Implementation, and Industry Reception of a Novel Multi-source, Data-driven Building Energy Management Toolkit

abstract: Inefficient and uninformed operations negatively impact building energy performance, leading to wide disparities between predicted and actual energy use in commercial and institutional buildings. Though ample research in data-driven building operations analytics has derived various methodologies for extracting energy-saving insights that can inform best practices, these approaches have traditionally remained disparate, and are mostly inaccessible to operations personnel who can benefit from these approaches in augmenting their duties and optimizing building energy efficiency. This research explores the development, implementation, and industry reception of a novel multi-source, data-driven building energy management toolkit as a synthesis of established data-driven approaches in the literature. Energy-saving insights identified from over five separate case study buildings demonstrated the toolkit's multifaceted application to identify operational deficiencies, and interviews with building operators and facility managers regarding the toolkit's outputs were conducted to identify possible barriers which may inhibit operations professionals from effectively deriving and utilizing data-driven insights.


title: A Phonological Analysis of Sergian: Learnability of the Ludling

abstract: This study observes the Sergian ludling, focussing on its learnability. This study completes a phonological analysis of the language, observing and applying the rule created to explain the rule' role in the ludling's formation. Participants were split into two groups where one had data useful to specific patterns of sesquisyllables withheld, to observe whether the rule they create with the minimal data exposure can extend to data beyond basic epenthesis. The key questions this paper aims to answer are how much data is needed for an individual to be considered exposed to a crucial rule of the language and to what extent do they acquire it. This paper seeks to answer these questions by analyzing participants' audio-recorded responses. Results showed the more exposure one receives, the more likely they are to acquire and correctly apply the rules; having data useful to specific patterns increased chances of participants obtaining higher scores.


title: Curiosity and Interesting Conversations as Factors that Reduce Relational Boredom in Intimate Relationships

abstract: This thesis examined the associations between curiosity, interesting conversations with intimate partners, and relational boredom. I hypothesized that high (vs low) socially-curious people have more frequent interesting conversations and use more interest-related self-regulatory strategies and that this, in turn, is associated with less boredom. Two online studies were conducted with samples of undergraduate students in dating relationships. In Study 1 (N = 137), people high (vs low) in social curiosity more frequently had interesting conversations, and interesting conversations were associated with less boredom. In Study 2 (N = 140), people high (vs low) in social curiosity used more interest-related self-regulatory strategies, and these strategies were associated with less boredom. In Study 2, curiosity subtypes (joyous exploration and thrill-seeking) were also associated with using interest-related self-regulatory strategies. The results imply that curious people have skills to create experiences with their partners, such as interesting dinner conversations, that strengthen their relationships.


title: Evaluation of Essential Skills Online (ESO): A Utilization-Focused Approach to a Developmental Evaluation of a Workplace Literacy and Numeracy Resource

abstract: Essential Skills Online (ESO) was designed to address the current national shortage of online resources that provide adults seeking employment with practice in the skills of the Essential Skills Framework (~ 1996-2021). During ESO's development, an evaluation of its design and pedagogical content was commissioned by its developer. In response, pragmatic, collaborative, sociocultural research was undertaken using Patton's (2012) utilization-focused evaluation (U-FE) framework, within a developmental evaluation (DE) approach which, unlike traditional evaluation, focused on program development in process. This dissertation reports on the DE in a qualitative, multiphase case study which: 1) provided recommendations for the ongoing development of ESO; and 2) evaluated the contributions of a U-FE framework to ESO's DE. Two organizations participated in the iteration of this DE: an Indigenous-led educational organization and a non-Indigenous-led organization that supported recently incarcerated adults. In Phase 1, pre-implementation, a situation analysis was conducted, as the evaluator and stakeholders collaborated to design the evaluation, prepare ESO for use, and organize the administration of the pre-and post-test (Test of Workplace Essential Skills). Phase 2, the field evaluation, consisted of fieldwork and correspondence with the field participants. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other unforeseen events, a full U-FE could not be completed. Therefore, in Phase 3, interviews with experts in program evaluation, adult literacy, assessment, and online learning were conducted to assess the feasibility of Phase 2's recommendations and future directions. Data (e.g., from field notes, semi-structured interviews, journal entries, focus groups, emails, documents) were analysed through coding, narrative analysis, and quantitization. The findings concerning ESO, which were corroborated by the industry experts, included: 1) pedagogical and design improvements, and 2) issues concerning the pre-and post-test. The industry experts also emphasized the need for increased collaboration with ESO's users to enhance its usefulness. Although some evaluators would be hesitant to use U-FE within a DE given the time constraints placed on this evaluation, the results reported here suggest its value. The U-FE framework provided an effective, holistic, structure for DE. Further, adaptability and strong communication were essential evaluator characteristics given the emergent nature of DE. Implications and future direction are discussed.


title: Strategies for Cooperative Energy Distribution on Multi-Robot Warehouse Systems

abstract: Autonomous mobile robots are one of the new and innovative ways to improve operation in industries such as: warehouses. They are known for their popular operational improvement, safety, and speed. An important feature of an AMR is the capability to charge autonomously with little to no human intervention.It should be able to determine when it has reached the threshold value of the battery capacity and navigate to the charging station, connect, recharge, disconnect and resume its tasks. This thesis examines the energy distribution on multi-robot warehouse systems. We experimented several cases and the results have been tracked for the number of tasks completed, the waiting time, and dead robots. The best possible solution is when the robots are compatible to the existing charging stations, in this case there will be minimal or no dead robots. We investigated the performance of robots when they collaborate and share power with one another.


title: Understanding and Predicting User Engagement Behaviour on Twitter with a Cognitive and Machine Learning Model

abstract: To help create more of an understanding on user engagement, this thesis proposes a model inspired by cognitive behaviour theory to explore user-to-user engagement on Twitter, in particular, factors that affect user engagement behaviour. Through case study and a novel model that combined machine learning and the cognitive-behaviour theory, this thesis examines tweets to determine how cognitive behaviour dynamics affect user engagement. The proposed model is evaluated on a dataset of tweets from 10 CEOs (n = 938). The results from the case study approach showed the content characteristics of these tweets such as sentiment analysis and subjectivity affectivity, but no clear idea on which factors affected engagement. The results from the proposed cognitive inspired machine learning model found that topics, emotions and cognitive perceptions play a role in affecting user-to-user engagement. The model predicts that higher engagement behaviours are motivated by topic and positive sentiments.


title: Harassment on Assignment: Gendered Emotional Labour in Canadian Newsrooms

abstract: The harassment of women and gender non-binary journalists is pervasive. In recent years, many scholars and practitioners have collected evidence to suggest it is getting worse. To assess the effects of such harassment in Canada, I interviewed 16 current or former female journalists and one gender non-binary journalist, and conducted a survey of more than 130 journalists to understand the scope of this harassment and its impact, including whether it motivated participants to consider leaving their job. The results of this survey revealed that female and gender non-binary journalists in Canada experience ongoing verbal and physical abuse rooted in misogyny, sexism, racism, Islamophobia and homophobia. Participants detailed cyber-violence, assault, sexual harassment, threats of violence and death threats connected to their work.


title: Implementation of Artificial Neural Network in Predicting the Mechanical Properties of Concrete at High Temperatures

abstract: Concrete might be exposed to high temperatures caused by fire that adversely affect its mechanical properties. Therefore, the ability to predict the mechanical properties of concrete exposed to high temperatures is necessary. In this study, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) models were developed to assess the mechanical properties of concrete exposed to high temperatures. For this purpose, 728 experimental results were collected from the available literature to predict mechanical properties of concrete at high temperatures, including compressive strength, tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity. The input database contains the volumes of coarse aggregate, fine aggregate, water, cement, water-cement ratio, coarse aggregate type, percentage of supplementary cementitious materials as the cement replacement, temperatures, and test methods. The mechanical properties were defined as the output variable. Proposed models are in good agreement with the experimental data and can predict the mechanical properties of concrete exposed to high temperatures.


title: Knowing Friendships: A Qualitative Inquiry of Friendship, Mental Health, and Power in the Lives of Teenage Girls

abstract: This thesis deepens understandings of the relationship between friendship and mental health in the lives of teenage girls by positioning them as knowers. Grounded in social constructionism and feminist standpoint theory, I use reflexive thematic analysis to analyze semi-structured interviews conducted with nine teenage girls in Ontario, Canada to explore the knowledge they generated through caring for one another's mental health. Teenage girls' mental health is inextricably tied to experiences of power, with oppressions acting as sites of power diminishment while friendships act as sites where power is created and nurtured. My findings are conceptualized in three components: the frame is Power, the context is a Toxic Environment (Adultism, Capitalism, and Patriarchy), the knowledges are Power-full Friendships (Effective Support, Therapeutic Values, and World Crafting) and Self-Becoming (Self-Determination, Self-Knowledge, and Access to resources). This understanding has implications for improving mental health systems, social work empowerment models, and subverting structuralized oppressions.


title: Planned Inefficiency:  Defining and Defending the Public Realm in the Age of Autonomous Vehicles

abstract: The urban public realm is an increasingly contested space. As disruptive technologies continue to enter North American cities, they exert outsized impacts on urban environments, governance, and social constructs. Meanwhile, the urban policies which dictate the implementation of these technologies are frequently designed in service of their monetization schemes, rather than citizen welfare. Architecture is a discipline uniquely capable of making complex information accessible to the public. Architecture can spatialize, translate and interpret the complexities and challenges which disruptive technologies pose to cities, empowering their citizens. Responding to the case study of autonomous vehicle technologies in Toronto, this thesis contributes to an expanded definition of architectural practice, utilizing architectural thinking and working methods to test novel approaches for understanding and protecting democratic urban governance in the 21st century.


title: "Racially Charged": Negotiating Black Politics on the Superhero TV Adaptation, Black Lightning

abstract: This project takes Black Lightning as a case study of the representation of Black superheroes in comic book television adaptations. By focusing on the three main superheroes Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning; Anissa Pierce/Thunder/Black Bird; and Jennifer Pierce/Lightning, this project examines the ways in which the show relies on the superhero semantics and mediates Black Christianity to negotiate Black political thought and respond to contemporary racial politics in the US. More precisely, it focuses on Jefferson's representation as an actor of Black respectability politics; Anissa's positioning as a radical activist and superhero often in conflict with the politics of respectability; and finally, Jennifer's political reawakening at a moment when the "post-racial" myth is prevalent in the US.


title: Using Virtual Reality to Improve Learning Mindsets and Academic Performance in Post-Secondary Students

abstract: Recent research indicates that most post-secondary students in North America "felt overwhelming anxiety" in the past few years, negatively affecting well-being and academic performance. Further research revealed that other emotions, biases, perceptions, and negative thoughts, not just anxiety, can similarly affect student academic performance. To address this problem, we classify these counterproductive thought processes, including anxiety, into a broader definition called Scarcity Mindset; a self-limiting perspective that appropriates cognitive bandwidth required for essential processes like learning in favour of addressing more critical needs or perceived insufficiencies. As such, through the lens of Scarcity Mindset, we conduct a multi-disciplinary literature analysis of innovative ideas in cognitive science, learning theories and mindsets, and current technology approaches that are suited to address the limitations of scarcity thinking. We identify strategies that help transition students to a more positive Abundance Mindsets. We identify knowledge gaps, research questions, and a theoretical framework called the Cyclical Priming Methodology (CPM) that proposes priming interventions throughout the Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) cycle. These intervention strategies focus on student preparation, motivation, reflection, and the context of the learning environment. Our research will focus on determining whether these priming interventions, intended to induce abundance thinking, improves academic performance. We demonstrate that these priming intervention strategies with proven empirical effectiveness within non-technology environments can transfer to leading edge digital environments like Virtual Reality (VR). Further, building on the CPM and using a related technology-based cognitive therapy technique called Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) as a comparable model, we propose a specific VR implementation of the CPM called VR Experience Priming (VREP). Four completed studies validate our hypotheses and key research questions: priming interventions performed within the context of our CPM and VREP theoretical model do improve academic performance and are transferable to VR to increase cognitive availability and academic performance in both preparatory and context priming conditions. Proving in our thesis for all priming conditions was beyond the scope of this research but we plan to continue this research in 2022 and beyond.


title: Fraud Detection in Non-Network Knowledge Graph

abstract: Fraud is becoming an increasingly severe problem in all industries, and one of the most widely-used techniques in fraud detection is data mining. However, most of the existing research revolve around credit card frauds, and studies on fraud detection in other fields are still extremely limited. Therefore, in this thesis, we develop an automated fraud detection system for both reporting and prediction in Contract Management, and use the contract data from Defence Construction Canada (DCC) to evaluate the approaches employed. As we lack practical training data, we use a weak-supervision approach to generate labels for our data and build two machine learning models, Logistic Regression and Random Forest. We also propose a graph-based approach that transforms our dataset into graphical representations, which results in a non-network knowledge graph, and learns both structural and statistical features of this graph to identify potential anomalies. Results from both approaches reveal relatively high recall.


title: Anti-Cancer and Stress Response Pathway Effects of Nanosilver and Sodium Ascorbate

abstract: Nanosilver (nAg) has superb antimicrobial, antiviral, antifungal, antiparasitic, and anticancer properties; and plays an important role in nanoscience, nanotechnology, and nanomedicine. Smaller nAg particles can enter cells and interact with the cellular components. The exposure dose, particle size, coating, and aggregation state, as well as the cell type or organism, are all large determining factors on the beneficial or toxic effects of nAg. Sodium ascorbate is a vital water-soluble antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals produced during illness. It has pro-oxidant effects in its oxidized form, and in this form is able to destroy cancer cells through the production of hydrogen peroxide. With the growing prevalence of cancer, there is an increasing need to find both new treatments and combinations of treatments to provide greater effectiveness. Nanosilver was found to be more toxic to HCT116 human colon cancer cells (24-hour EC50 of 78.43 ± 0.70 µg/mL) than to HIEC-6 human intestinal epithelial cells (no toxicity was observed for the treatment concentrations tested). Combined treatments of high dose sodium ascorbate with nAg demonstrated significantly increased toxicity to HCT116 cells as opposed to HIEC-6 cells, and increased the cell death from that observed with either of the treatments alone. The novel result was found that it is more toxic to cancer cells to use a combined treatment of high dose sodium ascorbate with low dose of nAg; as opposed to low dose sodium ascorbate with high dose nAg, where a protective effect is seen. Nanosilver induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase in HCT116 cells, and combined treatment with sodium ascorbate further increased this effect. This was found to be a nAg specific effect and did not occur with silver nitrate. Cellular oxidative stress was not induced by nAg, however, mitochondrial oxidative stress was induced in HCT116 cells after 24 hours of treatment. Additionally, no significant effect on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation or the cellular ER stress response was found. Combined treatment of nAg with sodium ascorbate may be beneficial in decreasing WNT pathway signalling in cancer cells through the non-canonical pathway involving WNT5A.


title: Development of a Dynamic Simulation of an Automobile that Incorporates Four Wheel Steering and a Driver Model

abstract: In this thesis, the development of a four-wheel steering vehicle dynamics model and the implementation of a driver controller are detailed. The model is intended to be used for supporting research in the cybersecurity of conventional and autonomous road vehicles. It incorporates a 10 degree-of-freedom vehicle model and a driver controller capable of steering all four wheels for improved vehicle lateral dynamics performance. The vehicle model is developed as a clean-sheet design using the fundamental principles of vehicle dynamics engineering and implemented in the Matlab/Simulink computing environment. A suitable driver-controller model that meets the industry standard requirements was adopted from the literature review and implemented in the model. The functionality of the model is demonstrated with established standard vehicle manoeuvres that were used as part of the validation process. The model shows moderate improvement in the lateral performance and stability of four-wheel steering vehicles compared to equivalent front-wheel only steering vehicles.


title: Development of a Computational Pipeline and Associated Quantitative Assessment of Superficial Dorsal Horn Activity Across Pain States

abstract: The superficial dorsal horn (SDH) is a critical site for pain processing and regulation, containing subnetworks of local interneurons responsible for integration of sensory information received from peripheral afferents. Through epifluorescent microscopy on acute SDH slices, intracellular calcium increases were recorded as a marker for action potential firing at the subnetwork level. Responses within sham control animals were compared to models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain. A developed custom image processing pipeline combined MATLAB and IJM scripts with peer-reviewed toolboxes to quantify changes in SDH subnetwork excitability across pain models. The presented harmonized pipeline serves as a novel assay for specific and multidimensional evaluation of SDH circuitry. No significant differences were observed across evoked SDH subnetworks. Future experiments will use these pipeline approaches to investigate potential differences in spontaneous SDH network activity between the experimental groups, which may underlie differential pain sensitivities in these chronic pain conditions.


title: Lo-Fi Music As Architecture: A Rhythmic Transformation at Bank and Heron, Ottawa

abstract: This thesis explores Lo-Fi music as a primary inspiration for urban planning and architecture, specifically for the redevelopment of a site situated at the crossing of suburban neighbourhoods in transition, at the corner of Bank Street and Heron Road in Ottawa, Canada. This thesis seeks to translate a specific piece of Lo-Fi music into architectural designs to assist a morphological and atmospheric transformation of this site. "Low Fidelity" or Lo-Fi music works with low-quality imperfections to imbue authenticity to new music. Its compositions cross musical genres, including jazz and hip-hop; the hiss and defects from old recordings create a complex and enveloping atmosphere. By integrating the thematic characteristics of Lo-Fi beats into the design process, a new built environment and novel architectural experience of space are generated, complete with imperfections, and, it is hoped, with cultural relevance, appropriateness, and authenticity.


title: Psychedelic Architectures: Expanding Universal Care with the Integration of Plural Psychedelic Health Spaces

abstract: Health, an incredibly personal and multifaceted component of human experience. Our places of health are continuously informed by evolving practices of care. This thesis explores the introduction of psychedelic treatments into the realm of health care design by learning from plural epistemologies of psychedelic practice. Psychedelic Architectures, the places of psychedelic practice, are incredibly diverse health spaces guided by the intentions of psychedelic consumption. By studying the material, spatial and cultural productions of psychedelic health we arrive at syncretic re-envisioning of psychiatric practices and spaces. This thesis is interested in positioning architecture within the discourse of psychedelic health practices becoming adopted in the 21st century. How has architecture been employed in these places of psychedelic health? What are the connections between positive psychedelic experiences and therapeutic psychedelic settings? The resulting work accentuates the intuitive and ingenious uses of space for the purposes of psychedelic assisted therapy, spirituality, and recreation.


title: Saving Architectural Heritage: Climate Change Resilience and Conservation Management

abstract: This research paper will discuss the technical aspects of preserving historic to achieve resiliency to the ever-changing effects of climate change. As a case study, an updated conservation management plan will be created for Maplelawn, former estate and walled garden, that considers the architecture, the urban setting, and the landscape within the context of climate change and site constraints. This research will consist of a combination of digital storytelling and visual inspection as well as the use of a Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) to determine levels of sensitivity to change, maintenance requirements, and risk assessments. Moreover, the ramifications of climate change will be explored in greater detail focusing on effects to the aesthetics, structure, and user comfort of the building. Lastly, the context of the site will be used to determine the building's and site's ability to evolve over time to improve its resiliency to climate change.


title: Fred Herzog and Jeff Wall: Exploring Topography in Vancouver Through Photo-Based Art

abstract: Vancouver-based photographer Fred Herzog (1930-2019) and artist Jeff Wall (b. 1946) both represent their city's topography. Herzog's colourful images of Vancouver produced between the 1950s and 1970s reveal his interest in portraying locality as a key framework to explore the city's topography. Wall often presents Vancouver as a backdrop for his staged, tableaux images that explore European art history and cinematography. One of Wall's earliest works, Landscape Manual (1969-1970), reveals his interest in picturing Vancouver's suburban topography to explore conceptual art-making processes. This thesis argues that both Herzog and Wall offer distinctive interpretations of how to picture topography. This research draws from academic theorizations about place-making and photography. In addition, I have employed analyses about the materiality of photographic images, as well as the flâneur figure, to investigate how both Herzog and Wall prioritize processes involved in critically observing topography and creating photo-based art.


title: Meaning (A)Drift: The Movement in the Holiday Inn Beirut's Socio-Political Narrative

abstract: This thesis explores the movement in the Holiday Inn Beirut's socio-political narrative and traces the hotel's transformation from a modernist icon, to a war apparatus, to an unintentional monument. The Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) has had a lasting impact on the city and its urban relics. Among these relics is the Holiday Inn Beirut. Commissioned by developer Abdal Mohsin Kattan, the Holiday Inn Beirut was designed by French architect André Wogenscky, an associate of Le Corbusier's Rue de Sèvres studio, and his Lebanese associate Maurice Hindie. This multi-method research project explores the hotel's socio-political narrative. It results in the production and curation of an exhibition of dioramas, video and postcard installation of the hotel's spaces. Through this exhibition, viewers are invited to physically enter and explore the Holiday Inn Beirut as a lived and experienced space. It is an exercise in learning how to construct meaning into space.


title: Cultures of Repair: Understanding Value Through Storytelling in the Sailing Community

abstract: As a society in climate crisis, we need to address issues of disposal. We need to make change at an ideological level to adopt cultures of care, repair, and stewardship to lengthen material life cycles and combat economies of waste. I repaired an abandoned fifty-year-old Catalina 27 named Decision as an investigation of cultures of care in the sailing community. Parallel to this practical study of boat repair, is the conceptual lens of maritime storytelling. Here, storytelling is used to connect the qualitative narrative to ideas related to material life cycles. The work uses anthropomorphism to broaden understandings of value and material life cycles. Four autobiographical vignettes of Decision are interwoven with narratives of materials and components each with their own experiences, life, and death. Through a process of care in writing, listening, research, and narrative building, the stories add value and give agency to the materials giving them a voice.


title: Re: Flin Flon Mine: Reaccessing a Site of Extraction

abstract: This thesis offers a design intervention for a copper-zinc mine in Flin Flon, Manitoba, considering a response to a landscape that is the marker of more than a century of resource extraction. Through interdisciplinary design-research tied to the context of the Anthropocene, the work explores the state of three mines in various stages of remediation, including their vast network of tailings ponds, open pits, underground shafts, and industrial structures. The research is based on site immersion, local outreach, historical document analysis, mapping and modelmaking. Theoretically, it draws from work across science and art disciplines, including relative to geology and works of land art that respond to industrial sites. Zooming in to the specific site of the Flin Flon Mine, it presents a remediation response connecting the site with two others, done through material gestures that emphasize access, a reintroduction of landscape icons, and passive soil treatment.


title: Evaluating XR Techniques in Air Travel Design for the Early Stages  of the Technology Readiness Level.

abstract: Extended Reality (XR) is an emerging technology and potential tool to create early design concept sketches for remote collaborative design, review and evaluation. In the field of air travel design, researchers, designers and engineers have been studying the use of XR (e.g., Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality) to support design workflows and comparing this new technique to traditional industrial design methods. This research explores how designers can implement XR techniques in developing early concepts for air cabin design within the Technology Readiness Level framework. The research consists of 2 phases: (1) comparing virtual reality sketching to traditional sketching methods from the researcher's first-hand experience; and (2) the distribution of traditional 2D versus 3D VR developed sketches for designers and the public to review the designs and evaluate their experience with these 2 mediums.


title: Impact of Wastewater Temperature & Influent Flow as the Indicators of Climate Change on Wastewater Treatment Systems

abstract: Wastewater treatment systems are essential for the safety of people and the wellness of the environment. Climate change has caused significant changes in precipitation patterns, surface temperatures, snowmelt and run-off events that also change wastewater characteristics. These changes can affect the physical, chemical, and biological processes in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and wastewater treatment performance. This study focused on the impact of variation in wastewater temperature and influent flow on selected biological carbon and nutrient removal systems including conventional activated sludge (AS), Ludzack-Ettinger, modified Ludzack Ettinger (MLE), Phoredox, anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic (A2O), and Modified Bardenpho using a WWTP modelling software. For each treatment process, a wide range of wastewater temperatures and SRT values were assessed and removal efficiencies of total COD, cBOD, total suspended solids (TSS), total ammonia and, total phosphorous were evaluated. The results of this study deliver critical parameters to optimize the WWTPs under the impact of climate change.


title: Disrupting and Maintaining Prohibition: Institutional and Grassroots Harm Reduction Practices in Ottawa

abstract: Harm reduction is often proposed to be a unique response from prohibition. Where prohibition restricts and punishes most activities related to drugs, the term "harm reduction" is used to denote a number of provisions (e.g. equipment for using, a place to use). In this dissertation I trouble this distinction. I argue that the relationship between harm reduction and prohibition is more dynamic. Rather than operating in separate silos, harm reduction is actively constructed by, while also shaping and influencing, prohibition. For this research I conducted participant observations at two harm reduction services in Ottawa, Canada. The first service is operated by a community health centre, and the second is provided by a grassroots community organization. Engaging in the provision of harm reduction at these two sites demonstrated that practices of harm reduction and prohibition shape and influence each other. In particular I found that harm reduction and prohibition are connected through their legality, including the formal and quotidian ways that our actions are guided by and produced as legal. I use a multi-pronged critical legal studies framework to draw out these various ways that law is produced and experienced. In specific I demonstrate that the relationship between harm reduction and prohibition is a product of: grassroots efforts to disrupt prohibition and legal and political efforts to maintain it; spatial and temporal relations; and exclusionary strategies of control. Examining the relationship between harm reduction and prohibition provides insight into the potential for and barriers to efforts that could address the harms people who use drugs experience on a day-to-day basis, including the threat of criminalization and fatal overdose.


title: Part of the Solution: Exploring Armed Non-State Actor Commitment to and Compliance with an Anti-Personnel Landmine Ban

abstract: Existing international legal arms control regimes exclude the participation of armed non-state actors, creating a situation where they cannot independently commit to those regimes, experience no sense of legitimate obligation where they do formally apply, face no credible group-level enforcement mechanism, and are not rewarded for compliance. Yet in some cases armed non-state actors do willingly make unilateral arms control commitments. One example is the 54 armed non-state actors who have, in parallel to the Ottawa Treaty regime, renounced anti-personnel landmines through a formal and monitored mechanism created by the international non-governmental organization Geneva Call. Why have some armed non-state actors committed themselves to and complied with this total anti-personnel landmine ban that generally exceeds their preexisting legal obligations? This study explains why and under what conditions armed non-state actors make this commitment. Employing a mixed research methods approach that utilizes statistical analysis of all armed non-state actors engaged by Geneva Call prior to February 2019 on the issue of anti-personnel landmines and four critical case studies, the research demonstrates how armed non-state actors have instrumentalized their commitment to the Geneva Call mechanism as a conciliatory signal to credibly convey their good faith intent toward and interest in a negotiated settlement. The findings expand and enrich previous research on armed non-state actors and highlight how bilateral peace negotiations may contribute to humanitarian commitments that mitigate violent impact on civilians even if a final peace agreement is not readily accomplished. Further, it identifies a window of opportunity for securing this commitment to anti-personnel landmine renunciation and recommends investment in the capacity needed to capitalize on these moments.


title: Sparse Signal Recovery with Subbotin Noise

abstract: In this thesis, we expand upon the work of Cui [4] and earlier authors by studying the problem of variable selection in a high-dimensional setting. Specifically, we consider a single vector X from a sequence model with noise components originating from a generalized normal distribution and determine the regions of exact and almost full selection with respect to a Hamming loss function. We make the routine assumption that the model studied is sparse. That is, the informative number of components is tiny in the model relative to the dimension d. An adaptive procedure is also proposed for estimating the signal components of X when the level of sparsity is unknown. A synthetic simulation and empirical study is then presented to showcase the aforementioned results. Lastly, we conclude the thesis by proposing areas of future work.


title: Literapolis: The Post-Internet Textual City

abstract: 'Literapolis' reconceives the post-Internet city towards advocating the textual production of its citizens. It reacts to the precarious agency, accessibility, and heterogeneity caused by disenfranchising screen environments. In response, the thesis frames the city as a 'born-digital living literary,' whose spaces of writing and reading, though obfuscated, remain tied to place. The thesis unrolls over five scrolls. The first examines primary terms. The second organises five nested spatio-textual scales - code, page, codex, archive, and city - and relates interdisciplinary research to propose the scales' structural re-definition. The third develops a methodology of vectors, points, and fields to apply the scales to an epicentral post-Internet case study: San Francisco. The fourth posits Literapolis citizen narrative virtualities to re-enfranchise a vital living literary. The fifth reflects on the Literapolis as a language and ethic for reading the city, specifies how research might expand beyond Silicon Valley, and enacts a spatio-text.


title: The Multimodal Affordances of Commercial-off-the-Shelf Video Games That Support Vocabulary Learning

abstract: Engagement with video games by second-language (L2) users has been shown to be a substantial source of English-language exposure linked to increased L2 vocabulary proficiency (Lindgren & Munoz, 2013). Word learning through gaming has been attributed to the affordances of video games (Kuppins, 2010), although few studies have investigated how digital games present vocabulary learning opportunities. This research expands on the work carried out by Rodgers (2018), which applied the principles of multimedia learning (Mayer, 2021) to television, by applying a multimodal analysis to 10 commercial games to examine how spoken dialogue is supported through visual, textual, and procedural modes. This was done by conducting a corpus analysis of gameplay recordings to classify the multimodal affordances for vocabulary. Results indicate that the imagery in digital games occurs similarly to narrative television and is further benefitted by additional modalities, demonstrating that video gaming could be a suitable medium for extramural learning


title: Control of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with Wing Shape Identification using Vision System and Sensor Fusion

abstract: This thesis presents a Deflection-Detection-Vision-System (DDVS) for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) fixed-wing for control and navigation. This technique allows measurement of the fixed-wing shape, deflection, and identification of the aerodynamic coefficient acting on the system, using information from the stereo camera and strain gauge. The model UAV is equipped with a stereo camera fixed at the top rear end of the device and strain gauges placed in eight different points marked on the wing. Both sensors measure the deflection in chosen locations simultaneously. The DDVS performance and dynamic parameters are tested in a wind tunnel at speeds ranging from 10 km/h to 35 km/h, angles of attack (AOA), and roll angles ranging from 0 degrees to 30 degrees, respectively. An image acquisition, feature extraction, matching process, 3D reconstruction, and stereo camera calibration are presented in this thesis as a part of the proposed identification procedure. This approach measures the wing deflection at each selected point and identifies the maximum deflection location based on various aerodynamic conditions such as wind speed, AOA, and roll angle. The drag and lift forces were obtained using the wing's surface area, and the experiment shows that less force is required for lifting as the AOA increases. The DDVS was implemented in UAV and tested in the wind tunnel. Extensive experiments were conducted to determine the deflection of the wing in the function of flight parameters like angle of attack, roll angle, and flow velocity. The experimental results have shown that the integration of strain gauge and vision system sensors identify wing deflections accurately. Extensive simulation results were compared with the experimental results and demonstrated that the proposed method-based sensor fusion could be used even in the most demanding environment. The proposed control system is designed to control aircraft's attitude and velocity. A Fuzzy PID controller has been suggested, and the stability of the controller was verified numerically. The control system included a mathematical model of the aircraft that has been based on Cessna 172 aircraft. In simulation experiments, the system's stability and robustness were checked and verified.


title: Orchestrating Diversity: Tan Dun’s Intercultural Composition in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

abstract: This thesis analyzes Tan Dun's score for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000, dir. Ang Lee). First exploring the processes of intercultural exchange in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that brought Chinese music into contact with the music of Europe and America, I also review the music used in selected Chinese martial arts and drama films that predate Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The transnational nature of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's production team is outlined, along with a discussion of the portrayal of gender roles in the film. A biographical profile of Tan Dun and his music sets the context for analyzing how his music is used in the film, including his orchestrations, leitmotifs, motivic gestures, diegetic music, and a close reading of the music featured in selected fight scenes and love scenes from the film.


title: Waterfront Property Owner Perceptions and  Perspectives on Riparian Zone Aesthetics and Shoreline Management Interventions: Insights for Outreach and Behaviour Change

abstract: With freshwater biodiversity declining globally, attention is being focused on how human values influence stewardship and restoration efforts. The goal of this thesis is to identify waterfront property owners' relational values and study how relational values influence property stewardship behaviours. First, I characterized the relational values of waterfront property owners who participated in Love your Lake's shoreline assessment program. Findings reveal differences in relational values of waterfront property owners, and how many waterfront property owners value personal enjoyment elements that consider shoreline health. Next, I evaluated if the relational values of waterfront property owners align with their stewardship behaviours. I determined that the majority of waterfront property owners' shoreline conditions do align with their reported relational values. Findings identify gaps in outreach initiatives aimed at understanding the role that values and behaviours play in shoreline degradation and environmental stewardship.


title: Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring Based User-Centric Demand Response for Smart Home Energy Management

abstract: Demand Side Management (DSM) proposes a novel paradigm that generates energy savings on the demand side and views energy usage optimization as an alternative supply source. DR is a type of DSM that refers to market participation behavior in which consumers take the initiative to change their initial energy consumption habits in response to market pricing signals/incentives. However, most research works show that the consumers' satisfaction has not been focused on by researchers. In this thesis, the NILM based User-Centric DSR is proposed. The suggested NILM technique based on edge detection is utilized for the automatic determination of physical characteristics of power-intensive home appliances from users' life patterns. Then, ENN is applied in this study to predict the next day switching events status as well as total power consumption for the next day. Moreover, Q- learning is used to minimize the energy consumption cost while considering users' comfort satisfaction.


title: Meditations on Montréal Stone

abstract: This thesis is a meditation on the potential of stone. Meditating means looking beyond the so-called practical use of stone to explore its ephemeral, cultural and other properties. Exploring the history and possibility of Montréal stone and its potential to act as an architectural and programmatic agent beyond conventional contemporary properties of the material. The Phi Contemporary and the island of Tiohti:áke itself are used to test this project and focus on a local understanding. Through site analysis and research at a geological scale, we open up to more significant landscapes and larger frames of time, a way of seeing beyond the parameters of an architectural brief. The thesis brings forward three ways of looking at stone: first, by analyzing what is forgotten; second, by accumulating and processing lithic data; and finally, by proposing experiential methods to engage with the material.


title: Assessment of Viral Vaccine N-Glycosylation via Orthogonal Capillary Electrophoresis-Based Methods

abstract: Despite global vaccination programs, seasonal influenza continues to pose a significant economic burden and strain on healthcare systems worldwide. Annual reformulation of influenza vaccines is required due to the high mutation rates of surface glycoproteins on influenza viruses. Although vaccination is the most effective preventative measure against influenza viruses, reduced vaccine efficacy in recent years has become an increasing concern. Egg-adaptations incurred through the manufacturing process of influenza vaccines result in antigenic mismatches, whereby vaccine strains differ from the wild-type circulating viruses. In 2017, low vaccine efficacy was attributed to altered glycosylation characteristics of the H3N2 vaccine strain whereby an egg-adaptation resulted in the deletion of a single N-glycosylation site. However, even with these implications on immunogenicity, influenza glycosylation is not a well-implemented critical quality attribute and therefore not optimally controlled or regulated during vaccine manufacturing due to assay limitations.


title: Meshiagare:  Experiential Architecture Through a Japanese Culinary Gaze

abstract: Similar to "bon appétit", the Japanese phrase, "Meshiagare" is used by the chef or host to signal the start of the meal. As architectural explorations are prepared and served, please enjoy! Meshiagare! This thesis is structured around a traditional Japanese multi-course menu from Narisawa, a two Michelin star restaurant known for its innovative approach to traditional and regional cuisine. Narisawa's philosophy is informed by satoyama, or the harmony between landscape and humanity. Each of Narisawa's dishes heightens attention on the provenance of ingredients and on the essence of place through culinary experience. The thesis develops a working method for establishing connections between cultivation, preparation, consumption across cooking and architecture, resulting in the development of an architectural methodology informed by model studies and the design of small-scale, intensively sited architectural interventions in Japan. The work suggests that is possible to design architectural space authentically, even from afar, through a culinary gaze.


title: Conceptualizing Consciousness: What Must We Explain?

abstract: Explaining consciousness seems like an incredibly daunting task. I suspect the reason for this is because of what our explanatory theories of consciousness are expected to involve and what they are expected to look like. With the hope of deflating what is apparently required from an explanation of consciousness, I show that (i) we can shed peripheral and unproductive explanatory tasks from the enterprise of explaining consciousness, and (ii) demonstrate a means of developing much simpler explanatory theories of the phenomenon. In completing the first, I argue that our explanatory theories need not serve as interpretive tools to understand what experiences are like, and that we need not expand our scientific inquiry in search of "extra ingredients". As for the second, I motivate a semantic view of theories, wherein our explanations of consciousness may be agnostic about potential answers to other persisting philosophical problems such as the mind-body problem.


title: Multi-Domain Text Classification with Adversarial Training

abstract: Text classification is one of the fundamental tasks in natural language processing (NLP), which has been studied for decades and various approaches have been proposed. Unfortunately, text classification is a highly domain-dependent task, a subtle shift between training and testing data distributions can cause catastrophic performance deterioration. Moreover, the availability of massive labeled data varies among different domains in real-world applications. Therefore, it is of great importance to investigate how to improve the classification accuracy of the target domain by leveraging resources from related domains. Multi-domain text classification (MDTC) is proposed to address the above problem. Nowadays, the mainstream MDTC approaches resort to transfer learning techniques to reduce domain divergence across different domains. In particular, these methods adopt adversarial training and shared-private paradigm to implement domain alignment, yielding state-of-the-art performance. Adversarial learning can reduce domain divergence through a minimax optimization to produce domain-invariant features. The domain-invariant features are supposed to be both transferable and discriminative, while shared-private employs domain-specific features to boost the discriminability of the domain-invariant features. In this thesis, we make several contributions to advance MDTC: First, we propose a dual adversarial co-learning method that utilizes two forms of adversarial training to refine domain-variant features. Second, we apply mixup to conduct the category and domain regularizations to enrich the intrinsic features in the shared latent space and enforce the consistent predictions in-between training samples such that the learned features can be more transferable and discriminative. Third, we analyze the limitation of the adversarial alignment on marginal distributions and propose a novel conditional adversarial network that aligns joint distributions of domain-invariant features and label predictions. Fourth, we propose a co-regularized adversarial learning framework that constructs two diverse adversarial training streams and aligns multiple conditional distributions by penalizing the disagreements of outputs of these two streams. We also incorporate entropy minimization and virtual adversarial training to avoid the violation of the cluster assumption. Finally, we incorporate the margin discrepancy to measure the domain divergence for MDTC and fill the gap between MDTC algorithms and theories by deriving a new generalization bound based on the margin discrepancy.


title: The Biodiversity of Microfungi Isolated from the Bark of the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

abstract: The Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum) is a keystone species in Eastern North America. Despite this, taxonomic surveys enumerating the fungal populations of the bark of this tree species are lacking. Using traditional (direct observation and moist chambers) and high-throughput (particle filtration with dilution to extinction) culturing methods, this study examines the microfungi observed and isolated from A. saccharum bark and compares the efficiency of the different isolation methods employed. Bark collected from five different dead trees, from three distinct forests provide an insight on the feasibility of the high-throughput method in isolating microfungi from this substrate, an approach never previously experimented from A. saccharum bark. Commonly isolated taxa are discussed and compared to prior studies. Three novel species, which were commonly isolated, are described and compared to closely related taxa based on morphological and concatenated multi-gene phylogenetic analyses. Caveats and recommendations for future studies are discussed


title: Identifying, navigating, resisting, and eliminating structural stigma and the collateral consequences of punishment: The role of the penal voluntary sector in supporting people with criminal records in Canada

abstract: This dissertation examines how actors within Canada's penal voluntary sector identify, navigate, resist, and strive to eliminate structural stigma and collateral consequences of punishment. Using an approach to qualitative research informed by institutional ethnography, anti-oppressive practice, and public criminology, my research explores how practitioners attempt to support people with criminal records despite many exclusionary policies and practices - including those enforced by the penal voluntary sector itself - that create obstacles to various social domains (e.g., employment and housing). This research is motivated by my experience working in the penal voluntary sector during a period (2006-2015) in which many punitive policies, including changes to Canada's Criminal Records Act, were brought into effect by a federal Conservative government and maintained by a subsequent Liberal government. To understand the penal voluntary sector's role in supporting people with criminal records in the community, I conducted twenty-two interviews with various sector actors. I also attended several conferences, meetings, and events alongside practitioners to stay connected to the sector and ensure an ongoing understanding of the important issues to people with criminal records and those who support them. Additionally, I incorporated analysis of texts (e.g., policies, forms/assessments, public consultation reports, parliamentary committee studies) to frame the political, institutional, and social relations that shape the day-to-day experiences of practitioners and the people they support in the community. Finally, I engaged public criminology as part of my research methodology and included reflections on my advocacy work throughout the dissertation. While critical sociologists and criminologists mostly describe the penal voluntary sector as a net-widening mechanism, I maintain that understanding the day-to-day work within the sector is crucial to identifying, navigating, resisting, and eventually eliminating structural stigma and collateral consequences of punishment. Additionally, I contend that spaces where practitioners meet (e.g., conferences) are key sites for developing communities of care through which academics, practitioners, advocates, and people with criminal records can work towards a just transition from penal and other related systems (e.g., homelessness). Finally, I reflect on academia's role in resisting and eliminating carceral power and structural stigma and on the lessons learned from my efforts at doing so.


title: The Second Promised Land: Exploring the Secondary Migration of Soviet Jews from Israel to Canada

abstract: Between 1989 and 2009, over a million Jews left the former Soviet Union and arrived in Israel. One in six later chose to leave Israel, with many arriving in Canada. This strong pattern of onward migration occurred despite Soviet Jews being well-integrated by standard measures. The pattern is only partially explained by existing theory and push factors in Israel, including security concerns or economic and socio-cultural factors. It is better explained through the addition of key characteristics of Soviet Jews as multipliers on push-pull factors, including low ties to Israel, high economic human capital, and human capital from previous migration experience. Examining the responses of Soviet Jews who engaged in onward migration to Canada contributes to the current understanding of the Jewish identity, and to existing theory on migration, characterizing it not as a unidirectional process with a concrete terminus but as a lifelong, ongoing process with multiple possible outcomes.


title: Unsupervised Text Mining Techniques for Forecasting Crude Oil

abstract: While it has been shown that news articles can influence the rationality of investors' decisions, the effect that news may have on commodity prices such as crude oil is uncertain. I explored Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques to extract textual features from news articles and then constructed a "horse-race" among economic and tree-based machine learning methods to forecast weekly crude oil prices. I obtained two types of textual features, latent topics and sentiment probabilities, using two state-of-the-art NLP models: Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) and a pre-trained version of Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) on a financial corpus. This paper introduced a novel forecasting strategy to calculate the out-of-sample (OoS) performance metrics of competing models. The evidence I found shows that textual features can improve forecasts of oil prices, however, textual features from news on their own are not sufficient for high forecasting accuracy.


title: Effects of shallow cover depth, corrosion and soil erosion on the mechanical performance of corrugated steel culverts

abstract: Corrugated steel culverts (CSC) are key components of infrastructures to support water management and foundation integrity. Some installed culverts in North America are buried in shallow cover depths based on the engineering practices and they are exposed to environmental deteriorations in their service life. The primary goal of this research is to investigate the performance of corrugated steel culverts (CSC) buried subject to surface loads at shallow cover depths. The secondary goal of this research is to study environmental deterioration effects on the internal responses of CSC. Analytical models, finite element analysis (FEA) and numerical sensitivity studies are conducted to investigate the load transfer mechanisms and the development of internal CSC forces. The numerical results indicate that the complex geometry of the corrugated culvert subjects the crest and trough of corrugated profile to compression and tension due to the internal bending moment and thrust. These results indicate that the average strain response cannot account for the local peak strain response and this behavior necessitates corrections be applied to thrust calculations for buried culverts in shallow cover depth. The results achieved by sensitivity analysis indicates that the intact culvert/soil structure is an additive model and the thrust modification factor proposed for intact corrugated culverts buried in shallow cover depths. The impact of wall section loss due to corrosion is investigated and sensitivity analysis are used to identify variables that have a high impact and probability analysis conducted to predict the safety index and probability of failure of the corroded culvert buried in a shallow cover depth during the service life. The presence of soil voids, typically caused by erosion, is investigated by considering void size and position relative to the culvert. The study of void angle and void depth indicates that the loss of surface contact and support between the culvert and surrounding soil in the upper half of the culvert/soil structure is the key contributing factor to load transfer and deformation mechanisms.


title: Human Respiratory Sound Classification for Remote Health Monitoring Applications

abstract: Sensor integration as a means of remote health monitoring is a growing area of research, especially among the older adult population as a means of supporting living independently. Chronic respiratory conditions require careful monitoring and evaluation in order to ensure health. In this work, the application of audio-based methods to monitor respiratory sounds (e.g., cough) is presented as a means to identify abrupt changes in health status. Three main classification tasks (C1 wet cough vs. dry cough vs. whooping cough vs. restricted breathing, C2 wet cough vs. dry cough, and C3 cough vs. restricted breathing) are evaluated using three main approaches (classical machine learning and transfer learning based on standard image classifiers and audio classifiers). For the image-based transfer learning approach, several audio visualization methods were considered including an aggregate-image method that combined the top three performing visualization methods. Overall, the aggregate-based image classifier had the best performance for C1, C2, and C3 with weighted F1-scores of 0.87, 0.87, and 0.86 respectively. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, a novel COVID-19 spontaneous (reflex) cough database (NoCoCoDa) was also collected from public media interviews. Finally, performance factors associated with external sources that may affect sound recordings are also investigated. The respiratory monitoring methods described in this thesis are designed to be expanded on in future work eventually leading to a respiratory sound measurement system imbedded in a smart home environment aimed to support older adults age independently.


title: Towing the Line: Unraveling & Reconstructing Identity Along the Zambezi River

abstract: Towing the Line reflects on systems of connection and disconnection in postcolonial southern Africa along the Zambezi River. With Namwali Serpell's novel, The Old Drift, as a catalyst, this project questions how we form and reform identities—individual, collective, shared, and national— and examines how they manifest spatially and shape our relationship with place and space through a world-building exercise. African identities are in a constant tug of war, a struggle to reclaim narratives and the right to self-determination. Externally imposed identities have historically determined the position of Africans in the world and were formed by tearing and stitching together peoples, territories, and boundaries. These ruptures and sutures cannot be reversed but must always be reckoned with. My research interrogates colonial boundaries and edges to propose alternative ways of connecting and building relationships on the continent.


title: Optimal Detection in the Presence of Non-Gaussian Jamming

abstract: The open nature of the wireless channel makes it vulnerable to many security attacks like jamming and eavesdropping. Jamming threatens the existence of wireless services and can lead to denial of service. Barrage jamming where the jammer emits white Gaussian noise that occupies the entire transmission bandwidth is known to be the most harmful when the jammer has no knowledge about the target system or when it targets many different systems. The majority of literature models the barrage jamming signal at the receiver as additive Gaussian noise. The accuracy of this model in mobile communication scenarios is questionable. The complex Gaussian signal transmitted over the unknown complex Gaussian channel induces a non-Gaussian signal at the receiver. Knowing the distribution of the received jamming signal is fundamental to develop detectors and to compute the probability of detection error. This thesis considers scenarios where a single-antenna transmitter sends complex symbols drawn from one-dimensional or multi-dimensional constellation to a receiver equipped with a single, double, or multiple antennas in the presence of a single antenna barrage jammer. The exact likelihood expressions of the received signal and the likelihood expressions based on the Gaussian approximation of the signal induced by the jammer's transmissions are derived for scenarios in which the receiver has full channel state information (CSI), full channel distribution information (CDI), or partial CDI about the transmitter channel. The jammer CDI is assumed to be either partially or fully available at the receiver. Using the derived likelihood expressions, two maximum likelihood (ML) detectors are developed for each scenario. One detector is based on the exact likelihood expressions and the other is based on the Gaussian approximation expressions. The performance of each detector is investigated and cases in which the two detector are equivalent are identified analytically and experimentally. Furthermore, the effects of the number of receive antennas, and symbol length on the detection performance are investigated.


title: Investigating Potential Negative Age-bias in a Virtual Reality Cognitive Assessment Tool for General Aviation Pilots

abstract: General aviation accounts for 94% of aviation accidents, many of which are associated with cognitive factors, such as poor situation awareness, which are more likely to occur among older pilots. The association of cognition and older age with accidents motivated the development of CANFLY, a virtual reality (VR) cognitive health assessment tool for pilots across the lifespan. While CANFLY addresses test validity and generalization to real-world risk, it is important to also ensure that older pilots do not experience negative bias arising from the test's content or VR format. Older pilots should not disproportionately experience cybersickness or other VR effects, which could negatively affect test performance. In the present study, data from an online study was used to investigate the interest and sentiments of pilots towards a VR-based cognitive assessment. A second study involved pilots flying within a full-scale simulator and the second in a VR flight simulator (CANFLY prototype).


title: Gas- and Particulate-Phase Emissions from Lab-Scale Flares Experiencing Liquid Carryover

abstract: At upstream oil and gas production sites, separators frequently allow saline produced water aerosols to be entrained into flares, a phenomenon known as liquid carryover. This study assesses the impacts on gas- and solid-phase emissions from adding saline solutions to a lab-scale flare. Atomized aqueous solutions containing NaCl, KCl, or NaOH were added to a vertical turbulent diffusion flame burning a hydrocarbon gas mixture representative of flares in Alberta, Canada. The combustion products were analyzed to quantify emission rates of major pollutants and optical properties of the particulate. Over the range of test conditions yields of gas-phase pollutants increased by as much as fortyfold with added NaCl, while black carbon emissions increased by up to three times. Emitted particulate had a greater absorption capacity contributing to an increase in expected radiative forcing effects in the climate. Empirical guidelines for liquid separation requirements to avoid severe increases in emissions were developed.


title: Biotransformation, Physico-Chemical Properties and Environmental Fate of Bisphenol A Bis(Diphenyl Phosphate): In Slico, In Vitro and Non-Target Metabolites using a Wister-Han Rat Liver Microsomal Model

abstract: Organophosphate ester (OPE) flame retardants and plasticizers have replaced several legacy, banned brominated flame retardants. Bisphenol A bis(diphenyl phosphate) (BPADP) exemplifies a growing industry trend towards production of complex, high molecular weight, 'novel' OPEs. An assay method was optimized for quantification of BPADP biotransformation to target metabolites bisphenol-A (BPA) and diphenyl phosphate (DPHP) in an in vitro Wistar-Han rat liver microsomal assay. In silico modelling via OECD Toolbox v4.4.1 and Non-Target Analysis (NTA) via Q-E-Orbitrap HRMS/MS were applied to predict physico-chemical properties and identify additional non-targeted metabolites of BPADP. DPHP and BPA were predicted in silico and confirmed in vitro, with BPADP demonstrating slow in vitro microsomal metabolism. Additional Phase I oxidation metabolites & one Phase II GSH adduct were identified via NTA. These findings add to the understanding of BPADP stability and biotransformation, factors highly applicable to hazard assessment of the compound as an alternative to legacy flame retardants.


title: Disaggregate Probabilistic Models to Predict Trip Generation Propensities and Mode Choice Behaviour

abstract: Travel behaviour models serve as important tools to understand what factors affect trip generation and preferred mode of travel in different contexts. These models can be used to quantify the impacts and assess the consequences of development plans and policy actions. Growing populations and the increase in travel demand warrant investigation into determinants of travel behaviour that can guide policy changes and infrastructure investments. This thesis uses two cross-sectional datasets containing various socio-demographic and land-use attributes from 2015 and 2019. Trip-generation propensities for transit and automobile modes are predicted using a bivariate ordered probit approach which enables the determining of factors affecting the trip-generation propensity of each mode while establishing the correlation between their propensities. Further, a multinomial logit model is estimated to investigate the determinants of mode choice for home-based discretionary trips.


title: Illuminating Disconnections in Old Dubai

abstract: The thesis explores the intersection of four significant sites along the Dubai Creek in the United Arab Emirates: a historical district (Al Fahidi), a local cemetery, a new commercial development (Al Seef), and an existing ferry port servicing a dynamic market across the creek. Through an investigation of each site this thesis addresses issues of identity, social status, and marginalization presented by each of the sites' users and programs. An overall site strategy, and a series of interventions within the site, highlighting minority groups, concepts of labour, and trade histories aim to narrate Dubai's history. Careful selection of materiality and control of light and shadow choreograph and stitch the users' movement from the different districts to create a unified journey across the site. Fundamentally this thesis asks: Can light, shadow, materiality and environmental conditions help conceal or disguise, if only momentarily, one's class condition and identity in space?


title: Return of the Nomads: Addressing Digital Fiction through Transitory Architecture

abstract: The world is currently in the biggest mass movement of people, goods, finance, and ideas in history. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, trends of connections, mobility, and alternate forms of remote work were amplified at unprecedented rates. This presents an opportunity for an adjustment in our way of static living and sets the stage for a more nomadic lifestyle. In a world with a working acceptance of nomadism, architecture could be formed to follow the fictions it ventures and adapt towards a contemporary way of living. Great flows of changes create ways for a new norm. This thesis explores concepts of transitory architecture that could progress current and future advancements for a revolutionized nomadic norm in what has been a rooted world. The research unlocks the potential of nomadic architecture, while underscoring the importance of physical connectivity and a sense of distinct belonging within permanent and temporal environment.


title: Sites of Nurture: A Collaborative Community for Post-Secondary Students

abstract: Through the design of a satellite university campus, this thesis explores the potential of architecture to address the physical and cultural displacement felt by many international students and, more broadly, the loss of grounding that post-secondary students experience as they transition from academia and into society. The campus, which is part of the Education City initiative in Kanata, Ontario, also engages a larger set of questions pertaining to the so-called "third culture".


title: Examining Post Sentence Parole Effectiveness in a Matched Sample

abstract: Parole offers a fiscally responsible mechanism to improve public safety by facilitating the re-entry of Justice-Involved Persons (JIPs) into the community following a period of incarceration. This study sought to establish the effectiveness of parole in reducing post sentence charges in a sample of former parolees (n = 86) as compared with those released at end of sentence (EOS; n = 86) in a matched sample in Iowa. Quality of parole decisions and community supervision were considered and deemed reasonably met. JIPs in each group were matched on risk, sentence type and crime type using Coarsened Exact Matching. Cox proportional hazards survival analyses revealed a non-significant marginal effect of parole on post sentence charge, with former parolees 24% less likely to incur a charge on a given day than JIPs released at EOS (HR = .76, RSE=.24, p = .24). Follow-up analyses revealed an interaction between parole group and sentence type, wherein parolees who had served a sentence for felony offence had better post sentence survival than those who had served a sentence for a misdemeanor. The opposite trend was observed for the EOS group. Further, interactions were observed between group and problem-solving needs and prosocial identities; offering insight into how parole functions. Limitations of the study design and future directions for parole research are discussed, including methods to better account for the need for quality parole decision making and community supervision in parole effectiveness research.


title: A Discourse-Historical Analysis of the 2014 Vote ‘Against Mass Immigration’ in Switzerland

abstract: This study investigates the 2014 vote 'against mass immigration'(Masseneinwanderungsinitiative) in Switzerland by employing a discourse-historical approach to critical discourse analysis. The Foucauldian theoretical framework of governmentality is used to reveal how power and knowledge production on immigration in Switzerland has been dominated by elite actors in politics and the media. In the context of direct democracy and immigration governmentality in Switzerland, it highlights how the national-conservative Swiss People's Party (SVP) has used the popular initiative as an instrument to exert their power, and push forward their anti- Europeanization and anti-immigration agenda. Data is drawn from the SVP campaign and fourteen articles from four major Swiss newspapers. By identifying the discursive strategies and arguments of legitimation surrounding the vote, the analysis reveals how the existent fears of 'over-foreignization' are (re)produced in the polarizing discourses of the SVP and popular media.


title: "Our Experiences are Different...Our Risks are Different": Racialized Women's Online Activism to End Violence Against Women in Canada

abstract: Existing research on online activism to end violence against women tends to homogenize the experiences of women. To help address this issue, this dissertation poses the following questions: why and how do racialized women in Canada participate in anti- violence online activism, specifically around violence against women? Grounded in an intersectional framework, this dissertation draws from semi-structured interviews and uses a social constructivist grounded theory approach to examine the experiences of nine racialized online activist women in Canada. In line with the intersectional framework guiding this research, and in an effort to further both research and discussion as it pertains to the diversity of women involved in such activities, all analyses will also attempt to account for other identities expressed by participants. Broadly, the collective experiences of these participants involves a focus on creating a variety of digital media technologies (e.g., personal websites, social media pages and profiles, and podcasts) to draw attention to the intersectional nature of violence against women. The counternarratives that they create and distribute challenge prevailing narratives that tend to ignore the intersectional nature of violence against women, specifically pointing to omissions in: mainstream news media; the non-profit sector involved in preventing and ending violence against women; and settler colonial policies, frameworks, and regulations. The racialized women interviewed for this dissertation expressed a struggle to increase their visibility and widen their networks for support and mobilization online. As noted by participants, this struggle often arises from a range of social media platform biases and experiences of technology-facilitated violence, factors that are often ignored in research and discussion pertaining to such online activist efforts. By focusing on the intersectional identities expressed by participants and their experiences with struggles unique to online activist work, this study contributes a deeper and more nuanced account to the limited research on racialized women in Canada and their efforts to end violence against women.


title: Towards Substantive Action: Naming and Overcoming Institutional Barriers to Confronting Anti-Black Racism in Public Education

abstract: In this thesis I argue that the issue is not about a few bad teachers or a couple of weakly conceptualized education policies, but rather there is a stark impetus for critical analysis into the institutional context in which policies aimed at confronting anti-Black racism are expected to succeed and for the development of anti-racist policy recommendations that consider this institutional landscape. I explore three research questions: 1) What are the institutional barriers to confronting anti-Black racism within the public education system; 2) How do the institutional barriers to confronting anti-Black racism in public education get reproduced over time; and 3) How can the institutional barriers to confronting anti-Black racism in the public education system be overcome? Using qualitative methods, I conduct 5 semi-structured interviews with actors from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB). Black students matter and we also deserve the institutional conditions to exact our full academic potential.


title: I Went for a Walk: Observations, Reflections, and Imaginings upon Montreal's Everyday Thresholds

abstract: I went for a walk. Borrowing from the methods of The Situationist Movement and setting out to explore "the in-betweenness" of the city of Montréal, I set out on a series of personal "drifts." These spaces I was looking for are most commonly defined in architectural practice as threshold space. A threshold is a space of anticipation existing at the convergence between different spatial conditions. It possesses such depth that it may elicit a profound stimulation of the senses in a human body. A threshold in the city may be perceived as impressive or innocuous according to the subjective and personal relationship with the inhabitants. Monumental thresholds tend to be remembered for their uniqueness, while everyday thresholds are forgotten for their repetitive nature. Therefore, this thesis attempts to explore the everyday thresholds we use to shape our daily lives. Eventually, this thesis becomes a space to imagine new threshold conditions based on observations and reflections from the drifts.


title: New Age[ing]: Small-Scale, Collective, Grassroots Models of Housing for Older Adults

abstract: The elder care system in Ontario is largely failing older adults. Older adults want to age at home, yet public home care systems are underfunded and limited in scope and only 2% of users can meet their care needs without informal caregiving. Subsequently, many older adults spend their last years in collective care, a model which in Ontario is characterized by large-scale facilities, where autonomy and individuality is constrained. Despite findings that 96% of seniors will do "everything they can'' to avoid institutional care, this model receives 87% of government funding. Within this context, new, ground-up models of elder care are needed. This thesis explores a small-scale, collective, grassroots model which draws from coliving and cohousing typologies. It centers older adults as decision-makers and uses an approach of collective organization to create a sustainable and holistic model for aging-in-place


title: Assessing the Impact of Gesture Instruction on Hearing Adult University Students Learning American Sign Language as a Foreign Language

abstract: American Sign Language (ASL) is a popular language of study for post-secondary students. For many of these students, the classroom is the only face-to-face contact they have with the language, fluent signers, and the signing community. Current teaching approaches instruct students in the widely accepted signs documented in dictionaries, but in real-world social settings signers also draw on meaningful gestures. Consequently, students may encounter sign language outside of the classroom that is different from the prescribed uses demonstrated and practiced in class. In this qualitative study, classroom research is combined with an exploratory research design and a mixed-methods approach to quantitizing data. Gesture is positioned as a key part of the early learning process for beginner, hearing adult university ASL students. The study was informed by theories of gesture (Kendon, 2004), noticing (Schmidt, 1990, 2001; Swain, 1985, 1993), comprehensible input (Krashen, 1981, 1985), comprehensible output (Swain, 1995; Skehan, 1998) and interaction (Long, 1980; 1996). The study investigated whether direct, explicit instruction on gesture: 1) increased the number of communicative gestures produced by students; and 2) resulted in students who could better articulate the uses, functions, and placements of gesture in ASL. During a 12-week course, two existing ASL classes at the same level and taught by the same teacher were assigned to either an explicit or implicit instruction condition and assessed for comparability in their pre-existing gesture use in ASL. Whereas the explicit instruction group received, at fixed intervals, a sequence of five videos that focused on the uses of gesture in ASL, the implicit instruction group received a sequence of five videos that reviewed course content. Total intervention time was 30 minutes for each group. Findings suggest that students who were given explicit instruction about gesture in ASL have a deeper understanding of the role that gesture plays in sign language and use significantly more gestures in their own signed discourse, potentially enhancing their ability to communicate effectively in ASL. Implications and future directions for research are discussed.


title: Heart Rate Detection using Video Magnification: Impact of Algorithmic Parameters and Noise

abstract: Screening people for illnesses in public spaces using contactless techniques such as Video Magnification (VM) can be beneficial for both the crowd and the operators. One important vital sign to screen for is heart rate because it is indicative of the overall health of humans. In this thesis, first the impact of varying two input parameters (region of interest (ROI) size and window segment length) on VM is explored. Second, the impact of noise from three different sources (quantization, modern camera systems coupled with software enhancements, and light illumination) is explored. Results show that heart rate can be detected from very small ROIs, but that larger ROIs have higher accuracy. Larger window segment lengths are useful in the presence of motion. VM detects signals with amplitudes equal to one quantization level in 8-bit videos. VM is affected by modern camera systems, and it is more accurate with higher light illuminations.


title: Assessment of Zero Carbon Hydrogen/Ammonia Based Energy Systems for Northern and Remote Communities in Canada

abstract: A techno-economic study is conducted to calculate the levelized cost of energy for a renewable energy driven zero-carbon energy system that utilizes hydrogen as the primary energy carrier and ammonia as a hydrogen carrier for seasonal storage. The case study is for the off-grid Northern & Remote Community of Rankin Inlet located in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. The study is novel as it includes all energy sectors: heating, electricity, and transportation, with a comparison of two different configurations - one with hydrogen/ammonia production on-site, and the second with imported ammonia, both driven by wind energy. The lowest levelized cost of energy is obtained where ammonia is imported and where there is a high penetration of wind energy in the microgrid. The results demonstrate that such a zero-carbon energy system is economically feasible and is a viable option for those off-grid Communities that benefit from a high wind energy potential.


title: Marx in the Colonies: The Case of India

abstract: This thesis will address the claim that Marx and Engels held pro-colonialist views, using their writings on India as a case study. It will address both the issue of support for colonialism as a political project, and the issue of whether they had Eurocentric/"Orientalist" ideas of India. I will argue they began as reluctant supporters of British colonialism in India, conceptualizing it as an exploitative but progressive force, but then moved towards anti-colonialism later on. Additionally, I will argue that Marx and Engels reproduced Eurocentric/"Orientalist" stereotypes about Indian's stagnation, but that they did not explain this stagnation as a product of racial inferiority. I will argue Marx's late notebooks present a less Eurocentric view of India. Finally, I will locate my work in the discussion of decolonizing philosophy, drawing out potential implications for the Marxian project, and the nuances of Marx and Engels's legacy.


title: Re-Imagining Periphery: More-Than-Human Visions of Cohabitation and Consciousness

abstract: This thesis uses the Ottawa Greenbelt as a case study to examine spatial notions of hierarchy and organization that have structured anthropocentric processes of land control and delineation. The Greenbelt, as a site of tension between urban and wild, exemplifies the divisive nature with which humans have come to understand wilderness and its non-human occupants.The non-human is used in the thesis to expand upon habitual human patterns of visual perception and architectural convention so as to re-imagine historical and cultural narratives that designate peripheral places and beings (both human and non-human) as "other." Through the revealing of invisible worlds of experience, architectural interventions are created that respond to species specific phenomena, attempt to facilitate interconnectivity between socio-ecological systems, and propose an alternative lens for understanding ethical responses to climate change.


title: Visual Narratives and Emulating Architecture

abstract: This thesis will examine how architecture is used in video games to tell stories. It will explore how we, the player, make references and connections to the real world and our own experiences. Architecture becomes a reference, an emulation designed to trigger memories in the player, forming a relationship between the lived-in world and the digital world. Similar to progression in a movie, the buildings in games do not always serve a function as they do in the actual world; however, it is still necessary to suspend the player's disbelief, enveloping them into the game space. Video games offer the possibility of reflecting upon what it means to experience a place. It allows us to immerse ourselves into an environment; architecture— both landscape and structure — plays an integral part in conveying the game narrative. This project aims to explore this hypothesis by creating a game proposal.


title: “Labour Activists Always Find a Way:” Social Reproductive Unions and their Social Unionism During the COVID-19 Pandemic

abstract: How are workers organizing to retain long-term care as a public service and what have been key opportunities and challenges in organizing? How has organization around public ownership of long-term care been influenced by the COVID-19 Pandemic? This thesis contributes to these questions by examining long-term care sector union activities in Manitoba. I draw on Feminist Political Economy to consider how social, economic, and political factors shape gender and race-based inequalities, and Social Unionism, to understand union engagement with social justice issues affecting union members and communities. I employ four qualitative methods: a literature review; semi-structured interviews; social media analysis; and digital ethnography. Findings show unions constructed collective action frames which identified the diagnoses (problems) of for-profit care, privatization, and lack of care standards. Mental health support, a seniors advocate, ending for-profit care and national care standards were prognoses (solutions). The repertoire (strategies) included union-community coalitions, political lobbying and mobilizations.


title: Development of Innovative Ultrasound-Treated Emulsion Gels for its Application in Dysphasia Food

abstract: Dysphagia is an oral disability characterized by swallowing difficulties, aspiration, and choking. The bulk of most prepared foods present a risk for people with dysphagia; hence their diet consists of modified-texture foods. In this study, two emulsion gels formulated with Alkylresorcinols-saponin, and Inulin-Psyllium husk combinations were assessed in the improvement of texture, stability, and enzyme inhibition of food purees. Ultrasound enhanced encapsulation and reduced droplet size to improve emulsion stability. The addition of the emulsion gels improved the consistency and Total Expressible Fluids (TEF) of the puree samples. Enzyme tests showed inhibition of α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and xanthine oxidase by AR-Saponin and Inulin-Husk emulsion gels which transferred to purees, with higher inclusions showing better inhibition. The delay in the activity of these enzymes helps to improve the physicochemical properties of foods during oral processing for people with dysphagia. Therefore, these developed emulsion gels could be beneficial in formulating modified-texture foods.


title: "Student City": A City Within the City Of Tirana

abstract: "Student City" is a campus district located in the capital of Albania, Tirana. The rich historical background of Tirana is reflected in the diverse architecture of the urban fabric. Official sources proclaim the construction of the first buildings of the campus during the 1940s Communist regime. However, due to lenient laws and active corruption, many of the old historic buildings and sites have been demolished in the interest of the business-developer elite, resulting in the erasure of a significant part of the country's identity. This thesis explores how architecture contributes to the improvement of the educational system through the redesign of the new "Student City." The new proposal aims to turn "Student City" into the central educational hub in the city and a pivotal draw for keeping youth at home in Tirana's universities while navigating the realities of the country's troubled economy and the changes that now exist.


title: CHEO Case Study Examining the Financial Relationship Between a Hospital and its Foundations

abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic, along with other societal trends, such as hospital funding restrictions and aging population, makes the examination and understanding of the health sector essential. This thesis examines the relationships between non-profit organizations, specifically hospitals and hospital foundations. Few studies have examined the relationships between hospitals and hospital foundations in a Canadian context. This research offers a better understanding of the relationships between hospitals and hospital foundations from a financial viewpoint. The research approach taken is qualitative and descriptive. The research strategy is a case study focusing on Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) along with its associated foundations: CHEO Foundation, CHEO Research Institute, and Roger Neilson House (RNH). This study contributes to assisting hospitals and hospital foundation stakeholders in understanding the interrelationships between hospitals and their foundations. Results show a close financial relationship between the CHEO group of entities consistent with high levels of collaboration.


title: Reliability Analysis of Freeway Speed Change Lanes Using Naturalistic Driving Study Data

abstract: This research investigates and models drivers' behaviour on freeway entrance and exit ramp terminals using SHRP-2 Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS) data from 24 sites located in three different US states. The research included first a qualitative assessment of the driver speed behaviour as they navigate the ramp and acceleration/deceleration speed change lane (SCL). A trend of continuous vehicle acceleration was evident from the beginning of the ramp controlling curve that continued after merging onto the freeway right lane (FRL). A similar finding was noted at exit ramps but with deceleration behaviour from the beginning of taper-type SCL that continued after diverging onto the ramp controlling curve. It was also found that at entrance ramps, a portion of the drivers tends to merge onto the FRL on the taper after the SCL had ended on acceleration. At exit ramps, a portion of the observed drivers tends to diverge from the FRL on the taper before the beginning of the deceleration SCL, with this behaviour being dominant on the taper-type SCL. Statistical tests showed that the driver behaviour measures in general follow a normal distribution at each site. Tests of hypothesis examined the differences of different driver behaviour measures on the study sites, and it was shown that the speed and acceleration/deceleration behaviour of the drivers differs on the different sites indicating that it depends on the complete set of geometric characteristics at the site. Linear-mixed models were developed for driver behaviour parameters such as the speed, acceleration, and deceleration, to account for the repeated measures caused by repeated trips by the same drivers in the dataset. Also, the research involved conducting a reliability analysis to evaluate the performance of acceleration SCLs, taking into consideration essential factors such as driver speeds and behavior, SCL and ramp geometric design, and traffic conditions.


title: Near Annual-Scale (1925-1985) Diatom Paleoecological Succession in Crawford Lake, Ontario: A Candidate Site for the Anthropocene Epoch Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP)

abstract: The Anthropocene Epoch is the newest epoch to be proposed, and is based on the recognition that human induced environmental influences are distinct enough to preserved in the geological record. New geologic units require establishment of a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP), with many sites around the world being considered as the GSSP for the Anthropocene Epoch. The excellent record of a Holocene-Anthropocene boundary preserved in Crawford Lake, near Milton, ON, is a leading Anthropocene Epoch GSSP candidate and as such requires extensive multidisplinary research if it is to be designated as such. With a time stamp set in the mid-20th century, this thesis looks at diatom populations in Crawford Lake to determine if any signals were present during the late 1940s and early 1950s.