identifier: Tatz, Corey Anthony <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Tatz=3ACorey_Anthony=3A=3A.html>   (2022) The ins and outs of brojobs across Metro Atlanta and the Southeast, USA.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This portfolio-style thesis has three components: a case study, my own autoethnographic work, and the analysis of Doublelist casual encounter ads. It explores hookup culture across Metro Atlanta and the Southeast among down low and discreet men beginning with an examination of the masc 4 masc subculture where MSM assert their hypermasculinity in an attempt to stay on top of the heteropatriarchy. I then explore brojobs, how the definition can fluctuate, and participants’ past sexual conquests. Sexual fluidity and identity correlate for some, while it is distinct for others. Lastly, the secretive nature of the down low and discreet culture are analyzed through means of sexual behaviors.


identifier: Soper, Jonathan <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Soper=3AJonathan=3A=3A.html>   (2022) An investigation of the influence of a decision support system on simulated ice management performance.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

type: Thesis NonPeerReviewed

abstract: As automation becomes increasingly widespread in the marine industry, it is important that the efficacy of automated systems be appropriately gauged and measured. In this research, an experimental method was applied to test a decision support system (DSS) using inexperienced participants. These participants are provided with basic habituation but otherwise must depend on the DSS to provide strategic advice. They are then tasked with using their vessel to clear pack ice from the lifeboat launch zone of an offshore structure, using the DSS for strategic assistance. The experimental simulator has been used in other studies to gauge the effects of experience and training on ice management performance, which allows for a comprehensive comparison to be made across several different groups. The DSS contains expert knowledge and acts as a digital coach for the inexperienced participants in this study. It provides advice through video replays and text-based advice that was customized to their current approach when assistance is requested. The participants tended to adopt the expert strategies suggested by the DSS, but failed to deliver statistically significant improvements. This can be in part attributed to their lack of ship handling experience. Qualitative analysis from exit interviews also provided a good basis to guide improvements to the DSS. Ultimately, the experiment provides insights into the strengths and weaknesses of this DSS and describes an effective experimental method for evaluating this technology.


identifier: Perry, Hannah Claire <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Perry=3AHannah_Claire=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Characterizing the in vivo role of Scabin, a mono ADP- ribosyltransferase from the common scab pathogen Streptomyces scabiei.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Common scab is a widespread bacterial disease of potato and other root and tuber crops. The disease is characterized by the presence of superficial, raised or deep-pitted lesions on the surface of the potato tuber, and these lesions reduce the market value of the crop to cause major economic losses for farmers. To date, no fully resistant potato cultivar exists, and current management strategies are largely inadequate or inconsistent. Therefore, studying the virulence factors of the most prominent causative agent, Streptomyces scabiei, is of high importance. Recently, a new putative virulence factor called Scabin was identified in the genome of S. scabiei. Scabin is a mono ADP-ribosyltransferase that possesses in vitro activity towards DNA, RNA and small guanosine-containing molecules, a rare activity for this group of enzymes that typically target proteins. However, the in vivo target and role of Scabin remains unknown. The purpose of this study has been to investigate the function of Scabin and determine if it plays a role in S. scabiei pathogenesis. To achieve this, a scabin knockout mutant was created, and the mutant together with wild-type S. scabiei and a scabin overexpression strain were tested in several plant bioassays. The morphology of the mutant and overexpression strain was examined when the strains were cultured on several distinct agar media. The conditions under which scabin is expressed were investigated using RT-PCR, and subsequently, it was discovered that scabin is co-transcribed with a neighbouring gene, SCAB_27781, suggesting they are functionally linked. The distribution of Scabin and SCAB_27781 homologues in other Streptomyces species and the relative positions of the corresponding genes in each species were mapped out, and regions of interest in both proteins were predicted using various bioinformatic tools. This study is the first to investigate possible in vivo roles for Scabin.


identifier: Islam, Shahinur S. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Islam=3AShahinur_S=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Evaluating the consequences of hybridization among divergent farmed and wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Multi-generation domestication selection and distinct geographic and ancestral relationships have raised concerns about potential genetic and ecological interactions between escaped farmed and wild populations. In Newfoundland (NF), Canada, most aquaculture sites use North American (NA) Saint John River strain. However, recently, site-specific permission has been approved to farm a strain of European origin (EO). It has already been documented that if reproductively viable farmed EO salmon escape, it is likely that they will be able to breed successfully and interact genetically and ecologically with local wild populations. In my thesis, using common-garden experiments, I assessed the consequences of interbreeding of divergent EO and NA farmed with NF wild salmon populations. Firstly, in chapter two, I compared a series of early-life fitness-related traits (e.g., development time, size, growth, survival) among them. I then (in chapter three) examined their gene expression profiles at the late yolk sac fry stage, using 44K microarrays and qPCR validation. Subsequently, at the juvenile stage (in chapter four), using two complementary experiments, I investigated their fitness-related traits (e.g., dominance, growth, and survival) differences across the contrasting tank and stream environments. Finally, in chapter five, I compared their behaviour in four different contexts (e.g., exploration, response to a novel object, boldness under predation risk, and aggression). Significant differences were observed in early-life development time, survival, growth, and energy conversion among farmed, F₁ hybrid, and wild populations. All pure farmed strains and wild populations differed among themselves, but I found few differences in fitness-related traits between F₁ hybrids and their maternal wild/farmed strains. The late
yolk sac fry gene expression study indicates that the wild population showed greater transcriptome differences from the EO farmed strain than that of NA farmed strain. I also found the largest differences in global gene expression between the two farmed strains. I detected fewer significantly differentially expressed transcripts between F1 hybrids and domesticated/wild maternal strains. At the juvenile stage, I found Farm.NA fish were more dominant and less subordinate than NF wild conspecifics, with hybrids being intermediate, not differing from wild fish. Farm.EO fish also tended to dominate NF wild fish. I did not find any differences in the growth of wild fish in sympatry versus allopatry in the tank environment. However, in the stream environment, wild fish in sympatry with Farm.NA and hybrids fish outgrew those in allopatry. Within sympatric treatments, both EO and NA farmed fish similarly outgrew wild fish in the tank environment, but not necessarily always in the stream environment (e.g., Farm.NA). F₁ hybrids tended to display intermediate growth performance relative to farmed and wild fish both in tank and stream environments. No survival differences were detected among cross types both in tank and stream environments. I also found both NA and EO farmed fish were equally more explorative, responsive to a novel object, bold, and aggressive than wild fish and related hybrids. Overall, these findings suggest that early-life fitness-related trait differences among fish of EO and NA farmed, NF wild, and related F₁ hybrid origins are generated by the geographic and ancestral relationship and maternal effects of egg size, but later stage juvenile fitness-related trait differences are mainly generated by domestication selection. Also, the gene transcriptome and fitness-related trait findings suggest that the consequences of hybridization would be greater from escaped EO farmed than NA farmed salmon and may have effects on productivity and viability for local NF populations.


identifier: Batran, Tayseer Zakaria Mahmoud Mohamed <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Batran=3ATayseer_Zakaria_Mahmoud_Mohamed=3A=3A.html>   (2022) Structural behaviour of lightweight concrete strengthened with engineered cementitious composites.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This thesis evaluated the feasibility of using engineered cementitious composite (ECC), to strengthen lightweight concrete (LWC) against various mechanical loads. Three experimental studies have been conducted on both plain small-scale and reinforced large-scale concrete specimens to accomplish the research objective. The first and second studies investigated the use of ECC to strengthen either the tension or compression zone of large-scale reinforced LWC beams tested in flexure and shear. The third study focused on the use of ECC in strengthening small-scale unreinforced beams and cylindrical specimens tested under drop-weight impact loads. The results of the first and second studies indicated that using ECC developed with polyvinyl alcohol fibers or steel fibers (ECCP or ECCS, respectively) is an effective technique to improve the flexural and shear behaviour of LWC beams with no significant increase in their self-weight. In both studies, strengthening the compression zone yielded higher ductility and energy absorption capacity. Meanwhile, better cracking control was observed when the tension zone was strengthened, thus assuring a better durability for structural members. In flexure, the highest improvement in the load-carrying capacity was obtained when the LWC beams strengthened at the tension zone, whereas strengthening the compression zone was more effective in improving the shear capacity. The results of the third study indicated that either ECCP or ECCS could achieve a good bonding with LWC substrate. The use of ECC along with LWC also offers novel hybrid composites with low-density and improved impact resistance, thus providing promising composites for strengthening lightweight structures exposed to high impact loading.


identifier: Afzal, Jalaleddin <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Afzal=3AJalaleddin=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Apocalyptic cinema: the supernatural T.V. series as an original neo-humanistic interpretation of the Book of Revelation.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This thesis aims to develop a critical analysis and interpretation of a long-running streaming television series, Supernatural (2005-2020), whose main story is adapted from the Book of Revelation. This thesis describes, analyzes, and interprets the creatively unique apocalyptic worldview presented in the series through a content/narrative analysis methodology and employing the modeling technique of Game Theory.
This study shows that Supernatural creates a universe in which an apocalyptic worldview is projected by a radical type of humanism, which I term ‘Neo-Humanism.’ Neo-Humanism is a kind of perspective whose worldview has roots in the deepest layers of religious belief and its lifestyle is the same as the most exclusive levels of humanism. Neo-Humanism claims that if there is a god, who created human beings with free will and the ability to distinguish between good and evil, as theism says, His creation will inevitably be above everything and able to do everything. And more importantly, even the Creator God Himself does not want, cannot, and should not interfere in humans’ affairs.
Even though the Neo-Humanism perspective seems too illogical and surreal to be believable, this thesis shows that in the universe that Supernatural depicts, the inner logic of Neo-Humanism works appropriately.


identifier: Ferguson-Roberts, Janet M. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Ferguson-Roberts=3AJanet_M=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Characterization of lecithotrophic propagules in echinoderms.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Reproduction often involves use of propagules (e.g. spores, seeds and fruit, fertilized eggs, embryos, and larvae), which are frequently dispersed in a medium such as air or water. These propagules possess characteristics (e.g. size, shape, viscosity, biochemical composition) that may influence their viability. Lecithotrophic (maternally-provisioned) eggs of echinoderms display a diversity of colours and buoyancies worldwide, yet these characteristics are rarely investigated in depth. Much more is known on the biochemical composition of propagules in relation to the ecology of lecithotrophic echinoderms. Thus, the objectives of this thesis were to quantify and find trends in the externally observable biophysical properties (colour and buoyancy) and connect them to trends found in the internal biochemical composition (lipids and pigments) across 1) the oocytes of different species of echinoderms with lecithotrophic development (sea stars: Leptasterias polaris, Henricia sanguinolenta, H. perforata, Crossaster papposus, Solaster endeca, sea cucumbers: Cucumaria frondosa and Psolus fabricii) and 2) across stages of oogenesis and development in the sea cucumber C. frondosa. Using an analytical chemistry technique, thin-layer chromatography with ionization detection, chromaticity, and spectrophotometry, I found 1) a trend in most metrics (density, chromaticity colour coordinates, percentages of glyceryl ethers and triacylglycerols, and pigment concentration) of mature oocytes associated with the phylogeny of the seven focal species, and 2) a bell curve trend in all metrics associated with the eco-physiological constraints of each life stage through the ontogeny (early vitellogenic oocytes to early juveniles) of C. frondosa. An additional contribution of this study was the exploration and development of methods to assess the density and colour of the propagules of seven focal species by reappropriating techniques from the fields of analytical chemistry and colour science (chromaticity x,y coordinates). Future research should extend to other invertebrates or externally fertilizing species, and explore the driving effects of visual predators, ultraviolet radiation, and dispersal on propagule characteristics.


identifier: Reid, Christopher <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Reid=3AChristopher=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Islands at war: the British West Indian experience of the First World War, 1914-1927.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This dissertation examines the experiences of British West Indian soldiers of the all-volunteer British West Indies Regiment and the British Regular Army’s West India Regiment during the First World War and how these experiences contributed to a rise in Black West Indian nationalism during the early interwar period. It highlights how, over the course of three years of First World War service, West Indians hoped that Britain would reward their military service with opportunities for social mobility and that the growth of Black West Indian nationalism resulted from these rewards not being granted. Whereas the existing historiography has examined the West Indian experience solely from a racial perspective, this dissertation argues that race was not a monocausal influence on the West Indian wartime experience. Britain’s plans for global war, difficulties associated with raising and training new battalions, and army strategic considerations, along with race, played a part in how the West Indian Great War experience played out. When compared to other imperial forces, the West Indian experience of 1914-18 was not unique. West Indian troops participated in combat operations in Cameroon, German East Africa, and Palestine while also serving as military labourers and support troops in Mesopotamia, Italy, and the Western Front. Yet, when Britain did not reward their wartime service with employment, massed land settlement, or the right to vote, West Indians responded by using tactics from their prewar struggles with imperial authority — strikes and civil demonstrations — leading to the rise of a West Indian nationalist movement centred on race, class, and First World War service.


identifier: Howse, Victoria <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Howse=3AVictoria=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Efficacy of the Eastport Marine Protected Area for American lobster, Homarus americanus.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Given global targets of protecting 10% of marine habitats by 2020, managers increasingly looked to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as a conservation tool. The Eastport MPA, designated in 2005, was established to protect a portion of the local American lobster (Homarus americanus) population. To determine MPA impacts on local lobster growth and reproduction, I analyzed 15 years of capture-mark-recapture data and egg samples from Eastport. Despite no significant trend in fecundity or size along a distance gradient from the MPA boundary, I detected increased egg production over time in the MPA. Female growth inside and outside remained steady over the tagging period in contrast to more variable male growth. Comparison of Eastport population fecundity and growth to other populations indicated higher fecundity at commercial size and slower rate of growth. These analyses provide inconclusive evidence regarding attainment of the original MPA conservation objectives, however, community-driven conservation could provide ecological benefits such as more careful handling of lobster that indirectly support these broader Eastport MPA objectives.


identifier: Biggar, Brandy S. <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Biggar=3ABrandy_S=2E=3A=3A.html>   (2021) The thermal biology of Carcinus maenas as a tool for conservation, mitigation, and invasion predictions.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfounland.

abstract:
Carcinus maenas is a thermally tolerant invasive species that have successfully colonized
every continent except Antarctica. Invasive species negatively impact native species, and
C. maenas, in particular, has been implicated in the local losses of several ecologically
important species. Anthropogenic activities are primarily to blame for species invasions,
and climate change will exacerbate their dominance over native species. In this thesis, I
explore the thermal ecology of C. maenas by mapping their thermal niche, modeling
changes in abundance and temperature, and synthesizing thermal limits. Using mixed
modeling of global abundance data, I show that the green crab abundance is not changing
globally and that their abundance is related to temperature variability. By reviewing the
literature, I show that green crabs have life-stage and region-specific tolerances. Juvenile
green crabs appear to be the most vulnerable stage and may be responsible for driving
changes in green crab abundance. I also review knowledge gaps and recommendations
for future research, including standardizing methods and resolving unknown adult
thermal limits. This thesis presents Carcinus maenas as an incredibly robust species with
vast thermal tolerances promoting their global invasion.


identifier: Swarna, Surya Teja <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Swarna=3ASurya_Teja=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Influence of climate change on pavement design and materials in Canada.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Anthropogenic climate change is having and will continue to have adverse effects on Canadian weather. Trends over the last 50 years elevate the rapid increase in number of the extreme event, the variations in temperature and precipitation, etc. The severe climatic variations in Canada are in line with global climate changes occurring due to increased greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. Under the current CO₂ emission scenarios, scientists predict that climate trends will further intensify in the near future. It is well known that asphalt pavements are highly sensitive to climate factors. Hence, reviewing both pavement design and materials while accounting climate change is a vital step that can help decelerate pavement deterioration. This study aims to quantify the impact of climate change on pavement performance, including revising pavement design and materials. To achieve this, the temperature and precipitation data were extracted from ten statistically downscaled climate change models, which were gathered from the pacific Canada Climate database. Also, the pavement materials, traffic, and structural data were collected from the Long-term Pavement Performance (LTPP) database. All these data were used in the Pavement Mechanistic-Empirical (ME) software to determine the pavement performance for both baseline and future climate.
Various adaptation strategies such as upgrading asphalt binder grade, increasing the thickness of asphalt concrete layer, increasing the base layer thickness, and using stabilized base layers were analyzed to mitigate the climate change impact and to extend the service life of the pavement. All of these adaptation strategies are based on climate change data and its effect on pavement performance. It is also evident that selecting a climate-appropriate asphalt binder is essential in ensuring the longevity of pavement surfaces. As the selection methodology depends on the pavement's temperature, several models can predict pavement temperatures based on
recorded ambient air temperatures and other related factors. A commonality between the most predominant pavement temperature models is the geographical limitations to their application. As a result, widely used models such as the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) and Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) do not return accurate values for more Northern temperatures such as those observed in Canada. Thus, a new pavement temperature model was developed for Canadian climatic conditions to determine the appropriate asphalt binder grade for future climate. In addition, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) were also carried out for all the alternatives to determine the CO₂ contributions to Canadian environment and changes in life cycle cost of Canadian pavement surfaces.


identifier: Lantiegne, Tyler <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Lantiegne=3ATyler=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Cryptic female choice and gamete-mediated paternal effects in the context of interspecific hybridization.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: The environment in which fertilization takes place can have significant effects on paternity and offspring development. Through cryptic female choice, females can bias paternity to benefit a particular male and “choose” the father of her clutch. These processes might affect offspring development through non-genetic gamete-mediated paternal effects. I chose to examine the impact of cryptic female choice on paternity and offspring development in an externally fertilizing taxa that readily hybridizes, Salmoninae. Hybridization can represent a bad outcome for females with far-reaching effects on offspring phenotype and development. Females can reduce hybridization through conspecific sperm preference, a mechanism of cryptic female choice. What is unknown is the magnitude of conspecific sperm preference and the extent of gamete-mediated parental effects in our study populations and how these effects change in relation to hybridization. Following previous work done with other populations of salmonids, I expected to find evidence for strong conspecific sperm preference and paternal effects. Here, I examined conspecific sperm preference in three species, native brook char (Salvelinus fontinalis) and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), and introduced and invasive brown trout (Salmo trutta) and found that while ovarian fluid influenced sperm behavior, this effect did not differ among species. However, while hybridization between Atlantic salmon and brown trout significantly affected offspring development, paternal effects derived from the fertilization environment did not. This implies that females can alter paternity through cryptic female choice without consequences to the offspring. More research is needed in this and other salmonid species and populations to determine if these effects are present across salmonids.


identifier: shayan, Mohsen <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/shayan=3AMohsen=3A=3A.html>   (2021) The synthesis of shape-persistent macrocycles towards the rational design of stable large-pore metal-organic frameworks.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are porous materials that have attracted substantial attention due to their exciting features and applications. Synthesis of MOFs involves the self-assembly of organic linkers and metal-containing inorganic nodes through coordination bonds. Given the porous structure of MOFs, it is not surprising that the targeted design of different pore architecture and functionality is of great importance. With that in mind, the pore can be designed and controlled on the molecular level by judicious choice of linkers, nodes, and controlling synthesis conditions.
MOFs with large pore sizes can provide porous materials with higher surface areas that are of interest for several applications. For example, in heterogeneous catalysis, larger pores result in faster mass transfer rates of the substrate and products. Moreover, tuning the pore size for larger molecules can accommodate larger reactants inside the pore. In order to design a MOF with larger pore size and surface area, researchers need to utilize larger linkers. However, extension of the organic linker imparts challenges in the resultant MOF structure. The two most common concerns when large linkers are used are robustness (i.e., stability) as well as the formation of interpenetrated networks, which reduces the porosity of the MOF. To make large-pore MOFs that are stable (i.e., do not collapse upon removal of guest molecules from the pore) and non-interpenetrated structures, thereby providing as much pore volume as possible, one approach is to use linkers that are both large and rigid. These large and rigid linkers have very few degrees of conformation freedom that should result in a more stable structure and are sufficiently bulky to prevent interpenetration. When combined with an inorganic node of high connectivity, the linker can result in a stable framework. One of the options is shape-persistent macrocycle scaffolds (e.g., m-phenylene ethynylene
macrocycle (PEM)). Another set of rigid and bulky linkers are phthalocyanines (Pc). The aim of this thesis was to synthesize PEM and Pc linkers and explore MOF synthesis with these linkers.
PEM is a shape-persistent macrocyclic compound that we were interested in as a linker scaffold due to its rigid structure and large size. I embarked on the synthesis of a tetratopic carboxylate-based PEM through Sonogashira coupling reaction and a final cyclization that is discussed in Chapter 2. The PEM was synthesized with an overall yield of 6%, which is comparable to previously reported compounds; however, our method involves less steps and can be achieved faster.
Pcs are aromatic macrocyclic compounds that have structural similarities to porphyrins. What makes Pcs and porphyrins so attractive is that the central ring of these compounds is highly conjugated, bulky, rigid, and many metal ions can be coordinated in the central cavity of these molecule. As such, these linkers are attractive choices for the development of large-pore and robust MOFs for various applications. Porphyrins have received a great deal of attention in MOF chemistry with many different types of porphyrinic linkers synthesized and applied in MOF synthesis. Pcs, on the other hand, have rarely been reported in the MOF field and the existing examples to date are limited to MOFs with a limited number of structures and applications. As such, we opted for the introductions of a new family of Pc linkers. In Chapter 3, I will discuss the synthesis of tetraimidazophthalocyanine linkers that can be used in MOF synthesis. In this thesis, I demonstrate that the strategy for the tunable synthesis of tetraimidazophthalocyaniens through the tetracyclization of imidazophthalonitrile derivatives can make both carboxylate-based and imidazolate-based linkers. Also, the synthesis is flexible to make Pc linkers with other coordination groups. These new linkers provide an opportunity for the synthesis of new PcMOFs, which are lacking in the field.
Finally in Chapter 4, I demonstrate the synthesis of PcMOF using the carboxylate-based tetraimidazophthalocyanie linker with zirconium containing nodes. As such, I explored the synthesis of PcMOFs under various condition. The aim was to explore the reaction space associated with this linker to determine if, and how, these MOFs can be formed. These conditions include temperature; different ligands and node precursors, concentrations, and ratios; reaction time; use of different modulators and the modulator concentrations; use of varying concentrations of hydrochloric acid as additive; different solvents and solvents mixture; and sonication of the reaction mixture. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and N2 gas adsorption of the synthesized samples were evaluated as our metric for the quality of the material. As such, the highest Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area for PcMOF was 1220 m2/g. Pore size distribution (PSD) and PXRD show that the synthesized materials that were obtained under different reaction conditions share similar features in terms of pore size and diffraction pattern. This finding suggests that when a porous material was obtained, the synthesis produced the same material although they have different surface areas. Therefore, the synthesized material needs a better activation method and more efficient removal of the starting materials from the pores.


identifier: Ghahremanlou, Davoud <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Ghahremanlou=3ADavoud=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Sustainable petroleum supply chains created in response to the US Government policies.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Socialization and long-distance trading began after the basic needs of early people were
met. Millennia later, the ‘modern’ discovery of crude oil (or petroleum) and the development
of the internal combustion engine resulted in improvements in transportation, chiefly
in terms of increasing speed. Steam engines were quickly replaced by these new engines,
used to power ships and trains. The revolution of the combustion engine – and the new utilization
of petroleum with which it is fueled – marked the beginning of a new age in global
transportation and industry. The invention of the automobile, utilizing this internal combustion
engine, and the advent of its mass production at the beginning of the 20th century
served as yet another turning point in transportation history. Currently, land transportation
using gasoline derived from crude oil is the most popular mode of transportation. However,
the destructive impact of gasoline on the environment, as well as the imbalance in the
distribution of oil reservoirs among countries, led governments to explore some alternate
fuel sources.
Legislation converting Conventional Petroleum Supply Chains (CPSCs)¹ to Sustainable
Petroleum Supply Chains (SPSCs)², seemed to offer the best solution for addressing environmental
concerns and energy security. For this purpose, the United States, the world’s
largest oil consumer, has created policies to make SPSCs. These policies aimed to support
production and consumption of bioethanol³ as a gasoline additive, resulting in the creation
of Bioethanol Supply Chains⁴  and merging them with CPSCs to form SPSCs. Though
these new regulations have created new opportunities, they also added new burdens to the

obligated parties for compliance. Thus, as the leader of SPSCs, the US government ought
to determine how the policies influence SPSCs in different financial risk conditions, before
enacting them. This evaluation would assist the US government to make decisions within
a sustainable framework, the significance of which is well recognized. This results in enhancement
of business confidence through guaranteed investment security and profitability.
On the other hand, the investors would focus on making robust strategic decisions against
policy changes, and resilient strategic decisions devised to stand up to risk averse situations,
like the current one created by Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) and the 2020 Saudi
Arabia-Russia Oil Price War.
This thesis aims to support the government and investors in this regard by running computational
experiments. To that end, we have carried out studies resulting in the following six
papers:
1. Ghahremanlou, D. and W. Kubiak (2020a). Impact of government policies on Sustainable
Petroleum Supply Chain (SPSC): A case study - Part I (Models). Decision
Making in Manufacturing and Services. In Press.
2. Ghahremanlou, D. and W. Kubiak (2020b). Impact of government policies on Sustainable
Petroleum Supply Chain (SPSC): A case study - Part II (The State of Nebraska).
Decision Making in Manufacturing and Services. In Press.
3. Ghahremanlou, D. and W. Kubiak (2020c). Sustainable Petroleum Supply Chains
created during economic crisis in response to US government policies. International
Journal of Sustainable Economy. Submitted.
4. Ghahremanlou, D. and W. Kubiak (2020d). An approach to studying Sustainable
Crude Oil Supply Chains (SCOSCs) evolved by changing US government policies -
Part I (Models). Journal of Cleaner Production. Submitted.
5. Ghahremanlou, D. and W. Kubiak (2020e). An approach to studying Sustainable
Crude Oil Supply Chains (SCOSCs) evolved by changing US government policies -
Part II (Case Study). Journal of Cleaner Production. Submitted.
6. Ghahremanlou, D. andW. Kubiak (2020f). US Sustainable Crude Oil Supply Chains
(SCOSCs) during economic crises. To be submitted.
These papers form Chapters 2 – 7 of this thesis, respectively. The three papers focusing on
creating the most environmentally friendly SPSC which can be applied in 23 states that currently
do not have any bio-refinery in place with minimum challenges, make up Chapters 2
– 4. The other three papers dealing with the SPSC in the 27 states with already existing facilities
create Chapters 5 – 7. This thesis also includes two more chapters, the Introduction,
Chapter 1, and Conclusions, Chapter 8. The former provides detailed information about
what to expect in this thesis and why; the latter summarizes the findings of the thesis.
In Chapter 2, we develop a two-stage stochastic programming model, called General Model
(GM), for the evolution of the SPSC. The model accounts for 2nd generation bioethanol, the
most environmentally friendly bioethanol developed so far. However, since the GM, like
any other GMs in the literature, is NP-hard in the strong sense, we develop a Lean Model
(LM). Then we prove relationships between solutions to the GM and solutions to the LM.
We employ the LM to run a computational experiment, including 22,050 policy scenarios,
in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 converts the risk neutral model in paper one to a risk averse model,
often appropriate during economic crises, by applying Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR);
then we conduct a case study. Chapter 5 extends the model in paper one, by including all
existing infrastructures, 1st and 2nd generation bioethanol, currently the only commercial
ones, and their imports and exports. We propose the Extended General Model (EGM),
derive the Extended Lean Model (ELM), and prove the relationships between them. The
ELM is applied to run a computational experiment with 21,420 alternative policy scenarios,
in Chapter 6. We employ the CVaR and change the risk neutral model in paper four to a risk
averse model and perform a case study, in Chapter 7. Note that the reason for a different
number of policy scenarios in Chapters 3 and 4 relative to Chapters 6 and 7 is the cheaper
price of the 1st generation bioethanol as compared to 2nd generation, see Sections 3.3 and
6.3. Given the significance of the economic, environmental, and social aspects of the SPSC,
all the case study results, more particularly policy impacts and policy recommendations, in
Chapters 3, 4, 6, and 7, are provided within the framework of sustainability; robust strategic
investment decisions despite inevitable policy changes are also provided. In Chapters 4 and
7 the results of their risk averse models are respectively compared with their corresponding
risk neutral models in Chapters 3 and 6, to further highlight their significance and provide
resilient strategic investment decisions in times of financial risk change.
¹also called Conventional Crude Oil Supply Chains (CCOSCs)
²also referred to as Sustainable Crude Oil Supply Chains (SCOSCs)
³also called ethanol
⁴also called Ethanol Supply Chains


identifier: Khan, Shahbaz <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Khan=3AShahbaz=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Performance evaluation of pavements with cement stabilized layer using MEPDG program and LTPP data.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The spring season causes melting of wintry ice in pavement structures. Therefore, transportation agencies use axle load limits to protect the pavement from deterioration during springtime. The use of cement treated base (CTB) in the pavement structure can provide a prospect to overcome this problem. Studies conducted in U.S., South Africa, and India suggests that the use of CTB improves overall performance of pavement structure. In the present work, long term pavement performance (LTPP) data from U.S. and Canada for pavement sections with cement treated base were studied. To better understand the design performance of cement-treated pavement, a mechanistic empirical pavement design guide was used and road sections with different climatic conditions were investigated. A parametric study consisting of seven variables, each at two levels (high and low) were considered. These included asphalt thickness, cement treated base thickness, elastic modulus of cement treated base layer, modulus of rupture, crack spacing, traffic, and speed along with the following three categorical variables: subgrade (coarse and fine), moisture (wet and dry), and temperature (freeze and no freeze). Factorial analysis consisting of a 2ᵏ design of resolution V was considered in the design of the experiment, and a total of 128 factors were considered for the analysis. All the combinations were run in the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) by AASHTOWare and response variables such as international roughness index, total permanent deformation, asphalt layer rutting, asphalt total fatigue cracking (bottom-up cracking+ reflective cracking), asphalt total transverse cracking (thermal cracking + reflective), asphalt thermal cracking, and top-down asphalt cracking were considered. The response was analyzed using DoE and the factors that affect the performance of CTB pavement were determined. The results are presented for each response and all the assumptions of the response are met. Furthermore, apart from the best suited factors for pavement design, the MEPDG results suggest that the CTB layers' reflective cracking is a major distress in the design of these pavements. In general, surface cracks follow the same pattern as cracks in the base, and are therefore called "reflection" cracks. As stated before, the use of CTB design can provide a chance to improve the loading condition during the spring season. However, the stress concentrations and cracking in the base layer can develop on top of the asphalt surface as well. The failure of semi-rigid pavements due to reflective cracking is somewhat discouraging. The literature suggests using geotextile, aggregate interlayer and chip seal between the CTB layer and asphalt layer as a potential solution to the problem. In the present research, the use of aggregate interlayer was attempted to solve this problem. This type of pavement system is named Inverted Pavement and is used in only a few states in the United States such as Louisiana. However, the AASHTOWare software, which is the most popular pavement design software in the U.S., has some issues in terms of versatility of the pavement structure.
To be specific, the MEPDG program can not analyze the performance of an inverted pavement system. Therefore, to better understand the use of this pavement structure, a different software was used. A pavement software named CROSSPAVE which can run the aforesaid structure was employed. The results of MEPDG are superior to CROSSPAVE as it gives performance in terms of distress that occur in the pavement system while the CROSSPAVE output only gives stress and strain. These strains/stresses were correlated to the distresses in terms of the number of repetitions using empirical equations.
Therefore, another parametric study was carried out to understand the factors affecting the inverted pavement stress/strains at critical locations. Similar to the previous analysis, the DoE analysis was carried and critical factors affecting the design of inverted pavement are listed.


identifier: Hancock, Amanda Jane <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Hancock=3AAmanda_Jane=3A=3A.html>   (2022) Leaders' concealable stigmatized identities: employee attitueds following workplace disclosure.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The intersection of organizational leadership and concealable stigmatized identities has not received adequate scholarly attention. In practice, leaders seem to disclose minority identities at a rate that exceeds research and theory. Idealist and conceptual perspectives have suggested such disclosures will be met with positive outcomes, but emerging empirical investigations of the phenomena suggest this is not always the case. Three studies were conducted to investigate the consequences of disclosing a leader’s concealable stigmatized identity from the employee’s perspective.
Study 1 is a mixed methods, time-lagged survey of full-time employees (N = 326). Thematic analysis of 53 participants’ interpretations of the downward disclosure experience reveals important contextual similarities and differences with same status disclosures. Employees interpreted the discloser’s motivation as largely approach-focused (relationship development, establishing trust, self-verification, reactance), with some evidence of negative attributions of the discloser’s motivation (gossip, disgust). Testing a parallel mediation model illustrates that mental illness disclosures negatively predict employee perceptions of leader intelligence and positively predict employee perceptions of leader vulnerability. Study 2 presents the results of two experimental vignette studies (N = 478) of employed adults which investigate the role of disclosure content, leader gender, and discloser identity on perceived leadership effectiveness. Leaders who disclose a minority sexual orientation are rated significantly higher on perceived leadership effectiveness than those who disclose substance abuse disorder.
Study 3 utilizes multimedia to create another experimental vignette to test a conditional process model on a sample of employed adults (N = 487). The conditional effects of disclosure appropriateness on follower ratings of leadership effectiveness and leader liking through
followers’ perceptions of affective trust in leader and perceptions of leader vulnerability were examined using moderated-mediation and Hayes’ (2018) PROCESS macro. Leaders’ concealable stigmatized identity disclosures did not make a difference to how much employees liked their manager/supervisor, but leader disclosures of substance abuse disclosure directly were detrimental for employee ratings of leadership effectiveness - especially when the disclosure was perceived as inappropriate. When perceived as appropriate, leader disclosures of mental disorder/disease and minority sexual orientation produced positive effects on leader evaluations through affective trust in their leader. A model of stigma content hierarchy is proposed to predict outcomes of leader disclosures from the employee perspective in organizational settings. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.


identifier: Clarke, Jody-Ann <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Clarke=3AJody-Ann=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Streptomyces specialized metabolites for agricultural applications.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: Streptomyces biosynthesize a wide variety of specialized metabolites, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Streptomyces VOCs are diverse and used in different capacities, including competition for resources and intra- and inter-species communication. And so, VOCs may be exploited in farming as inhibitors to plant pests and pathogens. The demand for safer alternatives to synthetic chemicals in agricultural practices makes these naturally occurring compounds ideal for applications. In this study, 133 Streptomyces isolates obtained from different locations in St. John’s, Newfoundland, were phylogenetically typed using the rpoB housekeeping gene, and different strains were selected for fermentation and pooled culture VOC screening. Six of the phylogenetically different isolates (JAC25, JAC45, JAC60, JAC74C, JAC81, and JAC95) were subjected to replicate VOC analysis and phytotoxic effects on plants. These isolates were shortlisted based upon the number and types of VOC they produced, i.e., various VOCs with published bioactivities, including insect repellency making them good targets for pest management in crop farming. Ninety-five bacterially derived compounds were identified among the six isolates in the replicate VOC analysis. One isolate (JAC60) significantly inhibited the development of plant seedlings suggesting its capacity to make a possible natural herbicidal compound.


identifier: Farhain, Muhammad M <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Farhain=3AMuhammad_M=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Use of wood ash and paper sludge as potting substrate and potential soil amendment for agriculture production on podzols in boreal climate.  Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract: This study was designed to investigate the use of wood ash (WA), paper sludge (PS) (wastes from paper mill) and biochar (BC) as potting substrates, and potential amendment for podzolic soil. WA and PS were applied by two methods; 1) on volume basis to prepare a suitable potting media (Study-one), and 2) on mass basis to amend the podzolic soil and for assessment of heavy metals leaching behavior (Study-two). Important physicochemical properties were measured in both experiments. In study one, the treatment of 50% PS + 25% BC was noted as the best treatment based on the measured properties as a suitable potential potting media. This treatment had high organic matter (8.33%), field capacity–FC (0.33 cm³ cm⁻³) and plant available water-PAW (0.40 cm³ cm⁻³) with low bulk density (0.53 g cm⁻³). In the study-two, WA alone and with BC did not show significant difference from control to improve the physicochemical properties of amended soil, and PS with combination of BC found as the best treatment having optimum pH (6.5) with the highest total porosity (0.68 cm³ cm⁻³), FC (0.36 cm³ cm⁻³) and PAW (0.28 cm³ cm⁻³) among all treatments. BC addition in leaching column experiment significantly reduced the heavy metals (Arsenic, Cadmium, Cobalt, Copper, Molybdenum and Nickel) concentrations in collected leachates compared to bC unamended treatments. Outcomes of these studies would be useful for farmers to improve the agricultural production in the region and influence the government policy for the application of paper mill wastes in agricultural industry.


identifier: Gomaa, Mahmoud Abdelhakim Kamel <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Gomaa=3AMahmoud_Abdelhakim_Kamel=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Multiple model based state estimation and trajectory control for micro aerial vehicles.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
This thesis proposes the design of a multiple model state estimation and control
scheme for micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) to cope with different flight conditions such
as aggressive flights, hovering flights, and flights under high external disturbances.
The work is divided into two main parts.
The first part of this thesis presents the design of an interacting multiple model
(IMM) filter for visual-inertial navigation (VIN) of MAVs. VIN of MAVs in practice
typically uses a single system model for its state estimator design. However, MAVs
can operate in different scenarios requiring changes to the estimator model. This
thesis proposes the use of a conventional VIN and a drag force VIN in an error-state
IMM filtering framework to address the need for multiple models in the estimator. We
use an epipolar geometry constraint for the design of the measurement model for both
filters to realize computationally efficient state updates. Observability of the proposed
modifications to VIN filters (drag force model, and epipolar measurement model) are
analyzed, and observability-based consistency rules are derived for the two filters of the
IMM. Monte Carlo numerical simulations validate the performance of the observability
constrained IMM, which improved the accuracy and consistency of the VINS for
changing flight conditions and external wind disturbance scenarios. Experimental
validation is performed using the EuRoC dataset to evaluate the performance of the
proposed IMM filter design.


identifier: Al Tarhouni, Mahmud Amer <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Al_Tarhouni=3AMahmud_Amer=3A=3A.html>   (2021) Behaviour of sand in monotonic and cyclic simple shear loading at low-stress level.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
Geotechnical engineers deal with sands of varying in-situ (initial) conditions that develop through the process of land formation in natural environments and geotechnical constructions, such as compaction. The formation and construction processes can give different sand particle arrangement (fabric), which could significantly influence the behaviour of sand in subsequent loading. Geotechnical properties of sand are generally obtained from laboratory tests on reconstituted samples because of difficulties in collecting undisturbed sand samples from the field. The sample is sheared typically in direct shear and triaxial conditions, and in simple shear mode in some advanced laboratories. Soil strength depends on effective stress. In the field, sometimes the effective stress could be very low, in the order of 10–30 kPa, such as the soil around buried pipelines and near the seabed surface; however, in many cases, such as the soil around shallow and pile foundations, medium to high effective stresses are encountered.
In the present study, the monotonic and cyclic behaviour of sand is investigated for simple shear loading conditions with a particular focus on the behaviour at low-stress levels. The laboratory tests were conducted using a combined advanced dynamic cyclic simple shear apparatus with a high-precision feedback system for controlling and measuring the forces and displacements while maintaining a high level of accuracy, which is essential, especially for tests at low normal stresses. The direct simple shear (DSS) tests were conducted on dry loose to dense sand under constant normal stresses of 12.5 kPa–400 kPa to investigate the effects of confining pressure on stress–strain behaviour. The monotonic test results show an increased shear to normal stress ratio, and thereby the mobilized friction angle, at the low-stress level, compared to high normal stresses. The strain-controlled (constant strain amplitude) cyclic test results show that the stress–strain behaviour and cyclic compaction are governed by the normal stress and shear strain amplitude.
The sand becomes densified when the applied shear strain amplitude is greater than a threshold value. DSS tests were also conducted with stress-controlled loading conditions by applying a constant stress amplitude cyclic loading. In strain-controlled tests, the lower the normal stress, the higher the compaction is; however, an opposite trend exists in stress-controlled (constant stress amplitude) cyclic tests.
Multistage cyclic tests under a wide range of constant normal stresses were conducted on dry sand by applying stress- and strain-controlled cyclic loads. Test results show that the volumetric compaction depends on normal stress and shear strain amplitude. The cyclic shear modulus and damping ratio are not affected by the low-amplitude cyclic loading history. The cyclic stress–dilatancy relationship depends on stress level, number of cycles, and shear strain amplitude. After a few cycles, the stress–dilatancy can be expressed by two parallel lines for loading and unloading, except for the initial part of the loading and unloading paths. The DSS test results show a good agreement with the results of hollow cylinder torsional shear tests.
The effects of confining pressure and reconstituted sand sample preparation method on the behaviour of sand in the direct simple shear and triaxial compression modes are also investigated. The DSS tests were conducted on sand samples prepared by four methods: funnel raining, multiple-sieve raining, dry tamping, and table tapping. In addition to the monotonic DSS tests under constant vertical stress, a set of undrained DSS tests was conducted by maintaining a constant height of the sample during shearing, using the advanced computer-controlled system. Based on stress–strain response, it is inferred that the table tapping could give a stronger fabric than that of dry tamping and multiple-sieve raining methods. In the undrained tests, the phase transformation and steady-state lines in the stress space change by 3°–4° due to specimen preparation method, relative density and the initial consolidation pressure.


identifier: McCarthy, Patricia L. (Patricia Lynn) <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/McCarthy=3APatricia_L=2E_=28Patricia_Lynn=29=3A=3A.html>   (2022) Development and validation of a multisource feedback tool to assess medical trainee competence in patient safety.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.


identifier: Jamil, Sana <https://research.library.mun.ca/view/creator_az/Jamil=3ASana=3A=3A.html>   (2022) Educational technology: assessing instructional use in the elementary classroom.  Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

abstract:
The purpose of this study is to understand the process by which teachers integrate educational
technology into their instructional practices in elementary classrooms in Newfoundland and
Labrador. In Canada, several provinces have invested millions of dollars towards innovative
teaching practices (Coles, 2018; Council of Ontario Directors of Education, 2017; Murgatroyd &
Couture, 2010; Renić, 2020). Considering the local context, the Newfoundland and Labrador
Government announced $20 million for the purchase of laptops for all teachers and
Chromebooks for students across the K-12 education system (Education and Early Childhood
Development, 2020). An important supplement to the introduction of educational technology
into classrooms is the professional development activities for teachers through which technology
utilization can be facilitated. I analyzed how professional development and policy relate to the
adoption and utilization of educational technology in elementary classrooms across
Newfoundland and Labrador.
My study was situated in a qualitative constructivist paradigm and applied a single case
study design. The critical theory of technology, proposed by Feenberg (1991), served as the
philosophical lens for this research. The data collection process included an online teacher
questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and documentation review.
An interpretive analysis was applied for gaining an in-depth understanding of educational
technology use in classrooms. The main question focused on how educational technology is
integrated into instructional practices in elementary classrooms. Findings revealed that
educational technology was integrated into instructions to help facilitate the learning process.
Two broad categories emerged from the data that reflected educational technology’s use with
instructions: (i) differentiating by offering choices and (ii) teaching with Google Workspace.
Teachers also identified several factors that affected the process of educational technology
integration. Moreover, three professional development characteristics: collaboration, selfdirection,
and relevance motivated teachers towards using educational technology. This study
also provides useful insights for policy and suggests a framework for the context of
Newfoundland and Labrador in relation to educational technology integration in classrooms.


identifier: Blanchard, Philippe  (2010) Quest for Fire: Explorations in Expanded Animation.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

format: text video

abstract:
Quest for Fire is the result of two years of theoretical and studio-based research
on the current status of animation and its possibilities as a contemporary art medium.
This project brings to life the notion of expanded animation: work that challenges
established understanding of moving imagery through the use of installation and live
performance. Quest for Fire takes on the moving image as its subject matter, drawing
parallels between animation at the start of the twenty-first century—a medium in
flux—and its eclectic historical origins. Using fire as a metaphor for animation, this
project strips down the moving image to its simplest elements and explores thematic
connections with technology, the control over time, magic and illusion. Quest for Fire
creates an expanded experience of animation, one that is intrinsically linked to a
singular time and space as it was at animation’s inception in the 19th century.


identifier: Bleackley, Danielle  (2010) There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

abstract:
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out is an
installation of four interrelated works that reflect on the ineffability of experience, of time and
of intimacy. By representing the corporeal residue of memory through the gestures of
writing, touching and breathing, these works are the traces and reflections of what remains
after an intimate relationship has ended. Both the material and metaphorical dimensions of
these traces are manifest as corporeal, as form, and as sound. This work evokes the
possibility that the body’s intrinsic link to language and sensual experience can illuminate
how intimacy is remembered and embodied.


identifier: Appleton, Robert  (2010) Vortex.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Vortex

format: text other

abstract:
Vortex. Visual Aural Textual. One language is an interdisciplinary art form —
improvising the visual, aural and textual mediated by technology and revealing that one
language exists at their intersection.
These three separate art forms have largely been held by our culture as distinct subjects.
They have been connected in a documentary way by our most popular communications
media, film and television — yet they have less frequently been used as pure
interdisciplinary form with which to explore their own synergy. Perhaps the oldest form to
express the singularity of sound text and image is the ancient OM chant.
As a performance medium and compositional theory, Vortex is a catalyst for a deeper
level of communication than we experience with any one or two media. It is documented
by means of performance, gallery presentation, research and publication.


identifier: Cerquera Benjumea, Gustavo  (2013) Amazonian Visions: Animating Ghosts.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Amazonian Visions: Animating Ghosts

format: text video video text video video

abstract:
Amazonian Visions is a practice-based research project that finds associations between the concepts of expanded cinema and animation, and the myriad worlds of the Amazonian psychedelic brew, ayahuasca. I argue that expanded animation is a medium
not unlike cultural practices of expanded vision and psychedelic experiences inspired by
ayahuasca. By juxtaposing these two concepts, tracing their genealogies, and examining
unexpected links between the two, I propose that both are techniques that allow the
fantastical to enter the ordinary. This theoretical framework informs my expanded
animation work, in particular the shows Tranquilandia and Tres Esquinas, where the
histories of the Colombian Amazon are transformed through ayahuasca visions into
digital animations and immersive installations.


identifier: Ascencao, Teresa  (2011) Her Pleasure, Her Desire; Remix.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Her Pleasure, Her Desire; Remix

abstract:
Her Pleasure, Her Desire; Remix is an interactive media art installation, which
forms part of a larger series of artworks entitled Euphoric Femme. Inspired by sexpositive
feminism and sacred sexuality, Her Pleasure, Her Desire; Remix is created in
collaboration with a network of women who are reinventing sexual expression. Using
a social media platform, collaborators create autoerotic video and sound
recordings as source content for the installation. These images and sounds are
placed in a database that forms the technical and conceptual basis for the artwork.
In the installation, audience members use a hand held disk interface to remix the
women’s recordings into the imagery that comprises the artwork. The video material
is remixed into kaleidoscopic forms projected overhead. The sounds are similarly
processed and reverberatingly fill the space. Her Pleasure, Her Desire; Remix is an
aniconic exploration in mediating inner erotic states. It aspires to politicize women’s
sexual agency.


identifier: Baird, Rebecca  (2013) “Why Donʼt You Just Drop This Indian Stuff”: the Living Legacy of Indigenous Selfhood.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

abstract:
This thesis presents a self-reflection on personal narratives and artistic
production that focuses upon the clash of North American settlement and
colonialism on Indigenous identity and creative production. The prevalence of the
post-contact image of the “Imaginary Indian” within popular culture and mass
media illustrates the evolving trajectory of impact upon Indigenous identity as
posited by western theorists Frantz Fanon, and Indigenous philosophers Vine
Deloria Jr., Leroy Little Bear, Anne Waters, and Marie Battiste. My studio work
investigates the iconic Indian Head Test Pattern, the Baird Tartan and the Cree
Star Blanket. Through their deconstruction and reconstruction, I question and
redefine personal cultural markers central to the formation of my identity and my
art practice. Symbols, patterns and colours coalesce to disrupt stereotypical
perceptions of my mixed-race ancestry while digital technologies are utilized
toward engaging a synthesis. Within these interventions, a self-defined dialogue
emerges that reflects my lived experience.


identifier: Do, Thuy Linh  (2013) The Gaze Of The Other.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: The Gaze Of The Other

format: text video video video video image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image audio video video video video text text video video image image image image

language: en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en

subject: identity, travel, the Other, gaze, peepshow, digital media

abstract:
The Gaze of the Other examines processes of travel/migration and imagemaking
in terms of “the gaze”. This supporting paper considers theories of
identity and the gaze in the making of a digital media art installation. I investigate
the process of being seen as the ‘other’ when moving between cultures, focusing
on filmmaker and theorist Trinh T. Minh-Ha concepts of identity and
displacement. Post-colonial and cinematic theory on ideas of ‘anti-film’, the gaze,
and voyeurism are also considered. Including digital video projection and
electronic sensors, the installation explores multiple layers of the gaze in a form
of peepshow with a live-display of the viewer in the process of looking; in this
construct, “otherness” becomes unstable. The installation evokes a place between
older experimental film methods and new online, digital media, between older
understandings of migration and newer conditions of multiculturalism and
globalization.


identifier: Anoushah pour, Faraz  (2014) In the Space of a Day.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: In the Space of a Day

abstract:
Situated at the intersection of cinema, art and architecture, my thesis addresses the role of movement, time and duration in contemporary video practices. My thesis includes video and video-installation projects that are produced within fixed limits of time and very often in collaboration with others. Oscillating between academic enquiry and creative studio practice, I employ a combination of self-reflexive, collaborative and performative methodologies to investigate the potential of camera movement and editing in articulating
contemporary ideas of time and duration. Working in sites of transit, my thesis also addresses the potential of architecture as both an active and passive agent, constantly moving between the foreground to the background of the narratives of transit, time and movement.


identifier: Anoushahpour, Parastoo  (2014) Then On From There.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Then On From There

abstract:
Then On From There is a practice-based research project situated between the space of the screen and the stage. It interrogates conventional notions of filmmaking, narrativity, and spectatorship in the gallery context, using a combination of collaborative, structural and tactile processes. This thesis revolves around four
individual video works that explore what constitutes narrative in expanded media by investigating the role of traditional devices of plot, tension, and character development. These works, in turn, produce a form of experimental narrative that is multi-layered and self-reflexive. My research, then, contextualizes these projects through the lens of early 1970s structural/materialist film theory and participatory
theater, while engaging contemporary discourse surrounding collaborative art practice and the notion of “expanded cinema.”


identifier: Bakhsh, Rawaa  (2014) Visual Verses: From the Form of Spirit to the Spirit of Form.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

format: text image image image image image image image image image image image

subject:
Islamic Art, Ta’wil, Sufism, Worship, Calligraphy, Sound
Visualization, Adaptation.

abstract:
Visual Verses: From the Form of Spirit to the Spirit of Form, is a personal spiritual journey that re-envisioned the studio as a sacred space, and art making as a spiritual practice, during a process of cultural adaptation from a religious context (Saudi Arabia) to a secular one (Canada). The project used a number of methodologies that integrate elements of Ta’wil, sound visualization, and art making as worship within the theoretical framework of Sufism and Sufi practice. The investigation culminated in the visual representation of Islamic holy scripts in new ways, beyond the traditional methods of calligraphy; the work is thus situated between a strongly religious background and contemporary art practice. This visual exploration was an attempt to combine the spiritual path and studio practice
of a Sufi artist, and thereby highlight the author’s spiritual journey as a form of self-exploration and cultural adaptation.


identifier: Beck, Sarah  (2010) Currency.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Currency

format: text text

abstract: Currency is a novella that seeks true interdisciplinarity not just between mediums but in the search for a plurality of possible ways to express and to approach artistic research. The novella, framed as a gift for the late Kurt Vonnegut, blends his concerns with those of the researcher to examine social economic exchanges both within and outside the art world. Chapter-by-chapter the self-reflexive narrative guides the reader through musings on the experience of the research and the creation of ephemeral artworks using colloquial language, illustrations, jokes and parables.


identifier: Binnie, Lisa  (2013) The Port Lands Sensory Walk.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: The Port Lands Sensory Walk

abstract: The Port Lands, situated minutes from downtown Toronto, is unexplored by most local residents. The landscape is industrial and post-industrial, made of shifting mountains of gravel and salt; nature has moved in where industry has moved out and recreation co-exists beside working cement plants. The objective of this interdisciplinary art project is to advocate for the waterfront district’s unique character, shaped by the contradictory influences of industry, nature and recreation. This project builds upon notions of interconnectedness and emplacement espoused in the disciplines of art, cultural geography, and landscape urbanism. It explores how an artist with a walking art practice uses her method of multisensory investigation to advocate for a feral landscape.


identifier: Bonatto de Castro, Pedro  (2012) Portraits of Science: A journey re-imagining heroes in the history of science.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

abstract:
This work creates re-imagined photographic representations of lesser-known figures in science history inspired by the mythology and narratives of popular science fiction and fantasy. My practice-based research is inspired by the aesthetics of contemporary portraiture and fashion photography. It explores the mythology of the ‘hero’s journey’ in photographic works depicting characters through allegory and visual metaphor. The idea of faded heroes serves as an entry point for a discussion on notions of recognition, fame and authorship in the contemporary world. In an effort to blend science with other forms of visual expression, I explore how the aesthetics of highly stylized and fetishized imagery as presented in the fashion industry and commercial photography can provide a reflection on practices of science popularization where science becomes a commodity product and the figure of the scientist becomes a
spectacle.


identifier: Boyle, Alexis  (2013) Mischief and Curiosity as Survival Strategies in the Super-modern World.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

format: text image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image

language: en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en

abstract:
My thesis exhibition, Tunnel Vision, is the culmination of a series of investigations into the “non-places” of supermodernity that Marc Augé has described in his writing. In this work, I seek to engage viewers in a tactile, sensory experience that may serve to combat the alienation of disembodied social relations. I use humour as an invitation to establish connections with people through playful and interactive artistic propositions. My works draw attention to human needs for physical exploration and
social exchanges and I hope that connecting with viewers as they engage with my work will provide moments of temporary collectivity. My theoretical investigations have delved into the possibilities of readjusting people’s experiences of space and the literature that I address includes De Certeau and Jeffrey Hou’s writing about inventive human
behaviour and appropriations of space that react to societal constraints and imbalances of power.


identifier: Buzio, Guillermina  (2010) Performing Borders.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Performing Borders

format: text slideshow video video video video video

abstract:
Performing Borders is an installation consisting of a series of collaborative video performances. With the participation of others, I used my body to explore issues of identity and the concept of ‘borderlands’ through performing everyday
actions in abstract situations. The ‘identity process’, the limits of the body in relation to other bodies, shifting borders and blurred identity are key concepts in this work. Specifically, I focus on the intersection of identities.


identifier: Camacho Lomelí, Rita  (2012) Parts and Wholes, the Gift.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Parts and Wholes, the Gift

format: text audio video video

abstract:
Parts and Wholes, the Gift is a thesis project consisting of written scholarship and a series of interventionist, performative projects that investigate how the gift manifests in art practices and our everyday experiences. In Parts and Wholes, the Gift the work of art, as if a gift, is discussed through a variety of lenses. These include its
paradoxical nature as labour and its challenge as an autonomous act, to the sociopolitical culture of capitalized economy, by living in the economy of the useful as a superflous act, surpassing it and making it work. In Parts and Wholes, the Gift I focus on potential frameworks and methodologies to understand ways of being together. It is an inquiry into the recognition that the work of art belongs to no one and that the artist is the channel
through whom a work of art is given back to all.


identifier: Campbell, Susan  (2012) Site Lines: An exploration of physical mapping practices.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

format: text image text image image image image image image image image video

abstract:
My practice is driven by the way “the Plan” is used as a stand-in for place, and by
our tendency to identify with a plan at the cost of our connection with place - with its
physicality, its historic context, its role within the social fabric. I reflect on my own
complicity as a graphic designer in creating the kind of clean, seamless visions that are
fine-tuned to appeal to a target demographic. I discuss how the designers’ extensive
array of media is so successful at “holding the focus steady” (Latour 1986: 5) on the
projected world, that it masks the underlying rules that enable and perpetuate that
projection. The artworks engage with the theme of spatial hyper-rationalization, and
speak to the inescapability of Cartesian time-space. My site-line interventions engender
a brief sense of freedom and agency into an otherwise hyper-rationalized environment,
and suggest a fluidity between interior/exterior space and private/public space.


identifier: Clarkson, David  (2012) After Icebergs: Allegories of Painting, Landscape and Digital Networks.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

abstract:
My thesis examines the practical and theoretical implication of the
Internet for contemporary landscape painting practice. Through a method of
painting as research and self-reflexive critique, this study considers a digital
painting practice that is linked to online databases by the mediation of landscape
photographs and QR codes. The writing critically narrates the interdisciplinary
remixing of hybrid positions that the connection of painted, natural and digital
space entails. The actor-network-theory of social scientist Bruno Latour is used
to support the analysis. Critical insight is developed using statements by
modernist art critic Clement Greenberg, Internet pioneer Paul Baran, artists such
as Gerhard Richter and Robert Smithson, in addition to key postmodernist texts
by cultural theorists Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes, Rosalind Krauss, Craig
Owens and Paul Virilio, and interdisciplinary feminist theorist Karen Barad. The
search for icebergs is a recurrent allegorical cipher in the thesis text and artwork.


identifier: Chanda, Fareena  (2012) Zahir & Batin: Rhythms of Being.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Zahir & Batin: Rhythms of Being

subject:
Islamic art, ijtihad (reform), zahir (exoteric), batin (esoteric),
hermeneutics, embodiment, installation art and critical design

abstract:
Zahir & Batin: Rhythms of Being is a multi-faceted research project questioning the definition and teleology of the term Islamic art while positioning a contemporary practice of art and design within the historical discipline. The investigation emphasizes the need for a re-interpretation and expansion of the disciplinary canon of Islamic art
through the methodological use of the Islamic concept of ijtihad (reform). Situated within the interstitial space of traditional, art historical and contemporary Islamic art practices, Zahir & Batin: Rhythms of Being specifically explores the concept of zahir (exoteric) and batin (esoteric) as described in the Sufi tradition. The project combines hermeneutics with an interdisciplinary studio practice, utilizing intuition and the body as vehicles
for attaining esoteric knowledge. The studio-practice explores the concept of the body in Islamic tradition, phenomenology, installation art practices, critical design and timebased media.


identifier: Clement, Joseph  (2011) COLLECTING TASKER.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: COLLECTING TASKER

abstract:
Collecting Tasker is a study in the creation and documentation of ʻauraʼ. It
tackles the question of authenticity and reproduction as posed by Walter Benjamin
and investigates this through the medium of documentary cinema, the vehicle for this
interpretation. The location of aura in a particular place or environment is unique; in
turn provoking an individual response. A product of close observation and involvement
in an environment, aura is fueled by the individual imagination. It is a visceral, physical
feeling, rooted in the authenticity of objects and the observersʼ prior experience, in
response to a given environment. This places aura in a realm beyond emanation and
casts it into the role of communication. Access to past histories through close observation
feeds aura, while allowing it to communicate and inspire new beginnings, creating “a
dialogue between an incomplete reality and the imagination of the spectator” (Trigg,
139).


identifier: Cole, Keith  (2012) Stickers and Glitter: The Politics of Being Bejeweled and Bedazzled and The Deep Gay Apparatus.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

abstract:
This MFA thesis includes the design and construction of a performance moving
apparatus called The Deep Gay Apparatus (TDGA). It references durational and
performative works by contemporary artists, often emulating the visionary artistic
practice of Jack Smith. The theoretical framework deployed includes the theory of
disidentification as posited by José Esteban Muñoz. The project required a durational
walk with TDGA in which I extensively played with my own Faggotry using radical
artist Bruce LaBruce as an influence. I pushed the boundaries of my body using strength,
both mental and physical and collected the everyday, made drawings, collaged, made
performances and used my body as a documentary tool. I displayed my new artworks at
an open-air exhibition which culminated the five day, 95 hour long performance. The
performative medium was my body, the method was heuristic and time was the theme
that transformed TDGA as an object and me as artist.


identifier: Deary, Jason  (2014) NEW ARTIFACTS: Investigations and Explorations into Painted Typologies or Vocabularies Using Curatorial Methodologies and Thought.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

abstract:
This thesis project is an exploration of contemporary painting
vocabularies. I am interested in ideas proposed by artists and critics that painting
is its own language, one that exists outside of traditional written or spoken forms.
Employing a related dialect, that of the curatorial or museological, I attempt to
translate or unpack these languages for the viewer. My paintings are built through
a two-stage process of heavy studio production, play, and material exploration.
First, I execute a variety of painted marks, gestures and forms on sheet material to
amass a collection. In the second phase of production, I pull from this selfgenerated
collection of painted moments to construct compositions reminiscent of
an exhibition, adopting curatorial methodologies to construct paintings. Using the
curatorial in a painting practice illustrates connections and collaborations across
contemporary exhibition and production practices. The results of this
investigation culminate in an exhibition of recent paintings, New Artifacts.


identifier: DeCoste, Patrick  (2014) Dreaming of Bear and Crow A Search for Métis Identity.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

format: text image video

subject: Art, Identity, Métis, Mi’kmaq, Acadian, History, Dream, Painting, Animal Skins.

abstract:
Dreaming of Bear and Crow is an art project that asks how my emerging Métis identity might be located and expressed through a historical Indigenous dream. Five hundred years ago, a young Mi’kmaw woman dreamed of the coming of the French to her shores in Nova Scotia. Her dream announced the genesis of my Métis ancestry and is the subject of my research and art practice. My research included an examination of a text written in 1869 by Silas Rand and engaged site as simulation during a summer art residency on Georgian Bay.
My research was expressed through an interdisciplinary art exhibition featuring acrylic paintings on a polar bear, a spirit bear, and other taxidermy animal skins. Yet a full understanding and embodiment of a Métis identity remains challenged by a communal disconnect, the geographic and cultural distance between Toronto – where I live – and Nova Scotia – where I was born.
Keywords:


identifier: Edelberg, Benjamin  (2012) Its Teeth in His Body, Out of 60 Dogs.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Its Teeth in His Body, Out of 60 Dogs

abstract:
“Its Teeth in His Body, Out of 60 Dogs” studies how visual resignification, reassemblage and
the process of cut-up intersect in profound ways with queer theory and gender theory. The main
theoretical underpinning of my project is Rosalind Krauss’ concept of the visual index where any
reproduced image’s inherent message can be resignified or reactivated when it is placed next to
other visual referents. I am interested in how the queer artist’s process of selection, cut-up and
resignification can create a unique identity outside of received institutional codifications and
stereotypes as described by Michel Foucault and Judith Butler. This identity embodies Lee
Edelman’s concept of queer “jouissance,” when the queer overwhelms or cut-ups these cultural
assemblages by creating an intervention that involves pure enjoyment or eroticism. This process
of externalizing jouissance through cut-up will articulate how these disparate materials can be
reassembled into a distinctly queer identity.


identifier: Fabo, Andy  (2013) Delirious at the Borderlines: Limit Experience and the (Im)Possibilities of Representation.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

abstract:
In the series Delirious at the Borderlines I ask how representational methods like
montage, automatic drawing and historical referencing are best enlisted to portray a nearcatastrophic
health crisis. Bataille, and Blanchot sparked my interest in the extreme limits
of experience demarcating the gap between delirium and reality, the transgressive and
normative, and of life and death. I deploy the works of artists Felix Gonzalez-Torres and
David Wojnarowicz, and authors with multivalent positions regarding aporias, unsolvable
riddles. They illuminate my exploration of contested liminal zones and the alterity of the
constituents of such nether-worlds – immigrants, heretics, incubi, the infirm, and AIDS
patients. Theories of adaptation and translation informed by Linda Hutcheon and Jacques
Derrida were deployed to elucidate methods of intertextuality (literary and visual) and the
palimpsestuous (formal and art historical). These strategies are manifest in my digital
scrollworks and drawings as they interrogate the (im)possibility of death and its
representation.


identifier: Ferko, Ryan  (2014) Delinquent History: For Sites of Transition.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

abstract:
“Delinquent History: For Sites of Transition” is a conceptual history
project carried out as a site-specific art practice. It engages the dialectical
relationship between urban heritage and real-estate development, critically
considering how development strategically narrates history into its rationalized
logic of growth and change. This thesis revolves around four individual sitespecific
projects that quote specific histories into sites where those histories did
not originate, in order to interrogate how urban development often does the same.
The Leslie Street Spit in Toronto is taken as a case study from which to develop a
new theoretical framework called “Sites of Transition” – urban places that are in
the process of shifting from a former identity into a new one. After
contextualizing this case study and its related projects, this thesis undertakes an
examination of these elements in relation to discourse surrounding site-specific
and conceptual art practice, as well as the narration of history.


identifier: Gabel, Brette  (2014) Abandoned Homes and Haunted Houses.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Abandoned Homes and Haunted Houses

abstract:
This paper explores my studio practice and the development of work for the show
Abandoned Homes and Haunted Houses. Throughout this paper I will address the
‘house’ and ‘home’ as a concept, space and object that is anthropomorphized as it
works through a lifecycle. My work explores how a ‘house’ can become a ‘home’
then over time become a ‘house’ again, and so on. Within this project I use a 20th
century kit home as a model for an iconic ‘house’ to explore the notion of the double.
In this paper I will connect these concepts to the work I have created and to my
studio process. Finally I will connect notions of comfort and discomfort to my use of
fabric and craft practices by considering what is communicated through these
mediums. Fabric relates to construction and relates closely to the lifecycle of the
house that I am exploring through my work.


identifier: Gazetas, Calliope  (2014) Traces of Being: People and Coyotes in Urban and Suburban Canada.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

format: text text text image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image image

language: en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en

abstract:
My thesis examines how human/coyote interactions in urban and suburban
Canada are representative of larger issues surrounding our relationship to nature and
non-humans. I have created a series of drawings and laser-cut coyote bodies that respond
to a set of limited cultural perceptions of coyotes through observing, exploring, and engaging
those perceptions. My work is informed by the collection of data from online surveys,
interviews, participatory and observational research, and photographs from wildlife
cameras. These pieces represent multiple perspectives of coyotes based on community
responses and biological studies.


identifier: Gilmore, Barr  (2011) Making a Spectacle of One’s Self.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Making a Spectacle of One’s Self

format: text image image image image text text image image image image image image image

language: en en en en en en en en en en en en en en

abstract:
The Colour Barr is a new species of contemporary furniture—one that embeds the unleashed potential of the unconscious mind in its symbolic form, that challenges screen-based social networking in favour of an embodied social experience, and that looks spectacle straight in the eyes and says, “I understand.”
Welcome to The Colour Barr—a new self-portrait in the form of a sculpture-cum-functioning cocktail bar. Let me open up the bar, while you open up yourself to new intoxicating elixirs, interesting cultural mixes and stimulating symbolic exchange. What awaits is nothing less than transformation. Let’s get this party started.
Does The Colour Barr perform you? Or vice versa?
You decide how best to represent yourself. Value and meaning await those willing to engage at The Colour Barr.


identifier: Green, David  (2011) Rupture: an autobiography in earthquakes.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

abstract:
Rupture is an attempt at building a relationship between a half-remembered childhood
and an anonymous set of numbers. Rupture consists of three elements: a large display of data
collected over the duration of my life; a collection of sixteen photographs; and audio
recollections of my life in Jamaica.
With this combination I explore the nature of memory and discovery. In particular I look for a
way to bridge the space between memory and recollection.
In my reading I travel from my own experience of cultural and political recollection through a
contemplation of the poignancy within a personal snapshot to an examination of the fractured
process in which our brains separate and later reassemble our past.
The original impetus for this work was my memory of a night spent under the stars during a
small earthquake. For a moment I was unsure if the sky was moving or the earth beneath me.


identifier: Griffith, Martha  (2014) Casting Seams.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: Casting Seams

abstract: Cas


identifier: Groebner, Sandy  (2010) THE INTIMACY OF PRESENCE.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: THE INTIMACY OF PRESENCE

format: text slideshow

abstract:
This thesis discusses the importance of the body in perceptive
cognition and human-to-human co-presence and attempts to build
an argument, using research in the fields of philosophy, social science,
neuroscience, architectural theory, and cultural anthropology. As a
researcher, I developed a qualitative field study and embedded myself
as a participant with eighteen volunteers in order to obtain first-hand
experience and to try and locate for myself in a very visceral way, what
constitutes the communicative event between individuals. Combining
and comparing my own experience with responses from the participant
group, I was able to formulate significant conclusions regarding embodied
cognition and use these in the production of a body of work. These,
together with my practice-based research and history as a figurative
artist, have resulted in an interdisciplinary final body of artwork, titled
The Intimacy of Presence.


identifier: Haagaard, Alex M.  (2013) Paramedic-Focused Recommendations for the Design of a Medical Identification System.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

abstract:
Historically, the design of medical identification jewelry has failed to
consider the needs of paramedics, a major user group. Medical jewelry designs mimic
contemporary jewelry styles and often feature irrelevant information, qualities that
reduce their visibility and usefulness in an emergency. My thesis outlines a set
of design recommendations, accompanied by a list of design requirements and a
compliancy table, for medical jewelry that the user needs of paramedics.
The thesis draws upon open-ended interviews with paramedics from
around the province of Ontario, to analyze the tacit and explicit knowledge that
paramedics use when gathering information in medical emergencies. The analysis
is used to develop a first iteration of design recommendations, which are presented
to focus groups for feedback. Using a list of design requirements and a compliancy
table formulated from my interview data, I judge three concepts to be especially
promising, and have developed them as high-fidelity prototypes.


identifier: Higuerey Núñez, Julian  (2012) the promise of making.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: the promise of making

abstract:
“The promise of making” is a research project that investigates the validity
of traditional notions of craft in our contemporary society, and examines how
these notions are understood through the lens of consumption in a knowledge
driven economy. The project simultaneously engages in a theoretical revision of
craft, and undertakes a case study that interrogates the processes of learning the
required skills to attempt to manufacture a pair of jeans from scratch. Through the
reading of theory of craft, contemporary economic models and affects, I will first
establish a framework for developing ideas of a reconfigured concept of craft. By
examining the behaviours in these contemporary practices –and their relationship
to the act of making– I will analyze how the optimism regarding access to
knowledge, as well as the nostalgia for hand making perpetrate the illusion of a
genuine and sincere craft.


identifier: Hunter, Trent  (2014) An Art Practice of Everyday Life.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title: An Art Practice of Everyday Life

abstract:
My project applies the theoretical notion of the tactic, as defined by Michel de
Certeau in The Practice of Everyday Life, as a model for art practice.
Beginning with images of cut and patched sidewalks, I propose art-making as a
way to respond to the accidental and unconsidered aspects of the built world. I try a
number of different approaches to a tactical art-making, evaluating each attempt against
de Certeau’s descriptions of tactical and strategic operations. With each approach, I
encounter paradoxes and contradictions, and ultimately conclude that artwork can never
be solely tactical.
In spite of these difficulties, de Certeau’s ideas successfully facilitate the
development of a broad artistic practice. My final series of work proposes site-specificity
as a way to contain the strategic authority that artwork exerts, and begins to look to Gilles
Deleuze’s notion of the diagram as a way for my practice to move forward.


identifier: Janisse, Melanie Eve  (2014) The Ship of Fools Project: Seeking Heterotopia in Artistic Practice.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

abstract:
The “Ship of Fools Project” is an installation on a sailboat. It incorporates
painting, drawing, sculpture and textile art as an exercise in multi-disciplinary
visual practices. It also employs the strategies and techniques of poetry to cohere
these visual practices into an artistic practice of interdisciplinarity. The boat is a
purposeful receptacle for the artwork in that its definable location is slippery,
tackable and temporary. It is a countersite/heterotopia because it surrenders
itself to the water, making no permanent relationships, allowing for an unstable
and mysterious location. The “Ship of Fools Project” incorporates haptic, nonlinear
and anarchic methods (smooth) and places them in an environment that
only understands in part how to support these methods (striated). The “Ship of
Fools Project” depicts the ‘view from here’ as it takes shape, for the sake of
clarification but more importantly as a claiming of this positioning within my
practice.


identifier: Lal, Tahireh  (2013) Metaphysical Gravity.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

title:
Metaphysical
Gravity

abstract:
Metaphysical Gravity is an art exhibition that uses movement and

stasis in sculpture, video and audio to reflect on the condition of contemporary mobility. This is
addressed through a self-‐reflexive art practice that is informed by auto-‐ethnographic
reflection supported by
interviews. The concept of affect and its relationship to memory and the body is explored and
illustrated with insights on the shifting nature of home within migration. The adaptation process
emerges as a negotiation of familiarity and strangeness. The studio practice engages these
relationships through explorations of sand, magnetism and speech. The artwork generated manifests
material and temporal behaviors that speak to the simultaneity of movement and stasis. The
assertion that mobility is afforded by the coexistence of stasis and dynamism, familiarity and
unfamiliarity is derived from a key principle of the mobilities paradigm: any mobility has its
immobile counterpart.


identifier: Lau, Po Chun  (2012) A SENSE OF PLACE: An Exploratory Study of Visual Re-presentation into Memory and History Where My World Began.  Masters thesis, OCAD University.

format: text audio

abstract:
This exploratory paper addresses the notion of “sense of place and
belonging” through visual re-presentation into history and the memory of people
who live in a place where they belong. The place is Pouch Cove, Newfoundland.
Taking a research creation approach and a qualitative interviewing mode of
inquiry, I collected stories about the connection between local residents and
Pouch Cove. Reflecting on the locals’ sense of place through their narratives, and
my own sense of place when immersing myself in the daily life of Pouch Cove, I
created a body of work for my thesis exhibition. The artworks presented invite
the viewers to experience “sense of place” and to interpret it through their own
perception. The subject under investigation, the place and memories and histories
of the people of Pouch Cove, has guided my research creation project and inspired
the work in the exhibition.