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Mapping minerals that correlate with geothermal activity using drone hyperspectral data
No full textHyperspectral remote sensing provides detailed spectral information for mapping hydrothermal alteration minerals, but the effectiveness of different spectral domains and processing strategies depends on the specific context of application. This study assessed three hyperspectral datasets—VNIR (400–1000 nm), SWIR (900–2500 nm), and a VNIR–SWIR layer stack—for detecting alteration minerals associated with geothermal systems at Crawford Creek, British Columbia. Supervised classification methods, including Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) for presence/absence mapping and Linear Spectral Unmixing (LSU) for fractional abundance estimation, were applied to eight target minerals: muscovite, illite, kaolinite, gypsum, alunite, calcite, chalcedony, and tincalconite
Durational variability of spontaneous and read speech: Comparison between English and Japanese
No full textThis article was originally published as: Mukai, Y., Brenner, D., & Tucker, B.V. (2025). Durational variability of spontaneous and read speech: Comparison between English and Japanese. Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics, 56(1). https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0002121
Paper presented at the 188th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America joint with 25th International Congress on Acoustics, May 18–23, 2025. New Orleans, Louisiana.The present work examines the cross-linguistic effects of speech style and phonetic reduction. Specifically, we focus on the durational variability of vowels and consonants in spontaneous and read speech in English and Japanese. Data were extracted from spoken corpora of English and Japanese and other read speech data for the two languages. The duration of the segments was extracted then for each segment in the dataset to explore differences in durational variability between the two languages and the two speech styles. Differences were found between spontaneous and read speech in English in both vocalic and consonantal measures. In contrast, the Japanese showed less variability, particularly in vocalic elements, with only the consonantal measure showing a difference. The results are discussed in terms of the interplay between speech style and phonetic reduction, suggesting both language-specific and language-independent patterns of reduction.Paper 2ASC
Substance use peer leadership: Lessons learned from the toxic drug crisis and COVID-19 pandemic in British Columbia
No full text2025This research considers how substance use peer leaders experienced engagement with health care and government agencies during the collision of the toxic drug crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic in BC. Literature reviewed included leadership lessons from health social movements, peers working in healthcare and leadership roles, and incorporation of substance use peers into health care. The research was conducted in partnership with two peer-led organizations, through which participants were recruited. The study met the ethical standards of the Royal Roads University Research Ethics Policy, which was adhered to throughout. The study methodologies included community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) and appreciative inquiry (AI), conducted through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Despite the impacts of the toxic drug crisis, engagement and integration of people who use substances as key collaborators in services and responses designed for them, remains limited. The research argues a correlation between systemic stigma and the treatment of people who use substances, contributing to significant differences between the toxic drug response compared to the COVID-19 response. This paper showcases how peer leaders are essential to addressing the toxic drug crisis, and any future services, initiatives, or challenges pertaining to them
Exploring Place Attachment and Impacts of Landscape Changes in Victoria's Chinatown
No full text2025This research explores how local Chinese community leaders and stakeholders in Victoria’s Chinatown understand and respond to changes in the area’s physical and symbolic environment. Using qualitative methods, including interviews, TripAdvisor reviews, and document analysis, the study examines how people form emotional, cognitive, and behavioral connections to the place. The findings show that many participants feel a sense of loss or disconnection as the area becomes more commercial and tourist-oriented. At the same time, others still value it as a meaningful cultural site. The study introduces the conceptual model of “contested place attachment” to describe these mixed feelings. It also suggests that tourism and branding have shaped how Chinatown is presented, often in ways that do not reflect the views of the local community. This research offers practical suggestions for tourism planning and heritage management that are more inclusive and sensitive to the needs of long-term residents
Modular, camp style, housing: Housing to solve the housing crisis
No full textThis thesis examines the feasibility of using modular, camp-style trailer housing, widely deployed in resource extraction industries, as a cost-effective, rapidly deployable transitional housing model for Canadian municipalities facing housing crises. While traditional emergency shelters are often expensive, slow to build, and politically contentious, modular trailers offer potential advantages in cost, flexibility, and deployment speed. This study employs a qualitative methodology grounded in semi-structured interviews with municipal planners, social workers, individuals with lived experience in modular housing, and professionals in the modular housing industry. The findings are complemented by supplier quotations and secondary literature. Results suggest that modular trailers offer significantly lower per-person costs than shelters or hoteling, with leasing rates ranging from 1,400 per person per month depending on configuration. However, zoning restrictions, community opposition, and permitting challenges remain significant barriers to municipal adoption. While not a replacement for permanent housing, modular trailers may serve as an effective stopgap solution, particularly on surplus land, during periods of acute need. This research contributes to the planning literature by evaluating a proven private-sector housing model through a municipal policy lens.Thesis/major project submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Community Planning in the Department of Community Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vancouver Island University
Pupillometry-based measurement of L1 and L2 fluency: Pupil dilation as a proxy for cognitive fluency
No full textPresentation slides from the 2025 Second Language Research Forum which took place September 26-28, 2025, at Northern Arizona University.The present study employs pupillometry to quantify the cognitive effort involved in L2 speech production to provide a more direct and holistic measure of cognitive fluency
Seeing like a developer: Mapping the potential impacts of planning policies on the distribution and cost of market housing in Nanaimo
No full textEffective methods for estimating and communicating the impacts of planning policy are critical for the development of good land use planning overall, but especially in the current housing crisis conditions in Canadian cities. This project presents a new Geographic Information Systems (GIS) model that combines public data on existing property values, density policy, and real estate development finance to estimate and map development costs across the community of Nanaimo, British Columbia. These forecasts of housing affordability allow intuitive visual comparison and statistical analysis, enhancing understanding of how existing and future housing needs are likely to be met (or not) by the private sector under various policy scenarios. Results are presented in the form of intuitive heatmap-style visualizations that facilitate public engagement and inform more evidence-based housing and planning policy development. The model operates rapidly, creating potential to replicate this method in communities throughout BC.Thesis/major project submitted is partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Community Planning in the Department of Community Planning, Faculty of Social Sciences, Vancouver Island University
Distribution of Metals in Soils in Public Parks in South Calgary
No full text2025AbstractThe concentrations of metals in 60 soil samples from 19 playgrounds across the southwest and southeast quadrants of Calgary were determined by x-ray fluorescence. The mean metal concentrations were below the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment soil quality guidelines for residential/parkland use. However, barium, cadmium, chromium, nickel, vanadium, and zinc concentrations in a few samples exceeded the guideline. Metal concentrations in samples collected from the southwest quadrant were higher than those in the southeast quadrant reflecting the anthropogenic sources of contamination in the southwest quadrant from increased industrial and transportation activities. High coefficient of variation for most metals, indicate wide spatial variations that may lead to local exceedances. The human health risk associated with incidental ingestion of soil for adults and children was low except for zinc in one park, thus requiring additional sampling and analysis to detect any emerging trends and to safeguard environmental and public health
Fish, foliage, & food security: Utlizing an aquaponic growing system to produce rainbow trout and romaine lettuce year-round
No full textPosterIn this applied research project, we worked with the Nanaimo Association for Community Living (NACL) to design a production greenhouse for their newly acquired farm. The NACL is a non-profit organization that empowers and supports individuals with diverse abilities in the Nanaimo region through a variety of programs and services. The NACL’s goal in constructing a greenhouse is to produce as much food as possible on their property to support the health and wellbeing of their members. With food security in mind, we proposed a greenhouse with a production system that simultaneously grows romaine lettuce and raises rainbow trout: aquaponics