MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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Chismosa: The gossiper and the act of self-portraiture
No full textI paint and bleed ancient narratives long forgotten through time. Through scorched Earth and raging waves, I grieve constantly the things that I have lost. The people that I have lost. The language and heritage that I have lost.
Therefore, my art are visual eulogies.
What are statues and other accolades if they cannot withstand the inevitable passage of time? Only crumbling to dust and debris as eons pass–what lies they tell you. Stone and marble, granite and bronze. Permanent things, immovable things, cold and inhuman.
I am what I have lost. Those that came before me, those that loved me, those that believed in me. I am made out of their memories, thoughts and actions.
I am the living celebration of them.
I’ve always been interested in exploring the pre-colonial aspect of my roots as an attempt at healing from intergenerational and religious trauma. Self-portraits to me are milestones, celebrating and comparing what I have learned and how much still I need to improve on. This painting will serve as a playful reminder of everything that encompasses my identity: my family, our heritage and history, my self-doubt, hesitations, regrets and passions all tied in together in the daily commute to where my creativity is constantly being challenged and where it is made to flourish.
Faculty Mentor: Collin Johanson 
The Effect of Russian Colonialism on Ukrainian Cultural Identity
No full textUkraine is currently engaged with Russia in an all-out war. Due to this aggression, our research set out to determine if Russian colonialism has impacted Ukraine’s cultural identity, given how Russia has been involved with Ukraine for over a century. The research investigated whether Russian colonialist practices impacted Ukraine’s cultural identity by examining Russian-based propaganda, corrupt policies and institutions, and food. Based on a review of the literature, semi-structured interviews were conducted with student respondents. Analysis of the responses demonstrated that Russian colonialist practices affected Ukraine in both negative and positive ways. The results indicate that Russian colonialist practices have impacted Ukrainian cultural identity. Further research is needed to identify other factors that affect Ukrainian cultural identity.
Keywords: Ukraine, colonization, cultural identity, corruption, food, propaganda, Russia
confined. designed. but credited?
No full textconfined. designed. but credited? was created to illustrate the history, or lack thereof, of women in the graphic design profession. This zine explores the contributions of 10 key women to the field of graphic design. Analyzing and comparing the texts The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, and Alms for Oblivion by Ellen Mazur Thomson brings attention to the disparities and struggles of career women. Beauvoir’s comment on existentialism focuses on navigating individualistic thinking with the tension between free will and societal constraints. Despite oppression and sexism, multiple women achieved professional status as graphic designers. However, women were forced into more “feminine” specialties at design schools such as the Bauhaus and/or were “lost” to history because, according to Thomson, they were not credited for their work. In addition, exploring the primary and secondary sources questions the definition of design itself and why the lack of clarity has made it difficult to identify women designers. Delivering this research in the form of a zine salutes one of the ways feminists communicate their views. The combination of photos, hand-drawn illustrations, and digitally rendered shapes & textures help point to the main ideas of each article. Overall, the zine captures key concepts of limitations within a male-dominated world, as well as the capacity, competence, and innovation of women in design. Created for the Feminist Theories and Foundations course (GEND219) and informed by my program, Bachelor of Design
Content Reinforcement of Cell Membrane and Transport Improves Long-term Knowledge Retention in Physical Education Students
No full textHuman physiology is considered a foundational course in the Physical Education program. The objective of the present study was to evaluate content retention of cell and plasma membrane transport for first-year Physical Education University Transfer physiology students over eight weeks. Results show that the knowledge retention was observed to be week-specific, highest in weeks one and three and lower for other weeks. Therefore, content reinforcement can be used as an interventional strategy to improve long-term knowledge retention in Physical Education University Transfer students.
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Paul Chahal & Dr. Raj Narnawar
Battle Grounds: The Female Body as a Site of War
No full textOn February 24, 2022, Russia escalated the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war to a full-blown invasion of Ukraine. As a war tactic, Putin endorses gender-based violence by employing rape rhetoric to frame Ukraine as a powerless woman, and to demand the submissiveness that he believes is owed to him. To elucidate the socio-political forces behind gender-based violence as a war tactic, I reveal the relationship between traditional gender roles in Eastern Europe and how they establish the female body as the property of a nation. Through the examination of relevant literature, I draw a theoretical perspective that identifies the female body as nationalized, objectified as property, and inscribed as a site of violence. Applying this lens to the invasion of Ukraine, I identify the social and political forces that allow Russian soldiers to objectify the Ukrainian female body as a battle ground on which national wars are fought. Further, I discuss how gender-based violence, while apparent during peacetime, becomes amplified during conflict, and how this violence physically inscribes the Ukrainian female body as “Other.” To conclude, I discuss how the lived experiences of Ukrainian women become embodied through fear, yet silenced through the ongoing nature of this war, and I pose several questions that aim at creating space for women to share their painful experiences as an act of liberation.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Leslie Dawson 
A Story told through Recipes
No full textThe package design for herbal remedy flashcards. The design is centered on the relationship that exists between rumors and truth. The box is designed with a witch concept and leads users to believe what is inside has something to do with being a witch, but the user discovers that this is far from the truth and all the box contains are recipes for how to cure illnesses. In the same way, Katharina was only trying to help but was accused of being a witch. Rumors may say one thing, but the truth can be something entirely different.
The box has a cut-out design that lets the user see the card’s image. This image changes depending on which box the user buys. Like rumors, there are so many versions of the same story, and they can change at any moment depending on what is most favorably accepted.
Every design detail calls back to the rumors and accusations Katharina had to face. However, the packaging also shows that those accusations were not true. The design at the back of each recipe card represents the accusations brought forward against Katharina. From the accusation of her digging up her father’s skull as a weapon of sorcery or causing a storm to even making animals ill.
The recipe cards also hold their little truth. As the user reads further into the card, they realize the directions given are extracts from the book of when misleading evidence was brought up about Katharina being a witch. It shows how much a rumor can seem like the truth but is not.
Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pacher 
DUETS: Transposing the Auditory into the Visual
No full textDuets is a jazz album created by Kevin Dean with accompaniment from Jean Michel Pilc. In 2022, Dean had a medical emergency which shook him to his core. This experience is expressed throughout the album’s journey. As Dean puts it, “pulls your ribs open and grabs your heart.”
As a whole, the system focuses on two aspects of Duets, the idea of a conversation between the musicians and the vulnerability that entails. The title, which is built off of a blocky sans serif (ITC Avant Garde Gothic Pro), has transparency which prevents the viewer from being able to read the title unless they combine both colours that represent the back and forth of the musicians’ conversation. In addition, the industrial nature of the typeface adds to this theme by signifying the mechanical nature of one’s body. The primary typeface is accompanied by a friendly and round sans serif that smooths the harsh edges of the rest of the system. The red accent colour was specifically chosen to mimic the raw physical and emotional “insides” of people. Finally, the background image (a photograph provided by Annie Spratt) is used for its texture and to invoke the sentiment seen throughout the package. The texture adds visual interest while keeping the focal point on the foreground elements. The vulnerable sentiment on display is exposed as nothing can be hidden within its stark negative space.
In the end, we cannot participate in the conversation unless we open ourselves up to others.
Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pacher 
Identifying unknown soft coral species of Anthelia (Octocorallia) with multilocus DNA barcoding
No full textThere are an estimated 1-9 million species of corals yet to be discovered. Anthelia is a species of soft coral that belongs to the Xeniid ae family within Octocorallia. The Xeniidae family of soft corals are of interest due to their ability to rapidly recolonize disturbed reefs, which have become more prevalent with global warming. Octocorallia also contains some of the most valuable corals used in jewelry. Identifying corals not only contributes to its conservation and our knowledge of its evolution, but also prevents fraudulent coral jewelry and the overharvesting of coral beds. However, morphologically identifying corals is very difficult and is further exacerbated with global warming or when it is polished and carved into jewelry. Instead, multilocus DNA barcoding can utilize the genetic material of corals to reveal an accurate classification of species and prevent its exploitation. Specifically, genetic loci in the mitochondrial or nuclear genes can be used to tag and classify corals, with referencing done to genetic databases such as GenBank or NCBI. We identified the soft corals Anthelia glauca, Sarcophtyon tro cheliophorum, and a Sinularia spp. that was mistaken for a species of Nepthea.
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Joshua Miller & Dr. Ross Sha
Cloning and Purification of a Glycerol Specific Alditol Oxidase for Biosensor Construction
No full textBiosensors have been used to detect the presence of carbohydrates in serum and solution. Alditol oxidase (AldO) is a redox enzyme which catalyzes the oxidation of longer-chain polyols but has a low affinity for glycerol, despite the similarity in structure. Glycerol is an undesirable byproduct of wine fermentation, negatively affecting quality. Glycerol is also a product of adipose tissue metabolism during fasting, indicating abnormal blood glucose. In both situations, glycerol concentrations must be closely monitored. Using site-directed mutagenesis, a quadruple mutant of AldO was found to have increased specificity towards glycerol (AldOG). Glycerol oxidases are rare in nature, and the small, monomeric characteristics of AldOG suggest compatibility for biosensor incorporation. Previous research found recombinant AldOG with a GST tag to be insoluble. The synthetic AldOG gene was cloned into E. coli competent cells with an N-terminal hexahistidine tag aiming to improve solubility. Protein isolation and solubilization was attempted using native and denaturing NiNTA affinity chromatography. Functional AldOG optimization procedures will be used in collaboration with Dr. Samuel Mugo for biosensor incorporation. Functional AldOG is also to be used in a 300-level biochemistry laboratory course developed by Dr. Nina Bernstein.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Nina Bernstein 
What does diversity do? Exploring parent-child play engagement with loose parts to bridge the learning gap between home and early learning environments
No full textIn Canada, childcare experiences are becoming increasingly diverse due to ethnically heterogeneous populations. The vitality of having open attitudes towards diversity is a pressing need. Despite current efforts to address diversity in early learning environments, no magic formula exists for educators encountering new, unique, and culturally unique experiences. Effectively bridging the gap between the home and early childhood environments requires the collaboration of diverse learning styles, backgrounds, and traditions. Play with loose parts (a combination of various natural and fabricated materials, predominantly open-ended) can be a powerful tool for bringing diversity into play. In the study, we observed a variety of parent-child dyads and explored how parents with diverse backgrounds influence their play with their children with two sets of toys (loose parts versus percussion instruments). The goal was to explore parents\u27 roles in their children\u27s play and how cultural backgrounds impact engagement and duration of unstructured play. We address the question “How does diversity impact parent engagement and roles during loose parts play?” We evaluated parents’ ratings of their engagement and enjoyment of play. While many parents enjoyed playing with loose parts, some were unaware of what to do with the materials. The presentation will describe unique cultural patterns in loose parts play and incorporate the highlights of children\u27s play experiences with parents reflecting on diverse backgrounds to support educators’ practices.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ozlem Cankaya