MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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No One is an Island: The Misdirection of the Individual Climate Impact Narrative
No full textThis paper seeks to examine, through secondary, mixed methods research, the ability of the individual to affect positive change regarding the climate crisis through their specific choices. By reading myriad scholarly, scientific, and journalistic sources, we found that though positive changes can be made on a smaller government scale, individuals’ ability to reduce environmental harm through their own choices and habits is minimal. Further, corporations and others in positions of power engage in both long- and short-term efforts to actively sabotage efforts of groups working to make societal changes or bring attention to the issues of the climate crisis. The researchers suggest that ecological communications should change direction from scolding the individual to emphasizing systemic change. It is recommended that further study be conducted of cohesion in activist organizations and collectives and the effects of education in rhetoric.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Lucille Mazo 
“The Lurking Place of Nameless Terrors”: Queer Alterity within British Normative Subjects in Richard Marsh’s The Beetle
No full textMy thesis project will examine the resurgence of gothic literature in the 1890s through the
framework queer theory. As scholars of the literary gothic suggest, the prolific production and consumption of gothic literature reflected anxieties surrounding identity categories in the fin de siècle. The literature represented an extensive range of concerns through its ambiguous monsters and portrayals of male characters who breached the expectations of masculinity (Halberstam, Hutchison, Stuart, Rowlinson). Because of these concerns about identity, there is a focus on gothic literature through the framework of queer studies. I focus on Richard Marsh’s novel The Beetle (1897), which subverts the notions of stable identity categories and locates the threat within the gothic monster and the so-called normative characters. The text exploits fears surrounding scientific discourse, English society\u27s decline, and normative gender roles. In Marsh’s novel, the monstrous beetle invades English customs and bodies yet demonstrates that such otherness exists within normative subjects. Despite the reinstatement of order at the end of the novel, Marsh presents a character that makes readers question the validity, stability and strength of masculine and imperial hegemony.
Faculty Mentors: Dr. Daniel Martin & Dr. David Hollingshea
Challenging the Spartan ‘Mirage’ by Redefining the Greek Standard for Burials
No full textAncient sources, like Plutarch, have written on the Spartan burial practices by depicting them as \u27unique\u27 through the acceptance and practice of intracommunal burials compared to extracommunal burials. Through the portrayal of Spartan burials in ancient sources, such as Herodotus, Plutarch, and Pausanias, Sparta was depicted as being the exception to the Greek standard . However, the ancient sources on Spartan burials are not reliable, thus, resulting in modern scholars relying on material evidence to infer an accurate prediction about past societies . This paper will address the flaws and inconsistencies within the ancient sources’ description of Spartan funerary practices and illustrate how Sparta was a part of the Greek \u27standard\u27. This will be accomplished by using recent archaeological evidence showcasing extracommunal and intracommunal burial practices from the Archaic to the Hellenistic period to contradict the existing ancient sources illustration of Sparta’s ‘unique’ burial practices. Furthermore, this paper will compare Sparta with its neighbouring poleis, Corinth and Argos, to show how their archaeological evidence also depicts the mixture of intracommunal and extracommunal practices from the Archaic to Classical period. Thus, I argue that the preconceived ‘unique’ intracommunal burial practices of Sparta are inaccurate based on the archaeological evidence, which instead supports that the Greek standard utilized a mixture of intracommunal and extracommunal burial practices.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Jessica Romney 
Quaesitum Emporium - No. 1: A Music Composition and Orchestration Project
No full textQuaesitum Emporium revolves around an original storyline about a mystical emporium that offers one’s quaesitum–something one seeks for–in the form of a magic potion. Inspired by the idea that music has the power to affect one’s state of mind, this creative project aims to create a series of music compositions to serve as the story characters’ means to achieve metanoia or change of heart. Through the lens of the composer, the project approaches this objective by developing and manipulating music elements to express the emotions that are relevant to the story.
As the first in the series of compositions for Quaesitum Emporium, No. 1 focuses on the story of an adolescent boy who has lost his sense of wonder. Dreaming in his sleep, he stumbles upon the Quaesitum Emporium where he is offered a potion that will help him see things in a new light, eventually granting him a renewed sense of wonder and an appreciative outlook in life.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Allan Gilliland 
Art Therapy as Self Care
No full textArt therapy as a psychotherapeutic tool enables individuals to explore and develop an understanding of their emotions, thoughts, and behaviours while utilizing various forms of creative expression. Various art forms, including painting, sculpture, and music, contribute to these creative expressions, which assist people in expressing themselves and addressing emotional and psychological issues. Individuals can use art therapy as a valuable and effective tool to communicate in non-verbal ways that may be difficult to express verbally. Moreover, this tool is effective for various individuals with varying mental health conditions, regardless of their background. Additionally, making art offers an opportunity for individuals to experience a sense of accomplishment, which may boost their self-esteem and encourage new coping mechanisms. As an example, Adrian Hill (a British artist) used art as a form of therapy to cope with his tuberculosis in the 1940s, drawing physical objects that provided him comfort and satisfaction. As a result, Hill expressed that he coped more effectively with his depreciating mental health and negative health conditions. Thus, improving his overall mood and well-being through the form of art. Historically, art therapy has been found to have significant and positive effects on mental health and overall well-being. Overall, I hope that through poster, I can provide a pros & cons associated with art therapy in the context of mental health; this includes but is not limited to anxiety and depression.
Faculty Mentor: Meredith Porter 
Laboratory Design: Multi-method Analysis of Metal Adsorption to Diatomite
No full textHeavy metal contamination in aquatic systems has been considered an environmental threat to humans and other living organisms. An increasing interest in research and development towards removing these pollutants has led to the development of a cost-effective and high-efficiency method. This study aims to determine the interaction between metals and diatomite surfaces. Cadmium (Cd) and gold (Au) metal in solution was used to investigate how much of these metals were adsorb by diatoms or precipitated in solution through batch adsorption experiment. The experiment was conducted by setting up different concentrations of Au and Cd solutions in pH of 2 to 10. A surface study of diatomite was done through potentiometric titration by determining the point of zero charges (pzc). In addition, potentiometric titration informs at which pH of the diatomite surface is protonated and deprotonated. The amount of Cd and Au removed from solution was quantified by Inductively Couples Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) provides information about the functional group present in the diatomite and how they interact with metal ions. The structure of diatomite and its elemental composition was analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). This research project is designed to be taught to undergraduates in the lab for a series of labs in the course Introduction to Biogeochemistry.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Janice Kenney 
The Myths and the Memories: Perceptions of Traumatic Memory and Victim Credibility
No full textStudies have demonstrated that the quality and characteristics of memories of traumatic victimization can play a major role in how sexual violence allegations are treated in the criminal justice system. Research also confirms that singular versus repeated trauma is retained differently in memory. However, little is known about how assumptions about traumatic memory retention impact decision-making in criminal justice contexts. The present study was designed to evaluate perceptions of traumatic memories of intimate partner violence (IPV), and how memory characteristics for singular versus repeated incidents are associated with victim credibility. This study will also compare expectations about memory held by those with and without criminal justice backgrounds/specialized knowledge. Participants will read a vignette that depicts a victim’s disclosure of sexual violence to police that occurred once, a few times, or many times (5+). The victim’s memory will be described as complete (specific/detailed) or incomplete (vague/fragmented). Participants will complete measures of memory and IPV myth endorsement, as well as ratings of victim credibility, allegation veracity, judgment confidence, and recommended criminal justice responses. We anticipate that laypersons (i.e., those with no specialized knowledge) will be more likely to assign greater credibility to victim memories that are vague and fragmented, in accordance with popular beliefs about memory. Those with some specialized training should be more likely to hold opposing beliefs that associate memory specificity with credibility. This study has important implications for how victim memory is viewed by criminal justice professionals and how their perceptions inform their beliefs and actions.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kristine Peace 
Recognizing Risk Factors for the Perpetration of Campus Sexual Violence
No full textIn past surveys of post-secondary men, several factors such as negative peer influences (Humphrey & Kahn, 2000), rape supportive attitudes (Zinzow & Thompson, 2015), as well as excessive alcohol and substance use (Cleveland et al., 2019), have been found to be associated with increased risk of sexual violence perpetration including. Survivors of campus sexual violence rarely choose to report their assault to authorities and instead disclose to close friends or family members. As other students are the main receivers of sexual violence disclosures, it is important examine what influences their perceptions, as this could whether they see the respondent as a risk to others on campus and their level of concern for those who have experienced sexual violence.
The present study aimed to experimentally examine the perceptions of students regarding what would constitute a risk factor for campus sexual violence. Three empirically supported factors were examined: frequent substance usage; attitudes supportive of rape; and negative peer influence. Participants were presented with a vignette depicting an on-campus sexual violence scenario, where the presence of the three risk factors was varied. Participants were then asked to rate the likelihood that the respondent/perpetrator will commit another sexual or violent crime, how safe they would feel around the respondent, the likelihood that the respondent will engage in future sexual violence, and the severity of behaviour. Although data collection has not been completed at the time of writing, it will be complete prior to Student Research Day and preliminary results will be presented.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sandy Jung 
Hiding and Searching Behaviours in a 2D environment
No full textThere are many times in our lives when we have to hide something to try and prevent others from finding it (e.g., presents) or search for something another person has hidden (e.g., special treats). While both tasks depend heavily on spatial memory, each engages unique cognitive processes and strategies. Past research has shown that environmental features, such as distance from an entryway, or proximity to a window, influence hiding and searching behaviour. However, it is unknown how social factors, such as whether the hider/searcher is a friend or a foe, might influence such behaviours. This study aims to address this question by presenting participants with different vignette scenarios that position participants to be hiding/searching for objects in a friend-based (vs. a foe-based) relationship. Furthermore, looking at how personality can play a role in hiding/searching behaviours (e.g., participants higher in extroversion vs. those lower). Also, the amount of prior video game experience can influence hiding and searching behaviour in a 2D virtual task. More research must be done on how humans hide and search for objects. This research will be necessary for understanding individuals hiding and searching patterns in these varying factors and to help in day-to-day tasks that involve searching/hiding objects.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Eric Legge 
Singing the Stress Away: Karaoke As a Coping Tool
No full textWhile highly entertaining, music can also serve as a coping mechanism. For instance, group singing can reduce anxiety and improve social relations. However, research on individual singing is scarce. Although individual singing in front of others has been used in the past to induce stress, it is unclear whether it can also decrease stress in other contexts (e.g., alone without social pressure). In the current study, participants’ perceived stress, mood, and blood pressure were taken before and after a stress-inducing arithmetic task. Next, they were placed in one of five conditions: singing or listening to liked or disliked songs alone, or sitting in silence, and stress, mood, and blood pressure were assessed a final time. Finally, participants completed demographics, musical sophistication, and personality questionnaires. Based on a previous study in our lab, we expect that stress will decrease after singing or listening to music, with singing showing the largest effects. Moreover, it is expected that those singing to preferred songs will show the greatest decrease in stress. These findings would suggest that singing could serve as a particularly easy and effective coping tool for stress. This would be beneficial to individuals who experience recurrent anxiety, or anyone looking for a quick way to reduce stress.
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Kathleen Corrigall