MacEwan Open Journals (MacEwan University)
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E-commerce and Zapato Sanchez, Custom Shoes: Research and Exploration
No full textAs e-commerce platforms expand, local businesses are trying to keep up and grow alongside the bigger companies. This research project explored the role of e-commerce and custom-made artisanal dress shoes for a local Edmonton business, specifically if advertising on social media platforms would allow for sales growth. This study followed a three phase structured research approach that utilized focus group discussions, a questionnaire, and a literature review. Preliminary research was made to better understand the custom shoe industry and the desires of the current markets shopping criteria for shoes. The questions explored the criteria and decision-making tools used by the targeted market when purchasing men’s dress shoes. Further questions were posed to find the viability of an e-commerce platform for custom made shoes and the opinion on marketing this product on social media. Findings from the focus group and questionnaire found that the respondents were not receptive to an e-commerce platform and that Edmontonian’s are unaware of the custom shoe market in the city. Finalized results showed that in order for the business to achieve online sales, there must be a shift in target market and increased brand awareness within the Edmonton area. By moving from the Traditionalist age segment to generation Y, it was shown that they have the most promise for the business in terms of future sales both online and in-store. And by increasing awareness it will promote continual growth from generation Y onwards.
Faculty Mentor: Fernando Angulo-Ruiz
Department: Marketing
 
The historical impact of Canadian legislation on Japanese immigrants and their families
No full textI will be talking about the reasons behind the influx of Japanese immigration in Canada since the early 1900s, focusing particularly on the influence of immigration policies, economics, and politics. I will then introduce the War Measures Act of 1942, its ramifications, and the after-effects for the Japanese Canadians who stayed in Canada and compare it to research done on what happened to those who chose to return to Japan. Overall, I will be discussing the history of this cultural minority in Canada and what impact their treatment has had on the citizens of today.
Faculty Mentor: Irfan Chaudhry
Department: Human Rights, Diversity and Equity Student Award Presentation
 
Investigating the Response of Zircon to Shock Metamorphism
No full textThe Haughton Impact Structure is a complex crater located on Devon Island in the Arctic Archipelago. The 23-km structure formed 39 Mya in mixed target rock. The remote location of Haughton renders samples difficult to come by. A granitic hand-specimen (8 cm x 6 cm) cut by veinlets of impact melt was obtained through Western University, from which a polished thin-section was prepared. Shock effects manifest in the thin-section\u27s zircons were studied by optical petrography, scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Zircon is a refractory mineral, resistant to physical / chemical weathering and is stable to ultrahigh temperatures. The documentation of shock effects in zircon therefore provides the opportunity to study shock effects not probed by most minerals. We observe planar fractures, planar deformation features and the transformation of zircon to reidite, a high-pressure polymorph. Reidite is stable at 30-60 Gpa, but at temperatures <1473 K. At temperatures >1963 K, zircon decomposed to ZrO2 + SiO2, observed as a light-dark vermicular texture in BSE images. Our results represent the first detailed study of zircons at Haughton, reveal a previously unrecognized phase transformation at the crater and constrain the pressure-temperature-time history experienced by granitic basement rocks during the impact event.
Faculty Mentor: Erin Walton
Department: Earth and Planetary Science
Catalogue and Analysis of MacEwan University\u27s Meteorite Collection
No full textMacEwan University possesses a collection of eighteen meteorites. As part of this study, the meteorite samples were catalogued to include essential information such as level of shock and weathering, petrographic type, location of the find or fall, mineralogy, and a description of the hand specimen, as well as any data published on individual samples from the peer-reviewed literature. Within the collection is an unclassified meteorite, Northwest Africa (NWA) “X”, believed to be lunar in origin. NWA X has no entry within the Meteoritical Bulletin and literature searches have not turned up any previous studies on this meteorite. This meteorite therefore became the focus of a concentrated effort to classify NWA X based on its mineralogy, microtextures ans composition. Observations were made on a single polished thin section, using a petrographic microscope, a scanning electron microscope, and a Raman spectrometer. These instruments revealed a brecciated texture, displaying high levels of shock metamorphism, as well as several igneous lithologies with grains of anorthite, a Ca-rich feldspar. These attributes are consistent with classification of this meteorite as lunar. Secondary weathering products such as barite, BaSO4, which formed during the meteorite’s residence in the Saharan desert, have also been characterized. This compiled information was then added to the catalogue to complete the meteorite’s entry.
Faculty Mentor: Erin Walton and Robert Hilts
Department: Earth and Planetary Sciences
 
The Impact of the 1918 Spanish Influenza Pandemic in Canada
No full textThe 1918-1919 Spanish Influenza Pandemic was a pivotal part of both Canadian and World history yet so little is known about it. In Canada alone, conservative estimates of Spanish Influenza deaths matched WW1 deaths, and surpassed the total amount of lives lost worldwide (conservative estimates of deaths worldwide are anywhere between 20-100 million). The sheer devastation from the Influenza can be seen first hand through newspaper articles, pictures, and even reports of whole villages and indigenous communities being wiped out from this deadly virus. My aim is to shed light on this largely \u27forgotten\u27 topic and to bring awareness to such a monumental period in history for Canada.
Faculty Mentor: Mary-Ann Shantz
Department: History
 
A drug addict, a model and an engineer walk into a bar: Victim dehumanization and violations of sexual consent.
No full textThe amount of humanness that we ascribe to others is influenced by a variety of factors, including demographic variables and other personal level information such as their social class, age and cognitive capabilities. Humanization has been shown to influence the severity of our reactions to violence directed at others and influence our judgements of the violator’s thoughts, motives and actions as well as victim responsibility and deservingness to be protected (Bastian et al. 2011). Within the context of sexual encounters, we also form impressions of the people involved, where the humanness ascribed to each person could affect perceptions of the encounters.
Participants read two stories describing non-consensual sexual encounters. Two male characters were created, one for each story. Eight female character profiles encompassing a range of victim profiles that varied in age, occupation, social classes and other demographics were created. These profiles were also manipulated in a particular way to encourage a more or less humanized impression. Female profiles were crossed with each story, and participants saw both males and two of the females. Participants then responded to a set of open- and close-ended questions which assessed the agreement with a set of statements to determine their perceived level of consensuality of the interaction, moral outrage by the male’s violation, severity of legal wrongness, and severity of punishment deserved for the actions read about.
This presentation will discuss how victim variables and our construal of them, including age, occupation, perceived coldness and intelligence, influence reactions to non-consensual sexual encounters.
Faculty Mentor: Aimee Skye
Department: Psychology (Honours)
 
The Trouble With The Binary
No full textThe Trouble With The Binary was created to exemplify the ideas of gender performativity and the gender binary, originally expressed in Judith Butler\u27s Gender Trouble. I created a handmade zine to pay homage to the impact of activist zines as political tools and creative outlets in earlier waves of feminism. Elements of text, photos, and illustrations point to the main takeaways of each additional article, and delve into how performativity affects a variety of subjects: motherhood, LGBT youth, disabled identity, drag performance, non-binary identity, and the academic self. This project showcases various applications and real-world impacts of her theories.
Faculty Mentor: Kathryn Holland
Department: Sociolog
The identity of a new profession: Examining the aegis of Traditional Chinese Medicine
No full textBackground: In recent decades, the rapidly growing practices of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine have become professionalised under the banner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in Canada. Many consider TCM to be a catch-all term representing the medical theories and practices developed over thousands of years in China. Beyond this broad description, Canadian sources of information lack a comprehensive definition of what TCM is (or is not), and there is little to no discussion of this topic within the discipline. Our study investigates the historical precedents leading up to the formal creation of “Traditional” Chinese Medicine, and how this relates to education, practice and regulation of this new profession in Canada.
Methods: Using a qualitative descriptive design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 key informants, including historians, sinologists, translators, policy-makers and practitioners of Chinese Medicine in the United States, Canada and China. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by using thematic analysis.
Results: Interview data suggested that TCM is a standardized version of Chinese medicine that was created sixty years ago amidst a period of political turmoil in China. Four key themes were identified: (a) TCM is distinctly modern; (b) TCM is one style of Chinese medicine that is influenced by Western medicine, centered on organ theory, and lacks context; (c) TCM is suited to the healthcare needs of mid-twentieth century China; and (d) TCM is not the problem (but rather the presumptions around it).
Conclusion: It appears there is a scholarly consensus that TCM is an invention of contemporary history. There is an urgent need to increase awareness of what TCM is (and what it is best suited to do within a healthcare system) as Canadian provinces move forward with educational and regulatory decisions on this new profession.
Faculty Mentor: Darren Tellier
Department: Acupunctur
Fifty Shades of Risk? Psychopathic Traits, Gender, and Risky Behaviour
No full textThe purpose of this study was to determine what effect psychopathic traits and gender have upon risk-taking behaviours across multiple domains. Although psychopathy is associated with risk for violent/criminal behaviours, few studies have addressed psychopathic traits in relation to other types of risk, including whether different risk patterns are manifested across genders. Participants (N = 540) were assessed for psychopathic traits and then were asked to complete measures evaluating risk-related attitudes/behaviours (i.e., domain-specific, sexual behaviours, drug use). Results indicated that males generally reported higher levels of risk taking, although scored similarly to females on social risk and below females on sexual risk. Those high in psychopathic traits engaged in more risk across the board, which was primarily related to traits of fearlessness, rebellious nonconformity, and egocentricity. Risk consequence information impacted reported behaviours in the negative condition, possibly due to several reporting biases. Implications concerning methods of assessing risk and factors predictive of risk are discussed.
Faculty Mentor: Kristine Peace
Department: Psychology
 
Self-awareness Effect on Fundamental Attribution Error
No full textPerspective taking has been associated with fundamental attribution error and self-awareness. However, the relationship between self-awareness and fundamental attribution error (FAE) has yet to be examined. The main hypothesis of the present study is that greater self-awareness can decrease the fundamental attribution error. Using a large sample of first year undergraduate psychology students, participants will do a drawing activity in three different groups: (i) neutral condition; (ii) mirror condition; (iii) mirror and video camera condition. A car speeding video will then be shown followed by a FAE questionnaire. After the study, manipulations will be checked using the Situational Self-awareness Scale and Perspective-taking Scale.
Faculty Mentor: David Watson
Department: Psychology (Honours