Scholarship@Western

Ahmed, Naser

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2025 
Hot and Bothered: Rethinking Transit Design in the Era of Climate 
Change 
Naser Ahmed 
Western University, nahme42@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Ahmed, Naser, "Hot and Bothered: Rethinking Transit Design in the Era of Climate Change" (2025). 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 
765. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/765 
Hot and Bothered: Rethinking Transit Design in the Era of Climate Change 
Naser Ahmed 
PhD Student, Geography and Environment, Western University 
 
During heatwaves, countless transit riders—often those with no other options—are forced 
to walk long distances and wait at unsheltered stops, exposed to dangerous levels of heat.  
Yet our current ways of measuring transit access ignore this risk. My PhD research aims to 
change that by developing HEAT (Heat Exposure-aware Accessibility by Transit)—a new 
method that accounts for heat exposure when measuring access to essential services like 
jobs, healthcare, and groceries. Using large-scale transit simulations and LiDAR-based 3D 
urban modelling, I will identify the transit trips most exposed to extreme heat. This work 
bridges a critical gap between microclimate science and transit analytics, helping cities 
design more climate-sensitive, equitable transit systems. By centring thermal comfort and 
preparedness, my research supports urban planners in protecting transit riders from the 
growing threat of heatwaves—ensuring accessibility means not just reaching destinations 
but doing so safely in a warming world.  
 


Hot and Bothered: Rethinking Transit Design in the Era of Climate Change

Marie Colombe, Munezero

Uwizeye, Glorieuse

Ford-Gilboe, Marilyn

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2025 
Life experiences of Young parents among survivors of 1994 
genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda 
Munezero Marie Colombe 
Western University of Health Sciences, colombemoon05@gmail.com 
Glorieuse Uwizeye 
Western University of Health Sciences, guwizeye@uwo.ca 
Marilyn Ford-Gilboe 
Western University of Health, mfordg@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Marie Colombe, Munezero; Uwizeye, Glorieuse; and Ford-Gilboe, Marilyn, "Life experiences of Young 
parents among survivors of 1994 genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda" (2025). Inspiring Minds – A Digital 
Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 768. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/768 
Western University  
 
Inspiring Minds-  A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate  Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity. 
 
June 4th 2025 
 
MUNEZERO Marie Colombe 
mmarieco@uwo.ca 
 
 
Life experiences of Young parents among Genocide Survivors of the 1994 genocide against 
Tutsi in RWANDA. 
 
Parenting responsibilities encompass the emotional, psychological, and practical duties of raising 
a child, which require stability, nurturing, and a long-term commitment to the child's well-being.  
 
When these responsibilities are assumed during adolescence, particularly in the context of 
trauma, they can create significant psychological strain. In Rwanda, Genocide Survivors often 
bear irreversible physical and psychological scars; over 15,000 families were utterly wiped out, 
profound country loss, homelessness, displacement, and experiences of sexual violence. 
However, children were not only left as orphans but were also forced to assume parenthood at a 
young age. 
 
The interconnected challenges of trauma and early caregiving are often overlooked in global 
mental health discussions. This research aims to explore the mental health effects of early 
parenting among survivors of genocide, fill the gap in the literature and promote Nursing 
scholars '  policy to enhance trauma-informed care in ensuring healing, resilience and global 
Social Justice. 
 
 
 


Life experiences of Young parents among survivors of 1994 genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda

Ajayi, Mercy T

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2025 
Investigating the corrosion behaviour of oxidized nuclear fuels 
Mercy T. Ajayi 
majayi@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Ajayi, Mercy T., "Investigating the corrosion behaviour of oxidized nuclear fuels" (2025). Inspiring Minds – 
A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 769. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/769 
Investigating the corrosion behaviour of oxidized nuclear fuels 
Material degradation poses a major global challenge, affecting both the environment and the 
economy. Materials such as uranium dioxide, a primary source of nuclear energy, can be 
harmful if not disposed of properly. Safe disposal minimizes the risk of radiation exposure, 
which can lead to health issues. My research focuses on understanding the corrosion behaviour 
of nuclear fuels under disposal conditions using electrochemical and surface analysis 
techniques. This knowledge enables scientists to predict how long the material remains stable 
after disposal. If it deteriorates quickly, harmful radioactive elements could seep into the 
environment, contaminating water and soil. By studying its corrosion, experts can design safer 
storage systems and enhance long-term safety strategies. This research safeguards ecosystems 
and human health, ensuring that nuclear waste does not pose a future threat. It also supports 
the safe use of nuclear energy, helping the world meet increasing energy demands while 
reducing carbon emissions.  


Investigating the corrosion behaviour of oxidized nuclear fuels

Shiu, Wai Tung

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2025 
Spectroscopic Analysis of N-heterocyclic Carbene Thin Films on 
Metal Substrates 
Wai Tung Shiu 
The University of Western Ontario, wshiu@uwo.ca 
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Citation of this paper: 
Shiu, Wai Tung, "Spectroscopic Analysis of N-heterocyclic Carbene Thin Films on Metal Substrates" 
(2025). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative 
Activity. 774. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/774 
 
Spectroscopic Analysis of N-heterocyclic Carbene Thin Films on Metal Substrates 
As the demands for devices to shrink, have better power management and higher performance, the size of 
microprocessors must decrease. The manufacturing of microchips currently utilizes a top-down approach, 
which has significant challenges as length scales become smaller (e.g. edge placement error). N-
heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) are exceptionally strong -donors and bind strongly to transition metals both 
in small molecules and as surface bound ligands. Their utility in microelectronics fabrication as an anchor 
to protect metallic regions on a substrate is a promising, new application for NHCs, as they can be utilized 
as effective small molecule inhibitors (SMI). In my research, the interaction between the NHC molecule 
and metal substrates is investigated using various X-ray spectroscopic techniques, including XPS, UPS and 
XAS. The obtained results will contribute to utilizing these molecules in real-life applications. 
 


Spectroscopic Analysis of N-heterocyclic Carbene Thin Films on Metal Substrates

Barzotto, Carlos Eduardo

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2025 
Anti-gender movements in a global context: A comparative 
analysis of challenges to LGBTQIA+ rights in educational systems 
in Latin America and North America 
Carlos Eduardo Barzotto 
The University of Western Ontario, cbarzott@uwo.ca 
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Citation of this paper: 
Barzotto, Carlos Eduardo, "Anti-gender movements in a global context: A comparative analysis of 
challenges to LGBTQIA+ rights in educational systems in Latin America and North America" (2025). 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 
780. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/780 
Carlos Eduardo Barzotto 
Title: Anti-gender movements in a global context: A comparative analysis of challenges to 
LGBTQIA+ rights in educational systems in Latin America and North America  
Over the past three decades, political movements opposing equitable, diverse, and inclusive 
policies have gained traction. Often referred to as anti-gender movements, they share a 
transnational rhetoric that aims to suppress the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ communities. 
In many countries, these groups have targeted school systems, seeking to ban discussions related 
to sex education, gender, and sexuality, and to dismantle inclusive policies for trans students. In 
this scenario, my research investigates how anti-gender movements develop strategies and 
transnational networks to undermine the educational rights of queer youth. Using a Foucauldian 
discourse analysis of anti-gender movements in Brazil and Canada, I examine how they operate 
discursively across national contexts. This analysis aims to expose the mechanisms of anti-
gender discourse in education and contribute to countering the backlash against diversity policies 
in education. Ultimately, it supports the creation of safe, inclusive educational environments that 
affirm the expression of all students. 


Anti-gender movements in a global context: A comparative analysis of challenges to LGBTQIA+ rights in educational systems in Latin America and North America

Chitan, Ariel

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2025 
Growing Supermassive Black Holes 
Ariel Chitan 
Western University, achitan2@uwo.ca 
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Citation of this paper: 
Chitan, Ariel, "Growing Supermassive Black Holes" (2025). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 788. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/788 
Supermassive black holes are the most powerful objects in the entire universe, lurking in the centers 
of almost every galaxy. Their gravity is so intense that not even light can escape. They can be billions 
of times more massive than our own Sun, yet astronomers remain uncertain about their origins. I 
research the growth of black holes: How did they become so massive over the lifetime of our 
Universe? Either they grew via mergers: colliding with each other one after the other, or via 
accretion: disrupting and consuming matter in their vicinities. I use simulations and analytical 
methods to model groups of black holes and observe their interactions. In this clip, I have simulated 
two supermassive black holes: one in the process of consuming matter while the second orbits 
around it, plunging through the matter in its path. These supermassive black holes are destined to 
dance until they merge. 


Growing Supermassive Black Holes

Oldham, Alan C

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2025 
Articulating an interdisciplinary methodology to inform integrity-
based decision-making in sport 
Alan C. Oldham 
Western University, aoldham2@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Oldham, Alan C., "Articulating an interdisciplinary methodology to inform integrity-based decision-making 
in sport" (2025). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity. 790. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/790 
Oldham, Alan C. 
2025 submission b) 
Articulating an interdisciplinary methodology to inform integrity-based decision-making in sport 
“Integrity” is a concept on the rise in the field of sport scholarship and practice. Essentially referring to 
the notion that something is internally coherent, the concept increasingly conveys an additional moral 
judgement. As Orwell’s Napoleon the pig might say: “integrity good; non-integrity bad”. The problem 
with this over-simplification is that any number of things and of a vastly differing degree of perceived 
“goodness” or “badness” can in fact have integrity (e.g. societal structures of oppression can have as 
much integrity as those of justice), making the conflation of integrity and morality an attempt at 
conceptual engineering that is itself ultimately without integrity. That said, integrity is important to 
ensuring the validity of decision-making processes and subsequent acceptability of policy thus derived. 
In other words, well-made decisions allow for meaningful evaluation. My research reveals the extent to 
which interdisciplinary approaches and nuanced ontological understanding are essential to this process 
integrity.  
  


Articulating an interdisciplinary methodology to inform integrity-based decision-making in sport

Mohseni, Alireza

Hrymak, Andrew

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2025 
Modeling Electrical Conductivity in Carbon-filled Polymer 
Composites 
Alireza Mohseni 
Western University, amohse5@uwo.ca 
Andrew Hrymak 
The University of Western Ontario, ahrymak@uwo.ca 
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Citation of this paper: 
Mohseni, Alireza and Hrymak, Andrew, "Modeling Electrical Conductivity in Carbon-filled Polymer 
Composites" (2025). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship 
and Creative Activity. 714. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/714 
The increasing use of carbon-filled polymer composites as electrically conductive materials in 
diverse applications, coupled with advancements in computer-aided engineering, has intensified 
the need and created the opportunity to predict their electrical properties accurately. Various 
modeling approaches have been developed to estimate electrical conductivity, each with distinct 
advantages and limitations. This study classifies these models into four main categories: analytical, 
empirical, computational, and micro-structural-based models. It also introduces a systematic 
approach to determine which category an arbitrary model belongs to. Analytical and empirical 
models are typically straightforward, requiring minimal structural information about the 
composite. However, those often lack the accuracy required for complex systems based on part 
design and material systems. In contrast, computational and micro-structural-based models offer 
higher accuracy by incorporating detailed structural characteristics, but they demand significant 
computational resources. Understanding the strengths and limitations of models is crucial for 
selecting an appropriate approach based on computational feasibility. 


Modeling Electrical Conductivity in Carbon-filled Polymer Composites

Thirukumar, Sahanah

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2025 
A Viral Trick to Protect the Diabetic Heart 
Sahanah Thirukumar 
Western University, sthiruk@uwo.ca 
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Citation of this paper: 
Thirukumar, Sahanah, "A Viral Trick to Protect the Diabetic Heart" (2025). Inspiring Minds – A Digital 
Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 715. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/715 
Title: A Viral Trick to Protect the Diabetic Heart 
Author: Sahanah Thirukumar 
My 150 Words: 
Affecting millions of people worldwide, diabetes is often accompanied by a range of 
complications within the body – especially in the heart as diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). 
Metabolic disruptions due to diabetes can injure the heart, affecting its dynamic structure 
and function, and lowering the efficiency and endurance of this vital organ. Understanding 
that cell death is at the forefront of this damage, my research focuses on an innovative 
strategy to target this process. We are interested in a specific domain of a protein called 
M45, originally used by viruses as a survival mechanism. We found that delivering this 
portion to the heart can provide it notable protection against cell death under diabetic 
conditions. Our findings show reduced injury and preserved functioning of the heart, 
offering promising potential for treating DCM and related complications. With the growing 
prevalence of diabetes and heart disease, the significance behind this work remains timely 
and impactful. 
 
 


A Viral Trick to Protect the Diabetic Heart

Gardner, Daniel

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2025 
Electroacoustic Blend in Music Composition 
Daniel Gardner 
Western University, dgardne6@uwo.ca 
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Citation of this paper: 
Gardner, Daniel, "Electroacoustic Blend in Music Composition" (2025). Inspiring Minds – A Digital 
Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 718. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/718 
    Composing mixed music involves live balancing acoustic instruments with electric(ally) produced 
sounds played through speakers. Though balancing these two sound sources is non-trivial for composers 
and acknowledged to be fundamental to the success of mixed music, there is little written on how to 
achieve electroacoustic blend. 
   Music theorists have used Albert Bregman’s idea of perceptual streams (separating or grouping sounds 
based on the likelihood they share a common source) to explain how simultaneous melodies in Bach 
maintain independence, and how orchestral instruments blend; however, it’s questionable if perceptual 
streams map onto what we commonly experience as musical blend. Singers and pianos are distinct, but 
we are never in doubt—as we are with electronics—if they integrate musically.  
   Rather than describing blend as a quality music has, my research focuses on how blend happens by 
examining my compositional process to explain how blend develops throughout the creation of a work.  
 
 
 


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