Scholarship@Western

Pandey, Apourv

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
A Journey of Challenges, Empathy, and Triumph 
Apourv Pandey 
apande42@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Pandey, Apourv, "A Journey of Challenges, Empathy, and Triumph" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital 
Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 408. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/408 
Apourv Pandey 
 
In five challenging years at a remote coal mining site, where the nearest road was about 20 miles 
away, I faced isolation for 11 days without water or electricity. Overcoming language barriers with 
indigenous tribes was tough, but being kidnapped twice by them while I was working on-site was 
unimaginable.  
 
These trials unveiled the community’s deep-rooted resentment towards the government and my 
firm. Driven by empathy, I spearheaded crucial projects – a clean water facility, a public toilet, a 
dispensary, etc. to bridge the divide. 
 
Then came a breakthrough, thanks to the support of the tribes. I became one of the youngest 
geologists to discover a coal mine worth over $250M, creating 750+ jobs, breathing new life into the 
community.  
 
This journey epitomizes the power of empathy, resilience, and understanding. I went on to title my 
first authored book in the language of the tribes to honor my relationship with them. 
 

 


English

A Journey of Challenges, Empathy, and Triumph

Denusik, Lauren

Virtual More Than Words®: A Caregiver-Mediated Program for Autistic Preschoolers

Wathuliyadde, Nuwanthika Gimhani, Ms

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Decoding the Path to a Cure: Using zebrafish to Explore 
Craniometaphyseal Dysplasia 
Nuwanthika Gimhani Wathuliyadde Ms 
Western University, nwathuli@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Wathuliyadde, Nuwanthika Gimhani Ms, "Decoding the Path to a Cure: Using zebrafish to Explore 
Craniometaphyseal Dysplasia" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate 
Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 418. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/418 
Decoding the Path to a Cure: Using zebrafish to Explore Craniometaphyseal 
Dysplasia 
Craniometaphyseal Dysplasia is a rare human disorder characterized by abnormal bone 
mineralization, and affecting individuals of different ages with various symptoms. Severe 
conditions can lead to facial palsy, hearing loss and blindness and surgical recontouring of bone is 
currently the only available treatment.  The disease itself is caused by impaired ANKH, a protein 
that transports inorganic pyrophosphate from intracellular to the extracellular environment, where 
inorganic pyrophosphate acts as an inhibitor for bone mineralization. Impaired ANKH transports 
less inorganic pyrophosphate extracellularly, leading to hyper-mineralization of the bone. My aim 
is to utilize zebrafish, a model organism for bone disease research, to generate an ANKH knockout 
line using the powerful gene editing tool, CRISPR-Cas9. These ANKH knockout animals will help 
to recapitulate the phenotypic abnormalities observed in humans afflicted with this disease, and 
more importantly will provide a platform for small molecule drug testing as potential therapeutic 
options. 


Decoding the Path to a Cure: Using zebrafish to Explore Craniometaphyseal Dysplasia

Fox, Chris

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Gravitationally Detecting Exoplanets 
Chris Fox 
cfox53@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Fox, Chris, "Gravitationally Detecting Exoplanets" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 426. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/426 
Gravitationally Detecting Exoplanets
Chris Fox
The extra solar planet Kepler-159c is detected when it passes in front of its parent star; a miniature 
eclipse.  These events are irregular, sometimes occurring sooner or later than expected.  That means 
something must be altering its orbit.  What could it be?
Planets do not orbit stars in isolation.  The gravitational pull of one planet upon another, while small in 
comparison to the influence of their parent star, is sufficient to alter the orbit of both planets in 
measurable ways.  As a result, perturbations of one planet's orbit can indicate the existence of another 
planet.
By analyzing the dynamics of the eclipse irregularities, we found a new planet that was otherwise 
hidden from view. Dubbed Kepler-159d, it was revealed from the effect its gravity upon the eclipsing 
planet.
Gravity is a ubiquitous force through the universe, and exploiting its properties can lead to new planet 
discoveries.


Gravitationally Detecting Exoplanets

Dhillon, Satveer

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Experiences of non-profit staff providing care for older adults 
during the COVID-19 pandemic: Key takeaways from Uganda and 
Ethiopia. 
Satveer Dhillon 
Western University, sdhill84@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Dhillon, Satveer, "Experiences of non-profit staff providing care for older adults during the COVID-19 
pandemic: Key takeaways from Uganda and Ethiopia." (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity. 449. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/449 
Title: "Experiences of non-profit staff providing care for older adults during the COVID-19 
pandemic: Key takeaways from Uganda and Ethiopia." 
 
 
Non-profit organizations (NPOs) were essential in supporting those affected by the COVID-19 
pandemic. Indeed, ROTOM, an NPO that supports older adults and their dependents in Uganda 
and Ethiopia, was central in providing COVID-19 support. However, with limited resources, NPOs 
had to adopt innovative ways to manage service costs and demand, impacting service delivery 
during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims at documenting the strategies employed by 
ROTOM, the impact on older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the recovery efforts 
implemented to build back.  Interviews were conducted with 28 ROTOM Uganda and Ethiopia 
staff and volunteers. Findings revealed several negative impacts of the pandemic and public 
health mandates on older adults. ROTOM implemented several strategies to support older 
adults, including utilizing Village Health Teams. Many strategies to help with organizational 
resilience were discussed, including implementing a reserve fund.  
 


Experiences of non-profit staff providing care for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: Key takeaways from Uganda and Ethiopia.

Benninger, Rachel

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Co-Designing a Spoken Language Assessment Tool for Educators 
of the d/DHH 
Rachel Benninger 
rbraun6@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Benninger, Rachel, "Co-Designing a Spoken Language Assessment Tool for Educators of the d/DHH" 
(2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative 
Activity. 470. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/470 
Co-Designing a Spoken Language Assessment Tool for Educators of the d/DHH 
Imagine you’re working in a school setting to support deaf/Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing (d/DHH) 
students in reaching their full learning potential. In order to support these students, you need to assess 
their spoken language skills, but you don’t have an assessment tool that measures these skills in d/DHH 
students. Now imagine you could work with researchers and Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) to 
design an assessment tool that would do exactly what you need it to do. It would be based on your real-
world context and needs, be piloted with your students, and be improved based on your feedback. 
Imagine how useful this tool has the potential to be. 
This is the goal of our research. We are collaborating with the individuals who will ultimately use the tool 
in order to design a bespoke curriculum-based spoken language assessment and intervention tool for 
use with d/DHH students. 
 


Co-Designing a Spoken Language Assessment Tool for Educators of the d/DHH

Davidson, Cara Anne

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Gender-based violence and breast cancer: A threat to women’s 
health equity in Canada 
Cara Anne Davidson 
University of Western Ontario, cdavid53@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Davidson, Cara Anne, "Gender-based violence and breast cancer: A threat to women’s health equity in 
Canada" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity. 509. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/509 
Cara Anne Davidson 
 
In Canada, intimate partner violence (IPV) and breast cancer are pervasive public health 
concerns that disproportionately affect women. However, the intersection of these issues is 
often overlooked, despite an estimated 1 in 8 breast cancer patients experiencing IPV at the 
same time as cancer – and often facing health disparities as a result.  
  
I study the biopsychosocial relationships between breast cancer and IPV in Canada, with the 
goal of exploring health disparities and lived experiences. Additionally, I am co-creating a 
trauma- and violence-informed clinical tool for breast cancer healthcare providers in 
collaboration with patients, oncology teams, IPV professionals, and non-profit organizations.  
 
Overall, I aim to shed light on the experiences of Canadian women who experience IPV and 
breast cancer and promote improved health outcomes among this equity deserving group.  
  
 


Gender-based violence and breast cancer: A threat to women’s health equity in Canada

Alencar Maroja Chaves, Isabella

Western University 
Scholarship@Western 
Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of 
Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship and 
Creative Activity 
Inspiring Minds 
September 2023 
Latina Immigrant Women’s Experiences of Higher Education and 
Leadership 
Isabella Alencar Maroja Chaves 
Western University, ichaves@uwo.ca 
Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds 
Citation of this paper: 
Alencar Maroja Chaves, Isabella, "Latina Immigrant Women’s Experiences of Higher Education and 
Leadership" (2023). Inspiring Minds – A Digital Collection of Western’s Graduate Research, Scholarship 
and Creative Activity. 514. 
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/514 
Latina Immigrant Women’s Experiences of Higher Education and Leadership 
Isabella Alencar Maroja Chaves 
 
My research looks into how Latina immigrant women develop in their careers to achieve 
leadership positions in higher education. This study aims to use an intersectional lens to look at 
how Latina immigrant women in leadership roles in higher education in Southwestern Ontario 
have advanced in their careers. Latina women's experiences as immigrants and as women 
aspiring to positions of educational leadership are examined. Further, I explore how the 
intersection of their social identities influences their career progression. A conceptual framework 
is employed, complementing the intersectional approach through the lens of Latina feminist 
theory. I am using a qualitative narrative approach and conducting semi-structured interviews 
with a sample of six participants. As a Latina immigrant woman and a graduate student, I want to 
give voice to the participants and offer suggestions for how universities can create more 
inclusive spaces for the advancement of immigrant women in leadership roles. 


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A Journey of Challenges, Empathy, and Triumph

Virtual More Than Words®: A Caregiver-Mediated Program for Autistic Preschoolers

Decoding the Path to a Cure: Using zebrafish to Explore Craniometaphyseal Dysplasia

Gravitationally Detecting Exoplanets

Experiences of non-profit staff providing care for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: Key takeaways from Uganda and Ethiopia.

Co-Designing a Spoken Language Assessment Tool for Educators of the d/DHH

Gender-based violence and breast cancer: A threat to women’s health equity in Canada

Latina Immigrant Women’s Experiences of Higher Education and Leadership

Interior 1, St. Mary\u27s, Maxwell

Interior 2, St. Thomas, Owen Sound

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