Behavioural Neuroscience in Zebrafish Spring-Summer 2023 (Phase 1)

This project will involve behavioural neuroscience testing in zebrafish. Students will perform application of various compounds of interest and study behavioural responses with a variety of paradigms. Potential substances of interest include toxicants like PFOS, legal drugs like ethanol and nicotine, as well as terpenes, to name a few. The goal will be to study dose-dependent impacts of these substances on anxiety-like behaviour and locomotion

Franklin's Ground Squirrel DNA project

The goal of this project is to develop genetic resources for Franklin’s ground squirrels. Franklin’s ground squirrels are a native species in Alberta. While not currently listed under the Species At Risk Act (SARA) observational evidence from naturalists indicates that this species has experienced recent declines in abundance. Working collaboration with Dr. Jessica Haines who will be leading field work to assess the current distribution of the species in the province, we will be developing a new set of genetic markers that can help estimate current genetic diversity as well as past population sizes.

Level Up Assistant Producer Position

This position will assist in producing 5 episodes of the podcast Philosophy in Film. The podcast is hosted by myself (Alain Beauclair) and Dr. Chris McTavish of Athabasca University. Each episode offers a philosophical analysis of an individual film in a way that is accessible to a general audience, and at the same time introduces the audience to basic philosophical concepts and texts. 

Graphic Creation for Mêskanâs (Moodle)

This project will involve a collaboration between the faculty member and the student to create visual artifacts for use in an undergraduate human resources class.

Investigating semi-Dirichlet matrix operator algebras - Phase 1

Operator algebras are collections of linear functions on geometric spaces of vectors called Hilbert spaces. Operator algebras represent collections of physical observables in quantum mechanics, and have also found application to many other mathematical fields. In the last 50 years, the study of operator algebras which are "non-selfadjoint", such as algebras of triangular matrices, has been especially fruitful. Of special interest in modern research-level mathematics are non-selfadjoint operator algebras which are "semi-Dirichlet". In this project, a MacEwan undergraduate research assistant will instigate a theoretical and/or computer classification of those finite-dimensional operator algebras which are semi-Dirichlet. In the most basic cases, such algebras can be classified using directed graphs. A celebrated theorem of Burnside describes the structure of any finite-dimensional algebra, and a classification of the semi-Dirichlet property will combine graph theory and Burnside's Theorem. By the end of this project, the student will produce an article suitable for publication in an undergraduate or research-level journal. This is new mathematical research carried out by an undergraduate researcher at MacEwan University, supervised by Drs. Adam Humeniuk and Chris Ramsey.

Phylogenic Tree Construction of Mesoamerican Orchids

Globally there has been a steady decline in biodiversity resulting from multiple factors. Some estimates suggest that upward of one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction. The family Orchidaceae (orchids) is one of the largest families of flowering plants which are threatened by climate change, agricultural expansion, urbanization, over harvesting and other factors necessitating the implementation of conservation strategies. To implement an effective conservation approach, one must be able to unambiguously identify the species at the center of the effort. For many species of orchid this is difficult to achieve based on morphological features, necessitating alternative approaches. DNA barcoding is a molecular method for identification of individuals, ideally, to the species level. The current project involves the analysis of DNA sequences from the mat K gene from species of two Mesoamerican genra of orchids ( Masdevallia and Dracula ) to assess the utility of the mat K gene sequence as a DNA barcode to identify orchid species from these two threatened genra. 

Agricultural Productivity and Nutritional Security in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is a highly densely populated country with an average population density of over 1200 people per square kilometer. Agriculture remains the primary source of nutrition to the country’s population of 166 million, although the economic contribution of agriculture in terms of its share of GDP continues to decline. The agriculture sector has progressed over the past half a century since its independence in 1971, especially in increasing productivity in nearly all subsectors – crops, livestock, poultry, fish, and others. However, the increasingly shrinking availability of productive land, fragmented landholding, and the lack of ample capital assets pose serious challenges to coping with the expanded population and offering sufficient nutrition. In this paper, we would like to examine the trajectory of Bangladesh's agricultural and food production system over the past couple of decades and what role it has been playing in offering nutritional security to the people of Bangladesh. We will also explore the contribution international trade plays in providing nutritional security for the people.    The specific objectives are: 1.      Identify per capita production of different food crops and examine the trend. 2.      Identify the variability among different food products and their trend 3.      The per capita availability of major nutrition: protein, carbohydrate, fat, etc. 4.      Trends of other health and nutrition variables [i.e., infant mortality, life expectancy, live birth weight, women anemic, etc.,] 5.      Relate agricultural productivity with nutritional security. 6.      Recommend policy options The raw secondary data for this project has already been downloaded from different sites, especially FAOSTAT, the World Bank Databank, and the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Some literature searches and downloading literature have also been done. This was the first phase of the project.

The Ground Up? Podcast - Music Production

For a music composition student to create original music for a podcast about urban food foraging.

Motor control research assistant: Spring 2023

I have positions available for 2 students for 80 hours each to learn how to collect and statistically analyze data from participants who will complete visuomotor tasks using touch screens. These data will help us better understand how different types of visual information influence motor learning, and the degree to which we have conscious control over our actions. The students will gain hands-on experience with data collection and develop their data analysis skills. Each student will be asked to prepare a brief final report summarizing their findings.

Urban Wildlife (Elm Tree Theatre)

Elm Tree Theatre is a theatre company founded to disseminate theatre research and produce theatre for early years audiences. They require a web page for their company as well as for their upcoming production entitled Urban Wildlife.

Young People are the Future: Youth Engagement in Living History Museums

Young People are the Future explores youth engagement in living history museums. We look at museum education, youth volunteers, field trips, camps, birthday parties, and youth councils.   Logo Design Basic Web Page Design

Franklin's Ground Squirrel Research - Field research assistant

This project is collecting data on Franklin’s ground squirrels, a poorly-studied species in Alberta. The student will conduct field surveys aimed at detecting this species in various locations around Alberta. They will also do data entry remotely.  

Level UP CDA FAS Career Advising Pilot Program - Phase 2

Introduce incoming students to C&E & services through short career advising appointments.

Partnership Developer - Network of Community Agencies Project

We would like to create a network of community agencies in Edmonton supporting older adults from ethnocultural backgrounds. Through the project, we plan to build the relationship with different agencies, to develop potential collaboration and partnership opportunities. In the future, we will work with several community agencies to develop community-based research projects. Therefore, this connection and collaboration stage is fundamental for future work. 

Caterpillar colony production and maintenance

The student will produce and maintain a colony of forest tent caterpillars in the insect growth chambers in the MacEwan Department of Biological Sciences research laboratory. These colonies will be used for field and lab research, which the student may assist with.

MAG: Collections Assistant, Summer 2023

This project will see a student take a lead role in an art collections management project. Over 8 weeks, the student will complete an inventory of the art collection and update its records accordingly. They will receive training in artwork condition reporting and data management, and have the opportunity to apply those skills in undertaking these reporting and management tasks for the art collection.

Randomization of Number Research Assistant

We have developed a large bank of management accounting questions, but all these questions are static questions (have only one version). The project involves creating algorithmic questions (multiple versions of the same question) using Microsoft Excel. These questions will be used for assignments and quizzes so that students will get different versions of the same questions. This reduces the chances for cheating.

Resistance Management Project

The aim of the project is to compile a collection of studies (research publications, specifically journal articles) that focuses on resistance to organizational change at the individual, group, and organizational-wide level from stakeholders impacted by proposed changes. Identify the rationale for the various forms of resistance to change, identify how the resistance was managed, and/ or provide suggestions on how the resistance could be managed. The expected outcome includes: i. Map out a pattern of different forms of resistance and resulting outcomes. ii. Create vignettes / mini-cases that explain or better illustrate different forms of resistance in organizations. iii. Link the vignettes/mini-cases to theoretical/conceptual explanations of resistance to organizational change. iv. Compile findings into publishable outputs

Dawson City Museum Project: Relationship with Indigenous Peoples

The project is a part of the Dawson City Museum Project, addressing the relationship between the Museum and local Indigenous peoples, with consideration of the Canadian Museum Association’s Moved to Action report. The student will finalized a report they have begun writing to create material for the museum, such as a podcast episode that discusses the topic. The student will also contribute to an academic paper examining museum hiring practices surrounding Indigenous peoples.

SoB - Teaching Assistant for Intro to Business Statistics course- Summer 2023

The main goal of this project is to assist faculty members who are teaching Principles of Business Statistics at MacEwan University in creating examples, developing model answers to questions and supporting the study of other students. This includes connecting with faculty members to get guidance and then helping other students in understanding some topics.

Teaching Assistant for Principles of Accounting Course (ACCT 311)

ACCT311 Teaching Assistant Spring 2023 aims to provide additional support to students that learn accounting principles.  The main goal of this project is to assist faculty members who are teaching Principles of Accounting at MacEwan University in creating examples, developing model answers to questions and supporting the study of other students. This includes connecting with faculty members to get guidance and then helping other students in understanding some topics.

Bullfighting as cultural artefact Research Assistant

This project will look at the appearance of the sport of bullfighting in early modern Spain in order to understand how this cultural artifact developed from its earliest inception. As we will be in Spain this summer, we will have unique access to archives that are not available to us otherwise.

Considering Contemporary Performance of Early Modern Drama Research Assistant

This project will look at contemporary performances of early modern theatre in Spain to understand how the female point of view in sources from 400 years ago compares to contemporary feminist critiques. As we will already be in Spain, we will have the opportunity to see these performances live and meet with the artists involved in the productions.

Female Friendship in Early Modern Spain Research Assistant

This project will analyze female friendship in early modern Spain and how women viewed convents as an escape from violence/spaces of intellectual freedom. It will then convey why creating community between women is of utmost importance, and focus on representations of this community in literature of the period such as María de Zayas's Desengaños amorosos.

Level UP- MacEwan Emerging Leaders Community Engaged Project

Positions available: 10 May 27 - July 22, 2023 10 hours/week for 8 weeks This section of the series focuses on students applying the the leadership knowledge they gained in the personal and group sessions to real-life problems that our community is facing. Community engagement is collaboration based on mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge, experiences and resources between students and community partners. Students can use this experience to help explore possible career directions and establish professional networks. Training from the Social Innovation Institute will focus on systems thinking, human-centered design and project management strategies.

Student Leadership Assistant 2023

Students will be supporting with: Reviewing feedback programming and evaluations from all student leadership programming (Ambassadors, Golden Key and Emerging Leaders) Providing administrative support to leadership initiatives Completing reports for 2022-2023 Leadership & Engagement initiatives Supporting program development for 2023-2024 Leadership and Engagement initiatives

The Magpie, a community newspaper for downtown Edmonton

To teach journalism students how to run a publicly accessible community newspaper – or "hyperlocal" – by creating one to serve the poor, immigrant area of the downtown behind MacEwan's campus. The goal is to educate while also providing a service to our neighbouring community.

Level UP Mural Assistants

The main goal of this project is for students to gain hands-on experience in mural creation under the mentorship of a professional artist and muralist.

Level UP C and E design for ML upgrade phase 5

Develop graphics and images for the ML symplicity upgrade

Level UP C and E design for ML upgrade phase 4

Develop graphics and images for the ML symplicity upgrade