Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Vaccine hesitancy continues to influence public health practice in Ontario, particularly within a system that requires parents to complete non-medical exemptions under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, 1990. The purpose of this study was to explore how vaccine-hesitant parents understand their decisions and navigate institutional processes during the exemption pathway. Using Thorne… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Ageism is pervasive and harmful, creating an urgent need to understand how ageist attitudes can be improved. Building on the novel age-conscious student concept, this thesis explored the outcomes of a pilot intergenerational classroom, aimed at reducing ageism, that integrated 13 older community participants into a university-based psychology of aging course alongside 60 younger students… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis presents a comprehensive investigation into machine learning approaches forlandmine detection using thermal imagery. It addresses both classification and precise lo-
calization challenges that are integral for humanitarian demining operations. The research
encompasses two complementary methodological frameworks: comparative evaluation of
traditional machine learning versus… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This thesis concerns the history of the Muhammad Ali Museum and Education Center (MAC) from 1992 to 2005. The MAC originated from the vision of Paul Bather, a local politician in Louisville, who proposed building it in 1992, incorporated it, and formed its Board of Directors in 1994. The planning of the MAC involved collaboration among Ali and his wife, Lonnie Ali, community leaders,… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Is trauma representation possible without re-traumatization (of self or other)? Developed through the creation, performance, and critical analysis of Titty Cakes: A Recipe for Radical Acceptance—an autobiographical, ritual-performance rooted in lived experiences of breast cancer and gang rape—this thesis argues that trauma representation is (im)possible: possible only by accepting its… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Community gardens can provide access to green spaces in urban environments and intertwine within their neighbourhood when their structure and vision are clear. This study sought to understand the effects of gardens on psychosocial well-being and knowledge sharing. Gardens provide a space for regaining intergenerational and intercultural connection, even after the challenges of COVID-19.… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The diversification of mammals has been shaped by climatic fluctuations and geological changes over millions of years. Among them, shrews (Soricidae) stand out as one of the most diverse mammalian lineages. Shrews are found on most continents and have evolved remarkable adaptations at the species and population levels. Although evolutionary studies of shrews have been limited by a lack… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>In 1980s Ontario, racialized migrant domestic workers faced systemic exploitation, precarious immigration status, and exclusion from labour protections, reinforced by provincial and federal policies that devalued domestic labour. This thesis examines how INTERCEDE, a Toronto-based coalition, challenged these structural inequalities. Employing an intersectional approach, this study… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Older adults with dementia experience higher rates of hospitalization than those without dementia, yet nurses in acute care frequently feel unprepared to support patients with responsive behaviours using non-pharmacological approaches. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of nurses' using activity-based interventions, such as colouring, word games, therapeutic dolls… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Maladaptive fear can develop when nonthreatening stimuli are misinterpreted as dangerous. While fear extinction has been extensively studied, organisms can also learn safety through relief learning, in which cues signalling the termination of an aversive event acquire positive value. Although the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is implicated in regulating responses to threat and safety… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Steinke, Leah Jade, Thesis advisor (ths): Brown, Liana E, Degree committee member (dgc): Paquette, Sebastien, Degree committee member (dgc): Henriques, Denise, Degree committee member (dgc): Fournier, Neil, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Freezing is a debilitating phenomenon that reduces quality of life for people withParkinson's disease (PwPD). This study tests the hypothesis that: 1) freezing is linked to
executive dysfunction; 2) freezing is a global motor phenomenon, not limited to gait. We
compared 14 PwPD to 16 controls. Several aspects of executive function were measured
using pro- and anti-saccade tasks… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Freezing of gait is a debilitating symptom affecting individuals with Parkinson's disease. Emerging evidence suggests freezing may represent a global motor control deficit beyond gait. We investigated freezing episodes in the upper limbs using spatially-constrained reaching tasks known to elicit freezing of gait. Fourteen people with Parkinson's disease and 13 controls… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>The ᐃᓕᓕᐗᔅᑭᔾ | Ililiwaskiy (Moose Cree First Nation Territory) in Ontario's James Bay region has long faced industrial impacts on its ecosystems. Community concerns about mercury in culturally important fish prompted an interdisciplinary study bringing together chemical analysis and community knowledge. Researchers partnered with Moose Cree members through workshops, training, and… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Carr, Teagan A, Thesis advisor (ths): Vreugdenhil, Andrew J, Degree committee member (dgc): Zenkina, Olena V, Degree committee member (dgc): Katz, Michael J, Degree committee member (dgc): Stewart, Kate, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>This thesis presents the design, synthesis, and evaluation of activated carbon polyacrylamide (AC-PAM) composites for oil sands tailings remediation, integrating flocculation and adsorption functionalities. Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) was employed to graft high molecular weight PAM brushes onto petroleum coke and commercial activated carbon, with SARA… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Diversified agroecosystems supporting greater genetic, structural, and functional diversity improve soil health and ecosystem function. However, there is limited understanding of how multiple forms of diversification, such as mixing cover crop species and adding arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), alter belowground carbon supply to soil. In a controlled environment experiment using… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Kaszecki, Emma, Thesis advisor (ths): Saville, Barry J, Thesis advisor (ths): Emery, R. J. Neil, Degree committee member (dgc): Morrsion, Erin N, Degree committee member (dgc): Thompson, Karen A, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Acid mine drainage (AMD) and metal-contaminated tailings represent some of the most inhospitable aquatic environments on Earth, characterized by low pH, elevated metal concentrations, and chronic carbon limitation. Yet these systems support microbial consortia with remarkable resilience. Among the most conspicuous inhabitants is Euglena mutabilis, an acidophilic protist traditionally… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Kim, William David, Thesis advisor (ths): Huber, Robert J, Degree committee member (dgc): Donaldson, Michael, Degree committee member (dgc): Shafer, Aaron, Degree committee member (dgc): Saville, Barry, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>The neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs), collectively referred to as Batten disease, are a group of neurodegenerative diseases that affect all ages, primarily children. Batten disease is caused by mutations in 1 of the 13 ceroid lipofuscinosis neuronal (CLN) genes (CLN1-CLN8, CLN10-CLN14), each of which causes an NCL subtype when mutated. One of the NCL subtypes, CLN5 disease, is… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Thompson, Tamara Jean Taylor, Thesis advisor (ths): Baetz, Joel, Degree committee member (dgc): Principe, Concetta, Degree committee member (dgc): Kreuter, Aaron, Degree committee member (dgc): Synenko, Joshua, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>The purpose of this thesis is to acknowledge the contributions chapbooks have made to the world of Canadian publishing and to Canadian culture. It is important to place chapbooks in Canada's publishing history as there has not been a lot of writing on chapbooks or even on Canadian publishing. What sources there are usually focus on larger, traditional presses, often based in Ontario… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Dissanayake Mudiyanselage, Nethma Thejani Dissanayake, Thesis advisor (ths): Vreugdenhil, Andrew J., Degree committee member (dgc): Bradac, Carlo, Degree committee member (dgc): Easton, Brad, Degree committee member (dgc): Ouzilleau, Philippe, Degree committee member (dgc): Vreugdenhil, Andrew J., Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Petroleum coke (petcoke) is a waste by-product of the upgrading process in the oil refining industry. It has limited utility in other areas of application.1 High carbon content (over 85 wt.%), low ash content, and softness make petcoke a potentially valuable precursor for graphitization, where amorphous carbon can be transformed into graphitic carbon. The synthetic production of graphite… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This study explores the connection between the historical occurrences and the landscape changes on Main Duck Island, located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. This research is conceptualized within the framework of Maritime Cultural Landscapes (MCL) to understand the relationship between the landscape and Lake Ontario. To explore this relationship, the study integrates spatial and… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>On many farms, stone and wooden field borders define field sizes. These are commonly perceived as land lost to production and refuges for pests and
disease, causing such fences and hedges to be removed to create larger fields for
increased productivity; this process has eliminated trees and shrubs that provide
habitat along these fencerows. This research explores the alignment of… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Lopez Aleman, Jose Alberto, Thesis advisor (ths): Dorken, Marcel E, Thesis advisor (ths): Freeland, Joanna R, Degree committee member (dgc): Shafer, Aaron AB, Degree committee member (dgc): DiLeo, Michelle F, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Hybridisation is an important evolutionary mechanism with diverse outcomes, including the formation of new lineages, the exchange of alleles between species, or their extinction through genetic swamping. In some cases, hybrids exhibit higher fitness than their parental species, which can lead to hybrid invasions that threaten ecosystems. In North America, hybridisation between the native… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>This dissertation, titled "Echoes of Injustice: Regulating Indigenous Masculinity through Canadian Legal and Colonial Systems, "examines how the Canadian criminal justice system—through its denial of colonial violence and its regulation of Indigenous masculinity—has contributed to the ongoing criminalization and marginalization of Indigenous men. By critically engaging with… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Name(s): Creator (cre): Seneviratne, Dev, Thesis advisor (ths): Martic, Sanela, Thesis advisor (ths): Emery, Neil, Degree committee member (dgc): Oleschuk, Richard, Degree committee member (dgc): Moorthy, Arun, Degree committee member (dgc): Burr, Wesley, Degree granting institution (dgg): Trent University Abstract: <p>Amyloid fibrils are fibrous protein aggregates that arise from misfolding and self-assembly processes, collectively referred to as amyloidosis. These aggregates are strongly associated with incurable neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Elevated levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Stress during adolescence has profound effects on psychological, behavioral, and neurobiological outcomes in adulthood. This study investigates the impact of adolescent stress on safety learning, anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors, and associated neurocircuitry using a rat model. Adolescent male Long Evans rats underwent an unpredictable intermittent stress regimen, followed by… more Year: 2026, 2026
Member of: Trent University Graduate Thesis Collection
Abstract: <p>Environmental infrastructure transforms the surrounding physical and culturallandscapes. In Canada, it has long been an integral part of settler colonialism. It severs
Indigenous ties to the land and furthers colonial goals. This thesis examines the complex
history of the Trent-Severn Waterway (TSW) during the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries, when it drastically changed the… more
