Trent University

This thesis describes the preparation, optimization, functionalization, and characterization of activated carbon materials sourced from a petroleum coke feedstock for the tailored removal of heavy metal species in contaminated waters. The goal of this work is to develop an understanding of the mechanisms that drive adsorption of heavy metals onto activated carbon surfaces. By determining the mechanisms that drive adsorption, activated carbon materials can be modified to increase the efficiency of the adsorption process. The novelty of this work comes from the use, modification, and functionalization of activated carbon derived from petroleum coke, a waste by-product of the oil-sands extraction process, a source not prevalent in current literature. The novelty also comes from the determination of the methods by which heavy metals are adsorbed onto the given adsorbate as literature does not focus on the mechanisms themselves. The work presented sheds light on the specific adsorption mechanisms, with the aim of elucidating how a given material's surface can be enhanced to target a specific analyte. This work focused on the use of microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theory (BET) to obtain the necessary data required for the determination of adsorption mechanisms, adsorption capacities, and surface characterization of the materials. MP-AES is used for the determination of the adsorption capacity of the materials produced. Surface characterization of the materials was done using XPS, and surface area and pore size distributions were determined using BET for surface area determination and nitrogen adsorption measurements following density functional theory for pore size distribution determination. XPS of the activated carbon post-chromium and post-arsenic adsorption show a reduction of the metals from chromium (VI) to chromium (III) and from arsenic (V) to arsenic (III). By increasing the amount of hydroxyl functional groups on the AC surface through a simple thermal-treatment, the chromium adsorption was increased from 17.0 mg/g to 22.4 mg/g. By loading a reducing agent onto the activated carbon surface, an increased number of potential binding sites for the arsenic are loaded onto the AC surface and the adsorption of arsenic increased from 8.1% to 51%.

Author Keywords: Activated Carbon, Adsorption, Adsorption Mechanisms, Arsenic, Chromium, Petroleum Coke

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. Through mixed-method short-term ethnography, I explored community engagement of the PACT Urban Peace Program non-profit community garden. PACT specifically fostered intergenerational and intercultural connection by providing a space for residents to positively (re-)connect with one another and the land while working towards a common goal. These forms of connection, paradoxically, depend on the organization's resources limiting how and when the community can access the space, because without such constraints the program becomes unsustainable long-term. The resource management of the garden creates boundaries which influence participants' psychosocial well-being. This thesis explores the dichotomy present in community gardens and encourages further exploration of their impact.

Author Keywords: Food Security, Human Ecosystems, Intergenerational and Intercultural Connection, Non-Profit Organizations, Psychosocial Well-being, Urban Agriculture

The COVID19 pandemic produced negative outcomes, but also opportunities for post-traumaticgrowth (PTG). This mixed-methods study explored experiences of distress, coping, and growth, and the role of perceived social support and trait emotional intelligence (EI) in those outcomes. Undergraduates (N = 732) completed self-report measures of negative life events, emotional distress, PTG, trait EI, coping, and perceived social support, as well as open-ended questions about any positive impacts of the pandemic. Moderate level of PTG was reported, especially in the appreciation of life domain. Distress and PTG were weakly or non-significantly correlated, indicating these outcomes are distinct and can co-exist. Perceived social support and trait EI (Interpersonal, Adaptability) predicted greater PTG, and Trait EI (Intrapersonal, Stress Management) predicted lower distress. These effects were partially mediated by coping. Five themes emerged through qualitative analysis: Social Connectedness, New Opportunities, Appreciation of Life, Helpful Strategies, and Income and Financial Supports.

Author Keywords: Coping, COVID19, Perceived Stress, Posttraumatic Growth, Social Support, Trait Emotional Intelligence

Sexual health education (SHE), specifically formal SHE, can play a key role in offering individuals the necessary information, motivation, and skills needed to maintain and improve their sexual health. This study used a survey-based approach to explore the relationship between Canadians' (N = 675) perceived quality of SHE and their feelings and behaviours related to sexual consent and communication, at two time points. This study was informed by two theoretical approaches: sexual script theory and the theory of planned behaviour. Hierarchical regressions were employed to determine how much the participants' education and demographics explained their attitudes, feelings, and behaviours. Perceived quality of SHE predicted consent feelings, and consent and communication behaviours during participants' first sexual experience, and only verbal communication during their most recent sexual experience. This research has furthered our understanding of the long-term impacts of SHE on feelings and behaviours related to sexual consent and communication.

Author Keywords: first sexual experiences, sexual communication, sexual consent, sexual health education, sexual script theory, theory of planned behaviour

The Selkirk First Nation (SFN) community safety officer (CSO) program in Pelly Crossing, Yukon, was established in 2019 to better respond to SFN citizen needs and fill the operational gaps of the RCMP. The SFN CSO program offers a unique example of a decolonized, Northern Indigenous community led CSO program operating in the Far North rooted in self-determination and self-governance working alongside the RCMP. This project focused on examining the strengths, tensions, and challenges of the SFN CSO program, along with the impacts of the program on self-governance, self-determination, and reconciliation with the RCMP in Pelly Crossing. Two final areas explored were key elements for formulating a CSO program in the Far North and how the SFN CSO program can provide crucial feedback for improving RCMP-administered policing for Northern Indigenous nations and communities.

Author Keywords: Community Safety Officer Programs, Decolonization of police, Indigenous Criminology, Indigenous Governance, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Selkirk First Nation

Microplastics are intricate plastic particles (<5 mm in length) with complex chemical mixtures that are pervasive globally. Nonetheless, our understanding of microplastic contamination in the Canadian Arctic is limited. Therefore, this thesis aimed to investigate the concentration and characteristics of microplastics in and surrounding the community of Iqaluit, Nunavut. Our findings suggest Iqaluit is a local source of microplastics in the Arctic based on their concentration in road dust (2.83 ± 3.72 µg/g). Microplastic concentrations were comparable to those in metropolitan areas and given their abundance in parking lots it is suggested that these are temporary reservoirs for microplastics and tire wear particles. Further, lakes predominately upwind of Iqaluit had a greater concentration of microplastics (134 ± 204 µg/L) than lakes downwind (30.8 ± 55.5 µg/L). These findings underscore the importance of assessing both local-scale and long-range sources when examining microplastic contamination in the Arctic.

Author Keywords: Atmospheric microplastics, Biomonitoring, Canadian Arctic, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Plastic pollution

This dissertation sought to examine how reactionary influencers on YouTube are able to create 'gateways' towards audience tolerance and even desire to enact violence against marginalized groups, particularly those groups relating to gender performance. for the purposes of YouTube moderation. This dissertation uses the perspectives of affect theorists Ahmed, Berlant, and Tomkins, and the gender theories of Connell and Butler to divide the examined influencers into two categories, gurus and prophets. Prophets, such as Tucker Carlson or the Prager U platform, presented already existing hegemonic narratives about gender norms as ontological truths that were key to the coherence of both society and individual identity. Meanwhile, gurus like Andrew Tate presented themselves as teachers whose ability to embody hegemonic masculine norms gave them both the wisdom and authority to convert loyal viewers into successful men like them. Both categories of reactionary influencer were examined with a focus on both rhetoric and modelling of masculinity and the performance thereof. While both categories worked to align viewers with fascist ideology through emphasizing hatred, fear, and anger towards real-world events while connecting feelings of hope, joy, and desire to quasi-gnostic mythic perspectives around masculine sovereignty, they presented significant differences in method and target audience. This has significant implications for attempts at deradicalization and resistance to the increasing tide of fascism in mainstream society. Another significant finding was that affective connections to reactionary beliefs were almost all found to originate with mainstream narratives around gender norms, particularly with regards to masculine success and authority under capitalism. Overall, this dissertation's findings strongly counter mainstream assumptions that extremist reactionary ideology comes from a discrete fringe source rather than as a direct result of existence within a vicious capitalist social system that prioritizes White male comfort over the ability of ethnic and gender minorities to express any shred of agency.

Author Keywords: Affect, Extremism, Fascism, Internet, Masculinity, Performativity

This thesis analyzes the processes and rationales of ritual creation among contemporaryGermanic Neopagans (Heathens). It is based on ethnographic fieldwork from May– September, 2023 at Raven's Knoll, a campground near Eganville, Ontario that hosts Heathen festivals. I identify selection criteria used to determine which cultural practices to adopt, adapt, or omit from rituals. I analyze both rituals and selection criteria as configurations or collections of interchangeable components that I call cultural configurants. Leaders and participants assembled rituals at the Heathen festival, Stone and Flame Gathering, guided by five criteria: inclusivity, Lore accuracy (ancient Germanic aesthetics), resonance (feeling right), woo (religious experience), and pragmatism (circumstantial adjustment). Inclusivity and pragmatism dominated, while Lore accuracy determined an omnipresent aesthetic.

Author Keywords: Cultural Dynamics, Germanic Neopaganism, Ritual

This study examines the intersection between nuclear energy in Ontario, Canada, with popular forces acting upon it between the 1940s and the mid-1980s. It finds that nuclear energy was the target of changing epistemology as society shifted to a post-modern framework in its perception of technology. Technology was irreparably associated with potential encroaching governmental Technocracy. Nuclear was additionally impacted by a societal misunderstanding of the engineering design philosophy, success through failure, as a negative aspect. These factors then combined with the common psychological phenomenon of affective heuristics to produce a society that was fundamentally opposed to nuclear energy on intellectual principles, safety principles, and base psychological principles. It is the finding of this paper that these factors almost assuredly contributed to the cancellations of and shift away from nuclear power in Ontario. This study offers a rebuttal to the overarching popular misconceptions of, and apprehension toward, nuclear energy.

Author Keywords: nuclear, Ontario, post-modern, risk, technology

Research indicates that approximately one-third of post-secondary students experience food insecurity. However, there is limited research on engagement with those who organize alternative food support systems which seek to address post-secondary student food insecurity. Past studies on student food insecurity prioritize the experiences of those experiencing food insecurity, the barriers to food security and the consequences of food insecurity. Although important, research leaves out the voices of those who are attempting to support students. In this study, I aimed to gain a deeper understanding of how alternative food support services (AFSS) within Ontario post-secondary institutions seek to address student food insecurity through their programs. From six semi-structured interviews, I found that the most common barriers and facilitators to running the programs connect to key themes of neoliberalism. Specifically, responsibilization, institutional inaction (hands-off approach), and dependency on altruism/charity are evident in the experiences of program operators.

Author Keywords: Campus food systems, Charity model, Neoliberalism, Student food insecurity