Latest Journal Entries

Sophie Power — Year 3 Mentor: Garima Wilson Introduction Lichens are complex, mutualistic symbiotic organisms that function as integrated biological systems rather than single-species entities. Traditionally defined as an association between a fungal partner and a photosynthetic organism, lichens are now understood to be multi-partner ecosystems that include diverse microbial communities (Hawksworth & Grube, 2020). The dominant fungal partner, known as the mycobiont, forms the structural framework of the lichen and regulates water retention, mineral… Read more: Urban vs. Rural Life: Using Lichens as Air Quality Monitors Across the Greater Vancouver Area

Sana Seraj — Year 3 Mentor: Teresa Seifried, Serena Chin Introduction According to the United Nations Environment Programme, eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean each year, which can be ingested as microplastics by marine life (UNep, 2017).  Microplastics can absorb organic toxicants from the sea surface microlayer, relaying harm to organisms that ingest them. Additionally, microplastics accumulate in tissues as organisms are unable to digest them. This allows the chemicals to… Read more: Microplastic Filtration Using Xanthan Gum

Sofia Nacho — Year 2, Life Science Introduction In recent years, studies have increasingly emphasized the impact that the gut’s microbiome has on animals, including humans. This highlights the importance of understanding natural methods to support gut health, particularly during periods of microbial imbalance (dysbiosis) Surveys from recent decades rank Canada among the highest in incidence rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IBD involves chronic inflammation of the digestive tract… Read more: Probiotics Appeal to Apple Peels: An Investigation on Ambrosia Apple’s Pectin Paring with Common Probiotic Foods

Sophia Liu — Year 2, Life Science Abstract Magnesium-containing minerals are found to exist on Mars, and they play an important role in the chemistry of Martian surfaces and are an essential element for bacterial growth. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the tolerance of microbes to high magnesium environments, especially when high concentrations may affect ionic balances and the survival of organisms. This study aims to examine the effects of increasing magnesium sulphate concentrations… Read more: Colony Formation Response of Escherichia coli K-12 to Increasing Magnesium Sulphate Concentrations

Sean Lan — Year 2, Life Science Abstract Allergic rhinitis affects over 400 million people worldwide, yet current pharmacological treatments bear significant side effects and costs, motivating the exploration of botanical alternatives. This study evaluated the effect of rosemary, stinging nettle, and quercetin (individually and in combination) on acid diffusion and buffering capacity in a mucus-mimetic gelatin hydrogel model under three humidity conditions (30%, 50%, and 70% relative humidity). Diffusion diameter, diffusion rate, and pH… Read more: Evaluation of Botanical Extracts on Acid Diffusion and Buffering Behaviour in a Mucus-Like Hydrogel Model Relevant to Allergic Rhinitis

Herdane Delariarte — Year 2, Life Science Abstract The Philippines is a highly flood-prone country with rapid growth in industrialism. This results in copious amounts of liquid waste to be filtered through methods such as coagulation and flocculation, often with chemicals that pose long-term health risks. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate if the active groups in the peel of the calamansi fruit, a staple Filipino waste product, could be repurposed into a… Read more: Harnessing Citrus x microcarpa (Calamansi) as a Natural  Coagulation-Flocculation Alternative

Aikman Khunkhun — Year 2, Life Science Abstract Around 20 million people in Canada are affected by digestive disorders according to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation (Koughnet, 2012). Recently, many dietologists and scientists have begun to recommend individuals suffering with such diseases to consume fruits containing proteases allowing for symptom relief. The ultimate purpose of this experiment was to investigate the proteolytic activity of three fruit-derived enzymes including papain, bromelain, and actinidin on gelatin samples… Read more: Comparing the Gelatin-Digesting Activity of Proteases Derived from Fruits

Kyle Tsui — Year 2, Applied Science Abstract Muon attenuation provides a powerful, non-invasive method for probing subsurface structures and material composition, with applications spanning geophysics and structural integrity assessment. This study evaluates the effectiveness of muon tomography as an alternative non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique for geotechnical monitoring of coastal infrastructure exposed to high salinity environments. Traditional methods such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and seismic surveys often experience reduced performance in such terrain due… Read more: Analyzing the Effectiveness of Muon Tomography as a Non-Invasive Assessment of Seawall Degradation

Evan Lam — Year 2, Applied Science Abstract: Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing is often assumed to produce stronger parts with higher internal infill percentages. However, is more material always better? This study aims to investigate how infill usage and different infill types affect the strength to weight ratio of 3D printed parts, with a focus on improving layer adhesion strength in the z-axis which has been found to be the weakest orientation in… Read more: Effects of Infill Types and Percentages on 3D Printed Layer Strength

Anna Kennedy — Year 2, Applied Science                                                                                                                                      Abstract Standardized mist netting is an important tool and is the primary sampling method at many bird observatories and research stations around world. However, mist netting as a technique for estimating bird populations is criticized for susceptibility to outside variables biasing capture data (Mallory et al., 2004). This study aimed to determine whether the expected foraging height of bird species or the sex of the bird correlates… Read more: Determining if typical foraging height or sex of southern Ontario bird species correlate with mist net capture height

Angela Kim Mallette — Year 2, Life Science Abstract In recent years, an interest in fungi has been on the rise as people have increasingly noticed its medicinal potential, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiproliferative properties. The Reishi mushroom has been one of the most widely researched species due to its bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides and triterpenoids. Referred to as the “mushroom of immortality” in traditional medicine, scientists have begun to investigate its ability to… Read more: Evaluating the Potential of Fungal Extracts in Antibacterial Topical Applications

Ryan Benhatta — Year 2, Applied Science Abstract Urban stormwater runoff can transport pollutants from roads, sidewalks, parking lots, and rooftops into nearby waterways, making it a large indicator of local environmental quality. This project tested stormwater from five catch basins from comprehensive development, residential, commercial, and industrial land uses. Two rounds of data collection were completed for each site and the samples were analyzed with test strips for pH, total alkalinity, total hardness, zinc,… Read more: Urban Stormwater Quality in Vancouver: Comparing Runoff Across Land Use Zones

Oliver Guo — Year 2, Applied Science Abstract Roadside flagging places workers close to moving vehicles and remains a safety concern in construction zones. Automated Flagger Assistance Devices (AFADS) reduce exposure, but prior work suggests that cost, setup difficulty, and deployment constraints still limit their use. This project aimed to design a compact prototype flagger unit that could support future AI based automation while integrating local computation abilities, traffic message display, and remote control. A… Read more: Design and Testing of a Nimble Automated Flagger Prototype

Liam Kennedy — Year 2, Applied Science Abstract Carrot agriculture produced over 40 million tonnes world-wide in 2022, yet 12.57% of carrots grown each year are thrown out because they are defective, over-ripe, or under-ripe. This study aimed to create a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to classify carrot ripeness from an image of the pre-harvest plant. 4636 images were taken of 159 carrots from different angles and orientations and used to train the AI model.… Read more: Pre-harvest Carrot Ripeness Classification Using a Convolutional Neural Network

Chloe Chen — Year 2, Life Science Abstract This study tested the antibacterial effects of berberine, a compound found in plants such as Berberis vulgaris and Hydrastis canadensis, against the Escherichia coli (E. coli) K-12 strain using disk diffusion. Two procedures were used with different solvents and concentration methods to measure zones of inhibition. Procedure 1 produced inconclusive results due to issues with solubility and procedure, while Procedure 2 showed small zones of inhibition that… Read more: Effectiveness of Berberine’s Antimicrobial Properties on Escherichia Coli K-12