Research Showcase Program
Second Annual Research Showcase
The Second Annual Research Showcase Highlighting Scholarly and Creative Activity at Red Deer Polytechnic featured concurrent sessions covering an array of topics.
Schedule
5:00 - 5:15 pm Opening Remarks
5:15 - 6:00 pm Keynote Speaker: Sandra MacDougall
6:00 - 6:30 pm Refreshments
6:30 - 7:15 pm Concurrent Sessions 1
7:30 - 8:15 pm Concurrent Sessions 2
Concurrent Sessions 1 | Thursday, March 2 | 6:30 to 7:15 pm
- Concurrent Session 1A | Room 2901A
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Contemporary Topics in Education
- What are Educators’ Reactions to Educational Streams or Sequences for Core Subjects in High Schools? (Annika Sudlow)
- How Does Having a Male Teacher Affect Students in Middle Schools? (Caleb Johnson)
- What are the Most Significant Discernible Impacts of Preferred Pronoun Usage Implementation in Middle Schools? (Michael Simaeys)
- Concurrent Session 1B | Room 2901B
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- A Comparison of the Efficacy of Two Acoustic Bat Monitors during the Summer of 2022 in Red Deer County, Alberta (Raylene Tone)
- Use of Remote Cameras to Monitor Winter Tick (Dermacentor albipictus) Infestations in Moose (Alces alces) (Terese McNabb)
- Fungal and Oomycetes Communities Associated with White Spruce (Picea glauca) and Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) Seedlings in the Red Deer Area (Allicia Irwin, Angela Ibe, Carolyn Scott, and Cyrus Taheri)
- Concurrent Session 1C | Room 2905
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- Model to Explain Faculty Processes of Successful Multicultural Teaching (Juliet Onabadejo)
- “In My Country, We Don’t Have These”: International Students’ Experiences with RDP Library (Caitlin Ratcliffe & Carolina Pannenbecker)
- Cultural Competency Training for Service Workers who Work with Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence (Jones Adjei and Choon-Lee Chai)
- Concurrent Session 1D | Room 2906
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- The Inhibitive Role of Tenuazonic Acid on the Growth of Mycena citricolor through Alternaria alternata Co-Culture (Jennifer Gorcak, Warren Elgersma, Cheyenne Dumlao, Selena M. Delahunty, and Cyrus Taheri)
- The Biocompatibility Gap in 3D Printing Materials for Implantable Devices (Prateeksha Aggarwal)
- Wash-Bots Canada Solar Panel Cleaner (Guriqbal Singh Munday)
Concurrent Sessions 2 | Thursday, March 2 | 7:30 to 8:15 pm
- Concurrent Session 2A | Room 2901A
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- The Influence of an Engagement Rubric in the Classroom: What Do You Want to See? (Natalie Ford and Larissa Gomes)
- Much More than Marshmallows: Implementation and Continuation of an In-class Activity for Learning VSEPR Theory (Kristy Erickson)
- Concurrent Session 2B | Room 2901B
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- Urban Ungulate Population Survey via Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Red Deer, Alberta (Sandra MacDougall and Kira Weddell)
- Female Elk (Cervus canadensis) Home Range Sizes in Elk Island National Park, Alberta (Payton Baltzer and Chelsea Beach)
- Nightly Trends of Local Bat Populations using Acoustic Monitoring (Payton Baltzer)
- Concurrent Session 2C | Room 2905
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- The Effectiveness of Positive versus Negative Framing of Health Messages Concerning the Therapeutic Use of Psychedelics (Ashley Larsen-Stewart)
- Evaluating the Prevalence and Correlates of Major Depressive Disorder among Residents of Fort McMurray, Canada: One Year After a Devastating Flood (Fola Oluwasina)
- Concurrent Session 2D | Room 2906
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- Creative Flourish (Teena Dickerson)
- Implementing AI in the 3D Asset Creation Pipeline for VFX for Film and Games (Peter Fiala)
Concurrent Session 1A (Room 2901A) | 6:30 to 7:15 pm
Presentation Title: Contemporary Topics in Education
Presenter Name(s): Annika Sudlow, Caleb Johnson, Michael Simaeys, Caitlin Fox (Instructor)
- Annika Sudlow - What are Educators' Reactions to Educational Streams or Sequences for Core Subjects in High Schools?
- Caleb Johnson - How Does Having a Male Teacher Affect Students in Middle Schools?
- Michael Simaeys - What are the Most Significant Discernible Impacts of Preferred Pronoun Usage Implementation in Middle Schools?
Concurrent Session 1B (Room 2901B) | 6:30 to 7:15 pm
Presentation Title: A Comparison of the Efficacy of Two Acoustic Bat Monitors during the Summer of 2022 in Red Deer County, Alberta
Presenter Name: Raylene Tone
Presentation Description: Bat research has increased in recent years partly because of technological advances in the field. Acoustic bat monitors have been made easily portable and more user-friendly in order to study bat population trends, diet, and habitat use, for example. These studies are important in the face of current threats to bats such as White-Nose Syndrome and wind turbine development; therefore, the technology used to conduct this research should be effective and accurate. This presentation compares two different monitors, both made by Wildlife Acoustics: the Song Meter Mini and Song Meter SM4 acoustic monitors. Both monitors were situated side by side at the identical location, close to Cygnet Lake, Alberta, during the summer of 2022. Bat vocalisations were identified using the software Kaleidoscope, then grouped into 6 different classifications: Eptesicus fuscus, Lasiurus borealis, Lasiurus cinereus, Lasionycteris noctivagans, Myotis, and no identification. Further data analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel and R studio.
Presenter Bio: Hello, my name is Raylene Tone and I am a fourth-year student in the Biological Sciences program at Red Deer Polytechnic. Last year I participated in a carnivore connectivity research project, while this year, I have been focusing on bats of Alberta for my research project. I currently work as a Citizen Science Interpreter at the Kerry Wood Nature Center and enjoy every part of it! I hope you enjoy the presentation!
Presentation Title: Use of Remote Cameras to Monitor Winter Tick (Dermacentor albipictus) Infestations in Moose (Alces alces)
Presenter Name: Terese McNabb
Presentation Description: Winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) are becoming a major concern in various regions of North America and may be a contributing factor to declining moose populations. The objective of this study is to evaluate the use of remote camera trapping to monitor the prevalence and severity of winter tick infestations in an area of known moose density. Using images from 43 remote cameras in Elk Island National Park from December 2016 to October 2020, two methods will be applied to estimate the percentage of hair loss in moose: (1) a subjective rank of the percentage of hair loss by human observers, and (2) image analysis software which measures the areas of hair loss. Both the subjective and objective ranking systems will be compared. This information can be used to better monitor winter tick infestations in the future.
Presenter Bio: Currently, I am a fourth-year student enrolled in the Bachelor of Biological Sciences program at Red Deer Polytechnic. I plan on becoming a large animal veterinarian. Evidently, I am very interested in animal research, especially topics involving wildlife, as I am known as the “animal whisperer.”
Presentation Title: Fungal and Oomycetes Communities Associated with White Spruce (Picea glauca) and Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) Seedlings in the Red Deer Area
Presenter Name: Allicia Irwin, Angela Ibe, Carolyn Scott, and Ahmad (Cyrus) Esmaeili Taheri
Presentation Description: Fungi are a diverse group of microorganisms that play critical roles in all ecosystems. The objective of this research was to characterize mycorrhizal, pathogenic, and endophytic fungal and oomycete communities associated with the roots of White Spruce (Picea glauca) and Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) in the Red Deer Region. Root samples were taken from the seedlings growing on Red Deer Polytechnic’s campus and from a private property east of the City of Red Deer. Roots were surface sterilized and aseptically plated on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) medium. Isolates were grouped into 282 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). PCR-based identification of OTUs is in progress. Preliminary results of the experiment indicated that the fungal communities associated with the above-mentioned hosts are very diverse. A greater understanding of the fungal and oomycete communities associated with White Spruce and Trembling Aspen trees can be helpful in protecting natural vegetations and rehabilitation of disturbed sites.
Presenter Bio: Cyrus Taheri, PhD, has been an instructor at RDP since 2016. He has a PhD in Applied Microbiology from the University of Saskatchewan and has supervised various undergraduate research projects in applied microbiology and environmental biology.
Allicia Irwin is in her third year of the Biological Science Degree program at RDP and was the lead student on the mycorrhizal fungi research project.
Concurrent Session 1C (Room 2905) | 6:30 to 7:15 pm
Presentation Title: Model to Explain Faculty Processes of Successful Multicultural Teaching
Presenter Name: Juliet Onabadejo
Presentation Description: This presentation is a description of a model that explains teaching methods and processes appropriate for nursing faculty who teach in a multicultural setting with some degree of cultural competence. It features a reiteration of the interview data from a basic qualitative study of Alberta Bachelor of Nursing faculty members who achieved some success in teaching students from diverse ethnic minority groups. Findings revealed that faculty developed and applied an assortment of multicultural teaching strategies, such as role-play, concept mapping, narrative drama, role modelling, and the use of case studies. Faculty members who considered students’ cultures in their teaching learned from the exposure and from previous experience of caring for multicultural patients. Three factors explained faculty members’ success at exhibiting cultural competence and incorporating culture into the curriculum: ability to overcome personal and institutional barriers, access to cultural training, and support from peers and mentors.
Presenter Bio: Juliet Onabadejo, PhD, has a background in medical-surgical nursing. She is focused on furthering her goals of teaching and advancing research in nursing education. She enjoys curriculum development and creating a good learning environment for students. Her research interest is in the area of cultural influence on health and learning.
Presentation Title: “In My Country, We Don’t Have These”: International Students’ Experiences with RDP Library
Presenter Name: Caitlin Ratcliffe & Carolina Pannenbecker
Presentation Description: How do international students perceive library spaces at Canadian post-secondaries? For many international students, libraries in their home countries differ significantly from Canadian libraries. This Photovoice study investigated international students’ experiences with the library’s spaces and in-person services at Red Deer Polytechnic. Participants responded to prompts asking which spaces in the library fostered their sense of belonging and made them feel supported and safe; they also identified spaces that made them feel unsafe or unsupported in the library. Our study sheds light on many of the challenges international students face, including strong feelings of library anxiety (Mellon, 1986), difficulties wayfinding within the library, and uncertainty around how to ask for help. These findings illustrate how RDP Library’s spaces and services can best support international students.
Presenter Bio: Caitlin Ratcliffe is the Health Sciences Librarian at RDP. Her research interests include academic integrity, Open Educational Resources, and student experience, currently focusing on international students’ experiences with the library’s online and in-person spaces and services.
Carolina Pannenbecker is a second-year Social Work student at RDP. Currently, she is working as a Research Assistant as part of her practicum. Her interests include embodied learning and multiple aspects of child welfare, including the impact of abuse, neglect, and trauma. In addition to her current research focusing on the experiences of international students at RDP Library, she is exploring how youth activists shape the world around them and how to better understand the struggles of marginalized groups.
Presentation Title: Cultural Competency Training for Service Workers who Work with Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence
Presenter Name: Jones Adjei and Choon-Lee Chai
Presentation Description: Immigrants who are victims of domestic violence require sensitive care that factors in their cultural nuances. In this presentation, we discuss the process of preparing a training module for service providers who work with immigrants who are victims of domestic violence. The objective is to equip service providers with the knowledge and skills to become both structurally and culturally proficient. The training module comprises six key sections. Key elements of each section, and the rationale behind it, will be shared in this presentation.
Presenter Bio: Jones Adjei, PhD, is a sociologist who specializes in social demography and population studies. He teaches both introductory and senior level sociology courses. His current research interests include population health inequities and settlement experiences among recent immigrants. His research has been published in the Journal of Sex Education, Canadian Studies in Population, and Ethnicity and Health.
Choon-Lee Chai, PhD, teaches introductory sociology, sociological theory, social stratification, race and ethnic relations, and visual sociology at Red Deer Polytechnic. He embraces visual pedagogy by incorporating visual methods, such as photo-elicitation, in his teaching. He regularly engages students in experiential learning through community-based research and service learning. In recent years, he completed several externally funded community-based research projects, one of which was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, on settlement experiences of immigrants in Central Alberta.
Concurrent Session 1D (Room 2906) | 6:30 to 7:15 pm
Presentation Title: The Inhibitive Role of Tenuazonic Acid on the Growth of Mycena citricolor through Alternaria alternata Co-Culture
Presenter Name: Jennifer K. Gorcak, Warren Elgersma, Cheyenne Dumlao, Selena M. Delahunty, and Ahmad (Cyrus) Esmaeili Taheri
Presentation Description: This presentation is based on the current research taking place to re-confirm the unpublished research conducted at the University of Alberta by Warren Elgersma from 1988-1990. His thesis, titled, "I. Some old and some new Lycopodium alkaloids: II. The tenuazonic acid - Mycena citricolor interaction," found that the fungi Alternaria alternata's major toxin, tenuazonic acid, was responsible for the stimulation of mushroom formation and growth inhibition in Mycena citricolor, a fungus causing the American leaf spot disease of coffee plants in Latin America. Our current research involves reconfirming his main finding of basidiocarp formation in M. citricolor, in dual with A. alternata, and investigating how different concentrations of the tenuazonic acid inhibits the growth of M. citricolor.
Presenter Bio: My name is Jennifer Gorcak, and I am a 3rd year Biology student studying at Red Deer Polytechnic. Once I am completed, I have hopes to do an After-Degree in Education and be a Teacher. My favourite thing about RDP's Biology Degree is that it gives you the ability to do research cooperativley under the guidance of a professor. Outside of school I have worked as a Veterinary Assistant, with experience handling a variety of pets, including a macaw, and spend free time watching movies, with friends and family, or being outside with my dog, Oscar!
Cyrus Taheri, PhD, has been an instructor at RDP since 2016. He has a PhD in Applied Microbiology from the University of Saskatchewan and has supervised various undergraduate research projects in applied microbiology and environmental biology.
Presentation Title: The Biocompatibility Gap in 3D Printing Materials for Implantable Devices
Presenter Name: Prateeksha Aggarwal
Presentation Description: Biocompatibility in 3D printing materials is a parameter that has been ambiguous. This issue came to light when researching materials to 3D print intravaginal devices that contact a patient’s mucosal membrane for long periods of time. Due to the nature of the product, the material needed to be an elastomer that had the proper shore hardness, high tensile strength, elongation at break and Bayshore resilience to allow for the device to be compressed, inserted, and then reformed. Materials that fit these physical properties were successfully researched. The problem came when determining whether these materials complied with the ISO biocompatibility certifications. Eventually, 3D printing silicone was explored; however, this process is new and did not provide a reproducible product. Therefore, more research must be conducted and overall, more transparency is needed regarding biocompatibility standards and 3D printing materials for implantable devices.
Presenter Bio: Prateeksha Aggarwal is a Biomedical Engineering Co-op student and is currently working at RDP CIM-TAC as an Applied Research Technician. She assists in brainstorming and conducting research during the process of designing and prototyping clients’ products. She enjoys having the opportunity to apply what she has learned in her classes to industry projects.
Presentation Title: Wash-Bots Canada Solar Panel Cleaner
Presenter Name: Guriqbal Singh Munday
Presentation Description: To increase the effectivity of cleaning, in this milestone, a mechanized rotary brush cleaning apparatus was developed. The brush system was actuated using the manual push. A significant increase in cleaning effectivity was achieved in comparison to the previous washer.
Presenter Bio: Guriqbal Singh Munday is an Industrial Research Associate with a passion for innovation and problem-solving. With a background in mechanical engineering, Guriqbal brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table, making him a valuable asset to the Red Deer Polytechnic team. In his role, Guriqbal is responsible for evaluating, researching, and developing new ideas and prototypes to support the needs of Red Deer Polytechnic's clients. He is also tasked with troubleshooting and problem-solving products, designs, and manufacturing processes, and working with the CIM-TAC team and companies it serves. Guriqbal's ability to think critically and out-of-the-box, combined with his technical expertise, makes him an expert in his field. He is dedicated to finding new and innovative solutions to help companies improve their products and processes, and is committed to driving positive change in the industry.
Concurrent Session 2A (Room 2901A) | 7:30 to 8:15 pm
Presentation Title: The Influence of an Engagement Rubric in the Classroom: What Do You Want to See?
Presenter Name: Natalie Ford and Larissa Gomes
Presentation Description: A mixed methods, exploratory approach was used to answer the research question, "How does the use of engagement self-assessment influence student engagement in the classroom?" Results of recent data provide insight into the impacts of the assessment of student engagement in the classroom. Discussion of key elements of an engagement rubric for your classroom will be explored. Outcomes: Learners will have the opportunity to revise their own engagement self-assessment tool for their classroom and leave with insights about diversity in student engagement.
Presenter Bio: Natalie Ford is continuous faculty in the BScN Nursing program at RDP. She has been an RN for 17 years and has taught undergraduate nursing students in the BScN program at Red Deer Polytechnic for the past nine years. Natalie completed her Nurse Practitioner certification and Masters in Nursing in 2011 & 2012. Her research interests include clinical ethics with a focus on conflicts of conscience in the NICU and nursing ethics education. She currently teaches "Contemporary Issues in Healthcare Ethics and Law."
Larissa Gomes is a Registered Nurse with a passion for evidence informed practice, community health, and working collaboratively with clients and families. She received her Bachelor of Nursing from Mount Royal University in 2015, has been a sessional nurse educator with Red Deer Polytechnic since 2019, and is currently working towards a Masters of Nursing in teaching and leadership. Larissa loves teaching in creative ways and connecting both online and in person.
Presentation Title: Much More than Marshmallows: Implementation and Continuation of an In-class Activity for Learning VSEPR Theory
Presenter Name: Kristy Erickson
Presentation Description: In 2022, the author completed detailed quantitative and qualitative analyses of an in-class study where students, using marshmallows and toothpicks, built various molecular shapes and completed an activity sheet which had them do the following: a) identify the geometry and shape name, b) identify the Valence-shell Electron-Pair Repulsion (VSEPR) class, d) draw the shape they had built, and d) write out an explanation for why the shape has the name it does (the results of this study, titled “More than Marshmallows: Implementation and Assessment of an Interactive In-class Activity for Learning VSEPR Theory”, have been written in a manuscript and submitted to the Journal of Chemical Education for peer review). This presentation will highlight the work presented in the submitted manuscript and how the activity has been modified for the purposes of a continuation study.
Presenter Bio: Kristy Erickson, PhD, has been a chemistry instructor at RDP for 10 years. During this time, she has completed RDP's Excellence in Teaching and Learning (ETaL) certificate and has begun to explore chemistry education research by implementing in-class activities and exploring their effectiveness in helping her students learn and understand concepts in her classes.
Concurrent Session 2B (Room 2901B) | 7:30 to 8:15 pm
Presentation Title: Urban Ungulate Population Survey via Unmanned Aerial Vehicle in Red Deer, Alberta
Presenter Name: Sandra MacDougall and Kira Weddell
Presentation Description: Moose (Alces alces) and other ungulates including white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) are found throughout the City of Red Deer, Alberta. It is an important area for wildlife movement due to its location along the Red Deer River and close proximity to the Blindman River. Over the last 10 years, urban deer and moose populations have increased in the City of Red Deer; however, their true population status is unknown. To make informed management recommendations to decrease human-wildlife conflicts and inform future urban planning we first need to understand the population status and movement patterns of moose and deer in and around the city. An aerial survey of the parks and green belt areas of Red Deer was conducted using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with both red-blue-green (RBG) and infrared thermal video. We employed a stratified sampling design, such that the UAV was flown at an altitude of 100 m following parallel transects spaced 50 metres apart in densely forested areas and 200 metres apart in open habitats in late January. Population estimates will be made using Jolly population models and population distributions mapped using a Kernel Density Estimate approach. This data will then be examined in the context of the where, when, and why of human-wildlife conflicts and be utilized in managing urban ungulate populations.
Presenter Bio: I am a fourth-year general biology student at Red Deer Polytechnic and a member of the RDP Queens volleyball team. I am interested in pursuing a career in ecology and over the past year I have been working on a Biology 4902 project determining the urban ungulate population within the city limits of Red Deer, Alberta, via Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.
Presentation Title: Female Elk (Cervus canadensis) Home Range Sizes in Elk Island National Park, Alberta
Presenter Name: Payton Baltzer and Chelsea Beach
Presentation Description: This study aimed to determine the annual and seasonal home range characteristics of two female elk (Cervus canadensis) populations in Elk Island National Park (EINP). EINP is a 194 km2 protected area that is separated into two fenced blocks. This allows us to study two populations within a high density and low predation environment. Using 154 517 GPS locations from 34 radio-collared individuals between 2020-2022, we compared annual and seasonal home range distributions for the female elk. Utilizing Rstudio for statistical tests and graphical modelling, we found that the North block population had smaller annual home ranges than the South block population. Overall, the annual home range sizes were largest in winter and smallest in summer. This data will be used to model the expansion of liver fluke and predict the impact of carnivore populations on elk movement within the park.
Presenter Bio: Chelsea is a fourth-year BSC Biological Sciences student who will be graduating in April 2023. Previously she obtained a BSC in geology from Mount Royal University and has worked as a geologist in training for the oil and gas industry. She plans to use her biological sciences degree to pursue a career in wildlife biology with a focus on megafauna.
Payton is a third-year RDP student in the BSC Biological Sciences program. Payton was born in Yellowknife, NWT, and grew up in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. After completion of his current degree, he has aspirations of a career involved in wildlife biology. Outside of school, he has a passion for all things outdoors and basketball (he plays on the RDP basketball team).
Presentation Title: Nightly Trends of Local Bat Populations using Acoustic Monitoring
Presenter Name: Payton Baltzer
Presentation Description: This research is part of an ongoing study to monitor bats in the Red Deer area, conducted by RDP faculty and students over the past four years. Wildlife Acoustics bat monitors were used to record bat vocalizations, Kaleidoscope sound analysis software to identify bat species, and R studio to perform statistical tests and plot graphics. The first component of the research attempted to validate the accuracy of the automated identification software by cross-referencing sonogram IDs by hand. The second component identified trends in the nightly activity of bat species from two separate locations at the start and end of the summer season. This presentation will discuss findings, limitations and future studies.
Presenter Bio: Payton is a third-year RDP student in the BSC Biological Sciences program. Payton was born in Yellowknife, NWT, and grew up in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. After completion of his current degree, he has aspirations of a career involved in wildlife biology. Outside of school, he has a passion for all things outdoors and basketball (he plays on the RDP basketball team).
Concurrent Session 2C (Room 2905) | 7:30 to 8:15 pm
Presentation Title: The Effectiveness of Positive versus Negative Framing of Health Messages Concerning the Therapeutic Use of Psychedelics
Presenter Name: Ashley Larsen-Stewart
Presentation Description: Research indicates that how public health messages are framed can have substantial cognitive and emotional impacts on recipients, influencing their health decisions. Framing, particularly the degree to which messaging is positive (gain-focused) or negative (loss-focused), is thus an important consideration in the design of effective messaging. Evidence pertaining to the relative efficacy of positive versus negative framing is mixed, potentially influenced by individual factors such as age, involvement, and personality (Löckenhoff & Carstensen, 2007). The goal of the present study was to explore the role of individual perceptions and experiences of a sample of younger and older adults on the relative effectiveness of positively versus negatively framed messages about the potential therapeutic utility of psychedelic drugs in enhancing well-being/reducing mental anguish. Following random assignment to online questionnaires presenting either positively or negatively framed messaging concerning the therapeutic use of psychedelics, participants completed assessments of their reactions/hypothetical intentions, and recall regarding such intervention. Results will be discussed in the context of best practices and implications for social policy.
Presenter Bio: Ashley is a fourth-year BA Psychology Student hoping to become a Psychedelic Assisted Therapist.
Presentation Title: Evaluating the Prevalence and Correlates of Major Depressive Disorder among Residents of Fort McMurray, Canada: One Year After a Devastating Flood
Presenter Name: Fola Oluwasina
Presentation Description: A cross-sectional study design. Questionnaires were self-administered through an anonymous, online survey. Data collected included sociodemographic, flooding-related variables, clinical information, and likely major depressive disorder (MDD) using PHQ-9 scoring. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the chi-square test, and logistic regression at P = < 0.05.
Of the 186 respondents who completed the survey, 85.5% (159) of the respondents were females, 14.5% (27) were males, 52.7% (98) were above 40 years of age, and 94% (175) were employed. The prevalence of mild to severe depression among the respondents was 53.7% (75). Respondents who reported that they are unemployed are 12 times more likely to have moderate to severe depression (OR = 12.16; 95% CI: 1.08–136.26). Respondents who had previously received a mental health diagnosis of MDD are five times more likely to have moderate to severe depression (OR = 5.306; 95% CI: 1.84–15.27).
This study suggests that flooding could impact the psychosocial and mental health of affected people. There is a need to reassess the existing guidelines on emergency planning for flooding to reduce its impacts on mental health and identify where research can support future evidence-based guidelines.
Presenter Bio: Fola Oluwasina holds a PhD in public health (Epidemiology). He received postdoctoral training at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry where he used patient-based data to uncover pathways associated with psychosis, anxiety, suicide, depression, burnout, depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, interpersonal disengagement, and other stress-related health disorders to discover novel therapeutic mechanisms for treating diseases. His research primarily focuses on health innovations that increase access to high-quality mental health care among African, Black, and Caribbean communities, as well as addressing the lack of access to healthcare and psychological therapies for patients suffering from depression and anxiety.
Concurrent Session 2D (Room 2906) | 7:30 to 8:15 pm
Presentation Title: Creative Flourish
Presenter Name: Teena Dickerson
Presentation Description: Teena Dickerson discusses her in-progress doctoral research project, Creative Flourish: The Effects of the Artifacts of Creativity Developmental Activity on Personal Wellbeing for Adult Learners. To date, the Creative Flourish project has involved RDP employee participants in two art-making workshops and reflective questionnaires. The research also partners with art created by the researcher, culminating in an upcoming collaborative art exhibition in the Research Common to showcase and disseminate the co-creation of artwork and knowledge. This continuing research project aims to reveal creativity and its development as a meaningful innate human characteristic with profound growth potential available to all adults, with the hope that instructors could use creative developmental activity as an educational intervention to bolster wellbeing. Increasing creative capacity could foster resiliency and has the potential to sustain learners through the complex and challenging subjects of transformative learning and innovation in adult education at Red Deer Polytechnic.
Presenter Bio: Teena Dickerson is a doctoral candidate, artist, sculpture instructor, and learning designer at Red Deer Polytechnic. Her research focuses on creativity and wellbeing to examine how engaging in creativity development has the potential to sustain learners through transformative learning and innovation in adult education. Teena has recently exhibited artwork at the Red Deer Museum and the Alberta Craft Council Galleries (Edmonton and Calgary). She has also been included on a multi-authored panel to discuss creativity and reconciliation pedagogy possibilities at the University of Calgary.
Presentation Title: Implementing AI in the 3D Asset Creation Pipeline for VFX for Film and Games
Presenter Name: Peter Fiala
Presentation Description: AI programs were used to aid in, but not replace, the creation of concept art images within a typical production design process for VFX and games. The finalized concept art compositions, which incorporated hand-picked components from the AI-generated images, were then used as reference material to adhere to when creating the 3D geometry and surface characteristics of 3D virtual assets for both a human character’s costume, and for a hard-surface 3D prop model.
In their industry, 3D artists work from concept art that has traditionally been entirely created by a human. Results will be shown with an explanation of where AI can fit as a practical tool for use by a 3D artist within a typical production pipeline, as well as what further work is typically needed to create a viable concept that could be properly executed when given to a 3D artist.
Presenter Bio: Peter Fiala has over twenty years of experience as both a 3D artist and an educator. While following his passion creating computer generated visual effects (VFX), his work has contributed to Emmy and Oscar nominated Hollywood feature films, where he worked as a lead modeling/texturing and lighting artist. You can check out his IMDB filmography here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2926888/ Since 1999, Peter has also been working as an instructor and curriculum developer at several post-secondary institutions across North America and in central Europe. Since 2015, Peter worked on developing RDP’s AVFX program and then been involved from the 2018 launch of the degree until present day, where he works as Department Head and as an Instructor. Peter urgently believes that one should never stop practicing and learning their craft. He continues enrolling in AVFX related courses and is always working through one personal project to the next in order to try his best to stay on the bleeding edge creating digital artwork for animation and visual effects, and games.
