The Athenaeum, issue 78.8

Acadia’s Student Newspaper, since 1874 March 3rd, 2016 Issue 78.8

The Research Issue EDITORIAL research: intro page 2

NEWS food insecurity page 3

OPINIONS tidal page4

RESEARCH ---------pages 10-16

atheditorials The Athenaeum Acadia University’s Student Newspaper Issue 78.8 ASU Box 6002, 30 Highland, Acadia University Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R5 Editor-In-Chief: Andrew D. Haskett Email: eic@acadiau.ca SUB room 512 EIC Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 1:30-4:30 Advertising Inquiries: connell.finance@ acadiau.ca Business Inquiries: 116765m@acadiau.ca Section Editors Art: Adam Langille Creative: Rebekah Hutten Distractions: Thane Mullen Features: Hope Latta News: Hannah Hutchinson Opinions: Kody Crowell Sports: Sam Gillis Online:

Senewa Sena

Management Production Manager Robin Lawson Photo Manager Anjuli Ripley Advertising Manager Theresa Connell Business Manager Robyn McMillan Copy Editor Tyler Nelson Editor-in-Chief Andrew Haskett INSTA: athacadia FB: the Athenaeum

The Athenaeum is the official student newspaper of Acadia University and is published in print and online year-round at theath.ca. The opinions expressed herein do not represent the Acadia Students Union or the staff of the Athenaeum, they are held by the individuals who contribute to the Athenaeum as essential members of our completely student-run newspaper.

We pride ourselves in publishing and participating in a diverse community, and we are more than eager to work with anyone, regardless of age, economic situation, race, creed, sexual orientation, or any other defining or diversive human trait. In the spirit of great debate we will argue with you and your opinions to the ends of the earth if we deem it necessary.

Articles submitted will be published at the discretion of the editorial board. If there is content that we feel will not add to the philosophy, dialogue, or tone of our newspaper, it will not be published.

We’re always looking for controversial and rowdy material that challenges society and its norms, but any material deemed offensive or hateful will be met with extreme scrutiny. That being said, all of our staff members look forward to working together with writers to improve their quality of writing, and to make sure the Athenaeum remains professional and well-rounded.

The Athenaeum may accept submissions from any student or member of our campus, present and past, and is always looking for more writers and photographers. If you are looking for coverage of an event or story, would like to notify us of a complaint or correction, or would like to submit a letter to the editor, contact Andrew D. Haskett at eic@acadiau.ca There are open story meetings every Wednesday at 6pm in the Athenaeum office, room 512 in the SUB. Everyone is welcome, and we encourage you to join us!

The Athenaeum, since 1874.

Call it like you see it.

T his issue’s cover art wa s created by Ma h moud Ist a nb ouli.

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On The Research Issue A message from the Editor-in-chief Andrew Haskett Editor-in-Chief It’s hard to keep tabs on the motions of an ever- changing world. We live in a time where advancements in ever y field, from the sciences to the arts to the development of our own intellects, are rapidly evolving to suit our naturally whetted appetites for innovation, change, and curiosity. This issue of the Athenaeum, issue 78.8 and the third to last issue of the 2015/2016 academic year, is our research issue. For the interest of our readers we have sought after and prepared a number of profiles of Acadia University students and their individual research topics. We’ve got ducks, rocks, and sexuality in our midst, and even more to come. We hope you enjoy, and remember to stay in touch with us on our plethora of social media outlets, where we often ridicule ourselves for the enjoyment of others.

Best wishes, the Athenaeum. Since 1874.

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Why Do We Need Feminism? that everyone knows what sexual assault is, it is clear that many do not.

What seems to be repeatedly chalI find myself asking the same ques- lenged is the question of consent and tions on a daily basis. Why is victim how consent is taught. blaming acceptable? Why does it keep happening? Why do people continue Posts that preach that women should to participate in a cycle of hate that stop calling it rape when they regret silences survivors? Why are issues of having sex and to learn the difference consent not taken more seriously? And so that women who are actually aswhy can’t no mean no? The answers saulted have a better chance of being to these questions are dictated by cul- believed adds to the problem. They are tural and social norms that continue to saying that women need to be better tolerate issues of consent and support informed about sexual assault, howevvictim blaming. er, the majority of us have been taught about it. Instead, we should question Social media outlets allow individuals a system that is failing to educate the to express themselves without having assaulters on issues of consent and to take into consideration the effects sexual assault. We have been taught and consequences their words may that the way women dress, the amount have on both men and women who are they drink, who they interact with, and survivors of sexual assault or who have how they present themselves make dealt with issues of consent. Take Yik them walking targets. Sexual assault Yak for instance, where victim blam- has been ingrained in our brains since ing, issues of consent, and negativity puberty. Major issues continue to go about feminism on campus and in our unaddressed: men and women are too community thrives. Why is that? It is scared to report cases of sexual assault probably a symptom of our patriarchal because of the fear of stigma and vicand misogynistic society. This culture tim blaming, and those who do have is pervasive. It adds to victims’ fear of their legitimacy questioned. Sexual ascoming forward and having their story sault and issues of consent do not just heard. Although we may like to think affect women—it affects everyone. It is

Cayleigh Lemieux Acadia Women’s Center

crucial that we stop blaming the victim and start acting collectively to change the dynamics around the understanding of consent.

We have numerous resources on campus that work tirelessly to create a safe space for survivors and to educate people on consent and victim blaming.

What is concerning is that even after events such as Sex Fest, that educate students and the community on issues of safe sex, sexual assault, and consent are negatively received on social media outlets such as Yik Yak. Negativity continues to outweigh the good on issues of sexual assault, consent, feminism, and victim blaming. We need to work as a collectively to find a way to change these chastisements from “education women on the difference” to creating a safe place where survivors feel comfortable without the fear of the stigma that is associated with sexual assault. Instead of questioning the legitimacy of victims of sexual assault, people need to turn the scope back onto themselves and ask themselves why they feel it necessary to shame victims? Feminisms is an essential part of this fight. Feminism is for everyone.

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Singing to Seniors Acadia Musical Theatre Society Valentine’s Day Fundraiser Acadia Musical Theater Society On Sunday February 14th, the Acadia Musical Theatre Society went to the Wolfville Nursing home to perform for residents at dinner time. Two society members travelled to four different dining rooms and entertained staff and residents. The Society had held a raffle and awarded one lucky winner with a Valentine’s Day Serenade by third year violin major Allison Stewart. The group raised funds of over $100 and was given the freedom to choose a Serenade destination by the winner of the draw, who was unable to obtain their prize in person. “It was really a nice thing to do, I think the residents really enjoyed it” quoting President Hope Latta, who also founded the Society in August of 2015.

“It’s important for Acadia students to give

back to the community, and it’s especially fun to do so through Musical Theater.

Going to places like nursing homes is a great way to contribute and it’s a pretty fun thing to do. Once you’ve gone once, it’s the sort of thing that you’d want to do again and again. Staff members can be a great audience, so it’s a great way to perform without the commitment of doing a show.” The concept of playing at a nursing home is inspirational because it provides students with an application of the things that they are learning to do. It’s important to spend time interacting with people who watch you perform because it can provide valuable insight and give you more practice with the concept of audience interaction. Such skills also further development in other fields of study, such as theatre and communication.

Being able to access such easy ways to perform is a gift, and it shouldn’t be taken for granted, especially when it is so loved by both parties that are performing. Being able to share the things you learn provides a foundational appreciation for your craft, and it also enriches the experience of being a student overall. Having those sorts of experiences are also good for developing a critique eye for audience response.

Often times there is an alienation between the audience and the entertainers where students perform for an audience that they can’t see due to formal lighting. This distance makes it harder for people to grasp the atmosphere in the room that they are performing to. It’s a special skill to be able to play off the audience and to take their energy into account when making choices on stage. These sorts of opportunities are great for strengthening receptive skills, as

Food Insecurity at Acadia University Hannah Hutchinson News Editor

Dr. Lesley Frank is a professor in Acadia’s Sociology Department. Frank, alongside a graduate student in the department, has been conducting a study investigating the prevalence food insecurity at Acadia.

The research was spurred in part by Meal Exchange, a Canadian student-run organization. The research seeks to address the lack of measures of food insecurity on Canadian campuses, as no such studies had been conducted prior to the current research. The research conducted was done in part with the University of Saskatchewan.

The research, conducted last winter, indicates that food insecurity is a significant issue for many university students.

Frank’s research measured food insecurity through a ten-question scale and asked about a variety of topics relating to financial stability, accessing sufficient quantities, and qualities of food, all adapted to a student population and a one-person household. The survey was administered 1030 students, nearly one third of the student body, Frank found that 38.1% of students, or 392, classify as food insecure.

When looking at just off-campus students (who do not live at home with their parents), who are even more pressured to find their own food because of lack of a meal plan, the percentage became 49.5%.

The data showed many trends in regards to grouping of food insecure students.

A prominent trend indicated that as students move through university, their level of food security decreases. There was a higher rate of food insecurity for working students than for non-working students.

Students who paid for their schooling

through their own employment had the highest rate of food insecurity, at 56%, followed by students who used loans to pay for school. Results such as these highlight the deep connection between financial means and food security. Additionally, students were asked about how food insecurity impacted their university experience, including health, academic and social outcomes. Half of food insecure students said that their experience was affected by being food insecure. The data produced statistically significant findings surrounding the connection between stress levels, self-reports of physi-

cal and mental health, and grades with food insecurity. The more food insecure a student is, the higher the stress, and the poorer the health outcomes and grades.

Food charity resources such as the food bank are not resources that many students know about or use. The research shows that less than 1% of students use food charity resources. Students cope with food security in a variety of ways.

Strategies that food insecure students reported using included borrowing money from family or friends, as well as a heavy reliance on credit cards to purchase food.

well as for providing extra experiences in performing.

Having the opportunity to see your skill make somebody else happy is something that provides extra motivation to keep going through with the program you are in, especially if you are in the arts. It can be a really fun thing to do, and it makes studying a little bit easier. Acadia Musical Theatre is proud to be able to connect Acadia students and to the community at large, and they encourage members to perform where they can. They also provide information on local productions and mini performance opportunities. Funding from the event will also go towards bringing in education workshops in the realm of theatre. To find out more check out their Facebook page and group and email them at musicaltheatre@acadiau.ca.

Just under half of these students reported delaying buying text books or avoiding all together, as well as obtaining part time jobs to earn money to provide for food costs.

This research is very revealing and highlights a prominent issue. Student food insecurity is not an issue that is exclusive to Acadia University. As a result of the research Frank is working on, 13 other universities across the country have used the survey and are in process of measuring food insecurity at other Canadian campuses.

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Tidal Energy - Where Are We Going?

Dr. Graham Daborn Acadia University

I first came to Acadia as a Biology professor in 1973. When I arrived, my initial research interests were in the ecology of freshwater lakes and rivers, but a resurgence of interest in Fundy tidal power in 1976 created a great need to organise research to answer the inevitable questions about the effects of tidal power on the Bay of Fundy. This has remained my major research focus ever since.

As one of the earlier articles in this series mentioned, we have been considering generating electricity from the Fundy tides for more than a hundred years. In fact, I would argue that most of what we know about the Bay of Fundy as an ecosystem has come about because of studies generated by tidal power proposals — many of those studies have been conducted by Acadia students. Most of the time, the engineering concept was to construct a dam (or barrage) across the mouth of a tidal river or across a bay such as Minas Basin, allow this to fill with water during the flood tide, and then force all of that water out through turbines when the tide is ebbing. This is called tidal range generation, and it causes huge environmental problems, many of which are associated with the dam, not the turbines. If the dam cuts across an estuary that fish move through to get to their spawning grounds, they will probably have to pass through the turbines when they head out to sea again. That is the situation with the Annapolis tidal generating station, even though there are two fishways built into the dam. The fact is that not enough fish seem to be able to find them.

One of the problems that arises in relation to tidal power (and with other environmental activities like fracking) is the spread of misinformation. A previous article in this series seemed to leave the impression that the turbine was responsible for the disappearance of the striped bass population in the Annapolis River. That is not the case.

We showed in 1975 (well before the turbine was installed in 1984) that almost all of the suitable spawning ground in the lower An-

napolis River had been eliminated by the building of the Annapolis Causeway in 1960. There were a few striped bass able to spawn each year in the Annapolis, but the vast majority of the fish that sustained the sports fishery in the area were migrants from other rivers, many from the Hudson River in the USA. The Annapolis tidal station has been a useful study case for Acadia faculty and students. Because the dam was constructed more than 20 years before the turbine was installed, it is possible to identify the different effects of the dam and of the turbine. That would not be the case for a dam built directly for the purpose of housing turbines.

Nonetheless, the tidal turbine at Annapolis remains a significant challenge for fish populations: many of the fish, both adults and juveniles, which end up going through the turbine suffer fatal damage. Although none of the species that spawn in the Annapolis River have been eliminated, their populations have changed significantly.

That will always be a serious concern for tidal power development in the Bay of Fundy, and is one of the major reasons for the low level of enthusiasm for energy development based on tidal range.

Connecting with people is difficult, especially in this day and age of hookup apps like Tinder and Grindr. No longer does it feel socially acceptable to just go up to someone and ask them for coffee or out for dinner. As the one who is being asked on a date, are you expected to put out if the other person pays? Is the other person supposed to pay? With all of this in mind, how are you

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when we have turbines placed in the water for trials. A few observations of fish and mammals in the vicinity of turbines tested in Britain and the USA have shown no evidence of any being directly impacted by the spinning blades, but absence of evidence is not evidence of absence! It is not enough knowledge on which to base an assessment of risk. The effects on fish and mammals are likely to vary according to location, turbine technology, and species. Obviously we have to complete that research before any decision is made to deploy large numbers of turbines.

to displace more fossil fuels. In addition, there are many other places around the globe that have potential for tidal power development. The accumulated experience gained by Nova Scotians on environmental, technical and social issues over the last century could be of great value to such global developments, and be an economic asset to the province. Many of the Acadia students who have worked on this topic in the past are pursuing careers as university faculty (including some at Acadia) and as research scientists with government agencies.

Several other environmental issues raised when the tidal stream studies were initiated some eight years ago have been examined, and some of them were found not to be of major concern. For example, it was thought that some of the big ice blocks that form in winter could be drawn down to damage a turbine or monitoring equipment placed on the bottom. That turns out to be very unlikely.

One of the major challenges results from the extremely dynamic flows of water through passages that are potentially suitable for tidal stream turbines. Recent research in the Bay of Fundy has led to a number of new technologies for monitoring environmental effects, such as fish and mammal behaviour, and of mooring equipment in these very high water flows.

These represent innovations that will have value when applied elsewhere.

It may be that in the end tidal stream approaches to electricity generation will prove too costly, or too technically difficult to pursue on a large scale. Most of the earlier proposals for tidal power development in the Bay of Fundy were in fact not abandoned because of environmental concerns: they were not built primarily because it proved uneconomic in comparison with cheap oil. Given the present state of oil supply in the world, that could very well be the case even now.

The saga of Fundy tidal power will continue for some time yet. Nova Scotia has the dubious distinction of being the province with the largest per capita contribution to greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. Recently, changes in policy have triggered a major shift toward renewable energy to replace our heavy dependence on coal and oil. In 2015, about 27% of our electricity came from renewable sources, which is a significant improvement over the 12% of a decade ago. Most of that has come from wind power, but there is probably little potential for much greater use of wind energy because it is so variable and unpredictable.

Given the enormous and predictable tidal resource that is adjacent to our shores, it is natural that we would look to tidal power

But regardless of the economic evaluation of tidal energy, Nova Scotia needs to look for ways to get away from its dependence on fossil fuels if it is be a responsible member of the world community. The truth is that we will be less directly impacted by global climate change resulting from greenhouse gas emissions than most of the rest of the world because of the buffering effects of the sea around us. Deciding to continue burning coal and contributing to that global problem simply because a viable alternative is a little more expensive is a morally reprehensible position. We need to look at this resource, evaluate its effects, and learn how to benefit from it safely without compromising other benefits that we have from the Bay of Fundy. If we are successful, we not only get off fossil fuels, but can build an industry that would yield great benefit in the future. I am quite confident that we will find a way to capitalise on this clean, predictable resource, and that Acadia faculty and students will be major contributors to the knowledge that is needed, as they have been over the last 100 years.

supposed to connect with the person you’re like them. Maybe you want to wait to meet on a date with? them before you hint sexual attraction. And if you do meet up with them, it can be difTake Tinder: it has thousands of users and ficult establishing whether it’s going to be a is notoriously known as a hook up app. If one night thing, or a real connection. Having you’re there looking for a friend or a rela- that conversation after only meeting online tionship, the fact that you’re finding them is not only hard, it’s downright intimidating. through a hookup app puts the pressure of sex front and center, even in the case that Sometimes, I hear people complaining about you do end up going out with them. Some- the new way that dating comes about: sleep times, swiping left doesn’t mean you don’t together first, then decide whether or not you

want to have a relationship. However, when it comes down to it, it shouldn’t matter in which order you do things. The most important part of a relationship is mutual connection to one another. So in my opinion, go for it, ask that guy or girl out for a cup of coffee, dance with them at that party, or send them that cheesy pick-up line on Tinder. Because in the end, we’re all just looking for someone else to share cool experiences and time with.

As outlined in previous articles, the present approach is aimed at evaluating the potential and effects of tidal stream devices, which work on the flow of water rather than the water stored behind a dam. Many of the concerns about tidal power in the past also apply to this approach. What are the effects on fish, mammals, birds, water flows and sediments, etc.? Even though these turbines are spaced apart without the support of a dam and there is potentially enough room for fish to go around each turbine, we must understand the risk to fish. We do not know whether they will be able to sense the presence of a working turbine and avoid it. As more turbines are deployed, the alternative space for them to move upstream and downstream becomes less, and so a large number of turbines in a narrow passage could begin to act much like a dam. The risk to fish and mammals is the focus of much of our research at the present time. We need to know how animals respond to a turbine, and what their response will be. That can only be done

iFinding Dating love in the digital age Daniel Robinson Contributor

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Debunking what “research shows” Katie Redmond Contributor

Most of us are guilty of reading something online, believing it to be a fact, and sharing it with our friends or peers all because its published research. Unfortunately, most people do not take into consideration the fact that a great deal of research goes unpublished because it goes against the findings of the “experts” in that specific area of study. A lot of research done by new researchers often gets overlooked because it does not fit with what the “facts” say. What we often not considering is how many times have various researchers tried to refute the same point, but have gone unnoticed? Because one high and mighty researcher has published something that makes us automatically believe it’s true, even when others have found evidence against it.

Since none of this refuting evidence

is being published, we don’t have multiple sources going against what “the research shows,” which often results in misperceptions of the truth.

Another cause of concern, especially in Psychology, is that we can’t be sure if what is being published was found because there is a true effect/ relationship or just due to chance.

Research tends to focus on the difference between two populations (i.e. what happens to one population when you manipulate what they are exposed to compared to another population that doesn’t receive this manipulation). This is called type one error. Ask any female, the first mistake girl makes is thinking there is a relationship when there isn’t one.

This is exactly what type 1 error is; thinking that a true relationship between the manipulation and the effect when the effect that is seen is actually just due to chance. I am sure

Brew Review Paddy’s pub’s gaspreau lager Jon Smith Local Barfly If you’ve ever pretended to like Celtic music, and I know we all have, then there’s one place for you to drink some beer. Paddy’s Pub is one of my favorite places in Wolfville, and besides giving us all an excuse to get plastered on a Monday night, they’ve given us good cheap craft beer for years. In case you’ve ever taken issue with your beer being put in six different containers (wasteful, right?), you can buy your beer from Paddy’s

in one big 64oz growler to impress your friends and family. Tonight, I’ll be reviewing the new Gaspereau Lager, and using the cancellation of my morning class as an excuse to drink all this goddamn beer.

This beer pours with a half finger head, which is about a half finger more than I generally see from a lager. The smell is yeasty, with a hint of sourness and citrus. The mouthfeel is vibrant with carbonation and bubbliness, giving my tongue a beautiful nervous tingle that only lemon

that most people don’t like to think what they are reading isn’t true and that the research done on it was correct. But, think about it for a second: how many times have you read something online, tried it out yourself, and then the desired effects you were anticipating just don’t happen.

Sometimes we think that we are not seeing these effects because we did something wrong, or because we are “special.” We rarely think about the fact that someone might have made a mistake when doing research that went unnoticed, or that something weird happened with just the sample of the population they were looking at that resulted in these findings.

I know what you must be thinking: “Well, if there are multiple studies supporting the same effect, then type one error must not have been made.”

But think back to what I mentioned earlier about all of the unpublished research. In a lot of studies, we set

what is called an alpha level, which is the probability that the results you found are due to chance. In psychology, this is usually set to 0.05, which means that 5% of the time, these results might be found due to chance.

We consider results to be significant if they are less than 0.05 (i.e. less than 5% of the time, you will find an effect this large). Now, imagine if 100 researchers ran the same type of study; 95 of the researchers are finding no effect from the manipulation, but 5 of the researchers are finding an effect due to chance. What if these 5 researchers are the ones who are considered the experts in the field, so their research gets published, while there are 95 other studies refuting the experts’ findings, but because people who are “less qualified” conducted the research the findings never see the light of day. Consider how much research could be missing from what we consider being facts.

warheads and talking to girls could have given me before. The taste is much more substantial than one would normally expect from a lager.

Often I describe lagers as ‘weak-ass’ and ‘just sad’, but I’d say this lager is like the intimidating yet secretly friendly older brother of its kind. The intense carbonation in the beginning is balanced out by a smooth finish with a delicate touch of bitterness on the aftertaste. The Gaspereau lager is about as smooth and inoffensive as Michael Buble’s early recordings and adorable baby-face.

At the risk of sounding like a message in a framed embroider y on a coffee shop wall, I do like to support local, and beer is no exception. I highly recommend Paddy’s as a drinking space and a booze store. Next time you’re looking to snag a six-pack, you should probably make the investment into a growler instead to experience some rough-and-tough local stuff.

Tr y their cream ale, mocha stout, or raven ale.

In the pursuit of knowledge How to Start Doing Independent Research In Your Undergrad Hope Latta Opinions Editor Doing independent research in your undergraduate is a great idea. It helps you to develop strong ties to the things you will be studying and will better prepare you for the industry you are entering. Here are some tips for making the process easier: 1. Talk to professors. Tell them about what you are passionate about and let them know ahead of time if there is something you’d like to pursue as a specific career development. The summer is a great time to do some independent studying on a topic that

interests you. Most professors would love the chance to help a student learn more about their field. Take advantage of the resources that are available. Do some research on what each professor has studied, and ask them for recommendations based on their fields of specialization. This will get the conversation going and will show you how many wonderful opportunities there are to discover new things.

2. Decide on a topic. This can happen through conversations with your professors, or through research online.

Look at things that are particularly interesting in your field of study at

the moment, and make a note to take more time out of your day to learn about those things. It’ll be good information to know, and will get you ahead in the industry you are preparing to enter.

3.Ask the professor to allow you to do a not-for-credit project. This will allow you the chance to learn about format while not directly working on something that affects your grade.

Professors love the chance to pass on information, and so showing this sort of interest will be good for building a relationship with your professors.

Doing a defined project gives your re-

search purpose, as well as a definite end. It will help to organize your information in a way that will be easier to access in later years, and it gives you a definite goal to reach. Organizing your information in this way will give you valuable skills for further research later on in your academic career.

Ask your friends to keep you accountable and talk about your research with fellow classmates. Getting more people involved will motivate you to the end of your goals. Doing research can be a lot of work, but in the end it’ll be something that you won’t regret.

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Research special: Studying Sex Sex and sexuality permeate our culture. However, sexual reproduction is a relatively “recent” development, only appearing in fossil records two billion years ago. The first organisms to engage in sexual reproduction were single-celled, and it was over 1.3 billion years before the first animals with neurons capable of experiencing pleasure evolved. Today, the majority of species remain asexual in their reproduction - single-celled organisms.

Yet sexual reproduction dominates among multicellular species, with 99.99% of multicellular species reproducing sexually.

Research on sex and sexuality is not limited to animals. Although human sexuality was a taboo subject in the Victorian era, Havelock Ellis (1859 – 1939) conducted some of the earliest research on sex and sexuality during this time. In 1896 Ellis published his book Sexual Inversion in German, and one year later the English translation was released. This book was the first English medical textbook on male homosexuality, and the first objective study of homosexuality. Ellis also published works on a variety of sexual practices and inclinations, as well as transgender psychology, and developed the psychological concepts of autoerotism and narcissism. Sigmund Freud later developed these concepts.

Although the biological purpose of sex is reproduction, many species engage in sexual activities purely for pleasure. Sex for pleasure encompasses any sexual activities that cannot possibly result in procreation. For instance, sexual interactions that occur outside of the breeding season, homosexual behaviours, oral sex, engaging in more sex than is strictly necessary for conception, and masturbation related activities. Using this definition, primates, birds, bats, horses, dolphins, cats and other species engage in sex for pleasure. Continuing research into animal sexual behaviours is constantly expanding the list of species that engage in sex for pleasure.

Freud (1856 – 1939) is well known as the father of psychoanalysis, and his postulation on the existence of the libido, which he described as an “energy that generated erotic attachments.”

Freud focused strongly on psychosexual development, stating that the sexual drives pass through three distinct developmental phases: oral, anal, and phallic. After these phases the latency stage occurs. This stage is a period of reduced sexual interest and activity, and during this time the formation of adult genital sexuality begins. Freud also postulated the concept of separate vaginal and clitoral orgasms in women.

Following on the heels of this pivotal

Anya K’nees Sex Columnist

research was perhaps the premier researcher of human sexuality, Alfred Kinsey (1894 – 1956). Kinsey’s landmark studies on sexual behaviour helped usher in the “sexual revolution” of the 1960s and 1970s. However, despite Kinsey’s name currently being synonymous with human sexuality research, his early university education was comprised of studying the evolutionary taxonomy of the gall wasp. After identifying several new species, Kinsey received his doctor of science degree in 1919, and in 1938 he switched fields and taught a course on marriage and the family. Course enrolment swiftly grew to 400 by 1940, due to Kinsey’s inclusion of illustrated lectures on the biology of sexual stimulation, the mechanics of intercourse, and techniques of contraception. Due to the success of this course Kinsey switched his focus to the study of human sexuality, and received research support from the National Research Council and the Rockefeller Foundation. In January 1948, Kinsey and his collaborators published Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male, which made the best-seller list within three weeks.

The book provided a series of revelations about the prevalence of masturbation, adulterous sexual activity, and homosexuality, and by mid-March had sold 200,000 copies. Kinsey’s next major publication was Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female, published

in 1953. This book contained revelations about women’s masturbatory practices, premarital sexuality, and orgasmic experiences. In both books Kinsey documented an enormous gap between social attitudes and actual practices. Kinsey was spirited in his denunciations of repressive laws and social attitudes and belief that “nearly all the so-called sexual perversions fall within the range of biological normality.”

We’ve come a long way in two billion years, and today research centering on sex and sexuality is conducted worldwide, with many academic institutions offering courses in this subject.

Acadia is no exception. A variety of sexuality based courses are offered here, including: Gender and Sexuality in the Greco-Roman World (CLAS 3123), Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity in Schools (EDUC 42L3), Human Sexuality (EDUC 4633), Human Sexuality (PSYC 2183), Gender & Sexuality in Europe to 1789 (HIST 2123), Gender & Sexuality in Modern Europe (HIST 2133), Opera History: Sex, Gender, and Stereotypes (MUSI 4243), Gender and Sexuality I (SOCI 2403), Gender and Sexuality II (SOCI 3403), and Lesbian and Gay Studies (SOCI 3803). If any of these topics interest you consider enrolling. Who knows?

You may be the next Ellis, Freud, or Kinsey.

Premier League Race Hitting Final Stretch Katie McCulloch Science Editor

What a season it has been in the English Premier League. We are coming up to the ending of the show, as we round the bend towards the last ten games of the season.

The table is tight from top to bottom and the top four are in a very unexpected deadlock. In first place we have Leicester City. The underdog story of the year, the Foxes have a two-point advantage on the second place team but are looking also looking consistent and hungry coming into the last set. The question which can’t seem to be ignored is, can they handle the pressure? Leicester’s most successful season in history happened nearly ninety-years ago in 1928-1929, when they placed second. Since then, they have been a typical division flopping team without a sight at the number one spot. I was hesitant after Leicester’s unconvincing win this weekend but they still have first place, and Jamie Vardy is still running so I have faith. Vardy, has been a textbook example of a zero-to-hero story this season. The twenty-nine-year-old

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Sheffield, UK native has popped out of nowhere to become this year’s top goal scorer. He made his move to Leicester City in 2013 with a price tag of one million dollars. After this year he has gone up to an approximate eighteen-million dollars if a trade was on the line. Not only is he a great soccer play, but also a class act off the pitch. Just four years ago, the striker was forced to wear an electronic tag after an incident in a Sheffield pub to his training and game commitments.

Like most star trouble-makers, he’s got a gaggle of morons supporting him.

Just recently Vardy obnoxiously tweets, “CHAT SHIT GET BANGED”. No, he did not hold back on the capitals. After reading such inspirational script one poor lad in a London bar, told his company that if Vardy we’re to score that weekend, he would get a brand new tattoo in his honor. That weekend Vardy went on to score in his eleventh consecutive game, breaking long-standing record set

by Ruud Van Nistelroy. The lovely calf tattoo can be found using the genius of google, it’s worth it.

The inconsistency of the table goes farther than just Leicester’s brilliant performances. In second place we are watching the Tottenham spurs put up one of the best seasons in which they’ve ever had.

In third place we have Arsenal. The gunners are feeling out of place as they are used to a solid fourth place finish, and their current form seems to be throwing a couple players off, Flamini is still great. That fourth spot, (which is super important because the top four teams get to compete in Champions League next season) is taken by Manchester City. If you are a fan of City, I’m sorry to hear that. I hope they desperately choke in the last quarter of the matches. I also hope Raheem “The Snake” Sterling can shed of all his snakeskin in time for his next matchup against Liverpool. The twentyone-year-old dad, selfishly moved last year from Liverpool, also known as the best club in the world.

A couple things that you can watch for in this ecstatic finish is the rebounding efforts of Chelsea, the defending champions who were looking down the relega-

tion rifle around Christmas time, seem to be picking up their socks a bit. The fourth place fight between the two Manchester teams is getting very interesting right about now. Both teams are looking to get that champions league spot and United is just three points behind. They’ve also picked up some momentum after a big win against Arsenal, while eighteenyear-old young gun, Rashford scores his fourth goal in two games for the Red Devils. Last but not least, you must not forget about the best club in the world.

Liverpool is sitting pretty in ninth place and are looking for blood. All-star combination of Lucas Leiva and Mamadou Sakho are confident that the team will be able to win their next ten games and win the league. The two stars, who are known as the Wayne Gretzky & Tiger Woods of the English Premier League are the two definite players to watch for the rest of the year. “Sakho’s got the ball, he moves the ball forward to Lucas, it goes back to Sakho, he picks his head up and it’s back to Lucas. Brilliant play, absolutely magnificent.”

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Test your Science Knowledge...For Science A Follow-Up to lAST ISSUES Interactive Science Quiz Thane Mullen Distractions Editor In the last issue of the Athenaeum, I included a link to an interactive quiz designed to test our readership’s knowledge of basic science facts. In case you missed it, the overall results were quite good, but I believe that may say more about who chose to take the quiz than about what the average Acadia student knows about science. That said, below are the seven questions that at least 30% of respondents got wrong. Take a minute to see what answers you can come up with before you read ahead.

1) What type of reaction does the sun and other stars use to produce energy?

2) What is sodium chloride more commonly known as?

3) What geological period came before the Jurassic and saw the rise of dinosaurs?

4) What does the “c” stand for in E=mc2?

5) What other disease is caused by the virus responsible for chicken pox?

6) At what temperature do the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales meet?

7) What is the name of the molecule made up of three atoms of oxygen (found in large quantities in the upper atmosphere)?

Question 3: The Triassic period saw the rise of dinosaurs. This one I will grant is pure trivia in the eyes of even most science educators, but it thinking about the earth’s long history brings to mind an important concept. The earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old. It was here long before humans, and will almost certainly be around long after we’re gone. Sometimes it’s good to reQuestion 1: The sun produces energy member that the earth doesn’t revolve via nuclear fusion; that’s the process of around us (it revolves around the sun two atoms combining into a new larger – most people got that question right). atom, releasing energy in the process.

While it’s not of the utmost impor- Question 4: The “c” in Einstein’s fatance that people realize how energy mous equation refers to the speed of is produced in the sun, it is important light. The equation is used to deterto realize that there is something more mine how much energy is released complex than simple combustion go- when mass is converted to energy. Pering on up there. The sun is putting haps the most important reason why out approximately the same amount an understanding of what this equation of energy now as it was at the dawn represents is important is the fact that of humanity, and that wouldn’t be the it has become emblematic of science case if the sun were just a big fireball as a whole. When someone thinks of the most famous equation in the world as many think of it. as being something beyond their unQuestion 2: Sodium chloride is more derstanding, they limit themselves commonly known as salt. This ques- and their potential to understand the tion earned its inclusion on the world. With an understanding of the grounds that to the unaware, sodium basics of science, the world makes a lot chloride sounds like the type of thing more sense. that you would not want anywhere near your food. Sodium chloride sounds Question 5: Shingles, a painful skin like a “chemical,” and many associ- condition, is caused by the same virus ate chemicals with being “unnatural.” as chicken pox. It is frequently cited as Everything we eat (and for that mat- an example of the fact that a virus can ter, everything period) is made up of survive dormant in our body for years chemicals; they are not necessarily to and years. Research also suggests that people who are exposed to chicken be feared. pox early in life (before age two) are I realize that a lot of people are going to look at this and think, “I already knew I wasn’t good with science. So what?” That’s what I want to try to address below. Science shouldn’t be seen as an elitist sphere that isn’t worth learning about for the average person, and I’m going to try to justify why each of these questions was included.

at higher risk of developing shingles later in life. Despite this, “chicken pox parties” are still kind of a thing among misguided parents.

Question 6: -40 Celsius is the same as -40 Fahrenheit. The main reason that this fact is useful is that it’s a starting point that makes conversion from one scale to the other easy, since each Celsius degree is 1.8 Fahrenheit degrees.

Question 7: Ozone is made up of three atoms of oxygen. Of all the times I’ve heard ozone mentioned in the mainstream media, I can’t ever recall hearing its chemical make-up discussed.

Based solely on listening to the news, one would be led to assume that ozone was a unique substance that was destroyed by pollution and couldn’t be replenished. In reality, the ozone in our atmosphere slowly returns to its equilibrium levels as the product of ultraviolet light reacting with the oxygen in our atmosphere.

I realize that from a strictly self-centered perspective, there may not be a whole lot of incentive for the average person to learn science for their own sake, but as a society we can’t afford that. More and more, governments have to make decisions that require an understanding about environmental science and the value of funding research and innovation. And if the average person doesn’t care about it, then our leaders aren’t going to feel much obligation to.

The dark side of research A sad farewell and a promise to science Katie McCulloch Science Editor There was a picture circulating on Facebook recently that places lab technicians and scientists at the very top of a list of professions likely to be heavy coffee drinkers. It’s no secret that students, undergrad or graduate, often run on coffee while trying to get pages written and papers published. Most of them, however, are chugging right along, getting chapters finished and happily chatting about their research progress to anyone who asks.

You’ll see a lot of passionate students with excellent theses in these pages, and the research edition of the Ath is here to highlight the wonderful world of student projects here at Acadia. I love the honours program; I think it’s an excellent way to be introduced to research in a familiar environment, with a project that is scaled

to your abilities, and a supportive advisor present to help you through it. “Independent research projects” are similar – if you’ve got a strong interest in something but don’t quite fit the requirements for honours. But I have a story to tell you, about my experience. My intent is not by any means to scare anyone away from taking on a thesis project, but only to serve as a cautionary tale to those that do.

My honours thesis is going really poorly.

Other people in my department are finished first drafts, and I haven’t finished my second chapter. I bit off more than I can chew, and I will tell you absolutely honestly – my thesis is shit.

Last year went very well for me, academically and otherwise, so I decided to take on the world during my fourth year. I applied for the Ath (got it, yay!), I joined my

departmental club and ended up on exec, I picked up a marking job, I moved off campus for the first time, and I started an honours thesis. Long story short, I bit off more than I can chew, and the only thing that has really been suffering is the one thing without constant demands and deadlines – my precious project.

There have been pitfalls and roadblocks along the way, I was pretty disorganized from the get-go and I’ve been scrambling ever since. Between all of my other commitments pulling me every which way, a minor surgery over Christmas, and the really poor decision to travel over reading week, I finally hit burnout. Overwhelmed doesn’t begin to cover it – I’ve still got 5 classes (some with labs) to keep up with.

There have been talks where I’m convincing myself as much as the other person that I can handle this, I can do it, I only

have to buckle down for x amount of time and it’ll all come out fine on the other end.

More recently, there have been tears.

Having recently talked to administration, I’m told that I can still do this, five weeks is enough and often has been in the past. I just need to set the world down for a little while – working harder isn’t exactly possible when you’re already out of time. It is therefore with deep sadness that I say goodbye to all you lovely readers of The Athenaeum! As much as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing your science articles and being a part of the mouthpiece of the student population, I’m a student first, and I’ve gotta go take care of some academic responsibilities. I wish the entire student population the absolute best in the coming months, and through exam time I’ll keep my fingers crossed that we all make it out of here according to plan.

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Word Searching

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ACROSS

1) Feeling of reverence 4) State of Matter 7) What the Cat was wearing when he came back 10) Something taken away 12) Skill 13) What [38 Down] might have used in the Conservatory 14) Greek letter or very small amount 15) Went back and forth 17) Republican candidate from Queens, New York 19) Talks deliriously 20) Musician Redding 21) Anger 22) Acted furiously 24) Democratic candidate from Chicago, Illinois 28) Alcoholic beverage 29) President Lincoln 30) Japanese island ___ Jima 31) Democratic candidate from Brooklyn, New York 34) Something ink might do 36) Song title “Damn I Wish I ___ Your Lover” 37) Ages 38) Period 40) Republican candidate from Miami, Florida (first name) 42) Judge Thomas or lawyer Darrow 44) Promises 46) Use the internet 47) Type of guitar 48) Region 49) Mythological creature 50) Set down 51) Finish

DOWN

1) Will Smith film 2) Enthusiastic cheer 3) Hormone 4) Breaths 5) Song title ‘We ___ the Champions’ 6) Germ-free 7) Hockey player Gordie 8) Primates 9) Mark Wahlberg film 11) Cooking method 13) Bird 16) Female garment 18) Prefix meaning halfway 22) Batman villain ___ al Ghul 23) Pie ___ Mode 24) American network 25) Requirement for a game to go to overtime.

26) Have debt 27) Head bob 29) English Premiere League team 32) Snow White’s companion 33) Simplicity 34) Female garment 35) Bug baby 37) Type of board 38) Someone who may have used [13 Across] in the Conservatory 39) Musical instrument 41) Actor Wilson 42) Miami, NY, or Cyber 43) Spy organization 45) Feeling

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Politics of a Breakup Between Friends Emily Cann I brought a box of your junk back and laid old weapons on your doorstep it’s an armistice to begin this new chapter full of treaties and thinly veiled hostilities.

We each sign sallow documents with our own pens so much for every touch we used to share.

Negotiations begin over warm drinks in a quiet cafe on Main Street the same place where it ended and we didn’t cry as we looked back over the battlefield we had walked through to the other side.

Allies still. I hope.

Discussions about Friday nights and mutual friends and old past-times it’s time to disentangle ourselves but when you stand to leave I still feel knotted up and ill at ease.

Every street seems to be inscribed with your name and a memory and my name is only scattered somewhere beneath the snow.

We can still laugh and I ask you about your mother if I get the chance how’s she doing and how’s your dad? but it’s a much emptier question now that you’ve emptied me from your life.

I find the streets look different now and sometimes I can’t remember what it is we used to talk about on those long walks back from my apartment to your house or how we used to fill the silence of a summer afternoon.

Objectification (Synonyms for Woman)

Kaitlin Wilcox I brank a dottle I mean I drank a bottle of wine tonight and ate sausage and egg wrapped in chewy pancake a crepe?

I went from being hungry and tired to just tired and filled with a loneliness not even an egg could cure amazing egg chalky gelatin vessel of nutrients the body needs so much to function I blame the wine nothing good ever came from drinking alone except the realization that you’re better than twelve dollar grape juice be an egg I need you to survive with a lazy eye and a crutch called self-pity I ate it up and savoured the vinegar taste of eggs amazing eggs I want to be a pure globe with sunshine in the middle I guess in a way I savoured the vinegar of my attitude with gold winner California wine sweet sweet wine for a bitter bitch old hag old hag at twenty-one I wanted to be soft and chewy but I became a bump I’ll never be mad about it because I ate eggs amazing eggs even better than what they grow up to be chicken is an insult really

I remember when you kissed me last fuck. sometimes it’s so hard to be alone.

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Emily Cann a chick a fox a rocket

a bomb a thing that can fit inside your pocket breasts a chest a dog like hens if it offends then you’re wrong a cougar a cow a dime a dame so many names but just not mine she’s a doll roll call come get some tail such a whore but wait there’s more cause she’s a whale something sweet that you could eat or maybe hunt if she hates it and wants her name said? she’s a cunt

Grime

India Yeshe Gailey

A soft bee’s window knock reminds of its existence. How the bee made such an error does confound, Bee must be blind to filthy glory that sticks to touch.

If I were Bee, I’d wonder if there really were a window in this whole abode, this house that stings the eyes. It wears a dirty cloak and mossy hat, but used to glow.

It sits in silence, anticipating a time when caring hands and heart retreat from absent aimless wandering to lovingly sanitize its homely peat.

If I’m to live here, the clean I shall invoke Before I’m swallowed by the dirty cloak.

Nothing Else Keisha Lent

The sky sits as broken fragments of light, Vanilla smiles from the coffee in my hand, And you are on my mind.

My eye lids burn so The world is a blur, And my head is still searching.

I have yet to sleep, And you are the song I skip While I sit In the back of the bus.

Remember when we got lost?

I may be running away And when zero arrives I am tired again…

Waiting to fall into comforting sheets, Walking, looking up at the stars Instead of down at my feet, and Thinking it would look a whole lot better With you next to me, because You are beyond the stages of Late night thoughts.

Waking up before the sun, You are the lingering dimple From a happiness, That did not last long enough.

You are the dust Of this entire universe, In one single moment.

You are the lightening in a storm, And you are the breath caught Between my lungs, Because I really cannot swim.

And you are the reason I can never Run Fast enough.

You are the last drop At the bottom of the cup That wakes me up, And you make me wonder What kind of life I’m living If you’re not in it.

You are the ticking hand on the clock, And you are the dinging That string makes When I request a bus stop.

My love, you’re the 2am knock, Because I have to go back.

I always come back, To you.

I started seeing someone else and it’s been a month since I met you in the cafe and it’s been 46 days since I thought my heart would never be the same but the guilt it tingles in my bones and the shell shock of a different hand to hold makes me wish I’d never met you at all.

There are more things left between us still to sign and divide but this time the mighty pen lays on the table between us.

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The Vagina Dialogues: Conversations Around Female Bodies Nora Allen BA in Sociology (Honours)

of slang or anatomical language when discussing female genitalia.

As my 4th year at Acadia comes to a close, the one thing that stands between my degree and myself is my honours thesis. I have been lucky and still enjoy my topic as much as I did when I started last spring, and despite grumbling and groaning over different aspects of the process, it has been very rewarding and generally enjoyable. I chose to focus my research on female genitalia and the stigmatization and mystification of the female body through language and education. My research is situated in relation to the historical patriarchal dominance of the field of medicine, and the construction of genital taboos in the Victorian era. Further, the changes that occurred in the Sexual Revolution in the 1970s were examined (particularly the women’s self-help movement) as a period of enlightenment and a historical marker to compare current understandings of female genitalia. In the fall of 2015, I implemented a survey and received over 300 responses from Acadia students regarding their early childhood education about female genitalia, the terms they were taught, their comfort discussing female genitalia, and use

The phenomenon that academics call the “conflation of the vagina and vulva,” in which the term vagina comes to stand for all of the female genital organs, was reflected in my results, particularly when participants were asked to label a diagram of external female genitalia. Only 30% of respondents correctly identified the vulva, and a higher proportion of male respondents got it correct compared to females. The most common incorrect response was vagina, supporting previous research. The conflation of vagina and vulva was evident within the first terms that participants were taught for female genitalia. Over 60% of respondents were taught that the female genitalia were solely the vagina, and only three respondents were initially taught that there were various female genital organs (vulva, vagina, labia, etc.). Some of the factors that impacted respondents’ ability to correctly label female genital organs were place of residence, comfort and major of study. There was a statistically significant relationship between place of residence and correct identification of the vulva; Atlantic Ca-

nadian residents were 60% less likely to label vulva correctly, and those from rural areas of Canada were 49% less likely to label it correctly. Those who were more comfortable talking about female genitalia were more likely to label the vulva correctly. Though there was not a statistically significant relationship between major and ability to label vulva correctly, it was found that Biology and Psychology students were more likely to be able to identify the vulva and Sociology majors had more difficulty. In terms of comfort, it was found that respondents were more comfortable talking about female genitalia with people who identified as the same gender as they did, and that university had made people comfortable talking about female genitalia overall.

The importance of talking about the vulva and female genitalia may not be obvious at first, but I argue that without a concise and clear language to describe the female body, there is a lack of communication, and understanding of the female body. This can lead to challenges communicating with doctors, partners, and even having a full awareness of one’s own body. I critique the current education system and sex-

ual education curriculums, highlighting that clear education early in childhood is of the utmost importance. Claims that genital terminology is too complex for young children is absurd when they can name 40 kinds of dinosaurs.

Thanks are due to the Sociology department and Dr. Zelda Abramson for supporting this research and getting me through this process.

Agriculture and Computer Science Yonghong Chen Computer Science

Computer Science Honours student Yonghong Chen developed an app that can be used to predict the amount of crop yield that an agricultural field will produce using only a picture. This startlingly accurate system is inexpensive and meets a huge demand within the farm industr y.

Since farmers often have to wait to measure their crops after they have been harvested, this technology will help them make important decisions sooner. A key component of the app is that it allows a user to take a picture of a section of produce, and gives the user the number of crops in the section based on that picture.

The development is known as the “Estimage” system. Interestingly, it was developed by first placing coins on a table and asking the app to count the number of coins. This system was also used to count the number of logs stacked in a pile. Eventually it was able to count the number of blueberries on a bush, as well as other agricultural applications. The system is ver y effective and saves a

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well. The Estimage system consists of an Android client app for interacting with users, a PHP server app for handling requests, and an Octave program for image normalization. It also consists of an open-source ML soft ware package ilastik that is used to apply a predictive model to an -

lot of time and money in the amount of effort it takes to count objects.

This clever app combines counting and agriculture in a new and ground breaking way. The sur prisingly simple, yet previously underdeveloped idea, has many other features as

-image. The Estimage system is ver y good at detecting shape, color, and size, and is also good at distinguishing bet ween backgrounds and objects, provided that the background is similar to that which was used to train the model.

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Examining the Success of Led Zeppelin Ly r i c a l M y t h a n d Sy mbolism Michelle MacQueen BA in Music (Honours) As a musicology student in the School of Music, I’m writing a thesis on Led Zeppelin and their music. I decided to research this band after seeing just how successful they were: • They rank second to the Beatles in terms of overall record sales.

• Their fourth album is one of the highest selling albums in history.

• Just five years into their career, their 1973 tour shattered records across the United States for concert attendance and gross earnings.

• At one concert during this tour, the band played to a crowd of almost 60,000 fans (which surpassed the Beatles’ record for the largest audience) and earned approximately $310,000 (one of the largest sums at that point in rock history).

the loyalty and intensity of Led Zeppelin’s fans. There are many online forums and discussion boards where fans, both old and new, continue to discuss their connection to the band as well as the band members, album artwork, their favourite albums and concerts, etc. While reading responses from these fans, it’s clear that Led Zeppelin and their music had a huge effect on many. They use words like “spiritual,” “epic,” and “magical” to describe the band, the music, and live shows.

The commercial success, the poor critical reviews, and fans’ deep connection painted an interesting yet contradictory image of the band. These conflicting realities sparked an interest for me. Considering the reviews were so poor, why were so many fans purchasing these albums and what was drawing thousands of people to their concerts? And what led these fans to develop such a profound connection to Yet, while this massive commercial success the band? was happening, the band often received poor reviews from music journalists and My thesis is aiming to provide some ancritics. Upon further research, I discovered swers to these questions. First, I examined

Led Zeppelin’s artistic persona. In other words, what were the main identifiable characteristics of the band? By analyzing some of their “epic” tracks (“Stairway to Heaven” and “Achilles Last Stand”), I determined that their persona has three main qualities: transformative, powerful, and mysterious. The transformative quality reveals itself through the music.

As you listen to these songs, the music consistently changes and morphs into something new; the musical components of these tracks continuously undergo development, variation, and transformation.

The mysterious and powerful elements of Led Zeppelin’s persona are identified by the band’s use of intertextual figures. Led Zeppelin references a variety of symbols both musically and lyrically, including elements of Western art music and symbols and characters of ancient Greece. What is important about these symbols is their present significance; all are perceived as powerful and mysterious in the modern world. Therefore, in referencing and repurposing these symbols, Led Zeppelin becomes powerful and mysterious by as-

sociating and identifying themselves with these symbols.

After determining the transformative, powerful, and mysterious aspects of their persona, I then looked into how Led Zeppelin presented this persona. By examining their albums and live concerts, it becomes clear that ritual is inherent in these experiences. Elements of transformational improvisation, power and prestige, and mysterious imagery appear ritualistically in both the live shows, like Jimmy Page’s “bow solo,” and in their recorded albums (Led Zeppelin IV for instance).

Considering the qualities of Led Zeppelin’s persona and the ritualistic elements of their concerts and albums, I discussed the experience created by these presentations of their music and how they could be interpreted as spiritual. Many fans express a profound connection to the band that are similar to the resulting sentiments of a spiritual experience. Therefore, the elements of their persona and the band’s participation in ritual allow for Led Zeppelin to create powerful, mystical, and transformative experiences.

water protection in canada examining the reactive nature of environmental protection legislation Kaitlyn Bell BA in ESST (Honours) My thesis is on the reactive nature of environmental protection legislation in Canada. Specifically examining how water protection only occurs after a human health tragedy.

There are only a handful of topics that most Canadians can agree on. These topics give Canada recognition around the world, as well as connect Canadians across the country. One of these topics is a love of the outdoors. Canadians dominate winter sport, relish the warm summers and take time to get out and stay outside. The environment is home to the sports, activities and wildlife that make people proud to be Canadian. After all it is the second largest country in the world and is credited for having a disproportionate amount of the world’s fresh water resources. If the Canadian public loves the environment so much why is there so little legislation protecting it?

Canadians are lucky in regards to freshwater, as there is an abundance of fresh easily accessible water - or is there? Canada is frequently cited as the country with the largest volume of fresh water in the world, yet it actually only has approximately 6% of the global annual supply of renewable water (Bakker, 2006). Despite this, Canadians themselves believe that they are water rich. As such, Canadians are one of

the biggest water consumers per capita worldwide (Bakker, 2006).

Since Canadians use so much water in their daily lives, they care about protecting this resource. In 2004, 97% of Canadians agreed that a national water strategy is needed and that water is a basic human right (Bakker, 2006). Although this is something Canadian citizens feel passionate about, this is not reflected in Canadian legislation. Canada does not have a national drinking water strategy. At a federal level, there is a Canadian Drinking Water Quality Guideline outlining the acceptable drinking water practices, but it is non-binding and therefore not enforceable.

The 2014-15 Report on Plans and Priorities gives detail to the budget and human resources of many of the different programs operated under the Ministry of the Environment. This plan outlines the cuts to twenty positions and a reduction in budget from $91 196 857 to $88 013 012 over two years in water specific programs alone (Environment and Climate Change Canada, 2014). On a federal level, Canada as a whole does not have comprehensive protection of water and water resources.

With a reduced human and financial capacity this will likely get worse as water programs at the federal level cannot continue to operate at the same ability nor can they expand.

Water protection can be achieved through

provincial legislation but that means only a fraction of water in Canada gets protected. Water knows no boundaries, meaning that water has the ability to flow without discrimination. If the Northwest Territories had the best, most effective and enforced water legislation, they still would not control the condition of the water that flows into their territorial jurisdiction from Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

If the public has demonstrated their want for increased water protection but nothing has been done, what is the motivation for creating environmental protection legislation specifically in regards to water?

The answer is a human health tragedy.

When a human health tragedy occurs and drinking water is the source of ill health, policy is created to prevent repetition of human health problems. The two case studies I have selected and explained in chapters three and four illustrate this very phenomenon. After human health was put in jeopardy and public drinking water was found to be contaminated, an array of environmental legislation was created to ensure the safety of drinking water and the health of the consumers.

the environment, how they are valued, treated, and protected. This chapter also explains exactly who is responsible for providing safe drinking water.

Chapter three zooms in on the first case study, Walkerton Ontario. It looks at what happened in 2000 and why. As a result of the drinking water contamination, Justice O’Connor preformed an inquiry where recommendations were made to improve the condition of drinking water in Walkerton and throughout the province.

Chapter four is the second case study, focusing on North Battleford Saskatchewan. Again an inquiry was launched and Justice Laing made recommendations for the improvement of water quality in North Battleford and Saskatchewan as a whole.

Recommendations in both cases will be further explored to understand what changes have actually been made to improve drinking water quality in Walkerton, North Battleford and their respective provinces.

Finally the conclusion will look at what all of this means. It will analyse the data presented in the previous chapters and bring My second chapter gives background in- it all together. Answering what do these formation on the Canadian federal system case studies demonstrate, what is the and the divisions of power with regards to point of the research, what happens next, the environment. It also talks about the and what steps Canada needs to take to disconnect between human health and improve its drinking water quality.

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Fuck Tha’ Police’ and Despicable Females: NWA’s Rap as Protest Music Rebekah Hutten BA in Music (Honours) My honours thesis is focusing on the ways in which rap group NWA’s lyrics have affected Black American women.

NWA’s music functioned as protest music against violent white supremacy in the form of police brutality, while simultaneously reinforcing dangerous stereotypes of African American women, stereotypes which were created during slavery. While their lyrics depicting women are most certainly misogynistic, the lyrics are not born of an innate sexism and hatred of women, but of the institutional oppression, discrimination, and violence that those rappers and all Black American men were subject to. The thesis is divided into four chapters, of which I’ll give a brief overview.

Chapter One, “No Justice, No Peace,” examines the social, political, economic, and cultural climate from which NWA emerged in South Central Los Angeles in the mid-late 1980’s. Much of this chapter is dedicated to the effects of police brutality, drawing from firsthand accounts of African-American residents who lived in South Central (mostly the communities of Watts and Compton). I focus on the song “Fuck Tha’ Police” and its usage as a protest song against the extreme oppression and discrimination that extremely high rates of African American teenagers, young men, and men were subjected to.

Chapter Two, “Multidimensional Oppression,” explains the concept of intersectional feminism (coined by race and feminist scholar Kimberle Crenshaw) and why it is necessary when analyzing rap music lyrics. I then explain various stereotypes and controlling images

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that were created during slavery as a means of oppressing African American women and reinforcing white supremacy, capitalism, and patriarchy.

These controlling images include the Mammy, the Sapphire, the Jezebel, the Angry Black Women, the Black Matriarch, and the Welfare Mother/ Welfare Queen (I draw largely from Patricia Hill Collins research in this section). I explain how society has reinforced, and continues to reinforce, these controlling images through various mediums of popular culture; I also explain the very real, lived effects of these images, such as higher rates of domestic violence towards Black American women.

Chapter Three, “Despicable Females,” provides an analysis of seven NWA songs that utilize the controlling images of Black American women that were presented in Chapter Two. Based off MC Ren’s description of the women they rap about as “despicable females” (in a 2015 Rolling Stone magazine interview), I coin the concept of the “despicable female trope,” an umbrella term for any and all stereotypes of Black American women. The despicable female trope is utilized in NWA’s music to excuse, jutify, and even warrant sezualized violence, assault, and murder of Black women by Black men in NWA’s lyrics. For example, when the lyrics describe the central woman of the song as a “ho” or a “bitch” (directly drawing from stereotypes of Black American women), that woman is consistently violently punished through assault, rape, or murder. I conclude in this chapter that, while the usage of the despicable female trope is most certainly misogynistic and has the potential to have real-life damaging effects on the lives of Black women, these songs still function as a form of protest music against oppression. The rappers, as Black men,

faced extreme levels of violence in their daily lives; through the medium of rap music, they were able to reclaim both false and real control of their lives by subjugating a group of people who had even less power than them.

The fourth chapter, “Musical Hardness and Masculinity,” examines how the “hardness” of the musical content is both created and reinforced by Black masculinity. I draw from popular music musicologist Adam Krims’ work explaining the concept of musical hardness (layering and sampling techniques, distorted bass lines, quality of voice, etc.) in various songs which center around topics of gun violence, fights amongst gang members, and other themes that tend towards masculinity. (I have yet to finish this chapter which is why the explanation of it isn’t as lengthy!)

What I’ve learned throughout the pro-

cess of writing this thesis is to really understand asses my own privilege and how that inevitably affects the way in which I write this thesis. As a white, educated woman, I cannot speak to the struggles of Black American men or women. bell hooks writes that in order to work towards unity, understanding, and compassion, we must employ the mindset not of speaking for those who are oppressed, but with those who are oppressed. In a current social climate which necessitates movements such as #BlackLivesMatter, this guidance has extremely relevant meaning. Moving towards understanding why NWA rapped about Black American women the way that they did can help us understand how to dismantle those social and cultural institutions which maintain the subjugation of historically oppressed groups.

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Birds are cool: The curious case of the American Black Duck in Atlantic Canada Matthew English MSc Marine Biology D u ck s ar e i n t h e ver y fo r t u nat e p o sit ion t hat t h ey ar e wo r t h lot s m on ey, s o a lot of p e o ple car e a b ou t t h em. Wat er fowl hu nti ng a nd a s s ociat e e cotou rism is a mul t i- bil lion d ol lar i nd u s t r y i n No r t h A m erica, a nd a large p o rt ion of t h e m on ey gen erat e d f rom t his i nd u s t r y is p ou r e d i n to wat er fowl r es earch. T h e Ca na dia n a nd Un it e d St at es fe d era l gover nm ent ca m e toget h er i n 1986 to fo r m t h e No r t h A m erica n Wat erfowl Ma nagem ent Pla n ( NAW M P), w hich ha s si n ce cont ribu t e d over $4 bil lion i n to wat er fowl r es earch.

Ma ny ot h er life fo r m s ar e n ot e con om ica l ly va lua ble a nd la ck t h e cul t u ra l va lu e of wat er fowl, w hich ma kes it diff icul t to a cqui r e f u ndi ng fo r t h ei r r es earch. Wat er fowl, on t h e ot h er ha nd, ar e li kely t h e m o s t-s t udie d group of ver t ebrat es on t h e pla n et.

D espit e a l l t h e m on ey i nves t e d i n wat er fowl r es earch a nd cons ervat ion, ma ny qu es t ion s a nd cha l lenges s t il l ex is t w it h No r t h A m erica’s wat er fowl. T h e A m erica n Bla ck D u ck (A na s r ubrip es, Br ews t er 19 02) u s e d to b e t h e m o s t com m on sp e cies of wat erfowl on t h e ea s t co a s t of No r t h A m erica, bu t exces sive hu nt i ng of t his sp e cies cau s e d bla ck d u ck nu m b er s to d e cli n e by a b ou t 50% f rom t h e 1950 s to t h e 198 0 s. 1982 wa s a pivot a l year i n bla ck d u ck con s ervat ion, w h en t h e Hu ma n e Society of t h e Un it e d St at es took t h e Un it e d St at es Fish a nd Wildlife S erv ice ( USF WS) to cou r t, arg ui ng t hat t h e fe d era l gover n m ent wa s com plet ely m is s-ma nag i ng t his sp e cies, a nd ca l li ng fo r a b a n on bla ck d u ck hu nt i ng i n t h e USA. T his cou r t ca s e wa s w id ely cover e d a nd bla ck d u ck con s ervat ion b e ca m e a cont rover sia l is su e i n No r t h A m erica i n t h e early 8 0 s.

S cat hi ng r ev iews wer e b ei ng p ublish e d crit ici z i ng t h e fe d era l gover n m ent on it s i n com p et en ce to con s erve t h e nat ion’s wat er fowl sp e cies, a nd t h er e wa s a ma s sive a m ou nt of pr es su r e on t h e b ot h t h e Ca na dia n a nd A m erica n fe dera l gover n m ent s to a dd r es s t h e is su e of bla ck d u ck lo s s. U l t imat ely, t h e cou r t r ule d i n favou r of t h e USF WS; t h e bla ck d u ck s ea s on r ema i n e d o p en, h owever, r es t rict ive hu nt i ng m ea su r es wer e i m plem ent e d i n 1983 to r e d u ce t h e a m ou nt of bla ck d u ck s k il le d ea ch year.

Photo by: Jordan Mahaney r esul t e d largely i n a s t a bili z at ion of bla ck d u ck nu m b er s i n No r t h A m erica. Bla ck d u ck s ar e s t il l wel l- b elow his to rica l levels on ou r cont i n ent, a nd t h e NAW M P d evelo p e d t h e Bla ck D u ck Joi nt Vent u r e ( BDJ V) i n 1989 to sp e cif ica l ly a dd r es s a nd di r e ct r es earch on bla ck d u ck ma nagem ent. Lo s s of crit ica l br e e di ng a nd n on- br e e di ng ha bit at, a long w it h cu r r ent hu nt i ng pr es su r es ar e li kely t h e t wo fa cto r s pr event i ng t h e r e cover y of bla ck d u ck s, a nd d e cli n es ar e s t il l b ei ng o b s erve d t h rough ou t t h ei r ra nge.

Bla ck d u ck s sp end t h e w i nt er m o s t ly i n t h e s ou t h- ea s t er n p o rt ion of t h e Un it e d St at es, bu t except iona l ly brave bi rd s d o ch oo s e to sp end t h e w i nt er s i n At la nt ic Ca na d a, a nd t his is a s far n o r t h a s you’l l f i nd a bla ck d u ck i n t h e w i nt er. W hy t h ey ch oo s e to end u r e t h e har sh w i nt er s of At la nt ic Ca na d a rat h er t ha n t ravel li ng to t h e Caroli na s fo r t h e w i nt er is u nk n own, a nd s t ra ngely en ough, t h e a m ou nt of bla ck d u ck s w i nt eri ng i n At la nt ic Ca na d a a pp ear s to b e i n cr ea si ng. T his p o s es u s a n i nt eres t i ng ma nagem ent qu es t ion b ecau s e we la ck a lot of b a sic e colog ica l k n owle dge on t his sp e cies T h e r es t rict ive hu nt i ng m ea su r es at t h e n o r t h er n li m it of t h ei r w i n-

t eri ng ra nge. Fil li ng t his k n owle dge ga p a nd ul t i mat ely d evelo pi ng a n es t i mat e of t h e a m ou nt of bla ck d u ck s t hat At la nt ic Ca na d a ca n supp o r t t h rough t h e w i nt er ha s b e en id ent if ie d a s a r es earch prio rity by t h e BDJ V, a nd t his is w h er e I com e i n.

A large col la b o rat ive effo r t ha s si n ce b e en u nd er t a ken to d evelo p a n es t i mat e on At la nt ic Ca na d a’s bla ck d u ck w i nt er car r y i ng ca p a city, a nd Aca dia Un iver sity is playi ng a majo r role i n t his con s ervat ion effo r t. My r es earch focu s es on gat h eri ng cr u cia l e colog ica l d at a on w i nt eri ng bla ck d u ck s, sp e cif ica l ly a n s weri ng t h e qu es t ion s of “W hat ar e bla ck d u ck s eat i ng up h er e i n t h e w i nt er?”, a nd “How h ea l t hy ar e t h es e d u ck s up h er e t h rough t h e w i nt er?” I wa s a ble to exa m i n e d u ck s f rom a n u rb a n ar ea (St. Jo h n’s, N L), d u ck s sh ot loca l ly i n r u ra l ha bit at s, a nd d u ck s f rom a n agricul t u ra l sit e.

From dis s e ct i ng ma ny bla ck d u ck s a nd exa m i n i ng t h ei r g u t cont ent s, I’ve b e en a ble to s e e t hat bla ck d u ck s w i nt eri ng i n r u ra l a nd u rb a n ha bit at s have com plet ely differ ent diet s. Ru ra l d u ck s fe e d m o s t ly on m ol lu s cs a nd s e e d s, w hile agricul t u ra l a nd u r b a n d u ck s ar e su rv iv i ng off co r n a nd

hu ma n foo d t hat is to s s e d to t h em w h en p e o ple v isit t h e p ar k. Bla ck d u ck h ea l t h wa s a s s es s e d u si ng a s ca le d-ma s s i nd ex (mu ch li ke ou r b o d y-ma s s i nd ex t hat you get w h en you go fo r a ch e ck- up w it h you r fa m ily d octo r), a nd d espit e hav i ng dis t i n ct diet s, t h e bla ck d u ck s w i nt eri ng i n r u ra l ar ea s ar e ju s t a s h ea l t hy a s t h o s e w i nt eri ng i n u r b a n ha bit at s.

Agricul t u ra l a nd u r b a n ha bit at s may b e a key p ar t of t h e p u z z le expla i n i ng w hy bla ck d u ck nu m b er s ar e i n cr ea si ng t h rough t h e w i nt er i n At la nt ic Ca na d a, a nd w hy ou r bi rd s a pp ear to b e d oi ng s o wel l t h rough t h e w i nt er s up h er e.

T h es e ha bit at s prov id e r ef uges f rom hu nt i ng, a nd prov id e t h e d u ck s w it h a n es s ent ia l ly endles s foo d supply w hich r e qui r es litt le to n o fo rag i ng effo r t. Yes, bla ck d u ck s ar e s t il l w i nt eri ng i n cla s sic r u ra l ha bit at s i n At la nt ic Ca na d a a nd ar e a ls o d oi ng quit e wel l, bu t t his hyp ot h esis of u r b a n ha bit at s fa cilit at i ng bla ck d u ck su rv iva l at t h e n o r t h er n li m it of t h ei r w i nt eri ng ra nge m erit s a t h o rough r es earch effo r t. Fe e di ng t h e d u ck s i n p ar k s is goo d! Ju s t s to p g iv i ng t h em you r s t a le old br ea d, co r n is a b ett er sub s t it u t e.

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How d o w e p r o c e s s s peech?

Recognizing and processing the spoken word Gabe Smith BSc in Psychology (Honours) How do we process speech, taking small features of the sounds emitted from one person and somehow finding meaning in them? Psycholinguistics seeks to illuminate how this process occurs by producing models that break down its steps and elements.

Recognizing spoken words is different than reading because the auditory input reaches the ear over time, and is not processed as a whole. The Cohort model suggests that when we hear the first part of a word, our minds make a list of candidates that start with that sound, called “cohorts.” As we hear more of the word, these candidates are ruled out one by one until only the correct word (the target) is left. In the TRACE model, however, sounds that are consistent with a candidate give it “activation” and when a candidate has been activated enough, we correctly identify it as the word we are hearing. No candidate is ever ruled out entirely, only activated or deactivated based on how consistent it is with the incoming speech sounds.

One way to determine which model is better is to look for rhyme effects. Since the Cohort model (representing the category of feed-forward models) rules out any possible candidates that don’t sound the same as the perceived word at the

beginning (words that aren’t cohorts), words that rhyme shouldn’t ever be considered. In TRACE (representing the category of continuous-mapping models), because words that rhyme with the correct word share the same word-end, they should become activated once the end of the word has been heard, and thus briefly considered as candidates.

Rhyme effects refer to just that: these candidates (called rhyme competitors) being considered in the processing of spoken words.

Past studies using behavioural methods such as priming and reaction time have failed to find rhyme effects, which is evidence in favour of the Cohort model.

But recently, researchers have started using electroencephalogram (EEG; recording the electrical activity on the scalp) and eye tracking methodologies to look at the issue. They have been able to show that people react differently to rhyme competitors than they do competitors that don’t sound at all like the target word, which supports the idea of rhyme effects, and thus the TRACE model.

Neither EEG nor eye tracking are perfect, but research in other areas of psychology has been able to use them simultaneously to cover some of their limitations. In order to provide better evidence for rhyme effects, my research recorded scalp activity and eye move-

ments at the same time, so that the scalp activity that occurs directly after a person’s eyes fixate on a picture representing different types of competitors (target word, cohort, rhyme, unrelated) can be analysed. In an audiometric (soundproof) chamber at the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Acadia University, participants were set up with an EEG cap and calibrated for the eye tracking camera. They were shown sets of four pictures and were instructed to click on the one that matched a spoken word they heard played. Each set of pictures always included a target (e.g. cone) and an unrelated competitor (e.g. fox), and depending on the trial, it might include cohort (e.g. comb) and/or rhyme (e.g. bone) competitors.

The EEG results were inconclusive. Although the overall analysis indicated that there were significant differences between scalp activity following fixations to different competitors, the statistical power was not great enough to fully distinguish between them. However, analysis using more liberal statistical tests did find an indication that fixations to the competitors that started with the same sounds as the spoken word (target and cohort) were different from the competitors that started dif-

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ferently (rhyme and unrelated). The eye tracking results were more definitive, finding that people were significantly more likely to fixate on the rhyme competitor than the unrelated competitor after they heard the last portion of the spoken word. Additionally, people were slower to fixate on the target when a rhyme competitor was present in the picture set, indicating that they were distracted by the rhyming word. Both of these results provide support for rhyme effects.

The combined eye tracking/EEG methodology has a great deal of potential to explore topics in cognition as a whole, not just in psycholinguistics. My current study failed to find the anticipated rhyme effects in the fixation-related EEG signals but it did validate the method by finding alternate effects and identified several limitations and suggestions for future studies using the same technique to take into account. As for the models, evidence is mounting that we process language in a continuous fashion, taking into account all aspects of the word.

Models like TRACE are more complicated than alternatives such as Cohort, but they are flexible and can better explain the results seen in the current study and the rest of the literature.

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DUCK, DUCK, GOOSE DETRIMENTAL DIETARY DEBRIS Erika Holland BScH (Co-op) & MSc in Biology

tract blockage, internal bleeding, and death through starvation.

Many of you may remember playing duck, duck, goose as a child. Today, many seabirds unwittingly play this game, but with one deadly variation.

Instead of being “it,” birds tagged by human contact will likely die. This sad outcome is due to the increasing occurrence of plastic ingestion among marine birds. As of 2015, 56% of seabird species were recorded to have consumed plastic. This fate is hard to avoid due to the high prevalence of aquatic plastics.

From surface waters to deep-sea beds, there is no safe zone.

Despite a wealth of research and literature focusing on this problem in marine birds, little work has been done on plastic ingestion in freshwater birds.

Data from freshwater ecosystems suggest that plastic levels are comparable to those in marine ecosystems. Likewise, research on freshwater organisms has found similar rates of debris ingestion to those reported in their marine counterparts. However, to date only one publication on freshwater avian plastic ingestion exists. My research aims to fill this gap.

Humans have been releasing plastic into the environment since the early 1900s, and we now know that plastics are a serious environmental hazard. In 2010 alone an estimated 12.7 million metric tons of plastic were released worldwide. By 2025 this value is predicted to skyrocket to 155 metric tons annually. If this trend continues, 99% of all seabird species will be consuming plastic debris by 2050. Once consumed, plastics can remain in these birds for anywhere from 2-3 months to an entire year. In severe cases, plastic ingestion is fatal because plastic waste mimics natural food without providing nutrition proportional to its mass or volume. This leads to weakness, false feelings of satiation, irritation of the stomach lining, digestive

I am conducting a dissection-based dietary analysis study on North American freshwater birds to determine anthropogenic (human) debris ingestion rates, and establish important baselines.

Don’t panic! No birds are harmed specifically for my research. I am accepting previously killed birds from government agencies, hunters, and private individuals. Once I have received samples, I remove the gizzard (the avian equivalent of our stomach) and flush the contents out into a 0.5-millimeter sieve prior to analysis under a dissection scope. I am looking for any traces of anthropogenic debris, with a focus on plastics.

Of specific interest to my project are plastic microbeads. Microbeads (poly-

ethylene plastic microspheres widely used in cosmetics as exfoliating agents) have a diameter of less than 1 millimeter, meaning many wastewater treatment plants cannot remove them. This is problematic because the per capita consumption of microbeads for the U.S. is approximately 2.4 milligrams per person each day, leading to the U.S. alone releasing 263 tons per year.

To date, relatively little research has been conducted on microbeads; however, public outcry has meant that some major companies have banned, or are planning to ban them. The Canadian government is proposing to add microbeads to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act’s list of toxic substances, following the 2015 signing of the Microbead Free Waters Act by President Obama. This act bans manufacturing rinse-off cosmetics that contain plastic microbeads, beginning in July of 2017.

The Dutch parliament is also pushing for a European ban on microbeads as early as 2016. Although legislation is being put into place to ban microbeads, their continued release into waterways could be harming birds, fish, invertebrates, and other organisms. If you want to reduce your microbead usage, look for key words such as “exfoliating microbeads,” “polyethylene,” or “polypropylene” in the ingredients list or packaging of your personal care items, including your cosmetics, face and body scrubs, body washes, and toothpaste.

I am currently accepting digestive tract submissions from across North America. If you are interested in contributing to this important research please contact me at erikaholland@acadiau.ca for further information. With increased awareness we can all make a difference for aquatic organisms before it’s game over.

tal’s limited food supply. She would later return to Acadia to found the Department of Home Economics.

since then, and in November we were given the opportunity to give an Open Acadia talk to students and community members. We presented our research as if we were a Recruitment Officer and a Matron seeking volunteers for the ongoing war effort, before returning to 2015 to discuss the nature of our study.

Since then, we have continued our research, and are currently developing an online database whereby Acadia students who served during the war may be identified, alongside all service information available to us. Our goal is to bring Acadia’s wartime legacy to the present day, in a format that is widely available. Working in the Archives has certainly changed the way I view local history, and I consider it a privilege to have studied the many stories of Acadia’s own soldiers and medical staff.

The more researchdone, the more you begin to feel the gap of a hundred years begin to close, with more questions revealing themselves along the way.

Photo: © Cardy H. Saunders

Acadia Archives: Acadia and the war Jenna Colclough BA in Classics (Honours) I currently work as a Research Assistant in the Acadia Archives, working on Wendy Robicheau’s sabbatical project entitled “Acadia and the War.” The goal of this project is to investigate how Acadia students and faculty responded to the First World War, and to share their stories. Acadia has a very rich history, and the wartime spirit on campus becomes abundantly clear through sources like the Athenaeum issues during the conflict. Dr. Cutten, to whom Cutten House owes its name, was Acadia’s President at the time as well as a Recruitment Officer. His efforts to encourage students to enlist, and to document their stories following the war, provide the archives with many lists of students, and in several cases, descriptions of their service. From these war records, our search began.

Initially, I began investigating the 14

Nursing Sisters to leave Acadia for Casualty Clearing Stations, and Stationary Hospitals. Although the list was short, the search for women in the archival record is always strained at best. Of the 14 who served, two died during the war. Jessie B. Jaggard, a matron at Lemnos in Gallipoli who died during service in 1916, and Adruenna, or “Addie” Allen Tupper, a Nursing Sister who had succumbed to illness. For those on our list who served as VADs, little more than their names are known to us. Although we now know that many of Acadia’s Nursing Sisters were recognized for their deeds, as some were lauded by fellow nurses in their records and others were mentioned in dispatches for bravery. Cora Peters Archibald, for example, had served as a Dietician for the 3rd Canadian General Hospital in Etaples, France. She is mentioned in the hospital’s ‘War Diary’ for her knowledge of nutrition, and her task to maximize the calories afforded all patients and staff given the hospi-

After a few months of searching for their stories, we travelled to Ottawa to consult files on our Acadia men and women at Library and Archives Canada. For my part, the trip involved photographing medical and war records for our nurses, as well as hospital administrative documents. Everything was photographed from the 1917 Christmas dinner menu, to hospital blueprints. The variety of sources available to us made their stories even more vivid, and oddly present. We also attended museums and museum archives to aid our search, and the reality of the project began to feel much more tangible. Using archival sources we were able to investigate the lives of individuals whose names would otherwise be lost to the tragedy of the Great War. Our project has certainly developed

March 3rd, 2016

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Likeable Lichens! focusing on mercury in Nova Scotia lichens Cardy H. Saunders BSc in Biology (Honours) The next time you’re outside, take a close look at a few different trees.

You will likely see several varieties of small structures on the bark that don’t seem to be part of the tree itself. Odds are, these are lichens. Lichens grow on more substrates than just trees. Some grow directly on soil, and others grow on bare rock.

Lichens are often-overlooked organisms that are something special. Although they were thought for centuries to be plants, they are not. They are in fact a relationship between a fungus and a green alga or a cyanobacterium. Lichens are comprised of a fungal thallus (body), with algal cells (primitive, microscopic plants) interspersed within it. This kind of interaction involving different kinds of organisms living together is called symbiosis.

Why would these two organisms live together when they are so different? Being plants, the algal cells photosynthesize. The fungus can use some of the algae’s products for its own grow th, and in return, the algal cells have a safe place in which to live, as they would rapidly dr y out and die without their fungal partner.

As both organisms here benefit from the presence of the other, it is called a mutualistic symbiosis.

Now that you know a bit about lichens, why would a biologist be so interested in them? Partly because they are awesome, but mostly because they have more uses that meet the eye.

Lichens are epiphytes, growing on other organisms and substrates without harming or damaging them. As such, they must get all their nutri-

Photo by: Kayla Westhaver-Covin ment from the air around them, by absorbing airborne chemicals and water into their body. This is key to my research. Since they absorb substances from the surrounding air, and are fairly indiscriminate about what they absorb, they can inadvertently bioaccumulate things that they do not need. Thus, lichens can sequester all sorts of things, including toxic heav y metals like lead, cadmium, and mercur y, to name a few. While heav y metals are present naturally in minute concentrations in the environment, human activity can cause these concentrations to reach dangerous levels.

My research, funded by the Trustees of the Arthur Irving Academy of the Environment, focuses on mercur y in Nova Scotia lichens. Mercur y is highly toxic and capable of transitioning into methylmercur y, a dangerous chemical known to cause damage to the mammalian immune system, and to alter genetic and enzymatic systems. This is important, as mercur y can consequently have negative effects on humans and other organisms in food webs. One way of measuring the concentrations of this dangerous contaminant in the environment is

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through mercur y analysis of lichens.

My research aims to establish baseline data and to visualize mercur y “hot spots” that may need remediation in the province.

To measure the mercur y content of lichens, the first thing to do is to collect lichen samples and their GPS coordinates. Lichens do not have an especially complex internal structure, lacking even a vascular system, so removing a part of them usually does no harm to the whole organism.

Once the lichen sample is acquired, it needs to be reduced to a fine powder for analysis. For this we use a technique known as cr yo-grinding. You could just grind the lichen as-is, at room temperature (21°C) but due to the lichen being flexible and tough, it would take too much time, and the results would be non-uniform.

However, if you make the sample ver y cold, by pouring liquid nitrogen (-196°C) on it, the lichen becomes as brittle as glass, and shatters instantly when you grind it. For some context, the coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was a comparatively balmy -94.7°C in Antarctica in 2010.

Once the samples are in powdered

form, they can be analyzed for mercur y content. This requires a complex machine called a Mercur y Analyzer that does exactly what the name suggests. Long stor y short, it incinerates the powdered sample at a ver y high temperature, passes the resultant gases of combustion through chemical solutions, and eventually through a special device that can detect exactly how much mercur y the sample contained. By knowing the amount of sample analyzed, we can extrapolate the percent concentration of mercur y.

As of the end of Februar y, the first round of lichen samples have been reduced to powder, and will be put through the Mercur y Analyzer in early March. Further sample collecting will start in May, and continue throughout the summer.

Lichens are a natural, viable alternative to deployable electronic mercur y monitoring devices, which are cumbersome and expensive. Lichens grow slowly over decades, making for long-term monitoring solutions that can be re-visited over many years, costing nothing to maintain or install. It’s no wonder we lichenologists are lichen’ it!