UWSpace

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Recent Submissions

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    Analysis and Design of Lens Antennas for Power-Constrained Applications
    (University of Waterloo, 2026-02-13) Esfarayeni, Nita
    The ever-increasing demand for faster data rates as well as overcrowding in the sub-6 GHz spectrum has driven the shift to using higher frequency bands. While the use of higher frequencies can facilitate bandwidth requirements needed to meet the required data rates, they struggle with high Free-Space Path Loss (FSPL) which require specialized solutions to overcome. Phased Array Antennas (PAAs) have attracted immense attention in recent years. PAAs are able to make use of a large quantity of antennas to produce a gain high enough to overcome FSPL while also benefiting from compactness and the ability to rapidly steer and shape the beam. While they have been shown to be effective solutions for many applications, most PAAs depend on a large number of active amplifiers, which entails higher upfront costs, high power consumption, and high thermal dissipation. Such challenges must be addressed for power-constrained or heat-sensitive applications. This thesis presents a detailed analysis of existing solutions in literature and examines their trade-offs. The Lens Antenna Subarray (LAS) architecture is proposed as a solution, which offers low power consumption while keeping the Gain Over Noise Temperature (G/T) figure of merit for performance competitive with active arrays by leveraging both the directive properties of dielectric lenses as well as the flexibility of traditional PAAs. This thesis focuses on the design of a single lens and its feed network, referred to as a subarray. To produce a practical example, a Satellite Communication (SATCOM) receiver is chosen as the target application, and a subarray is designed. An ultra-wideband lens with a novel permittivity profile is designed which can provide up to ±64° of -3 dB steering, an improvement over similar Printed Circuit Board (PCB) compatible designs which typically do not provide more than ±50° of steering. Additionally, feed antennas are designed to provide wideband operation over the SATCOM receiving frequency range of 17.7 to 21.2 GHz. A total of 19 antennas are arranged in a novel feeding arrangement which enables the use of circular polarization with the lens, which has not yet been shown in literature. As the concept of LASs are relatively new to literature, there are many potential directions in which the concept can be developed. Further improvements to the lens, the simplification of feeding antennas, and array-level design are all areas which can be investigated in detail.
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    Assessment of interannual variability of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in the Athabasca River
    (University of Waterloo, 2026-02-13) Chan, Cherrie
    Interannual variability refers to the year-to-year changes in ecological conditions, which can alter niche availability and influence aquatic biota. Benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) assemblages in riverine ecosystems have been shown to exhibit interannual variability in response to yearly variations in environmental conditions, in particular, large-scale fluctuations involving climate and hydrology. However, knowledge of interannual variation among BMI assemblages in cold region rivers is limited, highlighting the need to better understand year-to-year changes in BMI assemblages and how these changes are associated with environmental variability. To reduce this knowledge gap, this study quantified interannual changes in BMI assemblages and identified potential associations between hydroclimatic variables and assemblage composition along a cold region river. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected annually over a range of 6 – 11 years from three reference locations on the mainstem of the Athabasca River, Alberta, Canada. Interannual variability of BMI assemblages was quantified by measuring change in assemblage abundance and taxonomic turnover, along with calculating change values in biological metrics between consecutive years. BMI interannual variability was then related to hydroclimatic variables (climate oscillations, temperature, and discharge) to determine potential environmental drivers. Results showed that interannual variability of BMI assemblages along the Athabasca River was similar to other studies conducted in cold region streams, and that four taxonomic groups (i.e., Chironomidae, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) were predominately responsible for yearly changes at all locations. The trajectory of interannual variability and the strength of environmental associations were inconsistent between locations. These results suggest that larger datasets are more likely to provide more reliable quantification of natural variability of BMI assemblages, and other unmeasured factors may influence interannual variability, thus confounding relationships with large-scale environmental drivers. Future studies should consider local-scale variability and finer-resolution environmental predictors to improve our understanding of the drivers of interannual variability.
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    Challenging Privatization in Governance by AI: A Caution for the Future of AI Governance
    (Balsillie School of International Affairs, 2025-09-15) Brandusescu, Ana
    Privatization is increasingly driving the uptake of generative artificial intelligence (AI) across various sectors. The drive for AI adoption, whether in the name of innovation or the economy, has dominated mainstream news. However, there is less public awareness of generative AI's devasting impacts on labour and the environment. Whether in self-regulation or government regulation, Big Tech influences the direction of governance of AI, which increasingly is evolving to governance by AI and the automation of jobs. "The future of work is already here," states a 2025 report from Human Rights Watch. "Workers around the world are increasingly hired, compensated, disciplined, and fired by algorithms."
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    The Fourth Industrial Revolution: Can Emerging Technologies Address Rural Food Insecurity for Smallholder Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa?
    (Balsillie School of International Affairs, 2025-10-22) Dragusha, Valdrin; Brown, Andrea M.
    Technological advances have the potential to increase agricultural production in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and thereby respond to growing food insecurity. This paper, in light of what is being called "the fourth industrial revolution," reviews the potential of emerging technologies, in particular artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite crop mapping, for increasing agricultural production and addressing food insecurity in Africa. It concludes that unequal global development, and unequal access to, distribution and control of emerging technologies by China and the United States, combined with the prevalence of smallholder farming, makes positive impacts unlikely in the near future.
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    Accelerating Canada's Economic Transformation towards Industry 5.0: The Synergistic Potential of the Electric Vehicle (EV) Sector
    (Balsillie School of International Affairs, 2025-11-12) Nathwani, Jatin; Ng, Artie
    The main objective of this paper is to identify options of industrial development that are transformative and stand as unique contributors with high-potential for fostering sustainable economic growth, reduced carbon emissions to mitigate the threat of climate risk, and stable levels of employment opportunities through public-private partnership by fostering market-based solutions leveraging on private capital.