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Recent Submissions

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    Assessing Climate Resilience in Dominica’s Tourism Infrastructure: Supporting the Vision for the World’s First Climate-Resilient Nation
    (University of Waterloo, 2026-04-23) Shania, Scotland
    Tourism is a vital economic sector for the island of Dominica, accounting for 32% of GDP, 36% of employment, and 82% of total export earnings (World Bank, 2023). The island’s natural assets (e.g., rainforests, volcanoes, waterfalls, coral reefs) and key sectoral infrastructure (e.g., accommodations) are highly exposed and vulnerable to climate-related hazards, as evidenced in 2017 when the island was struck by Hurricane Maria. The hurricane caused catastrophic loss and damage (e.g., USD $1.3 billion, equivalent to 270% of the country’s GDP) (GermanWatch, 2025). Over 70% of the island’s accommodation stock (e.g., hotels, guesthouses) was severely damaged and the cruise ship terminal was rendered inoperable, decreasing international tourism arrivals by 88% the following six months (James, 2019). The disaster underscored widespread vulnerability of the built environment, with post-disaster assessments revealing that much of the island’s infrastructure did not meet basic resilience thresholds (e.g. roof failure, broken windows and doors, and wind damage) (Heidarzadeh et al., 2018). Following this devastation, Dominica announced its intention to become the first climate-resilient nation- a broad, multi-sectoral goal that does not have a single defined metric of achievement, by committing to reduce the country’s vulnerability by strengthening building standards as declared in the National Resilience Development Strategy (NRDS). To date, there is no empirical evidence as to whether tourism infrastructure has adapted since the declaration, nor whether and to what extent the sector has been integrated within national climate and development policy frameworks, including Dominica’s National Tourism Master Plan (NTMP), Climate Resilience and Recovery Plan (CRRP), and Updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Using a mixed-methods approach, the thesis combines a policy analysis, geospatial exposure mapping, and building classification, to provide the first empirical resilience assessment of Dominica’s accommodation infrastructure. Results indicate that while post-Hurricane Maria reconstruction improved overall building condition and reflects growing alignment with national resilience narratives, structural and spatial vulnerabilities persist. Tourism accommodations remain concentrated in coastal zones exposed to hydrometeorological hazards, and recovery patterns demonstrate incremental rather than transformative adaptation, with deeper structural attributes such as foundation types and protective measures minimally adopted. Moreover, incomplete policy integration and operationalization limit the extent to which resilience gains have been realized across the sector. The empirical results can be used to strengthen infrastructure guidelines by enforcing existing building codes (e.g., through stricter inspections, conditional permitting, insurance-linked compliance requirements), prioritize investments, and integrate climate resilience more effectively into tourism planning and policy.
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    Could Be a Person or Multiple Hotdogs
    (University of Waterloo, 2026-04-22) Lychek, Madeleine Enya Lozano
    This work uses autotheory to reject dominant discourses surrounding racialization, diaspora, and queerness. This research culminated into a Master of Fine Art (MFA) thesis exhibition of artwork, where multiple projections of experimental DIY videos featured both solo and collective documented performance for the camera of everyday life. The artworks reject the expectation to reconcile complicated intersections of my existence in the pursuit of legibility. This paper summarizes the MFA thesis exhibition by following an experimental creative approach that mirrors the tone of the exhibition. Throughout the show, ceramic tiles and bronze sculptures as well as everyday objects (as seen in the presented videos) are situated throughout the gallery space. Milk crates function as crude plinths. A green vinyl couch sits at one side of an approximately 10x10’ grid of multi-coloured foam interlocking tiles. Colourful foam mats and pillows are scattered across the central lounge area. The exhibition concludes with Dyke Clothing Swap a participatory artwork in the gallery space in which there was an opportunity to exchange used clothing with each other.
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    Threshold Transformations in Organizational Leadership in Nonprofit Community Sport
    (University of Waterloo, 2026-04-22) Stephenson, Veronica
    The purpose of this research was to develop a deeper understanding of organizational leadership development in nonprofit community sport organizations by exploring threshold leadership transformations. While there is growing awareness of the value of collaborative leadership practices in sport organizations (e.g., Damon et al., 2022; Ferkins et al., 2024; Kang & Svensson, 2023b), limited attention has been given to how relational and collective leadership approaches are developed in community sport settings. Yet by building collaborative leadership capacity, organizations can strengthen their ability to guide change, develop resiliency, enhance accountability, and deepen relationships within the organization and across their community (Barasa et al., 2018; Block, 2018; Day & Harrison, 2007; McCauley et al., 2010). Challenges exist for community sport organizations looking to grow this leadership capacity, including inconsistent views of how a collaborative leadership practice is developed (Eva et al., 2021), and organizational cultures that reinforce leadership as individualistic, leader-centric, role-based authority (Billsberry et al., 2018; Ferkins et al., 2018). These development issues are magnified in community sport settings where factors such as resource constraints, volunteer turnover, and conflicting organizational interests necessitate prioritizing operational tasks to ensure their primary sport mandate is met. This leaves little opportunity to engage in broader organizational development activities. And yet, interdependent leadership processes are of particular significance in community sport where organizations must both collaborate and compete with other clubs, benefit from strong interorganizational relationships, and are expected to contribute to broader health, community, and social outcomes (Babiak et al., 2018; Dowling et al., 2021; Welty Peachey et al., 2015). Perhaps the most significant challenge to building collaborative leadership capacity is that developing intrapersonal and interpersonal leader competences might not be enough (Block, 2018; Day, 2000; Day & Harrison, 2007; Warner & Colton, 2016). It is one thing to have knowledge of the behaviours and skills required for collaborative leadership. It is something more to value and enact collaborative processes. Sport management leadership studies often explore a specific leadership model or framework, which can inform development activities focused on the cognitive and behavioural attributes of sport leaders (whether constructed as individuals or a collective). Yet there is an opportunity for a holistic development approach, one that considers the complexity of human development (Day et al., 2014). Drawing on leadership development studies, transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1991), and Meyer and Land’s (2006) threshold concepts framework, this study aimed to examine the “ways of knowing that underlie skills and knowledge” (Timmermans, 2014, pp. 306-307, emphasis in original). Informed by Timmermans and Meyer’s (2019) framework to integrate threshold knowledges into practice, this exploratory qualitative study investigated practitioners’ transformative ideas about community sport leadership, key learning experiences that supported their development, and how the community sport context impacts development. Data from workshop interviews with volunteers and staff from local community sport organizations and small group interviews with upper year sport management students with work or volunteer experience in community sport were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019). Participants’ leadership development occurred through practice rather than formal leader training initiatives. Their pathways to their roles in the organization were significant in their development, particularly their own experiences as athletes, and were highly relational, often facilitated through connections with family and friends, and both formal and informal invitations. Participants identified several ways the community sport context contributed to or hindered leadership development, such as resource constraints, organizational stability, and the club’s direction. Of particular importance was having a supported practice. Participants’ transformative ideas about community sport leadership suggested there is no one, best approach to leadership and that a flexible, adaptive, and authentic practice is needed. These transformations also related to where leadership resides, changes in their perspectives on volunteer contributions, and opening up their frames of reference. Underlying their practice were core beliefs related to holistic development, community, belonging, and joy.  The findings indicate developing a collaborative leadership practice involves transformations in ways of being, ways of knowing, and ways of practicing. These transformations are described in three threshold concepts in community sport organizational leadership development, specifically: “Leadership Isn’t in the Title”; “They’ve got my Back”; and “Collective Responsibility for Supported Practice”. The findings and the proposed threshold concepts can inform community sport leadership capacity building activities in several ways, which are outlined through a proposed organizational leadership development model for community sport organizations. This study also has implications for the design and implementation of sport management curriculum, particularly around key concepts, learning experiences, and the teaching and learning context.
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    Enhancing Minds in Motion® as a virtual program delivery model for people living with dementia and their care partners
    (Public Library of Science, 2024-01-19) Neudorf, Bobby; Dinh, Christopher; Barnes, Vanessa; Stergiou-Dayment, Christina; Middleton, Laura
    The Alzheimer Society of Ontario’s Minds in Motion (MiM) program improves physical function and well-being of people living with dementia (PLWD) and their care partners (CP) (Regan et al., 2019). With the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an urgent need to transition to a virtual MiM that was similarly safe and effective. The purpose of this mixed methods study is to describe the standardized, virtual MiM and evaluate its acceptability, and impact on quality of life, and physical and cognitive activity of participants. Survey of ad hoc virtual MiM practices and a literature review informed the design of the standardized MiM program: 8 weeks of weekly 90-minute sessions that included 45-minutes of physical activity and 45-minutes of cognitive stimulation in each session. Participants completed a standardized, virtual MiM at one of 6 participating Alzheimer Societies in Ontario, as well as assessments of quality of life, physical and cognitive activity, and program satisfaction pre- and post-program. In all, 111 PLWD and 90 CP participated in the evaluation (average age of 74.6±9.4 years, 61.2% had a college/university degree or greater, 80.6% were married, 48.6% of PLWD and 75.6% of CP were women). No adverse events occurred. MiM participants rated the program highly (average score of 4.5/5). PLWD reported improved quality of life post-MiM (p = <0.01). Altogether, participants reported increased physical activity levels (p = <0.01) and cognitive activity levels (p = <0.01). The virtual MiM program is acceptable, safe, and effective at improving quality of life, cognitive and physical activity levels for PLWD, and cognitive and physical activity levels among CP.
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    Multiscale Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Copper–Iron Alloys in Steel Weld-Brazing
    (University of Waterloo, 2026-04-22) Sarmast-Ghahfarokhi, Shadab
    Weld-brazing is an advanced joining technology characterized by low heat input and reduced susceptibility to fusion-welding defects such as cracking, distortion, and substrate microstructural degradation, enabling the production of reliable joints with improved metallurgical compatibility. Despite increasing industrial adoption for coated steels and dissimilar material systems, the fundamental relationships between processing conditions, joint characteristics, and mechanical performance remain insufficiently understood. This thesis presents a comprehensive multiscale investigation of the factors governing the mechanical properties and failure behavior of weld-brazed joints, with particular emphasis on bead geometry, interfacial characteristics, and microstructure. Advanced multiscale characterization techniques combined with thermodynamic analysis and numerical modeling were employed to establish robust process–structure–property relationships. The influence of heat source was first examined in laser- and arc-brazed ZnAlMg-coated steel, revealing distinct differences in particle formation, elemental distribution, and solidification morphology. Arc brazing produced a high number density of FeSi(Cu) particles accompanied by pronounced Zn and Cu concentration gradients, whereas laser brazing resulted in heterogeneous microstructures comprising eutectic structures, a dendritic transition zone, and a Cu-rich matrix. Following clarification of elemental redistribution and microstructural characteristics within the brazed bead and interfacial layer, this study further correlated particle characteristics with the local mechanical behavior of the joint. It was shown that increasing heat input during gas metal arc brazing promoted dilution of the filler material by the steel substrate, leading to the formation of a high number density of FeSi(Cu) particles. Cyclic load–depth indentation measurements demonstrated that these particles enhanced the local mechanical properties of the brazed bead and improved the strength of the joint under shear–tensile loading. Extending this analysis, a detailed multiscale investigation was conducted to elucidate the nature of particles formed within the brazed bead of Cu–Fe immiscible alloys. The results showed that hierarchical or homogeneous microstructures can be tailored through control of Fe dilution during non-equilibrium solidification. High Fe dilution promoted liquid-state phase separation and Marangoni-driven flow, resulting in hierarchical DO₃-ordered Fe-rich particles with embedded Cu-rich regions and uniformly distributed L1₂ nanoprecipitates, whereas lower Fe dilution resulted in finer, more uniformly dispersed Fe-rich particles and L1₂ phases. These microstructures enhanced local hardness and elastic modulus, revealing that particle number density plays a dominant role in the enhancement of mechanical properties. Finally, the combined effects of bead geometry, interfacial layer, bead microstructure, and loading conditions on joint strength and failure behavior were evaluated. The results demonstrated that joint mechanical performance is governed by the coupled interaction of these factors. In addition to weld-brazed joint characteristics, joint rotation and bending during loading were shown to control strain localization, indicating that bead characteristics alone are insufficient predictors of joint performance. Overall, this work establishes a process–structure–performance framework for weld-brazing, linking processing conditions to multiscale microstructural evolution and joint performance. The insights gained support the broader industrial adoption of weld-brazing in automotive lightweight structures and other advanced steel applications.