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Recent Submissions
High-Temperature Metamorphic Reactions from the Macro-Scale to the Micro-Scale
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-02) Dyer, Sabastien
Metamorphic reactions are the basis of metamorphic petrology and the lens through which we interpret metamorphic rocks and processes. They serve both as tectonic indicators, revealing the pressure--temperature history of a rock, and as tectonic drivers, responsible for the production of fluids and melts that are critical to many geological processes in the crust. At high temperatures, two types of reactions that have emphasized importance are melting reactions that have implications for large-scale crustal reworking and reactions that grow accessory minerals that we use to date petrological processes.
Zircon is the most common geochronometer, but its behaviour at high temperatures is poorly understood. Zircon-forming reactions were investigated in granulite-facies meta-granitoids in the Grenville province to better understand how zircon grows during metamorphism at high temperatures. Zircon growth occurred during retrogression as a result of melt crystallization and titanomagnetite breakdown. With this information, the dates of metamorphic zircon that were measured were interpreted as cooling dates, and provided additional context that suggests that the major orogenic phase of Grenville Orogen may have begun tens of millions of years earlier than previously thought.
Zircon was also used as a proxy to investigate the kinetics of trace elements in intergranular melt during melt crystallization in a migmatite. Key trace elements including Hf, U, Th, Y, and heavy rare earth elements were analyzed in multiple metamorphic zircon rims to compare relative concentration of zircon that grew coevally in the same thin section. The significant differences observed in concentration of these elements across zircon grains suggests rates of diffusion of these key trace elements are slower than zircon growth in migmatites. Zircon growth probably occurred as a result of size-dependent interface-controlled growth, implying that Zr diffusion was relatively fast in the melt.
On the macro-scale, evidence of regionally extensive H2O-fluxed melting reactions have been observed in multiple distinct tectonic environments across the globe, yet there is no generic tectonic model that explains regional-scale H2O-fluxed melting in the crust. Regional scale H2O-fluxed melting was studied in the Muskoka domain of the Grenville province. In the Muskoka domain, H2O-fluxed melting dominated throughout the region and until now, the source and mechanism of the H2O transport into the Muskoka domain has been unclear. Multiple examples of pegmatites with amphibole and leucosome-rich reaction selvages were found throughout the domain that show how H2O may have been transported into and through the Muskoka domain. Using a two-stage melting model, it was shown that melt generated at depth through hydrate-breakdown melting contains enough H2O to readily melt the rocks in the Muskoka domain through diffusive H2O-fluxed melting, with no fluid exsolution required.
Metamorphic reactions are used to understand regional tectonics, but there are significant gaps in our understanding of these reactions on both the micro-scale and the macro-scale. The geochronological tools that are used to unravel metamorphism are based on micro-scale processes that are still poorly understood. Simultaneously, our understanding of macro-scale tectonic processes involving H2O transport in the crust, which influence our interpretation of metamorphic rocks, is limited with H2O-fluxed melting. This thesis addresses our limits of understanding and shows how understanding metamorphic reactions allows us to better understand regional tectonics.
Advancing Disaggregate Modeling of Electric Vehicle Charging Behaviour
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-02) Shakhova, Diana
The growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) poses both opportunities and challenges for electricity grid management, where management strategies vary by region based on demand, climate and portfolio of generation types. In Ontario, Canada where the energy mix is dominated by baseload nuclear and hydroelectric generation and where residential EV charging is common but not universal, understanding the timing and location of EV charging is critical for infrastructure planning and system reliability. This thesis focuses on non-overnight EV charging behavior, charging events that occur during the day, mostly away-from-home, and explores how infrastructure access and electricity pricing may influence the 24-hour distribution of EV electricity demand.
The research addresses the question: do infrastructure location and pricing conditions influence the temporal distribution of non-overnight electric vehicle charging demand in Ontario? To answer this, a novel simulation model was developed that integrates real-world travel data from the 2016 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (TTS) with charging decisions predicted using a discrete choice model estimated from a custom stated-preference survey of current EV users. This survey, still ongoing at the time of writing, has collected over 5,900 responses across 300+ participants, capturing variation in price elasticity stop duration, charger type, and other contextual factors that influence away-from-home charging.
The simulation assumes a 10% EV adoption scenario across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), generating 24-hour electricity demand profiles under six distinct combinations of infrastructure access and pricing. Results suggest that infrastructure availability may be the primary determinant of when charging occurs throughout the day, while pricing has a stronger influence on how much charging takes place. Scenarios with free and widespread public access produce higher daytime demand, while constrained infrastructure and high pricing result in lower, more diffuse load patterns. However, charging patterns, such as the concentration of demand early in the day, appear sensitive to model assumptions, particularly morning state-of-charge (SoC) initialization and simplified home charging representation. These findings underscore the importance of model calibration and choice behaviour realism in demand modeling efforts.
The implications of this work, while preliminary, point to the need for coordinated planning of charging infrastructure and pricing policies that consider charging behaviour as well as actual trip patterns and regional energy system characteristics. The research contributes both a flexible simulation framework and a charging choice model estimated from stated charging behaviour that can be expanded for future planning scenarios. Next steps include further model refinement, validation using real-world charging session data, and explicit inclusion of populations without home charging access. As EV adoption continues to grow, the tools developed in this thesis provide a foundation for anticipating and managing its impact on electricity demand.
Enhancing Power Fuzzing: Synthetic Side-Channel Data Generation, Optimal Sampling, and Noise Mitigation
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-02) Vakulenko, Olha
Embedded systems increasingly dominate critical applications, driving the need for advanced testing and validation methodologies capable of uncovering hidden or undocumented behaviours. Traditional fuzzing approaches, which rely on observable outputs or system crashes, often fail to reveal the internal operations of embedded devices. Powertrace-based fuzzing provides a non-intrusive alternative by analysing a device’s power consumption during operation. Achieving robust and reliable fuzzing performance requires researchers to overcome significant challenges in signal acquisition, noise mitigation, and classification reliability.
This thesis addresses these challenges by introducing several key improvements to the PowerFuzzer framework. First, it develops SigVarGen, a modular synthetic signal generation framework that produces realistic idle-state and active signals under controlled noise, drift, and timing variations. SigVarGen enables comprehensive algorithm development and stress testing across diverse simulated conditions, bridging the theoretical model design and empirical validation gap. Second, it presents SR\&OS, a dynamic calibration algorithm that optimises sampling rate and trigger offset selection. SR\&OS leverages adaptive binary search and statistical response detection to capture meaningful system responses despite variable latencies and noise conditions.
The thesis also performs a detailed risk assessment of typical noise sources in side-channel measurements and ranks mitigation strategies based on their effectiveness and practical feasibility. It identifies practical denoising techniques, such as trace averaging, singular spectrum analysis, and independent component analysis, as effective methods for improving signal quality. Furthermore, it evaluates signal quality metrics and validates comparative power and correlation-based indicators as efficient predictors for adaptive acquisition termination.
Together, these developments create a more robust and scalable framework for detecting undocumented behaviours in embedded systems through powertrace analysis. Experimental validation using synthetic datasets and real-world embedded targets demonstrates improvements in calibration accuracy and acquisition efficiency. The findings lay a foundation for future advancements in hardware fuzzing frameworks, mainly targeting embedded environments.
Generational Weave: An age Inclusive Community Centre
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-02) Mehta, Drashti
The demographic composition of Toronto is shifting rapidly, with a significant increase in the senior population prompting the need for innovative, socially inclusive care solutions. Traditional models of senior care have typically led to environments marked by isolation and limited interaction across generations, negatively impacting seniors’ emotional and social well-being. Addressing this gap, this thesis proposes an architectural reimagining of community spaces through the design of a Intergenerational community centre integrated with senior care facilities located in North York, Toronto.
This project challenges conventional paradigms by promoting environments that actively nurture social connectedness, emotional resilience, and intergenerational reciprocity. Central to this thesis is the principle of universal and adaptable design, ensuring spaces seamlessly accommodate the varying needs of seniors, adults, and children. By fostering natural and spontaneous interactions, the design aims to diminish generational barriers and facilitate meaningful relationships.
Through careful site integration, including the strategic development of an existing water stream as a central community feature, the thesis underscores architecture’s role in cultivating a sense of belonging, dignity, and vitality. Ultimately, this project presents a comprehensive design framework for multi-generational spaces that enrich social connections, foster emotional well-being, and set new benchmarks for community-based senior care in an urban context.
Tourism & Change: A Longitudinal Analysis on Lodge Development and Energy Consumption in Sagarmatha National Park
(University of Waterloo, 2025-09-02) Manninger, Kaitlyn
Tourism in remote, high-altitude mountain areas presents complex challenges for sustainable development, particularly where there is limited energy infrastructure and environmental sensitivity. The tourism industry has an interdependent relationship with the economy, culture, and lifestyle of mountain communities. Within the industry, lodge accommodations and hotels are the most energy intensive components and are reflective of tourist activity because of their large economic value. Resource consumption within lodges can indicate changes within the socio-economic structure and development of destinations as they evolve to accommodate for tourism demand. This study examines longitudinal patterns of tourist lodge development and energy consumption in Sagarmatha National Park and Buffer Zone (SNPBZ), Nepal. It aims to characterize how tourism interacts with infrastructure and resource use over time to establish a historical database of change over time. Using spatial data, lodge surveys, and semi-structured interviews with lodge owners, this thesis analyzes temporal and spatial trends in lodge development and energy consumption. Data from 1997, 2011, and 2024 were compared to identify long-term shifts and patterns. The results show significant growth in both lodge development and capacities, particularly along the Everest and Farak routes. Energy use has shifted towards alternative sources such as LPG and electricity, though traditional fuels remain common in higher altitude areas. Findings also suggest a growing dependence on tourism revenue for access to sustainable energy sources. This study situates SNPBZ between the development and consolidation stages of Butler’s Tourism Area Lifecycle model, with early signs of stagnation emerging. Inconsistencies in tourist flows and climate variability challenge the resilience of the park’s energy infrastructure and raise questions about carrying capacity and adaptive capacity. This research contributes a longitudinal, place-based perspective to the understanding of sustainable tourism development and energy transitions in high-altitude protected areas. The Government of Nepal should develop formal policy and regulation that supports community-based energy disaster and resilience planning while also considering tourism flows to properly align energy and tourist infrastructure development with revenues. Further research should investigate the supply side dynamics of resource management and the extent to which tourism may place additional pressure on surrounding areas outside of park boundaries.
Keywords: Tourism
Lodge development
Energy consumption
Sustainable Development
Mountain Areas