Valerie Kuehne Undergraduate Research Awards (VKURA)

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This UVic award provides an opportunity for first year students to gain research-enriched and applied experiences in their discipline or field of study. Students gain first-hand experience in planning and undertaking research or creative works.

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Now showing 1 - 11 of 11

Analysing the Performance of Cloud Gaming over a Low-Earth Orbit Satellite Network
(2023-09-18) Tolouei, Pouria
Starlink, as it continues to grow, brings the idea of a robust global network coverage one step closer to reality. Even though Starlink's performance has been a breakthrough for satellite internet by utilising low-earth orbit satellites, frequent satellite handovers are required to keep up with the high mobility of the satellites. Starlink performs these handovers every 15 seconds at synchronised 57, 12, 27, and 42 seconds after each minute. While this is effective for maintaining the connection, it leads to fluctuations in the latency which is not efficient for latency-sensitive applications such as cloud gaming. This study investigates the effect of the fast-changing delay of Starlink on cloud gaming. Through automated gameplay and data collection, the quantitative data analysis revealed that the Starlink network experiences higher and faster changing latency, less stable bandwidth, and more packet loss compared to a more traditional network. Furthermore, the satellite handovers cause frequent and predictable performance drops, especially in terms of input latency and packet loss which lead to stutters and input lag. While the fundamental structure of the Starlink network cannot be changed, the satellite handover can be anticipated by applications due to their fixed and synchronised nature. So, working toward a solution for satellite handovers will be the future of this work.
Analyzing the Accuracy of Agent Representations in Crowd Simulations
(2022-09-08) Shatzel, Liam
A crowd simulation is a computer-based simulation of a large number of characters. Crowd simulations are used, with increasing frequency, in fields such as movies, games, building design, and evacuation scenarios. For example, in emergency evacuation scenarios, crowd simulations can be used to predict the behavior of humans in order to test the safety of a building design. The focus of this research is to analyze the accuracy of representations of virtual humans (agents) within crowd simulations. Typically, disks are used to represent agents within crowd simulations, but these can oversimplify the area that an agent occupies. Having accurate representations of agents is necessary for a simulated crowd to reflect reality. In this work we focus on a comparative analysis, contrasting overestimates and underestimates of standard disk representations. Through this research, we provide quantitative data on the oversimplification that disk-based models present. This data can be used as a starting point for exploring better representations of humans in motion within simulated crowds.
Analyzing the broadband divide in the underserved Southern Gulf Islands
(University of Victoria, 2025) Archer, Finnegan
Broadband internet access has rapidly become essential for facilitating social, educational, and economic development. Yet rural communities lacking the economies of scale to justify the upfront costs of traditional cabled connections face a digital divide. To address this, line-of-sight (LOS) technologies help alleviate infrastructure deployment expenses, although they come with unique performance challenges. Starlink, SpaceX's low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite service, connects user terminals to overhead satellites and can outperform the Universal Service Objective (USO). Similarly, cellular networks such as those provided by Rogers and Telus use radio signals optimized for coverage and reliability. Our research explores the real-world performance of these solutions in the Southern Gulf Islands using a vehicular setup equipped with a Starlink Mini dish, an external GPS module, a dashboard camera, and cellular modems carrying Telus and Rogers SIMs. Metrics including latency, iperf3 throughput, GPS location, and cellular SNR were gathered alongside footage to assess performance. Quantitative data analysis demonstrated that regional terrain features, such as dense tree coverage, heavily affect line-of-sight performance.
Exploring clustering algorithms on spatial data in video games
(University of Victoria, 2025) Fitsner, Elise
This project looks at how unsupervised machine learning (specifically, clustering data using a Gaussian mixture model) can be used to try to identify different player archetypes in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, using only data that relates to the spatial behaviour of the players. We found that within each side, a player's individual playstyle and the style of the round they were playing seem to have had more influence on the clustering than which map they were playing on, and we were able to identify four distinct styles of play on each side. In future work, this approach could be applied to areas such as cheat detection, improving video game map design, and quantifying effective play patterns to support skill development and training.
Exploring the implementation of gradients in vector graphics images through colour diffusion graphs
(2023-09-19) Goodwin, Linnea
Given that vector graphics aims to create infinitely scalable images, a problem arises when attempting to create a smooth gradient from one colour to another. The dominant method used to tackle this problem is essentially to simulate the diffusion of colour onto a triangulated mesh; the process would be similar to letting a drop of ink hit a wet napkin and spread out. The equation that governs diffusion is the Poisson equation, which allows for a function modifier to the spread of a material; i.e. a variable coefficient of diffusion across a surface. Previous research into the diffusion of colour to create vectorized gradients ignores this coefficient for a constant spread of colour. In this study, we recreate the spread of colour to form vectorized meshes with smooth gradients using PolyFEM and allow for the inclusion of a position-variable coefficient of spread. This research could advance the world of vector image generation and have potentially publishable applications.
Motion Capture Technology for Enhancing Live Dance Performances
(2023-09-18) Khutorna, Sofiia
In this research, we introduce an innovative approach that combines Virtual Reality with a motion capture suit for live dance performances. Leveraging real-time motion capture technology, we can stream precise body movement data to a virtual shadow character and project it behind the dancer in real-time. This configuration supports every stage of dance development—from the initial inception to the captivating final performance on stage. The motivation behind this project is to enrich the visual experience for the audience by establishing a captivating blend of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality, and to help dancers reflect on their choreography during the creation process. This system lets dancers make changes on the spot while performing, adding flexibility to their routines. Additionally, performers are able to use this setup anytime without the need for recording and post-production processes. By the end of my VKURA internship I was able to complete this project. Nonetheless, there remains room for improvement, particularly working on a delay between real and virtual movements.
Parallel vertex clustering (CUDA)
(University of Victoria, 2024) Brolo, Enrique
The computational demands of high-quality graphics are rising, and the need to manage these large datasets effectively is apparent. This project aims to rewrite and optimize a parallel vertex clustering algorithm by leveraging CUDA to accelerate the processing of large-scale 3D meshes. Aside from increasing processing speed, the project also looks at scalability and handling of massive datasets which can be constrained by single CPU-based methods. Though attempts at parallelism with OpenMP and multi-threaded CPU approaches have proven effective to a degree, they are still limited by the CPU’s lower capacity for handling numerous operations at once. CUDA instead utilises many GPU cores at once, enabling far greater parallelization for processing complex geometric data. Although the algorithm is still in development, early results suggest performance gains, however methods can still be further optimized. Future work will aim to refine the algorithm and proceed with more tests to ensure it can scale effectively as well as maintain accuracy.
Physical Activity, Sex Hormones, and Brain Blood Flow
(2023-09-19) Smith, Brianne
Physical Activity (PA) and Sex Hormones (SH) are each individually known to mediate cerebral blood flow (CBF). However, what is still unclear is their collective impact on CBF. In MRI studies, increased levels of Estrogen (EST) has been positively correlated with increases in CBF in non-pregnant females, but a contrasting relationship between CBF and Progesterone in similar brain regions. Given that the literature overwhelmingly supports the positive relationship between exercise and CBF, we aimed to include self-reporting of physical activity to account for changes in CBF throughout the menstrual cycle that may not be caused by sex hormone fluctuations but PA. To interrogate this, as part of a larger ongoing PhD project, participants aged 19-40 are being recruited. All participants complete a multi visit protocol, with visit 1 measuring baseline aerobic capacity and physical activity using a Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Visits 2, 3, 4, and 5 all include a hormone blood test, and CBF endothelial and arterial stiffness test battery, which includes a CO2 breathing test and a Cold Pressor Test. All CBF measures were achieved using transcranial and vascular duplex ultrasound. PA during visits 2,3,4, and 5 accounted for via self-report data sheet, and GPAQ and PSS questionnaires were repeated on visit 5. As the study is ongoing, preliminary PA and PSS data cannot yet be compared to the CBF or SH data. However, preliminary data shows that both light and moderate PA have the largest fluctuations over a 28-day cycle, and that the female participant had higher moderate and light PA than the male participant.
Simulation-based approaches for understanding conjectures in cs-theory
(2022-09-09) Madhani, Omar
Given an algorithmic problem, what is the time taken by the best algorithm solving the problem? With hopes to get closer to answering this question, we discuss restricting algorithms into weaker decision tree models where inputs are queried one bit at a time. We explore how lifting theorems can lift the lower bounds of the query complexity to a stronger communication complexity model; from here we can compute the efficiency of the original algorithm in terms of communication cost. This poster describes a conjecture based on the Index Function and its implications on the lifting theorem if proved. The disperser property conjecture of the Index Function has been proven to be false when m < log_2(n) and true when m > n*log_2(n). We explain the natural computational limitations of a numerical simulation-based approach to prove the disperser property conjecture when log_2(n) <= m <= n*log_2(n). The poster offers experimental techniques, including efficient pseudo-random sampling of the Index gadget’s pointer/string subset and a linear program to verify the monotone version of the disperser property conjecture.
Video games and intergroup relations: The scoping review
(University of Victoria, 2024) Manj, Diljot
During my time as a research assistant, I have been involved in conducting a scoping review, an experience that has been both challenging and insightful. My primary responsibility was to meticulously sift through a vast number of academic articles daily, ensuring each one was relevant to our research objectives. This process involved examining various aspects of each study, including the types of games used, the demographics and characteristics of participants, the group assignments, and whether any artificial participants were utilized. In addition to these key factors, I was also tasked with identifying numerous other exclusion criteria to maintain the integrity of our review. Over approximately 12 weeks, our team was able to thoroughly evaluate and classify all 322 articles.
VKURA V.R Research
(2022-09-21) Chawla, Rushaan
The research was dedicated to bringing storytelling closer to the audience by giving them an immersive experience by not only making them listen to or visualize a story but by making them a part of it and giving them the freedom to explore different aspects and corners of the story they are invested in. The research worked on building virtual reality systems and evolving the environments for people to be a part of a story.

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Browsing Valerie Kuehne Undergraduate Research Awards (VKURA) by Department "Department of Computer Science"

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