Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA)

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This UVic award encourages undergraduates to pursue innovative and original research and enhance learning while providing a valuable preparatory experience towards graduate studies or a research related career.

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Photography and the Politics of Hope in the Weimar Republic: Albert Renger-Patzsch, Willy Römer, and the Contest for the Future
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Suderman, Garrett
In the Weimar Republic, hope was an important political category used by both the German left and right to organize and direct their political visions: following the constitution of the “new Germany,” the left’s hope manifested in new cultural forms, technologies, and democratic politics while the far-right placed its hope in the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. In the cases of both the German left and right, hope was a response to the First World War; specifically, hope allowed Germany to reimagine political and cultural life following its humiliation in the treaty of Versailles. This political transformation coincided with the flourishing of photography. My project compares the work of two photographers, Albert Renger Patzsch (1897-1966) of the Neue Sachlichkeit movement and Willy Römer (1887-1979), a famous street photographer. In my analysis, I consider the different ways each photographer contributed to discourses of hope and the reimagining of Germany's cultural, political, and social future(s) during the traumatic interwar period.
'We’re All the Same Nothingness': The ‘unhinged woman’ trope in contemporary literary fiction
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Bill, Courtney
The ‘unhinged woman trope’ is an emerging trend in literary fiction wherein women are unlikable in some way, whether it be morally complex, self-destructive, ugly, greedy, cruel, or otherwise defy patriarchal expectations. From weird to borderline insane, this trope functions both as a literary form and an acknowledgement of our shared humanity. I used this research to complete a first draft of a novel “Viral” which follows an unnamed protagonist who obsessively stalks a series of women in modern-day Port Coquitlam.
I’m Just a Girl in the World (That’s all You’ll Let Me Be): Exploring Young Women’s Perceptions of Hypersexualization and Infantilization Within Experiences of Girlhood
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Rocca, Nia
Despite the visibility of ‘girl trends’ on TikTok, little research explores how women interpret and engage with these cultural messages and how they link to broader experiences of hypersexualization and infantilization. While scholars have documented how young women in North America are caught between competing expectations being hypersexualized yet infantilized, how these contradictions shape their daily lives remains unclear. Social media trends add to this complexity, blending nostalgia with empowerment while subtly reinforcing limiting gender norms. This study examines how women in their 20s navigate these tensions through engaging with girhood and ‘girl trends' on TikTok. Using focus groups, it captures both lived experiences and digital performances of femininity, offering insight into how social media shapes self-perception. Findings reveal that bodily awareness is central to negotiating hypersexualization, with agency mediating experiences between empowerment and shame. Participants expressed exhaustion with societal expectations, critiquing ‘girl trends' as both acts of resistance and mechanisms of consumer-driven conformity. Nostalgia for girlhood fostered among solidarity but was also heavily commodified. Additionally, "I'm just a girl" memes functioned as coping mechanisms yet risked reinforcing infantilizing gender tropes. By extending girlhood beyond childhood, this study highlights TikTok’s role in shaping female identity, challenging the tendency to dismiss girlhood as frivolous, demonstrating how media trends act as both a site of empowerment and constraint. Centering the voices of women in their 20s, this research underscores the complexities of digital femininity, revealing how social media serves as both a tool for self-expression and a reflection of broader cultural contradictions.
Queering Post-Dissolution Friendships: Exploring Relational Understandings in Sapphic Communities
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Stewart, Aria
Existing heteronormative social norms surrounding breakups hold that partners should avoid contact and not retain any connection with a former partner. This is not always the case, particularly within queer communities, where post-dissolution friendships are more common. Sapphic communities, or communities of women and women-aligned nonbinary people attracted to others with similar gender identities, are particularly thought to engage in this practice of remaining close with former partners. This study explored experiences and understandings of these relationships within the sapphic community, as well as the norms surrounding these relationships, through a qualitative online survey. Participants were sixteen sapphic individuals, aged 18-41 (M =21.88), with experience in these relationships. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to construct themes from the dataset. Seven themes were organized into two overarching thematic categories, influence of relational scripts and navigating outside relational scripts. This research has implications for relationship intervention programs, such that clinicians working with sapphic couples may need to be aware of the norms within this community to provide appropriate support. This study describes a novel and understudied framework for understanding these relationships and their significance, and illustrates the importance of challenging assumptions in the study of relationships.
Defining and Characterizing the Role of the Liaison in Supporting 2SLGTBQIA+ People to Navigate Health-Service Settings: A Scoping Review
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Gan, Dara
Objective: This scoping review seeks to identify what is known about the role of liaisons who support two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, and asexual (2SLGTBQIA+) people receiving care in health-service settings, and specifically, how the 2SLGTBQIA+ liaison role is defined and characterized. Introduction: To mitigate the stigma and discrimination experienced by 2SLGTBQIA+ people in health-service settings, a 2SLGTBQIA+ liaison position was initiated at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, BC. A comprehensive understanding of the 2SLGTBQIA+ liaison role is integral to the implementation of 2SLGTBQIA+ positions in health-service settings globally. Inclusion criteria: This scoping review will consider literature that discusses the role of liaisons supporting 2SLGTBQIA individuals in health-service settings. No limitations will be placed on publication date, age, geography, liaison position title, or the professional, disciplinary, or educational background of the liaison. Methods: This review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Databases to be searched will include MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), APA PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), LGTBQ+ Source (EBSCOhost), Scopus, Web of Science, as well as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses for gray literature. Two independent reviewers will screen titles, abstracts, and full-text articles; discrepancies will be resolved by consensus or through a third reviewer. Data will be extracted using an extraction tool developed by the research team. Findings will be presented in tabular/diagram format along with a narrative summary to highlight key themes related to the review question.
The Future of European Democracy: Youth Voting in the 2024 European Parliament Elections and the Influences of the Far-right and Euroscepticism
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Thomas, Skyla Melody
Across the world, youth are the voice for the future of democracy. From June 6 to the 9th, 2024, the European Parliament (EP) elections took place across 27 European Union (EU) member states to determine the political direction of the EU for the next five years. With a forecasted surge of the far-right, the results reflected a far-right trend across all member states except for the Scandinavian region, while France, Germany, and Romania illustrated the victory of the far-right within national results (Mudde 2024, 126). Since the signing of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, the EU has been hit with waves of crisis, influencing an ideological shift to the right across the EU as levels of Euroscepticism rise. This research project investigates the influence of the far-right/right-wing populism and Euroscepticism on youth voter choices within the 2024 EP election results. Through a review of EU literature on crisis influencing the rise of the right and Euroscepticism, and an analysis of a primary research survey conducted in Brussels over the summer compared to post-EU election Eurobarometer surveys, youth voters take centre stage in understanding the impact of the far-right and Euroscepticism on the future of European democracy.
Establishing a Co-infection Model between Seasonal Human Coronaviruses and Staphylococcus aureus
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Nickel, Karen
Coronaviruses usually cause the common cold, but upon secondary infection with the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, increased morbidity and mortality rates are observed. Notably, a significant complication of severe COVID-19 disease, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has been co-infection with the bacterium S. aureus. In these cases, while co-infection did not impact S. aureus growth, it led to significant pro-viral effects. The S. aureus iron-regulated surface determinant A (IsdA) protein contributed to the increase in viral titre by altering JAK2-STAT3 levels and modifying host transcription. 229E and OC43 are two seasonal human coronaviruses which are generally responsible for mild upper respiratory tract infections. Co-infection with S. aureus has been detected following their infection, but little is known about the impacts of S. aureus on viral replication, or vice versa. My research aims to investigate these relationships using an in vitro co-infection model. This research may contribute to our understanding of coronavirus and Staphylococcus aureus co-infections, which in turn may help develop better treatment strategies.
Wife Battering or Domestic Violence? A Genealogy of Intimate Partner Violence Policy in Canada
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Shymko, Bethany
This project charts the different rationalities the government of Canada has used to govern intimate partner violence (IPV). I employed Foucault's theory of governmentality to problematize different periods of IPV policy and then constructed a genealogy to present these policy periods. Through primary and secondary source analysis, I deconstructed how the government deployed various political rationalities to construct governable subjectivities of victims and perpetrators. Canadian IPV policy falls into two periods: reinforcement of patriarchy and minimization of patriarchy. The first period occurred between 1820 and 1930 and was enforced through temperance legislation and seduction laws. The second period falls between 1970 and the present and is enforced through the criminalization, medicalization, and familiarization of IPV policy. My project found that Canadian IPV policy has not become more attuned to the realities of IPV and instead has attempted to shape the subjectivities of IPV to be more easily governed by the prevailing political rationalities of the day.
Investigating the Impact of Vaginal Lactobacillus Species on Treponema pallidum Adhesion
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Lee, Seoyoon
The human body is extensively colonized by different microbes, including bacteria, virus, and fungi. An optimal vaginal microbiota is characterized by Lactobacillus dominance and previous research has shown vaginal lactobacilli protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like HIV, chlamydia, and gonorrhea through various mechanisms. However, the relationship between Lactobacillus and Treponema pallidum, the causative agent of the STI, syphilis, has yet to be investigated. I am investigating the impact of beneficial vaginal Lactobacillus species on T. pallidum adhesion to the vaginal epithelial cells. Pathogen attachment to the host environment is an essential step for infection. Research findings will contribute to the field’s understanding of how the resident human microbiota interacts with and confers protection against STIs.
"Much Of Our Work Isn't About Fixing; It's About Being There": Perspectives of Inner-City Workers on Meanings of Caregiving at the End-of-Life
(University of Victoria, 2025) Simper, Elly
Caregiving is a cornerstone of Canada’s healthcare system, yet research predominantly centers on familial caregivers, overlooking the experiences of non-familial caregivers who support structurally vulnerable populations. This arts-based qualitative study explores the experiences of inner-city workers (ICWs) who provide end-of-life care to individuals facing poverty, homelessness, social isolation, and substance use in Victoria, BC. Through a zine-making workshop, six ICWs shared their insights, reflecting on the emotional, ethical, and systemic challenges of caregiving within contexts of profound inequity. Findings highlight that caregiving in these settings extends beyond conventional notions of support—often centering on presence, advocacy, and relationship-building rather than traditional medicalized interventions. Participants underscored the emotional toll of their work, the limitations of existing healthcare structures, and the urgent need for better recognition and support. By amplifying the voices of ICWs, this study contributes to a broader understanding of caregiving beyond family roles and calls for policies and practices that better support those who provide essential care to marginalized populations.
Médée est-elle toujours un monstre ? Une reconfiguration du mythe dans le théâtre contemporain
(University of Victoria, 2025) Pigeon-Decelles, Fanie
Les pièces Jogging : Théâtre en chantier de Hanane Hajj Ali et I M E D E A de Sulayman Al Bassam réinterprètent la figure monstrueuse de Médée dans une perspective postcoloniale et féministe, explorant les liens entre violence intime et politique. Elles présentent Médée comme une figure de résistance face à des systèmes oppressifs, tout en révélant comment les forces patriarcales et politiques alimentent sa violence extrême, redéfinissant ainsi sa monstruosité comme le résultat d’une violence systémique et sociale.
The Fireweed Project: Indigenous Peoples and the Right to Abortion
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Magnus, Sabrina
The Fireweed Project is a research initiative headquartered at the University of Victoria in collaboration with four community organizations across Canada: Abortion Support Services Atlantic, ekw’í7tl Indigenous Doula Collective, Northern Reproductive Justice Network, and Northern Manitoba Abortion Support. This project seeks to understand the experiences of Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, and LGBTQIA+ community members in accessing abortion care and the perspectives of service providers, with the goal of identifying and addressing gaps in culturally safe services. Due to colonial policies and resulting systemic inequities, Indigenous Peoples in Canada continue to face significant barriers to reproductive healthcare, including geographical challenges, cost, lack of culturally safe services, and historical and ongoing reproductive coercion. My contribution to this project involved researching traditional plant medicines historically used as contraceptives and/or abortifacients and translating these plant names from English back into their original Indigenous language. Additionally, I assisted in knowledge translation by sharing research findings on social media to increase accessibility and awareness. By amplifying Indigenous perspectives and experiences, this research aims to inform policy changes and improve equitable and culturally safe access to abortion care for Indigenous women, Two-Spirit and LGBTQIA+ people.
Investigating the Effects of Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Microglia and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes after Maternal Infection in Mice
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Linnea, Poyhia
Microglia are the resident immune cells of the central nervous system and perform many functions to maintain homeostasis throughout life. Viral infection during pregnancy activates the mother’s immune system, increasing inflammation and causing dysregulation of microglia in the developing brain. This state, called maternal immune activation (MIA), is a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia, which are widespread but face limited treatment options. We are using a mouse model of MIA to investigate non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as a potential preventative strategy for NDDs. The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system and reduces inflammation by regulating microglia. VNS uses electrical pulses to modulate vagus nerve signaling and replicate this effect. In the mouse model, pregnant mice were exposed to MIA and treated with VNS. We are evaluating offspring for behaviours associated with NDDs, and examining microglial density, morphology, and phagocytic interactions in the hippocampus using immunostaining and fluorescence microscopy. We expect to observe reduced NDD-like behaviour and microglial reactivity after VNS, as well as sex differences. This research will provide insights into the roles of microglia in NDDs and the potential of non-invasive VNS as an early intervention.
Evaluating Leopard Predation Pressure on Chimpanzee Temporal and Spatial Habitat Use in West Africa
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Stockdale, Sarah
Leopards pose a significant predatory threat to chimpanzees and there have been many documented aggressive interactions recorded in areas of shared habitat. Leopards and chimpanzees co-occur in much of their West-African range. However, due to the elusive nature and large habitat-dependent home ranges of both species, their use of sympatric habitat is not well understood. We used camera trap data to understand, for the first time, how leopards and chimpanzees share habitat spatially and temporally. We investigated spatio-temporal overlap across seven sites in West Africa in forested and savannah-woodland habitats. Camera trap data was used to build generalized linear mixed models to investigate how the role of habitat and the activity of heterospecifics affected leopard and chimpanzee spatio-temporal activity. We found that the two species generally avoid each other temporally, with stronger avoidance in the savannah. Spatially, there was significant overlap, particularly on trails, at chimpanzee nest sites, and on natural bridges. This overlap could be driven by anthropogenic influence, prey-tracking by leopards, or the pursuit of a common resource. These results have significant implications for our understanding of chimpanzee sociality and behaviour, and offer broader insights into the complex interactions between predator and prey in diverse ecological contexts.
Career Achievement Project
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Krusekopf, Louisa
The Career Achievement Project (CAP) is an on-going research effort by Dr. Rick Cotton started approximately 14 years ago to compile data on 30 qualitative and quantitative variables for 28,000+ individuals from 240+ industry and occupational Halls of Fame at the national and international level. Insights generated, aid in understanding the nature of extraordinary career achievements. In the end, this unique database will produce career insights important to the Fourth Industrial Revolution era focused on advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, and other technical and biological innovations. During the JCURA program, I collected and analyzed all inductee profiles from 4 public Hall of Fame websites. Additional in depth analysis will be needed by Dr. Rick Cotton to fully answer the research questions going forward. I collected and analyzed inductee profiles from the following Halls of Fame: International Bowling, American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors, National Rugby League and North American Railway.
Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction of the Quaternary Glacial Dynamics of the Mission Flats section, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
(University of Victoria, 2025) Murray, Casey
The Canadian Cordillera has undergone repeated glacial and interglacial cycles during the Quaternary Period over the last 2.6 million years. In south-central B.C., these cycles have deposited sedimentological evidence that enables researchers to reconstruct glacial dynamics through stratigraphic analysis and geochronological dating. However, existing stratigraphic profiles and radiocarbon dates in the interior of B.C. are limited or possess large age uncertainties. To refine the timing of glacial advance and retreat, this study constructed a high-resolution stratigraphic profile of the Mission Flats exposure in a quarry near Kamloops, B.C. Preliminary results suggest that the area underwent repeated episodes of submersion and reworking due to the growth and retreat of a glacial meltwater lake in response to climatic fluctuations. Unconformities indicate several shifts in depositional environments over time, including a notable erosional surface attributed to the most recent Fraser Glaciation. Additionally, stratigraphic and sedimentological evidence may correlate with previous studies in the area, suggesting deposition dating to Marine Isotope Stage 3, approximately 57,000 years ago. These findings (i) will aid in connecting our understanding of ice-sheet behaviour and paleoenvironments, including paleoclimates, in south-central B.C. and, (ii) will help future understanding of the distribution and provenance of construction aggregate in the region.
The Mighty Dynamos of 1945: Soviet Athletic Skill in Spectator Sports
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Hannaford-Craveiro, Xander
The USSR, like many nations, wanted to harness the propaganda potential that spectator sports possessed. Through this, Soviet sporting merit increased as shown with the rise of their domestic soccer (football) clubs of which many were intertwined with branches of the Soviet state apparatus. The Soviets wanted to prove that their athletes and teams could go head-to-head and defeat those of capitalist nations, which would be a massive propaganda victory for the Soviet socialist system. This project looks at one instance where this successfully occurred, when the Soviet soccer (football) club Dynamo Moscow went to the home of the sport, Great Britain, on tour and in only four games gave the Britons who underestimated them a major shock.
"Stunned, Bewildered, and Groggy with Disbelief": The German and Soviet Reactions to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Behie, Patrick
In the early morning of 24 August 1939, the German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop signed a treaty of nonaggression and political cooperation with the Soviet Commissar of Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov, today known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The treaty gave Adolf Hitler the security to invade Poland, thus beginning the bloodiest conflict in human history, and it allowed Stalin to annex significant territory before falling victim to the Germans himself in June 1941. The international community was stunned. Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union were the two European nations with the most mutual animosity throughout the 1930s. Now, without warning, they were politically and economically linked. Needless to say, the German and Soviet citizenry were utterly bewildered by the diplomatic volte-face. And yet, the subject is curiously understudied. Recognizing this, my project seeks to unveil and compare the many reactions of the German and Soviet citizens to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
Writing Identity: Sexologists, Authors and Lesbians in Britain and Germany in the Early 20th Century
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Hofstede, Julianne
This research explores the extent to which early twentieth century sexology and popular literature informed lesbian identity in Germany and Britain. It also explores the ways in which these ideas and books functioned transnationally: how they extended beyond borders to create a shared conception of lesbian identity. Lesbian authors engaged with sexology and represented it in their work, which allowed non-elite women to access those concepts. By examining works of sexology, two novels, and the popular reception of those novels through magazines and letters, this research has revealed the way women in Britain and Germany connected to categories of sexuality and to each other, forming an identity that continues to resonate today.
The Art of Money: Wakaki Kurumi's Deconstruction of the Yen
(University Of Victoria, 2025) Loten, Seraphina
All forms of currency act as a symbol of power. The interrogation of this symbol is critical to the evaluation of human values as capitalism advances in the modern era. Kyoto based contemporary artist, Wakaki Kurumi, explores the relationship between currency and identity through her banknote artworks which combine performance and printmaking. Despite visual parallels to the work of the influential Genpai Akasegawa, the banknote works of these artists were met with contrasting reception. Exploring Akasegawa’s “Model 1000 Yen Note Incident” (1063-1974), this research utilizes comparative analysis to investigate the impact of Kurumi’s “Yen” (2023) despite her non-political position as an artist as well as the utility of performance art as a political medium.

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