A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Dr. Melnychuk used acoustic tags to monitor the movements of migrating juvenile salmon and to estimate survival rates of populations. He showed that high mortality occurred during the downstream migration and shortly after entering the Georgia Strait ecosystem. This research allows us to better understand causes for declines in salmon abundance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Bruno examined the association of specific cognitive distortions to depression/anxiety and antisocial problems among adolescents. Results of the study indicate that certain specific cognitive distortions predict problem behaviours more so than other distortions. This work contributes to a better understanding of adolescent psychopathology by informing both treatment and prevention approaches. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development, Learning, and Culture (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Liang developed and modified new synthetic methods to prepare bioactive natural products and their derivatives. These included sordarin (a potent antifungal agent), himandrine (a possible cure for a number of human ailments) and lepadiformine (a potent drug for treatment of cardiac arrhythmia). | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Zhang studied the chemistry of bis(dipyrromethene) triple-stranded complexes. He developed a method for the synthesis of novel isomer of diformyldipyrromethanes, exhibited the first pair of isolated helicates and mesocates, and proposed a new scenario for the formation of helicate versus mesocate. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Lin identified a new prostate cancer metastasis-related gene, ASAP1. He showed that increased expression of this gene is associated with prostate cancer metastasis in animal model systems and in clinical cases. This study assists us in the understanding of metastasis mechanisms and provides a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for the disease. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Baker examined the effects of anti-cancer drugs in solid tumours. She investigated the activity of a hypoxic cytotoxin that has anti-vascular effects, illustrating the importance of assessing the effects of drugs in the context of the tumour microenvironment. This research will have an impact in evaluation of anti-cancer drug activity. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Oncology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Goksel developed a computational framework for the simulation of medical procedures, enabling the rapid generation of anatomical models and the simulation of medical images. For procedures such as biopsies and prostate brachytherapy, Dr. Goksel's techniques will allow physicians to train in a virtual environment in which they can practice the insertion of needles under ultrasound guidance. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. White examined how organizational dynamics within a school community can impact the way in which it responds to problem behaviour and promotes social responsibility within its student population. His research illustrated how staff and student empowerment increases the likelihood of administrators, teachers and students working collaboratively to establish and maintain a safe and caring learning community. | Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Cina investigated the role of a certain protein isoform of a family of proteins responsible for communication between neighboring cells in brain development. She showed that the protein is required in directing neuronal migration in the mouse brain. This research has implications for understanding the spectrum of human neuronal migration disorders. | Doctor of Philosophy in Cell and Developmental Biology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Cyanolichens are a symbiotic relationship that nutritionally benefits both fungal- and cyanobacterial-partners. Dr. Campbell's research suggests that exogenous-sugar, secreted by overstorey poplar trees, facilitates rare cyanolichen communities in interior BC. Her research on the ecological interaction between poplar and cyanolichens indicates that lichen-partners are not always faithful to their relationship. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Geary provided a historical ethnography on the place of Buddha's enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, India. He examined the different ways in which social groups attach meaning to this sacred space and negotiate the multiple claims and memories that underlie a UNESCO World Heritage monument. | Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Gupta analyzed the growth surge in the Indian economy in the 1990s and explained the role of policy reforms. He showed that the industrial licensing policy in the presence of inflexible labour laws hampered productivity growth in India. His research also underscores the importance of raw materials and intermediate goods in the manufacturing sector. | Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Kisynski developed new techniques for probabilistic reasoning in large domains that involve multiple objects and probabilistic relations between objects. For example, in reasoning about the probability that a suspect committed a crime, we need to reason about all of the other people who could have committed the crime, even if we don't have specific information about them. Dr. Kisynski demonstrated how to improve the efficiency of reasoning in such domains. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Rusticus developed a multidimensional measure of male body image to assess body concerns in men. This new measure has the capacity to fill a gap in the current male body image literature, which has predominantly focused on muscularity, by allowing researchers to expand their understanding of this multi-faceted construct. | Doctor of Philosophy in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Wang developed and tested a novel observational method, combining aerial photography and water-column measurements, for studying internal features in the coastal ocean. She subsequently applied the method to study large nonlinear internal solitary waves, including their mathematical description, how they interact with other waves, and their generation mechanisms. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Tang studied the dynamics of collaboration and interaction with large, interactive, wall displays. Although many applications have been designed for these displays, Dr Tang's work helped to lay the groundwork for an entirely new way of designing these applications with a specific focus on how users transition between different modes of work. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Sevy examined how participation in a memorial exhibit based on photographic images of deceased relatives proved therapeutic for Holocaust survivors and their children. Her research illuminates the role that community-based settings can play as forums in helping those who have undergone psychosocial trauma to deal with their losses. | Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Li examined when, how, and how much items that function differently for individuals from different groups affect statistical conclusions. She found such items, if present, might affect both internal and external validity of a research study. | Doctor of Philosophy in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Hegde evaluated the contribution of the miombo woodlands to household economy in Mozambique. He investigated whether economic incentives to smallholder farmers, provided under a Payments-for-Ecosystem Services (PES) based model, result in improved ecosystem services provision and improved household welfare measured by household cash income earnings and consumption. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Bedford explored whether negative eating/body attitudes are associated with detrimental health outcomes in young women. She examined relationships between eating/body attitudes, the stress hormone cortisol, blood pressure, menstrual cycle disturbances and bone density over two years. She also validated a method for long-term monitoring of menstrual cycle characteristics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Human Nutrition (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Bodner examined the role of health promotion in physical therapy practice and professional education with special reference to smoking cessation counseling. His work has major implications for change at the levels of the physical therapy associations and education as well as practice. | Doctor of Philosophy in Rehabilitation Sciences (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Palma applied a new method of robust optimization to different problems in forest resources management characterized by high levels of uncertainty. He showed that this method can help decision-makers to make robust decisions and avoid irreversible consequences when facing uncertainties and long time horizons typical of forest resource management. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Moffatt examined the types of difficulties older adults encounter when using pen-based computers such as Tablet PCs. She found three main sources of interaction difficulty and developed seven new techniques to address the difficulties uncovered. This work improves the accessibility of pen-based devices, especially for older adults. | Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Ahmad investigated the way risks motivate action in a way that is similar to morality. She argues that risks are more than mere descriptors and are better understood as having normative force. This research provides a new way of understanding the choices we make when faced with new and potentially risky technologies or processes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy (PhD) |
| 2010 | Dr. Goldbogen studied functional morphology and physiological ecology of lunge feeding in rorqual whales. He integrated data from high-resolution digital tags with morphological data of the skull to elucidate the mechanism of this unique filter feeding method employed by some of the largest animals of all-time. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |