In 2024, the Vice-Principal Research instituted the Vice-Principal Research Undergraduate Prize, which recognizes the two best oral presentations at the Inquiry@Queen's Conference, as determined by anonymous graduate student adjudicators.
This prize celebrates academic rigour, reinforces the commitment to teaching and research integration, and elevates the profile of undergraduate research at Queen’s University. Each recipient receives $1000 in recognition of their excellent research.
Winners
Benjamin Potter (Computer Engineering, Sci '25), "Bio-Inspired Polarization Compass"
Faculty supporters: Dr. Muhammad Alam, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Queen's University and Dr. Yahia Antar, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Royal Military College
Many emerging technologies like autonomous driving, robotic agriculture, and drone control promise to improve safety and efficiency in multiple sectors, however they require high-precision navigation systems which are currently insufficient. Existing navigation approaches rely on the global navigational satellite system (GNSS) that is prone to failure when satellite connection is unavailable. GNSS signal loss occurs in dense urban areas, which makes vehicle localization a challenge. Perhaps more problematically, jamming devices that block GNSS signals are becoming increasingly accessible. These inherent problems have pushed researchers to investigate methods of augmenting GNSS navigation with additional sensors to improve its precision and robustness. One such augmentation is inspired by the biology of the desert ant. This ant uses adaptations in its eyes to extract navigational cues from polarized skylight. When light from the sun hits the atmosphere, it generates a uniform polarization pattern that can be used to develop and maintain a navigational plan. Our work begins by constructing a polarization compass (PC) from the biological insights found in the desert ant. We then consider three algorithms for extracting navigational cues from the skylight polarization pattern captured by the PC: Hough transform (HT), support vector machine (SVM), and linear regression (LR). We demonstrate that PC provides a heading estimation that is accurate to less than 1 degree, which is better than existing magnetic compasses. Our work shows that PC is an attractive augmentation for GNSS-based systems which may improve their performance under adverse conditions. In future work, the PC will be integrated with other sensors, including GNSS, to assess its performance under realistic conditions. This will be carried out in both terrestrial and aerial domains.
Wil Taylor (BHSc '25), "Investigating the Systemic Effects of Cat Allergen-Induced Allergic Rhinitis"
Faculty supporter: Dr. Eva Kaufmann, Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queen's University
8.5 million cats live in Canada, approximately in every third household. However, one in five Canadians is allergic to cats, often in combination with other allergic diseases. To date, only symptomatic treatments are available for cat allergies, but no prevention or cure. To improve treatment options for cat-allergic individuals, we need to better understand the mechanisms underlying this common cause of rhinitis. While clinical data provide important insights into immunological phenotypes and symptom severity, preclinical models allow for dissection of the immune response throughout the whole organism, and across a long timespan. Notably, the main effector cells mediating allergic rhinitis –eosinophilic granulocytes– derive from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). HSCs reside within bone marrow (BM) –a location far from the nose as primary site of the allergy. Based on previous studies on respiratory infections, we hypothesize that sensitization to cat allergens in the nose initiates HSC activation and expansion in the BM. These HSCs produce eosinophils that are epigenetically programmed for rapid and strong reaction upon allergen encounter, perpetuating allergic sensitization. We have established a preclinical model for cat allergen-induced rhinitis in which wild-type C57BL/6 mice are intranasally exposed to cat dander, mimicking human sensitization. Similar to our clinical study, eosinophils increase in the nasal mucosa upon cat allergen exposure in mice. We are now testing the systemic changes occurring throughout allergic sensitization and challenge. Specifically, we will analyze immune cell and HSC populations in lung, blood, and BM by flow cytometry. We will compare the phenotypes of these cells with effector eosinophils in the nose during allergen exposure. Using mice for the investigation of cat allergy enables us to trace eosinophil migration and systemic distribution of these potent allergy-promoting cells. These insights are fundamental to determining novel intervention foci, and to understanding how cat allergy links with other allergic diseases.
Arianne Ettehadieh (Department of History), "The Historical Erasure of the W8banaki Nation in the Eastern Townships of Quebec"
The history of the W8banaki Nation, semi-nomadic hunters, fishers, and gathers from the Algonquian language family, has been frequently misrepresented by colonial-era histories. The Ndakina, which means “our territory,” in the W8banaki language, includes what is today known as Quebec, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and parts of Massachusetts and New Brunswick. However, European colonization condensed this vast homeland into two separate reserves in southeastern Quebec. One of these is Odanak, a 6km2 parcel of land on the shore 27 of the Saint-François River, near Drummondville. The second reserve, Wôlinak, is situated 50km farther east on the Bécancour River. Some historians today do not consider southeastern Quebec the ancestral territory of the W8banaki Nation. They believe that eighteenth-century colonial wars, disease, and famine drove the population to seek “refuge” north of their well-documented territories in Maine and New Hampshire. This project will question the historical erasure of the W8banaki Nation in Quebec using historical research and a multidisciplinary approach. European travel narratives are examined to retrace W8banaki subsistence patterns, alliances, conflicts, and locations through the eyes of European explorers and missionaries. In conjunction with these descriptions, recent archaeological discoveries show that the network of rivers and lakes within the Ndakina were well-traversed by the W8banaki before European contact. The toponyms associated with these important waterways in Quebec, closely resemble W8banaki language terms, indicating the W8banaki Nation’s long-term presence in the area. Additionally, important frameworks established by Indigenous historians recognize the important cultural kinship ties between the W8banaki, Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Innu peoples. The proximity and overlapping territories fostered ancient relationships seen in their parallel subsistence patterns, trade networks, and conflicts. Overall, this project brings to life the very real and legitimate ancestral presence of the W8banaki Nation in southeastern Quebec, while also enlightening the reader on Canada’s colonial roots.
Dominic Everett (DAN School of Drama and Music), "Analyzing Compositional Style in the Music of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time"
The soundtrack of The Legend of Zelda: “Ocarina of Time” is rife with innovative musical techniques which facilitate player engagement and interactivity. The composer Koji Kondo’s unique style, which often includes the use of modes, chromatic harmony, parallel motion, and proximal voice leading, differentiates this game from others of the same era and efficiently communicates narrative information like emotion, setting, and trope. These musical topics make Kondo’s works distinct and recognizable and contribute to the game’s overall goal of immersion. Analyzing several of Kondo’s works as case studies, similarly effective stylistic topics can be 25 implemented in original compositions to accomplish the same feats. The purpose of the project is to develop my personal compositional style which is audibly identifiable while also functioning as nuanced game music. Some of these nuances include the added challenges of player engagement and the necessity of continuous music; the duration of the music is not predetermined like a live performance or film score. Achieving this goal involves the analysis and recreation of Kondo’s original works, including simulating the limitations of the 1990s game console hardware. Also, to modernize the findings of this project, similar analysis and experimentation is applied to works of other composers, exploring the growth and changes in game music composition throughout the past several decades. The culmination of this research is my own body of original compositions, including both acoustic and digital pieces of music and a live interactive suite for medium ensemble, which aim to achieve the goals outlined above.