Dorothea Mitchell

In the spring of 1929, the Port Arthur Amateur Cinema Society made Canadian history. To a crowded house in the city of Port Arthur, in Ontario’s largest theatre, their first feature-length film, A Race for Ties (1929), premiered. Not only was it one of the few feature-length films made in Canada at the time, but it holds the distinction of being the first amateur feature-length film in Canada, and the first of three that involved the talents of Dorothea Mitchell, a British-born, India-raised women who is best known as Ontario’s first single woman to be granted a homestead in that province’s history

Reel history : film production at the Lakehead, 1911-1931

During the early twentieth century the former cities of Fort William and Port Arthur were home to a burgeoning film industry both regional and foreign in nature. Between 1911 and 1931 the twin cities enjoyed a romance with the North American motion picture film industry and produced several historically significant films. Filmmakers at the Lakehead created one of the first films documenting street life in a Canadian city, a series of amateur feature length films, including the first made in Canada, two Hollywood feature films; and was home to both Robert Flaherty, one of the most important documentary filmmakers in history, and Dorothea Mitchell, the first independent woman filmmaker in Canadian history. The films produced in and about the Lakehead region serve as visual records of the social and cultural development in Northwestern Ontario during the first decades of the twentieth-century. Using the existing literature on early film production in Canada and numerous archival sources, this thesis is an examination of these films and the motives of the individuals and organizations responsible for their creation

Pratiques pédagogiques inclusives en enseignement postsecondaire, en contexte pandémique

En enseignement postsecondaire, la mise en œuvre de pratiques pédagogiques inclusives dépend à ce jour d’initiatives individuelles des enseignants. La pandémie de COVID-19 a toutefois forcé la mise en ligne des cours, amenant les enseignants à revoir leurs pratiques. L’objectif de cette étude consiste à analyser l’évolution des usages de pratiques pédagogiques inclusives au postsecondaire, plus précisément en enseignement collégial, à la suite de la transition des cours en présentiel vers des cours hybrides et en ligne pendant la pandémie. Suivant une méthodologie mixte de recherche, des données quantitatives et qualitatives ont été recueillies auprès d’étudiants de 10 établissements à travers le Québec, par le biais de questionnaires avant et pendant la pandémie (n = 1242) complétés par des entrevues auprès d’étudiants en situation de handicap (n = 25). Les résultats montrent une augmentation de l’accessibilité du matériel pédagogique, une progression sur l’utilisation d’outils technologiques pour diversifier les formats de présentation des contenus et pour faciliter la communication et la participation, ainsi qu’une certaine diversification des activités d’évaluation et une plus grande flexibilité dans les dates de remise. Toutefois, une régression des pratiques est constatée quant à la variété des méthodes pédagogiques et aux occasions d’engagement des étudiants dans les cours hybrides et en ligne. L’enseignement a aussi été perçu comme moins inclusif et moins structuré par les étudiants, sauf dans les cours où les enseignants réservaient un temps spécifique pour les questions et pour résumer les points importants. Les résultats sont discutés à la lumière des principes et des pratiques visant à soutenir les apprentissages et l’engagement de tous les étudiants, en reconnaissance de la variabilité de leurs besoins et préférences.In postsecondary education, the implementation of inclusive teaching strategies has so far relied on individual faculty initiatives. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced faculty to transition to online courses, causing teachers to rethink their teaching practices. The purpose of this study is to analyze the evolution of inclusive teaching strategies in postsecondary education, specifically in college education, following the transition from face-to-face to blended and online courses during the pandemic. Using a mixed-methods research design, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from students at 10 institutions across Quebec through questionnaires before and during the pandemic (n = 1242) supplemented by interviews with students with disabilities (n = 25). The results show an increase in the accessibility of course materials, a progression in the use of technological tools for content presentation and to facilitate communication and participation, as well as some diversification of assessment activities and greater flexibility in the deadlines. However, there was a regression in teaching practices with respect to the variety of pedagogical methods and opportunities for student engagement in blended and online courses. Lectures were also perceived as less inclusive and less structured by students, except in courses where instructors had planned specific times for students’ questions and to summarize important points. The results are discussed considering principles and practices to support learning and engagement for all students, recognizing the variability of their needs and preferences

Comment la population étudiante du collégial avec et sans handicap a-t-elle réagi à la première vague de la COVID-19? Une analyse en fonction du stress perçu et des stratégies d'adaptation.

Contexte. La pandémie de la Covid-19 a bouleversé le quotidien de tous les individus à l'échelle planétaire. Les étudiants du postsecondaire ne font pas exception. En plus d'avoir eu à s'adapter à la transition postsecondaire, les étudiants arrivés au collégial à l'automne 2019 ont dû, depuis mars 2020, composer avec les nombreuses conséquences de la pandémie (p. ex., confinement, quarantaine, obligations sanitaires, distanciation physique, enseignement à distance, études et travail à la maison, perte d'emploi, isolement des pairs). À ce jour, on ne connait pas les effets de cette seconde transition sur les étudiants, notamment chez les populations étudiantes plus vulnérables. Objectifs. L'objectif principal de cette étude est d'examiner, en utilisant une approche basée sur le stress et l'adaptation, comment les étudiants du collégial, ayant ou non un handicap, ont vécu la première vague de la pandémie de la Covid-19. Méthodologie. Une étude longitudinale, utilisant un questionnaire en ligne, a été réalisée auprès d'un échantillon de 1 465 étudiants (âge moyen = 18,2 ans) fréquentant un collège du Québec, dont 42 % ont déclaré un handicap lors de leur arrivée au collégial (c.-à.-d., TDA/H, trouble de santé mentale ou trouble d'apprentissage). Les questionnaires ont été remplis avant (octobre-novembre 2019) et pendant (avril-juin 2020) la pandémie. Résultats. L'exposition des jeunes à la Covid-19 a varié selon le type de handicap, la région d'études et le programme d'études. Après avoir contrôlé pour leur exposition à la Covid-19, leur ajustement initial au collégial et leur moyenne générale au secondaire, les étudiants avec un handicap, plus particulièrement ceux qui présentaient un trouble de santé mentale, ont éprouvé plus de stress pendant la pandémie et ont eu plus de difficultés à composer avec la situation que les étudiants sans handicap. Dans l'ensemble, les filles et les étudiants fréquentant un collège en milieu urbain ont été plus affectés par la pandémie. Conclusions : Les résultats sont discutés dans le but de présenter des mesures préventives à déployer pour des étudiants à risque qui débutent leurs études collégiales pendant une pandémie

Biogeochemical Exploration of the Pescadero Basin Vents

In 2015, the deepest high-temperature hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean (3,700 m) were discovered in a sediment-covered pull-apart basin along the Pescadero Transform Fault in the Gulf of California. Biological communities were observed thriving among the carbonate chimney structures (Figure 1; Goffredi et al., 2017). As a result of their striking contrast to other hydrothermal systems, the high- temperature, high-carbon Pescadero Basin vents provided the opportunity to examine the influence of tectonic setting on the nature of seafloor vent sites, the fundamental geochemical controls on biological colonization in the deep ocean, and the role of fluid venting on global-scale ocean chemistry and climate. In November 2017, with support from the Dalio Ocean Initiative, a multidisciplinary science team led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientists set out on E/V Nautilus to investigate this area of active venting

Biogeochemical Exploration of the Pescadero Basin Vents

In 2015, the deepest high-temperature hydrothermal vents in the Pacific Ocean (3,700 m) were discovered in a sediment-covered pull-apart basin along the Pescadero Transform Fault in the Gulf of California. Biological communities were observed thriving among the carbonate chimney structures (Figure 1; Goffredi et al., 2017). As a result of their striking contrast to other hydrothermal systems, the high- temperature, high-carbon Pescadero Basin vents provided the opportunity to examine the influence of tectonic setting on the nature of seafloor vent sites, the fundamental geochemical controls on biological colonization in the deep ocean, and the role of fluid venting on global-scale ocean chemistry and climate. In November 2017, with support from the Dalio Ocean Initiative, a multidisciplinary science team led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientists set out on E/V Nautilus to investigate this area of active venting

A chemical survey of exoplanets with ARIEL

Thousands of exoplanets have now been discovered with a huge range of masses, sizes and orbits: from rocky Earth-like planets to large gas giants grazing the surface of their host star. However, the essential nature of these exoplanets remains largely mysterious: there is no known, discernible pattern linking the presence, size, or orbital parameters of a planet to the nature of its parent star. We have little idea whether the chemistry of a planet is linked to its formation environment, or whether the type of host star drives the physics and chemistry of the planet’s birth, and evolution. ARIEL was conceived to observe a large number (~1000) of transiting planets for statistical understanding, including gas giants, Neptunes, super-Earths and Earth-size planets around a range of host star types using transit spectroscopy in the 1.25–7.8 μm spectral range and multiple narrow-band photometry in the optical. ARIEL will focus on warm and hot planets to take advantage of their well-mixed atmospheres which should show minimal condensation and sequestration of high-Z materials compared to their colder Solar System siblings. Said warm and hot atmospheres are expected to be more representative of the planetary bulk composition. Observations of these warm/hot exoplanets, and in particular of their elemental composition (especially C, O, N, S, Si), will allow the understanding of the early stages of planetary and atmospheric formation during the nebular phase and the following few million years. ARIEL will thus provide a representative picture of the chemical nature of the exoplanets and relate this directly to the type and chemical environment of the host star. ARIEL is designed as a dedicated survey mission for combined-light spectroscopy, capable of observing a large and well-defined planet sample within its 4-year mission lifetime. Transit, eclipse and phase-curve spectroscopy methods, whereby the signal from the star and planet are differentiated using knowledge of the planetary ephemerides, allow us to measure atmospheric signals from the planet at levels of 10–100 part per million (ppm) relative to the star and, given the bright nature of targets, also allows more sophisticated techniques, such as eclipse mapping, to give a deeper insight into the nature of the atmosphere. These types of observations require a stable payload and satellite platform with broad, instantaneous wavelength coverage to detect many molecular species, probe the thermal structure, identify clouds and monitor the stellar activity. The wavelength range proposed covers all the expected major atmospheric gases from e.g. H2O, CO2, CH4 NH3, HCN, H2S through to the more exotic metallic compounds, such as TiO, VO, and condensed species. Simulations of ARIEL performance in conducting exoplanet surveys have been performed – using conservative estimates of mission performance and a full model of all significant noise sources in the measurement – using a list of potential ARIEL targets that incorporates the latest available exoplanet statistics. The conclusion at the end of the Phase A study, is that ARIEL – in line with the stated mission objectives – will be able to observe about 1000 exoplanets depending on the details of the adopted survey strategy, thus confirming the feasibility of the main science objectives.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Observation of Microlensing towards the Galactic Spiral Arms: EROS II 3 year survey

We present an analysis of the light curves of 9.1 million stars observed during three seasons by EROS (Experience de Recherche d'Objets Sombres), in the Galactic plane away from the bulge. Seven stars exhibit luminosity variations compatible with gravitational microlensing effects due to unseen objects. The corresponding optical depth, averaged over four directions, is tau = 0.45 +0.24 -0.11 x 10^-6. While this value is compatible with expectations from simple galactic models under reasonable assumptions on the target distances, we find an excess of events with short timescale towards the direction closest to the Galactic Centre