Students engage in community-based research projects across a diverse range of programs. These projects provide invaluable real-world experience.
Explore the projects currently in progress by department below to see the impactful work our students are undertaking.
Forensic Science
#6095 - The Impact of Municipal Policy on Housing Security
The student completing this project will investigate the ways that municipal policies and guidelines affect residential construction and assess the impacts that these policies and guidelines can have on rates of housing insecurity across the municipality.
Research questions include:
- What municipal policies and guidelines support and act as barriers to the construction of new residential units?
- How do existing municipal plans seek to address housing security, and are these plans being actualized?
- What overall impact do municipal policies and guidelines have on the construction of new residential units?
| Student Researcher: Vanessa Estrada |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Mira Kapetanovic |
| Host Organization: Peterborough & the Kawarthas Home Builders Association |
#6113: Legacy of the Trent Community Research Centre: From Student Researchers to Community-Engaged Professionals
Throughout it's history, TCRC has facilitated research that supports work done in our community while providing valuable research-based work-integrated learning opportunities to students. The program has had a tangible impact on the lives of students who participate in programming, helping them to reach their career goals in the long term. The student undertaking this project would explore the impact that TCRC has had on the professional trajectory and development of former student researchers enrolled with the centre.
| Student Researcher: Paris Amery |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Mira Kapetanovic |
| Host Organization: Trent Community Research Centre |
#6270: Impacts of and Best Practices in Response to Public Incivility
We have short-term Term Rentals in our communities and the municipality regulates and licenses these businesses. Statements have been made that STR’s come at a price to the community; owners reap the rewards and for some owners it is a revenue source and for others it is simply making a property affordable that may otherwise be unattainable. On the other hand, STR rentals impact the community in negative ways such as the neighbourhood party house in an otherwise quiet neighbourhood. Does STR-based tourism really support these communities and other businesses in a positive way?
| Student Researcher: Johnny Girotti |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Mira Kapetanovic |
| Host Organization: City of Kawartha Lakes |
#6276: Just Housing for Individuals Post-Incarceration
The Provincial HSJCC identified the housing needs of justice-involved individuals as a major area of focus in the 2024 pre-budget submission to the Province of Ontario. The Provincial HSJCC has asked the Ontario government to establish an inter-ministerial group to coordinate housing for justice-involved individuals, allocate $11 million in new funding to support transitional housing, and enable community service organizations greater flexibility in the application of rent subsidies to better serve justice-involved populations. In this project, you will explore the new and existing supportive housing models for justice-involved individuals. Past student research has indicated a lack of willingness for property owners to house individuals with complex needs, which can often be the case with individuals post-incarceration. Community service providers have long identified the need for permanent and short-term affordable housing solutions for individuals with criminal records and complex needs.
| Student Researcher: Chelsea Grundy |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Mira Kapetanovic |
| Host Organization: Human Services & Justice Coordinating Committee |
#6277: Best Practices in Community Re-Integration
The Provincial HSJCC has identified 'Community Reintegration Efforts' as a top priority across 2022-2025; the Regional HSJCC has also recognized this as a priority in its current workplan. An aftercare worker was recently quoted as saying, 'Reintegration shouldn't be a project; it should be a commitment.". Past HSJCC projects have looked at aspects of community reintegration efforts such as transportation and housing. The research aims to explore supports for individuals with addiction and mental health issues immediately following release from custody, including access to naloxone to prevent overdoses. The project involves surveying Ontario HSJCC service providers and interviewing key individuals to gather insights into current and best practices supporting community reintegration efforts. There have been a number of recent efforts, such as the Red Bag Project and Community Reintegration Tables Pilot Projects, that should be considered.
| Student Researcher: Mina van der Mark |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Mira Kapetanovic |
| Host Organization: Human Services & Justice Coordinating Committee |
#6278: Peterborough Community Support Court: An Evaluation
The Community Support Centre (CSC) in Peterborough was created in 2011 and is a unique model that works concurrently with the regular court system and is potentially the only one in Ontario and Canada. CSC helps people charged with a criminal offence with any or all of the following: substance abuse concerns mental health concerns, and intellectual disability. CSC workers support clients by providing: comprehensive assessment, supervised treatment, professional support, and multi-agency support.
| Student Researcher: Jessica Feeney |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Mira Kapetanovic |
| Host Organization: Human Services & Justice Coordinating Committee |
#6284: Peterborough Youth Services (PYS) Family Program Evaluation
Over the past 3 years of the Peterborough Youth Services (PYS) Child Youth Mental Health (CYMH) programs, services and processes have undergone comprehensive reviews, resulting in the introduction of new services and interventions, greater clarity of language and process definitions, program/service descriptions, service referral screeners and communication tools such as brochures and web-based media. PYS is now at the point of needing to implement program and outcome evaluation processes to ensure and maintain quality service and desired outcomes. A program requiring an evaluation is the Family Program. The Family Program provides rehabilitation supports to families of youth who are in conflict with the law, addressing situations that put youth at risk of re-offending.
| Student Researcher: Chloe Hunt |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Mira Kapetanovic |
| Host Organization: Peterborough Youth Services |
#6309: Sexual Violence Prevention and Response: Community Engagement and Student Perspectives
Sexual and gender-based violence continues to be prevalent in post-secondary institutions, reflective of the prevalence and normalization of violence and harming the wider community. The purpose of the project will be to explore student perceptions on sexual and gender-based violence, with a specific focus on the ways in which sexual and gender-based violence are framed in pop culture, social media, and through social norms.
| Student Researcher: Katherine McCowan |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Mira Kapetanovic |
| Host Organization: Consent at Trent |
#6311: The Unity Project Review in Practice
The Unity Project provides a rapid outreach response in downtown Peterborough, with the goal of supporting individuals in crisis, downtown business owners and employees. The team operates Tuesday through Saturday, on an on-call basis, where businesses are able to call for support when an individual around or in their store requires assistance, de-escalation or support. By providing an alternative to calling 911 in non-emergency situations, we aim to improve community safety, lower the cost of unnecessary dispatches, and reduce potential harms.
| Student Researcher: Shaela Pharis |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Mira Kapetanovic |
| Host Organization: One City Peterborough |
Sociology
#6042: Development of a Research Plan: Mapping Client Access to Housing Services
The purpose of this project is to learn the most appropriate ways to engage people who have experienced homelessness or are experiencing homelessness to share their stories and the best way to document the stories. The scope of this research project is not to conduct interviews and journey mapping with clients but to develop the research plan, laying the foundation for the City of Kawartha Lakes to effectively complete that work. The City of Kawartha Lakes wants to understand these stories to improve and better integrate services within and across sectors to better support individuals who don't have a place to stay or may be at risk of homelessness.
| Student Researcher: Katherine Williams |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Naomi Nichols |
| Host Organization: City of Kawartha Lakes |
#6224: Community Knowledge and Perspectives
of Domestic Abuse
To address recommendation 24 from the Renfrew Coroners Inquest: Complete a yearly annual review of public attitudes through public opinion research, and revise & strengthen public education material based on these reviews, feedback from communities and experts, international best practices, and recommendations from the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee and other IPV experts. This survey would be limited to members of the communities of Peterborough City and County. Demographics using standardized questions and location of residence (inside or outside the city/county boundary) will be collected. The survey would aim to identify gaps, needs and priorities for public education and outreach activity as well as measure the impact and effectiveness of education and outreach activity. This work will improve the impact and effectiveness of PDAN's projects, provide local data on attitudes and awareness that will be useful to all PDAN member organizations and ultimately support PDAN's goal of ending gender-based violence in our community.
| Student Researcher: Brooke Ambury |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Stephanie Ehret |
| Host Organization: Peterborough Domestic Abuse Network |
#5071: Insight into Peterborough's Disabled Community
People who identifiy themselves with having a disabily experience low perception of social support and far more likely to be socially isolated. The degree to which the individuals are connected to their communities has a significant impact of their health and wellbeing. This is also true in the case of the pedriatic population, and the distressing feeling of social isolation has a strong influence on the children's mental health. We hope to bridge the gap between those who are isolated and the community by identifying Peterborough's comprehensive disabled population and the different approaches that can be initiated to interact with them. This will help us to continue to grow our programs and better our services.
| Student Researcher: Jacob Bolduc |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Mary Jean Hande |
| Host Organization: Council for Persons with Disabilities |
#6218: Public Library as Common Ground
The contemporary public library is increasingly used by disparate socio-economic groups aiming to get a variety of psycho/social/physiological (as well as information) needs met. The purpose of this project is to collect data to discover the spectrum of needs being met in the library by these various groups that aren't being met elsewhere in the city. The purpose of analysing this data is to identify areas of conflict between groups as they attempt to get their needs met in the shared library space, with the ultimate goal of developing replicable, evidence-based library programs and/ or services that foster compassion and reduce stigma through dialogue between different demographic groups who share the common ground of the library.
| Student Researcher: Phil Canuel |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Naomi Nicholls |
| Host Organization: Peterborough Public Library |
Psychology
#6229: Exploring the Effectiveness of Neural Network Therapy (Part 6)
The purpose of our project is to determine the connection between the neurobiology impacted by Neural Network Therapy. and sustained improvements in mental health and well-being. The science of practical exercises compared to traditional talk therapy increases the longevity of emotional health. We hypothesize that this doing approach is getting on the right side of science. We’d love to work with an undergraduate biomedical science student who will conduct their research accordingly. This project will build on a prior community-based research project completed during the 2022-2023 academic year. Students undertaking this project will have the opportunity to select one of CFHC’s core Neural Network Therapy lessons of interest.
| Student Researcher: Chase Kilbourne |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Taryn Grieder |
| Host Organization: Canadian Family Health Counselling |
#6237: Reviewing the Methods of Communications Used in a Full 
Signing Environment
Review the alternative modes of communication used by those who have a developmental disability and are Deaf, hard of hearing and use non-traditional forms of including those used to express an emotional state. Modes of communication used in a full signing environment, alternative communication environment, and spoken environment will be considered.
| Student Researcher: Nirja Satra |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Sebastien Paquette |
| Host Organization: Deafblind Ontario Services |
Environmental & Resource Science
#6087: Public Use and Perceptions of Ashburnham Memorial Park
The Ashburnham Memorial Stewardship Group (AMSG) was founded in June 2021 in order to advocate for positive changes to Ashburnham Memorial Park, known locally as “Armour Hill.”. It is hoped that these changes will increase stewardship and respect for the historical and environmental aspects of this park (bird watching, hiking, astronomy, war memorial ceremonies, school visits, tourism, etc.) while decreasing the known negative behaviours that occur on the hill (speeding, reckless driving, breaking bottles, garbage dumping, illegal fireworks, etc.). AMSG is comprised of citizen volunteers who meet monthly to discuss issues and ideas for AMP and to liaise with City Councillors representing Ashburnham Ward on City Council. To date, the Arenas, Parks, and Recreation Advisory Committee, the Museum and Archives Advisory Committee, and the Police Services Board have been very receptive to this information and to working with the AMSG towards positive change within Ashburnham Memorial Park.
| Student Researcher: Emily Beesley |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Stephen Hill |
| Host Organization: Ashburnham Memorial Stewardship Group |
#6336: An Assessment of Options for the Needler's Mill Lands and Former Community Arena
Located in the village of Millbrook, beside the Baxter Creek and its dam is a parcel of municipal land occupied by the
Village's historic Needler's Mill, a parking lot and a former Community Arena now deemed structurally unsafe. For the benefit of community residents and Council, the project is to provide a social, cultural, environmental and economic impact assessment of the the transformation of the area into a multi use municipal park tentatively named Needler's Common Town Square. Options for the site, both physical land uses and future stewardship are to be evaluated (detailed terms of reference are available).
| Student Researcher: Noah Mantle |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Roger Picton |
| Host Organization: Cavan Monaghan Community for Common Ground & Baxter Creek Watershed Alliance |
#6259: Research Towards a Seasonal Field Guide for the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre
In order for our volunteers to teach about the incredible diversity in and around the
Camp Kawartha Environment Centre, it would be very beneficial to have a field guide that describes interesting aspects of nature that occur throughout the seasons. For example, the Black Capped Chickadee's brain grows neurons that help it remember the over 3,000 places where it has hidden seeds in the fall. In the spring, their brain rewires to hone in on springtime songs. For each one of these facts, there must be hundreds more that would catch the attention of our elementary and high school students that visit our centre. The idea is to convey the amazing diversity and stories of the natural world that occur right outside our door.
| Student Researcher: Eve Lockhart |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Stephen Hill |
| Host Organization: Camp Kawartha |
#6227: Millbrook Sustainable Development Project: An Agri-Ecotourism Assessment
The geographical study area has many natural heritage corridors, road allowances, rights of way, Township and conservation authority (ORCA) lands and there exists the possibility to create a network of multi-use trails for walking, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, scenic lookouts, a heritage. trees circuit, environmental education stations (signage with interpretive panels indicating the amphibians and plants to look and listen for), mapped daytrips with picnic table way-stops, and local history trails with plaques. The area has a wealth of resources and there exists the potential to create something very special, attracting nature lovers, hikers and bikers to a beautiful historic area with a small retail core but no economic base beyond agriculture. There appears to be significant potential for establishing an eco-tourism economic base and this research would undertake the necessary environmental/business assessment and full cost-benefit analysis of the potential for eco-tourism to the economy of the watershed/municipality with recommendations based on the results.
| Student Researcher: Maxim Tandon |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Roger Picton |
| Host Organization: Baxter Creek Watershed Association |
#6269: North Tiny Township Forest—Awenda Park and Immediate Region
The Huronia Land Conservancy is 13 years old and is excited to have started acquiring lands in their defined region. What we call the North Tiny Forest is part of our catchment area and contains one of the larger forest tracts in the Ontario section of the Eastern Great Lakes Lowland Forest. Considering only 5 percent of this EGLLF still has intact forests, this adds to the significance of this tract. Anchoring this North Tiny Forest forest is Awenda Natural Environment Park, consisting of 6,000 acres. In addition, there are approx. 700 acres of Simcoe County-managed forest. The rest of the forest , approx. 5,000 acres, is in private hands. As the forest grows, it increases in value as a carbon sink, habitat, protects ground water resources for the human population, cold water fisheries, clean air and quality human recreation.First section: using online tools to define and map this North Tiny Forest spatially, then compile an inventory of the significant animals, plants, significant wetlands, and watercourses. Part of the mapping will indicate what lands are private and public. The second section will involve identifying who the owners are of the private lands using roll books. The third section is reaching out to the public generally and private land holders specifically to see if the owners would like to engage the HLC.
| Student Researcher: Benjamin Krawec |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Autumn Watkinson |
| Host Organization: Huronia Land Conservancy |
#6271: Brook Trout Restoration in Baxter Creek at Zion Line
Brook Trout (Savelinus fontinalis) abundance at the Zion Line reach of Baxter Creek is depressed compared with
other reaches in the watershed. The primary goal of this project is to restore native Brook Trout populations in the Zion Line reach of Baxter Creek. Early stages of this project will analyze available data from this reach and compare/contrast with accepted research on similar habitats. Biological data includes fish community and aquatic invertebrates, and physical data includes morphological habitat measurements. If the early work supports the pursuit of habitat restoration, next steps would include the design of instream and riparian restoration methods. Once a final plan is approved and permitted by necessary agencies, work onsite could be completed by Trout Unlimited members and volunteers, and students engaged in this project.
| Student Researcher: Jessica Livingstone |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Autumn Watkinson |
| Host Organization: Trout Unlimited Millbrook |
Master of Management
#6170: Paramedic Leadership & Advocacy
The purpose of this project is to document the best practices of paramedic associations to meet the needs of their members for 2024 and beyond. A secondary purpose is why these practices, methods, or programs work. The NSPPA and others struggle to direct their advocacy work to the appropriate channels in complex emergency medical service systems, such as those observed in a public utility model. Determining how to delineate who is responsible for which specific issues so that we may direct our work to the most appropriate stakeholder (e.g., government, provider, college, etc.) is needed.
| Student Researcher(s): Hafsoh Omobolarin Aranseola, Maliha Mahjabeen, Yousuf Aftab Diwan, Hamza Mumtaz, Kshitij Malsane, Pengcheng Zhang |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Rob Elkington |
| Host Organization: Nova Scotia Paramedic Professional Association |
#6274: Analysis of Building Permits, Housing Starts, and Development Charges in Peterborough
This project aims to analyze building permits, housing starts, and development charges in the city over the past
decade. The goal is to understand the relationship between permits issued and housing starts, evaluate the effectiveness of development charges, and assess the financial impact on the city's fund.
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Student Researcher(s): Al Fahad Limon, Arafat Rabbi, Muhammad Faraz, Bilal Mumtaz, Faizan Imran, Shivneet Singh, Sabit Kabir, Parth Manek, Rishabh Mishra, Rishabh Rishabh |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Rob Elkington |
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Host Organization: Peterborough Kawarthas Homebuilders Association |
Business Administration
#6106: Exploring Options and Planning for a Car Share Program
With Habitat for Humanity's focus on building more safe, decent, and affordable condos, the organization is interested in exploring the feasibility of a Car Share program for its' condo properties. In making shared vehicles more accessible, the organization hopes to make transportation accessible to those without cars while enabling tenants to decrease their number of personal vehicles as a whole. With a reduced need for parking, the organization hopes to prioritize the use of land for housing rather than for parking. Under the imagined model, shared vehicles would be available for condo tenants only.
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Student Researcher(s): Cameron Conroy |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Raymond Yip-Choy |
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Host Organization: Habitat for Humanity |
Biology
#6286: What Amputees Want to Know as They Consider Osseointegration
Dr. Woodend and Dr. Hallaran are developing a funding proposal to 
develop a decision support tool for persons with amputation considering having osseointegration done. More information about I see you integration can be found at this site - https://osseointegration.org/. One of the places that people seek information site is on the many Facebook sites related to osseointegration. Having a better sense of the kinds of questions presence with amputation are asking, and the kinds of answers they receive would help us in developing this research proposal.
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Student Researcher(s): Monisha Kelkar |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Sarah West |
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Host Organization: Amputee Coalition of Canada |
Global Development Studies
#6282: Peterborough Youth Services (PYS) Directed Counselling Program Evaluation
Over the past 3 years of the Peterborough Youth Services (PYS) Child Youth Mental Health (CYMH) programs, services and processes have undergone comprehensive reviews resulting in the introduction of new services and interventions, greater clarity of language and process definitions, program/service descriptions, service referral screeners and communication tools such as brochures and web-based media. PYS is now at the point of needing to implement program and outcome evaluation processes to ensure and maintain quality service and desired outcomes. A program requiring an evaluation is the Directed Counselling Program. The Directed Counseling Program is counselling that is requested by case managers so that young persons can fulfill court mandated recommendations. This can include offense-specific counselling and/or mental health counselling.
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Student Researcher(s): Karen Huaman Rodriguez |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Paul Shaffer |
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Host Organization: Peterborough Youth Services |
#6240: Peterborough Youth Services (PYS) Parent/Caregiver Support Service Program Evaluation
Over the past 3 years, many of the Peterborough Youth Services (PYS) Child Youth Mental Health (CYMH) programs,
services and processes have undergone comprehensive program reviews resulting in the introduction of new services and interventions, greater clarity of language and process definitions, program/service descriptions, service referral screeners and communication tools such as brochures and web-based media. PYS is now at the point of needing to implement program and outcome evaluation processes to ensure and maintain quality service and desired outcomes. A program requiring an evaluation is the Parent/Caregiver Support Service, which serves children/youth ages 10-17 and their families experiencing mental health issues and recognizes that families have a critical role to play in promoting and supporting the mental health of their family members.
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Student Researcher(s): Laura Moledina |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Paul Shaffer |
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Host Organization: Peterborough Youth Services |
#6231: Peterborough Youth Services Crisis Response Service Program & Outcome Evaluation
Over the past 3 years, many of the Peterborough Youth Services (PYS) Child Youth Mental Health (CYMH) programs, services and processes have undergone comprehensive program reviews resulting in the introduction of new services and interventions, greater clarity of language and process definitions, program/service descriptions, service referral screeners and communication tools such as brochures and web-based media. PYS is now at the point of needing to implement program and outcome evaluation processes to ensure and maintain quality service and desired outcomes.A program requiring an evaluation is the Crisis Response Service, which services children and youth under 18 years of age who are experiencing an urgent mental health crisis or an urgent situation that places the child/youth or others at serious risk of harm.
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Student Researcher(s): Leon Wickramage |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Paul Shaffer |
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Host Organization: Peterborough Youth Services |
#6242: Bridging the Gap - Supporting International Students in the Transition to the Workforce
Building on a prior community-based research project (#6093), the student(s) undertaking this project will help develop an understanding of current career supports for college and university students through the Peterborough region, with a focus on career supports and barriers for international students. The study aims to develop a broad understanding of how colleges and universities work to support international students in their pursuit of employment, identifying common and best practices, and opportunities to enhance supports for international students. In addition, the study will explore barriers to local employment and/or career supports for international students.
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Student Researcher(s): Reese Andison |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Paul Shaffer |
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Host Organization: Workforce Development Board |
History
#6096: A Deep Dive into the Lives of Peterborough County’s Wardens
Peterborough County residents care about their heritage. The Wardens of Peterborough County are a part of our history that we are looking to honour and remember. The Warden is the head of council for Peterborough County. They are a recognized leader among their council peers and in the community. Many past County Wardens and their families still live in this area. This project will benefit the cultural health of our community by recording and preserving a part of our local history.
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Student Researcher(s): Claire Pidduck |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Caroline Durand |
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Host Organization: Peterborough County |
Political studies
#5063: Lived Experience and Social, Health and Economic Impacts of Inaccessible Housing vs Accessible Housing
This will increase our ability to advocate with governments and builders to ensure that accessible housing is built, and indeed that the Human Rights Code is complied with and all new housing is mandated to be universal design. This project may involve steps like studying the arguments used by each level of government to avoid taking responsibility for accessible housing, and the resulting roads lock, A study of the arguments builders use to avoid building accessible apartments, why so many people will not admit to having a disability, even though they actually have one or more forms of disability, etc.
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Student Researcher(s): Ashley Chartier |
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| Faculty Supervisor: Jonathan Greene |
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Host Organization: Accessible Housing Network |
