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Addressing Systemic Barriers to Truth and Reconciliation in Canadian Higher Education Institutions
(University of Waterloo, 2022-06-24) Phillips, Jenna
Education served as a driving force for the colonization of Indigenous Peoples in what is now known as Canada. Today, education is essential for truth and reconciliation. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada published 94 Calls to Action that demand change across the country, including in higher education. Academia's response has been slow due to systemic barriers in this inherently colonial system. The purpose of this study is to understand the systemic barriers to truth and reconciliation in Canadian higher education institutions and propose transformative solutions, in order to support the University of Waterloo's strategic response to the Calls to Action. Through a literature review, semistructured interviews (N=10), and an analysis of strategic plans for reconciliation (N=49), four thematic barriers were identified.
Arab-Jewish Cooperative Coexistence in Israel/Palestine
(University of Waterloo, 2005) Zer-Aviv, Avi
The current conflict between Arabs and Jews in Israel/Palestine has ruptured relations between the two peoples, and essentially divided them along geographic, economic, cultural, political, and sociological lines. Yet up until about a hundred years ago, these two peoples enjoyed a rich and deep shared history of coexistence, and lived together as neighbours in relative peace for centuries. This thesis is an attempt to uncover those memories, and use them to rekindle the tradition of cooperative coexistence between Jews and Arabs in that region. It comes from listening to the stories of my mother’s parents, both born in British Mandate Palestine, and from my own unique identity as a Canadian-Israeli-Palestinian-Algerian- Hungarian-Polish Jew and pagan. It comes from my own conflict of understanding the creation of the State of Israel as a rescue spot for Holocaust survivors like my father’s mother, and my discontent with religious nationalism and its racist dimensions. It is above all an affirmation that peace is an ongoing relational process worth cultivating, and will never be achieved so long as Jews and Arabs stay separate, segregated, and ghettoized within their respective communities.
Building Student Centred-Communities for Canada's Growing Population of Undergraduate Students
(University of Waterloo, 2014) Barbor, Allan
Over the past decade, Canada’s rising post-secondary student population has resulted in the “studentification" of many university towns. Such unprecedented growth requires new strategies focused on supporting undergraduate students during their transition into off-campus communities. Leaders throughout the community can engage students in high?priority neighbourhoods, through an informed and collaborative approach to development. Their investment in a purposeful and strategic infrastructure will improve student integration as they transition out of residence and into the surrounding communities.
Byron and Swinburne: Propagandists of the Risorgimento - The Manipulation of Historical Sources in Twin Dramatizations of Doge Faliero and Venetian Republicanism in 19th Century Italy
(University of Waterloo, 2016) Damyanovich, Michael
This essay will argue that Lord Byron manipulated historical sources on his fourteenth-century protagonist, Doge Faliero (died 1355), in order to write his historical drama, Marino Faliero: Doge of Venice (published 1821), as a piece of republican propaganda in support of Italy’s nation-building process (the Risorgimento), and that Algernon Swinburne’s rewrite of Byron’s drama, Marino Faliero (published 1885), perpetuated Byron’s manipulation of historical sources for the same purpose. This argument will proceed as follows: In writing his historical drama, Marino Faliero: Doge of Venice, Lord Byron covertly manipulated his supporting historical sources under the pretence of adhering to strict historicity. Byron did so in order to characterize Doge Faliero as a hero of Venetian Republicanism. In so doing, Byron dramatized the necessity of a people’s revolution in parallel visions of fourteenth- and early nineteenth-century Venice. Then, in rewriting Byron’s historical drama for late nineteenth-century Venice and post-unification Italy (after 1870), Algernon Swinburne developed Byron’s heroization of Faliero and updated the drama’s political representations. Swinburne did so in order to remodel Faliero after Giuseppe Mazzini (died 1872), the foremost Risorgimento leader of the effort to make the newly united Italy into a republic. Byron’s and Swinburne’s twin a-historic historical dramas about Doge Faliero served as republican propaganda throughout the Risorgimento, and they reflect more than a century of Venice’s major role therein.
Citizenship for a Modern Democracy: Youth Perspectives on the Canadian Multicultural Reality
(University of Waterloo, 2009) Moores, Erin
This paper explores the links between citizenship and multiculturalism in the Ontario secondary school curriculum Grade 10 Civics course and among Ontario youth. Contemporary citizenship theory suggests that a progressive approach to citizenship, fostering critical thinking, civic participation and commitment to social justice, is particularly necessary in a multicultural nation faced with complex issues like racism and inequity. However, this study offers preliminary support for the idea that Ontario’s approach to citizenship education remains generally conservative in nature and does not create a platform from which students could internalize critical perspectives on multiculturalism. Analysis of the Ontario Grade 10 Civics course and interviews with five recent Ontario high school graduates likewise suggests that students may also retain more conservative attitudes towards citizenship and superficial knowledge about its links to multiculturalism. This paper suggests that more research into how students understand these complex topics might assist educators as they develop more progressive curricula.
Comparing Paleohydrograph Reconstructions from Subsurface Stratigraphy and Topography at the Sault Ste. Marie Strandplain
(University of Waterloo, 2021-05-01) Heather, Marcel
The Great Lakes are currently at high water levels, which are negatively impacting coastal infrastructure, coastal ecosystems, and stakeholders that rely on the lakes. To better understand natural fluctuations, which includes high lake levels, geoscientists study ancient shorelines to reconstruct paleohydrographs. Reconstructing past lake level elevations from a specific subsurface sedimentary contact or foreshore base (FSB) contact is the most accurate way to gain insight into ancient lake levels. The objective of this thesis is to establish an alternative method to use topographic elevations as a proxy for the FSB in the reconstruction of inferred paleohydrographs from the Sault Ste. Marie (SSM) strandplain. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data was used to obtain topographic elevations for this topographic reconstruction. Topographic elevations measured in the field were compared to LiDAR data and these topographic elevations were also compared to FSB elevations measured in cores. Elevation trends and patterns were statistically analyzed and visually analyzed in graph to justify that topographic elevations from LiDAR could be used as a proxy for the FSB or past lake level elevation, but so far this only applies to the SSM strandplain deposited during the Nipissing phase. The field measured topographic swale elevations could be used as an alternative to FSB elevations when a correction factor of 1.49 m was subtracted from each individual swale elevation. LiDAR data was then used to obtain one swale elevation for every beach ridge in the SSM strandplain and then a correction factor of 1.49 m was applied to the LiDAR swale elevations. Results from this thesis found that an inferred paleohydrograph reconstructed from LiDAR swale elevations was an appropriate alternative to infer ancient lake level elevations and trends. However, this has only been shown to apply for the SSM strandplain deposited during the Nipissing phase. Further comparisons at different sites and for different ages of strandplains need to be investigated. In summary, this thesis determined that LiDAR swale elevations can potentially provide an alternative method to reconstruct paleohydrographs, and thus gain valuable insight into natural lake-level trends and patterns to help place current high levels and potential future lake-level fluctuations into context for stakeholders.
Contemporary Approaches to Elementary Piano Pedagogy: A Study of Original Pedagogical Pieces and Representative Elementary Learning Scenarios with a Study on the Integration of Visual Art and Literature into Music Instruction
(University of Waterloo, 2016) Jacklein, Julia
This thesis presents four original compositions for solo piano, each representing one of four elementary-level learning stages. These learning stages may be defined as the pre-reading level, the preparatory level, and Royal Conservatory Grades 1 and 2. Each composition introduces basic musical skills representing standard pedagogical requirements for the given level. An analytical essay describes the pedagogical significance of these compositions, also detailing how each may be taught to an elementary-level student of typical abilities. Three lesson plans and corresponding evaluations demonstrate lesson planning, presentation, and evaluation in elementary-level teaching scenarios; two further lesson plans for hypothetical students at the Grade 1 and Grade 2 levels represent slightly more advanced teaching scenarios. The research demonstrates that students retain information in a more comprehensive and meaningful way when art forms other than music reinforce musical experiences by combining visual, aural, and kinesthetic learning.
Coping with the Climate Crisis: Investigating the Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change on Youth
(University of Waterloo, 2021-04-01) Grant, Beth
The devastating impacts of climate change take a toll on the mental health and well-being of individuals around the world. Research suggests that young people experience compounding vulnerabilities to the mental health impacts of climate change (Clayton et al., 2017). Though severe cases can be detrimental, manageable levels of Ôpractical anxietyÕ are a natural reaction to climate change and promote sustainable behaviours (Marlon et al., 2019). Photovoice is a qualitative, participatory action research approach that is used to empower participants to Òrepresent their community and narrate their everyday experiences using their own voices to become catalysts for social changeÓ (Bulla & Steelman, 2016; Sutton-Brown, 2014, p. 170). This study examines the impacts of climate change on the mental health of young people and explores the efficacy of photovoice as an intervention for managing these impacts and empowering participants. Participants aged 16 to 23 were recruited from environmental programs and networks at the University of Waterloo. They were invited to capture and submit photographs and written descriptions reflecting on the mental health impacts of climate change they experience, as well as sources of courage. Participants then discussed their images and experiences in focus groups. Surveys were employed to capture levels of hope and climate anxiety pre- and post-intervention. Results indicate that climate anxiety and other mental health impacts are a reality for many students involved in environmental programs or networks. Although the objective impact of the photovoice intervention on participant well-being remains unclear, participants reported a subjective increase in mental health and well-being, as well as feelings of empowerment as a result of intervention participation. Additional research is required to better understand the mental health impacts of climate change on young people, to develop interventions and supports to help youth manage those impacts and to clarify the efficacy of photovoice methodology as a potential intervention.
Defining, Demanding, and Developing the Critical Thinker
(University of Waterloo, 2013) Emanuel, Tatiana
This thesis examines critical thinking (CT) in education. Research includes a comprehensive literature review, focused on defining CT, understanding CT expectations in education, and expounding on how CT is best developed. To better support CT development and subsequent student achievement, a consensus should be reached regarding the definition of CT, and we consider prominent ideas of CT and its nature to offer a potential encompassing definition. This paper also includes analysis of a selection of Ontario‘s curriculum documents as well as a survey of professors teaching at universities across Ontario to identify CT promotion and expectations. CT is clearly valued in education, and is an important contributor to student achievement and academic success. However, our research demonstrates that explicit secondary school development of CT is often not sufficient considering the demands of higher education.
Developing Virtual Field Experiences to Promote Student Learning and Bridge Knowledge Gaps between the Classroom and the Field
(University of Waterloo, 2021-05-01) Visneskie, Henry
In 2020, a specific type of Virtual Reality (VR), Virtual Field Experiences (VFE), was identified as a proof-of-concept for positively contributing to student learning by the University of Waterloo's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (UW-EES). A pilot VFE was created and implemented in Earth 121 in the spring term of 2020. This successful implementation and constructive feedback from students and professionals established the basis for this thesis - improving the Earth 121 VFE for the following Fall 2020 term, in addition to creating another unique VFE for the Fall 2020 Earth 231 course. It was hypothesized that VFEs could be used to improve geoscience thinking of students and help students meet learning objectives during times when fieldwork was not feasible (as during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the case of Earth 231). The VFE implemented into Earth 121 was about salt and was designed to facilitate studentsÕ geoscience thinking, divided into four categories or ways of thinking: spatial, temporal, systems, and field (a foundational aspect of Earth 121). The VFE was a virtual tour, immersing students in 360¡ photospheres of specific environments related to the formation and use of salt. In Earth 231, a VFE was created using high-definition panoramic images of outcrops that were normally visited and mapped in previous terms in-person by students before the pandemic. In Earth 121, after having viewed the VFE, students were then asked to complete a salt quiz evaluating student knowledge and how students perceived their ability to think like geoscientists. In Earth 231, students in groups of five created a map and geologic interpretation of their assigned outcrop. This assignment and rubric remained mostly the same compared to previous terms, the only difference being the way in which students were able to gather information about their outcrop. Student performance data was analysed and revealed that, in Earth 121, 91% of students felt they were able to think like geoscientists after viewing the VFE. The difference reported for each of the four ways of thinking was small, ranging between 42% and 49%. These results suggest that intentionally designed VFEs can help improve learning and specifically help students think like geoscientists, equally among the four ways of geoscience thinking in this case. In Earth 231, student overall marks were statistically similar to those from the fall term of 2019. Student marks in one specific area of the assignment, Map Elements, were statistically greater in the Fall 2020 term than the Fall 2019 Term. This suggests that students were able to meet the learning outcomes of the assignment, despite not being able to visit the field. Greater marks in the Map Elements section are likely due to an added lab exercise in the Fall 2020 term, where students were able to practise creating map elements before the outcrop assignment, something not done in the Fall 2019 term. This thesis has demonstrated that intentionally designed VFEs contribute positively to students learning in undergraduate courses at the University of Waterloo. VFEs help students develop their geoscience thinking and can be used to support assignments with field components that are temporarily not feasible. VFEs are an emerging technology that can be further used to help bridge the gap between the class/lab and the field and educate students to become more competent geoscientists.
Dissocation of Subjective and Objective Health Status in the Chinese Population
(University of Waterloo, 2011) Tsuei, Sian
As the general Chinese population becomes more overweight, pressure mounts to explore the reasons behind this trend. Pooling four waves of the Chinese Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) into two groups—2004 with 2006 and 1997 with 2000—it was found that the higher socioeconomic status (SES) is positively correlated with perceived health status, but negatively correlated with objective health measures such as being overweight, diabetic, or hypertensive. Contrary to previous theories, in the Chinese population, higher SES is generally positively correlated with better health lifestyle knowledge, and less likelihood of daily use of alcohol and cigarettes. The negative correlation between higher SES and health may be due to increased opportunity cost of time. We find no evidence to support the idea that individuals with higher SES consume more sin goods such as alcohol and tobacco.
Evaluating Speech Intelligibility with Processed Sound
(University of Waterloo, 2023-09-18) Faulkner, Sam
This paper was created with the goal of researching the different impacts that background noise can have on listeners' ability to interpret speech. The brain is responsible for separating speech and noise, but this can be difficult if this organ is damaged or the noise is too overwhelming to separate out. I partnered with Augmented Heating.io to see whether their noise reduction software can do some of this processing on behalf of the brain. This would reduce cognitive effort and help make conversations more accessible in noisy environments. To research this topic, I created a study that evaluated participants' ability to understand words that have often confused sounds in them. These words were presented with different types of voices, with different kinds of background noise, and both with and without processing from AugmentedHearing's algorithms. Preliminary results indicate that intelligibility scores were not higher for the denoised speech compared to the noisy speech. This was not the expected result, however, there is still much to consider within the data. These preliminary findings are grounds for further studies and will hopefully lead to an improvement in future iterations of the speech processing software.
Evolving Conceptions of Time and Selfhood in Three Novels by Urula K. Le Guin: The Dispossessed, Always Coming Home, and Lavinia
(University of Waterloo, 2014) Pella, Virginia Claire Elizabeth
Since the 1970s, Ursula K. Le Guin has been widely recognized as an author who uses fiction as a means to address fundamental philosophical, political, and ethical questions. Of the many scholarly analyses of her work, however, relatively few consider the implications of her depiction of time and selfhood. Those which do, moreover, concentrate on certain texts and take a limited range of theoretical perspectives. In consequence, neither the enduring nature of Le Guin’s engagement with these issues nor the originality of her treatment of them is generally recognized. This thesis aims to begin redressing this gap by examining the ways in which time and selfhood are portrayed in three major works of speculative fiction, only one of which (The Dispossessed) has previously been considered from this angle. Through a series of close readings, I demonstrate that Le Guin’s depiction of these concepts differs in important ways both from the “common-sense” understandings of time and selfhood prevalent in Western societies and between the three works themselves. The result is a clear evolution, in which the relatively familiar ontological framework of The Dispossessed gives way to a radical reconceptualization of the nature of time and individual existence in Always Coming Home, followed by Lavinia’s subtle but profound reframing of the relationship between time, the individual, and the totality of which he or she is part. Drawing on scholarly analyses of Le Guin’s work, as well as writings from narratology, phenomenology, philosophy of time, and neuroscience, I show that each text constitutes a systematic working through of an alternative way of understanding our individual and temporal existence in the world. This, in turn, forms the basis for Le Guin’s ongoing and in- depth exploration of major ethical questions.
Fermion Doubling in Loop Quantum Gravity
(University of Waterloo, 2015) Barnett, Jacob
For the last 20 years, it has been known how to couple matter to the theory of loop quantum gravity. However, one of the most simple questions that can be asked about this framework has not been addressed; is there a fermion doubling in loop quantum gravity? This is an exceptionally important issue if we are to connect the theory to experiments. In this thesis, we will arrive at a demonstration of fermion doubling around some graphs in the large bare ? limit. To obtain this result, we ?rst perform a Born-Oppenheimer like approximation to the Hamiltonian formulation of loop quantum gravity to work around a theory with a ?xed graph. We then make the case for identifying the energy spectrum this theory with a model of lattice gauge theory which is known to double. Appropriate reviews of fermion doubling and loop quantum gravity are provided along with an outlook of constructing a doubling-free version of LQG. Our ?ndings suggest one should interpret matter in loop quantum gravity in a much different way.
Flying on the Edge: Adaptive Coastal Governance and Shorebird Conservation in the Fraser River Estuary
(University of Waterloo, 2023-10-03) Kirke, Emma
In the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, the Fraser River estuary is a critical site for international biodiversity conservation, particularly that of migratory shorebirds; is also plays a vital role in the coastal resilience of urban communities where millions of people live. Significant research is taking place on the Fraser River estuary addressing biodiversity conservation and coastal resilience planning. This research is only as effective as its ability to inform decision-making governing the estuary. As such, this study sought to answer the question: in examining planning for coastal resilience and migratory shorebird conservation, are current governance arrangement adequate to meet significant threats to the Fraser River estuary and surrounding communities The analysis in this study of the Fraser River's estuary's management is rooted in an evaluation of its governance system informed by an evaluative framework based on the principles established by the adaptive governance theory. Qualitative data on the Fraser River estuary governance system and the application of the adaptive governance evaluative framework was gathered through a series of semi-structured interviews with experts. By grounding the bounded system with an evaluative framework, the case study offers a broader contribution to the body of literature in advancing the understanding of similar governance situations. Creating, testing, and assessing this framework informed by interviews, the study contributes to a better understanding of best practices in applying the adaptive governance theory to assess coastal governance case studies effectively. It also identifies opportunities and gaps in the existing Fraser River estuary governance system, particularly around social learning within institutions and between institutions. Finally, it clarifies the role of biodiversity conservation in coastal resilience planning through the focus on migratory shorebird conservation, including outlining where there is synergy between the two goals and opportunities for collaboration. This study presents a robust assessment of the need for an independent entity to facilitate meaningful, effective, and inclusive collaboration among the many actors involved in the governance of the Fraser River estuary. Where limited coordination currently occurs on specific files, broad and meaningful collaboration across sectors is necessary to allow the governance system to prepare effectively for changing context proactively. This study presents a robust assessment of the need for an independent entity to facilitate meaningful, effective, and inclusive collaboration among the many actors involved in the governance of the Fraser River estuary. While limited coordination currently takes place on specific files, broad and meaningful collaboration across sectors is necessary to allow the governance system to be proactive in preparing effectively for a changing context.
For the Long Haul: Challenging Ideologies of Social Movement Participation through Counter-stories of Activist Burnout
(University of Waterloo, 2015) Wettlauffer, Kathryn
It is a widely accepted truth, in the academic and activist literature alike, that burnout jeopardizes the sustainability of social movements and their actors. More disputable is whether its cause, or blame, lies in collective pressures or personal choices. This thesis takes up critical theory to develop a narrative inquiry into the dynamics between the two, in pursuit of answers to more complex questions about the origins of burnout: What ideologies of social movement participation dominate activist spaces? How do they manifest in subcultural norms and practices? And how do participants themselves navigate or negotiate these collective expectations, in order to “do activism” or do activism differently, in ways that are personally (un)sustainable? Narrative analysis was conducted using data collected during life story interviews with ten social and environmental justice activists from across Southern Ontario. Four distinct yet intersecting “ideologies” were discerned as forces shaping social movement participation within this region: an ideology of what activism is? an ideology of activist spaces as (anti)oppressive? an ideology of community relationships? and an ideology of how commitment is experienced or proven. These “activist ideologies” are also traced back to their roots in key ideologies that dominate western society more broadly, demonstrating an application of Althusser’s theory of the ideological state apparatus and how the “trickledown effect” of oppressive relations—even amongst progressives and radicals—may be interrupted or subverted. This theoretical analysis is complemented by a creative analytic theatre script crafted from the original research data. Its purpose is twofold: While offering the reader a more engaging representation of that data in the context of this thesis, “the play” is also designed for use in social movement spaces as a tool to both encourage the sharing of activists’ own burnout experiences and spark deeper, more strategic discussions of long-term social movement sustainability.
Game Design Concepts
(University of Waterloo, 2009) Bishop, Orin
The term “game design” is not well defined; it is used to mean many different things which oftentimes are only peripherally related to the actual design process, and many books purportedly on the subject do not adequately cover the core concepts of game design proper. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the more formal aspects of game design separate from other aspects of games such as art, production, audio, and programming. My objective is to flesh out a set of guidelines that can be applied across all types and media including both digital and non-digital games, and touch upon various difficulties and challenges that a game designer is likely to face in each stage of the design process from initial concept to playtesting and tweaking. Along the way I provide specific examples of how formal gameplay might be altered by specific changes to internal logic and mathematics, and how this might affect the experience for the players. The focus is on games as formal, mathematical systems, and I examine games from their basic elements outwards, though I also explore such topics as the incorporation of theme and narrative into formal gameplay. Throughout the thesis I present a number of different ways of looking at and thinking about gameplay, with the hope that the reader may emerge with a clearer vision of the underlying formal systems of all games.
I Don't Care Whose Fault It Is! Or, An Introduction to the Short-Term Forecasting Theory, Implementing Fuzzy-logic and Neural Networks
(University of Waterloo, 2006) Bernstein, Jordan
In contradiction with much conventional economic theory, this thesis argues that successful short-term forecasting is both possible and practicable. Beginning with the assumption, and widely-held belief, that there are patterns to be discovered in the stock market, the thesis develops the Short-Term Forecasting Theory (STFT) to demonstrate how useful and accurate short-term forecasts might be achieved. In short, this thesis posits that, if short-term financial forecasting of an equity can be broken down to a mechanical procedure, the problem of short-term forecasting is reduced to the question of finding the proper tools for this procedure. This thesis presents two computing methods – fuzzy logic and neural networks – that, when combined, could serve as an appropriate tool for implementation.
Imagination: A Tool with Potential
(University of Waterloo, 2012) Vukovich, Heidrun
This thesis deals with imagination as a tool in light of two academic disciplines: philosophy and education. In the history of philosophy, imagination appears as an intentional tool for cognizing, and in education, the child’s self-generated, imaginative activity serves as an integrative tool for cognitive processes and for self-awareness. The use of imagination in the history of philosophy reveals time-sensitive stages of differentiated, imaginative activity and intentionality. A similar time-organism of imaginative activity occurs in the developing child. Both time processes point to an evolving but de-linearized becoming human (Karl Koenig), which imply an evolutionary perspective of consciousness. This becoming human establishes itself in times of crisis and windows of opportunity, most obvious in child development. Similar relationships of opportunity and crisis are perceived in scientific research and in quantum physics. My background for this enquiry is education. In observing how educators face the challenge of declining academic skills in the global competitiveness of “knowledge as wealth” paradigm (Government of Canada), we see in the educational context the relative one-sightedness of causal thinking and information technology. This priority has undermined other modes of cognition. What is important beyond formal, abstract modes are empathy and interpersonal functioning skills that require imaginative activity. For education to fulfill its role in the midst of present cultural shifts, it must review its broader mission of culturalization. It must replace the present curricular-based school system with a postmodern pedagogy of whole child education. Kieran Egan’s imaginative education and Rudolph Steiner’s education towards freedom, both observe the child’s own time-sensitive cognitive processes in light of human becoming. In detailing their approach, imaginative activity accounts as an integral learning tool for Egan, and further stabilizes and harmonizes the development of the self in Steiner’s Waldorf Education.
Impactus Finiens Orbem Terrarum: An Updated Risk Assessment of World Ending Asteroid Impacts
(University of Waterloo, 2011-12-01) Salman, Max
As technology develops, the rate of discovering and observing space tends to relatively increase. Our understanding of how the Universe works, and how the planets interact with one another make us weary of what is to come. Technological advancements have led to observational improvements especially in the realm of extraterrestrial bodies, whether they be planets, or asteroids. The importance of some observations are various, and relative to the amount of an effect the potential damage the related body can have on the population. Relationship of the stars, planets, and asteroidal bodies may be the leading concept of astrology, however it is in a sense an important factor when studying the paths of significant bodies, as these bodies move due to gravitational pull, and may either experience an increase in velocity, or decrease in velocity, either situation is relative to a certain degree. Sociologically, it is almost fair to state that imperatively, there will have to be some sort of preparation for an end-of-world scenario due to such an impact. The inevitability of such a thing to happen, and the damage that would ensue post-impact, leaves a question open to the reaction of the global population, since it would be no longer a question of whether or not it will affect a certain part of the world, but would induce instantaneous destruction, and post-impact strains on the environment, thus potentially leading to the inevitable end of, at least, human life. This work will discuss briefly the prior works of notable scientists and researchers, and critically analyze them. A followup will be presented to update the information from these prior works, and a detailed discussion on the new information gathered, with a description of technologies involved.

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