A study found that “Science Curiosity” might make us less polarized. When we’re polarized, ideas that feel threatening to our group turn on the fear centers in our brains. The more afraid we are, the more polarized we become. For some reason though, fear doesn’t seem to affect curious people nearly as much. One reason might be that curious people are more playful. Play probably evolved so we could learn to explore dangerous places (and ideas) safely by helping us see threats the same way we see challenges in a game.
Nowadays the spread of different kinds of pathogens such as bacteria and viruses like COVID-19, dyes, heavy metals, etc. into the environment cause a threat for all human beings, living microorganisms, and nature.
The research project will focus on improving data quality acquisition for mineral exploration using new and improved remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) for long-range surveying. Vertical take-off and landing fixed wing RPAS will be made that can travel further than typical multirotor drones and close to the ground to acquire high resolution data at scale.
As we move towards the use of the sun as a primary source of energy, we are interested in incorporating solar cell systems into urban environments. However, downtown urban environments do not have enough surface area or direct sunlight to accommodate solar panels. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) fill in this gap as they are semi-transparent and work well in indirect lighting. To realize this application, we need to improve the fabrication process and performance of the DSSC.
The proposed research work aims to determine the position of an object relative to the camera in real world coordinates using a mobile device. To the best of our knowledge, no technology provides both object identification and camera localization in one solution. The proposed solution does not require the installation of expensive on-site hardware, nor is it based on computationally heavy point cloud data of the environment to estimate the 3D real world coordinates of the object.
Computed Tomography (CT) scans are commonly used in the medical field to diagnose diseases such as cancer. It uses X-rays to capture human structures without invading the body. Although it has a been widely used and provide great benefit for patient diagnosis, the cumulative exposure to X-ray radiation can cause health risks. For this reason, researchers have been developing ways to minimize the X-ray dose. However, lowering the radiation dosage in commercial CT scanners also affects the quality of CT images which leads to inaccurate diagnosis.
This project will study different residential building retrofit strategies commonly used in Ontario in terms of their environmental performance. In particular, it will try to understand the embodied and operation carbon emissions associated with those strategies. The aim of this project is to understand the effect of using different material and systems in retrofit projects. This understanding is important in order to complement governmental and private efforts in reducing the environmental impacts of buildings.
In the context of a global increase in waste production and waning natural resources, this research intends to promote the shift to a circular economy in the Ontario construction industry. The work includes a literature review, an industry survey, structured interviews, and a period of testing assessment tool(s) with real projects for local use. The final output will be a master’s thesis indicating the surveyed industry views on the circular economy, perceived barriers and drivers to change, and recommendations for change.
The student will be involved in the research and development of a novel multi-dose lyophilized vial kit for the preparation of Gallium 68Ga-DOTATOC injection used for the PET imaging of neuroendocrine tumors. This novel kit compared to the currently available ready to use injectable solution, has better shelf life and can be easily shipped to a radiopharmacy where the vial can be radiolabeled by adding the 68Ga-chloride eluted from a generator or cyclotron, and then distributed to hospitals and other nuclear medicine clinics.
The objectives of this project to analyze existing products in the proposed categories and create a better designed product by eliminating the gaps found during phases 1 & 2 of the research. Development of a new prototype and testing it in order to confirm functionality, thermal comfort and aesthetics. The final stage of this project is to analyze prototype field testing data and implement modifications and improvements. Identifying and examining gaps in garments designed for cooling purposes in different clothing categories.
