Diagnosed with a congenital heart defect (CHD) at age nine, Mitacs researcher Angelica Blais knows what it’s like to feel like you have to sit on the sidelines.

More than 600,000 Canadians live with heart failure, and a further 50,000 new cases are diagnosed every year. But what if there was a way to test for heart failure before the disease has become advanced?

As Canada’s fourth largest crop, barley is an important part of the national agricultural landscape. It’s a key component in beer production, which generates 5.8 billion in the economy, and much of it is exported to international markets. Nine out of 10 barley farmers rely on exports for a significant part of their income.

Digital book sales in Canada account for just under 20 percent of the billion dollar market, and close to half of readers say they’ve read at least one e-publication in the last year. For Toronto-based Rakuten Kobo Inc., an e-book retailer that sells to 190 countries worldwide, staying ahead of the game in the digital market is top of mind.

“I live near a protected Garry oak ecosystem, and I bring my daughters there, so I know how important these areas are,” says Alina.

Using her background in electrical and audio engineering, Rachel developed an algorithm that, when programmed into the earpiece, enhances the sound quality of speech that is projected to the wearer.

Sometimes the seeds of a great career in engineering lie in a project studying seeds themselves — or the technology that helps farmers plant them.

Sana Maqsood, a PhD student at Carleton University, wants to educate young internet users on how to stay safe in the online world.

A Hamilton-based start-up, InnovoGENE, is developing new technology that tests bacteria in recreational waters faster than existing methods.

Mitacs intern Oldooz Pooyanfar, a graduate student from Simon Fraser University’s School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, is working on a ‘smart’ system that monitors the health of honey bees and their hives.

“The Mitacs program offered us an opportunity to get support for our project as well as the tools, resources, and people we needed to advance our technology,”

Hayfa's research will help the team at UQTR better understand the health of regional bodies of water.