Mitacs thanks the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia for their support of the Accelerate research internship in this story. Across Canada, the Accelerate program also receives support from Alberta Innovates, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan and Research Manitoba.

After doing her PhD at the University of Saskatchewan and returning to her home province of BC for a residency, Shawnda had a growing concern about how testing for mental illness and cognitive impairment was being done.

Currently, people have to go through lengthy tests of their concentration, learning, memory, reasoning, language, and other skills. Through Elevate, Shawnda began a two-year fellowship with Copeman Healthcare Centre, researching how much this process could be streamlined while maintaining its reliability.

I came here from McGill University to complete the field work for my Master of Arts degree in the Department of Geography. I am designing and testing a disease surveillance tool which uses mobile phones to track the spread of hepatitis in the state of Gujarat, so health officials can plan better intervention strategies.

As a research scientist in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Jacque-Lynne has devoted herself to studying cilia — tiny antennae found on the surface of cells, used for sensory processes, such as taste, touch, and smell. Understanding how cilia work is important because when they break down, a person can suffer a range of health problems, such as sterility, obesity, and neurological deficits.

Yet, in the midst of her research, Jacque-Lynne knew her career could benefit from other learning outside the lab.

Mitacs thanks the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia for their support of the Accelerate research internship in this story. Across Canada, the Accelerate program also receives support from Alberta Innovates, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan and Research Manitoba.

It all started when TandemLaunch’s founder, Helge Seetzen, was given a chance to participate in the Mitacs Accelerate program while he was a PhD student at UBC’s Structured Surface Physics lab. In 2002, Helge and a team at the lab developed a new way to control the brightness of visual screens and sold it to audio and cinema giant Dolby Laboratories.

By 2010, he’d formed TandemLaunch, a company that takes young scientists and entrepreneurs in universities and gives them seed money and coaching to transform their ideas into profitable businesses.

As a Computer Science major from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Ray has always had an interest in networks and networking — both on computers, and among people. This interest has served him well as he helped to build a household notification system that helps family members to keep track of domestic chores and appointments, as well as to inform each other of personal schedules and shared commitments.

PhD student Megan MacGillivray from UBC's Department of Rehabilitation Sciences partnered with SideStix Ventures Inc. to evaluate the biomechanics of their high-performance forearm crutch.

Watch founder Sarah Doherty and intern Megan explain their innovation.