Xinyue Wu has a love of video games. From playing and designing, to exploring user experience, video games offer her a sense of excitement and escapism. This summer, as a Globalink Research intern at Ryerson University, Xinyue is delving into that passion for user experience, but outside of the virtual world. She’s examining the multiple characteristics of amusement park rides including thrill, enjoyment, and rider behaviour.
It was her interest in cardiology that persuaded Rayane Simas to come to Canada through a Mitacs Globalink Research internship. As a medical student at Brazil’s Faculdade de Ciências Médicas de Minas Gerais, Rayane knew Globalink would provide her with an international hands-on research experience directly related to her field of study.
Working under the supervision of Professor Shi Cao in the Department of Systems Design Engineering, Shefali is using her computer science background to help develop an innovative face recognition app for Google Glass — a type of “wearable technology” — like glasses with an optical head-mounted display.
Hailing from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, in Pilani, India, Shefali says she is thrilled to take part in research involving Google Glass, calling her project an “amazing opportunity to have hands-on experience with today’s technology.”
Marina Maciel is laying the foundation for success in her career. A civil engineering undergraduate student from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in Brazil, Marina is researching ways to make buildings safer during seismic events under supervision from Professor Dan Palermo at York University’s Department of Civil Engineering. Together, they are working to test, analyse, and refine a new type of reinforcement technique for concrete walls to better withstand intense earthquakes.
This desire to explore has led him to a Mitacs Globalink Research Internship at the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Astronomy at Queen’s University this summer.
After hearing about the Globalink Research Internship, he jumped at the chance to work with Dr. Elizabeth Fitzpatrick at the University of Ottawa’s School of Rehabilitation Sciences.
I learned about Globalink and saw that one project was supervised by Dr. Fitzpatrick. I was already familiar with her research and wanted the chance to work with her. She’s a leader in the area of early diagnosis of children with hearing loss, and it’s amazing to work with one of the top people in my field.”
During the summer of 2014, researchers at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy were looking into whether a group of drugs called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs) — normally used as anti-depressants — could be used to treat Alzheimer's.
The project started when Michael Gray was researching earthquake-proofing techniques as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto’s Department of Civil Engineering. Michael had developed a prototype connector device with one end that could grip part of a building’s frame between a pair of comb-like pincers, while the other end was welded to a brace.
When Actavis Specialty Pharmaceuticals Co. developed a new drug to treat uterine fibroids — benign tumors in a woman’s uterus — it partnered with Accelerate intern Bernice Tsoi to help create an economic model of the product. As a Health Research Methodology PhD student at McMaster University, conducting a thorough analysis of the drug’s costs and benefits was right up Bernice’s alley.
