The purpose of this project is to study the behaviour of western painted turtles during the nesting season. These species are currently in decline in British Columbia due to urbanization and a loss of nesting habitat. In recent years, the construction of man-made nesting beaches has been widely used in an effort to help this species.
Vegetation in the Lower Columbia Valley in the West Kootenays of BC has been affected by historical emissions from the smelter in Trail, BC. Following logging of the valley for fuel and building materials, metal and SO2 emissions impaired forest regeneration on low valley slopes. A hardy tree species in the legume family native to Southeastern North America, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), was planted in disturbed sites along the valley to support revegetation.
This project aims to solve the problem of visual inspection of the aircrafts. The images and/or video will be used in conjunction with an AI/ algorithm to efficiently identify aircraft defects. The drone-based computer vision approach to defect detection will be compared to traditional, manual techniques to assess the potential for increased safety and efficiency and commercialization of the project.
Many methods for providing respiratory support to patients are currently in use, however more commonly available techniques such as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) are not appropriate for ventilation of patients with airborne infectious diseases due to the risk of aerosolization endangering other patients and hospital staff.
From simple transactions to complex investment strategies and wealth management, the customers want instant, intelligent answers to their questions, comprehensive financial knowledge education, and connection to a financial advisor on social media. To provide enhanced user experiences, we are researching an intelligent framework for conversational AI software with the ability to deliver financial advisors’ market insight.
Many populations of marine birds in the Salish Sea are declining rapidly, yet the source of these declines remains unclear. This project focuses on assessing changes relative to historical surveys in diet, body condition, and prey availability of Surf Scoters in several nearshore marine areas. This study employs methods of DNA metabarcoding to assess diet which is an emerging non-lethal alternative to conventional methods of diet analysis for marine birds. Results of this study will resolve important gaps in our understanding of this species.
Salmonid populations are increasingly challenged by interruptions in watershed connectivity, and limited access to critical habitat. For spawning and rearing, salmonids require diverse habitat features, including gravel beds and large streamwood. However, many watersheds are deficient in large streamwood and gravel, in part due to dam structures limiting downstream transport. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate whether gravel and large streamwood deficiencies are occurring in the lower Seymour River (River) downstream the dam.
The project is to enhance the stability of the detachable solar tile panel connector in terms of conductivity and waterproof ability. The student will investigate other applications such as solar tiles for roof mounted applications and the current designs and prototypes developed by Square Solar. They will also develop a set of design requirements that the connectors must meet taking into account requirements from applicable Canadian standards. The research will also develop designs to meet the optimum size, thickness, and materials for the solar tile connectors for practical production.
Tidal marshes are essential ecosystems both economically and ecologically. They provide many natural resources, such as filtering pollutants from water and providing flood protection. However, since the 1980s, we have lost about 80% of the world’s wetlands including many tidal marshes. This internship aims to identify the role of goose herbivory on marsh vegetation as well as to identify the best way to mitigate impacts of goose herbivory on marsh vegetation.
This project aims to explore the application of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS, aka drones) to assess forest health, explore early identification of disease and infestation and provide quantitative post-harvest analysis. The use of drones for this type of assessment has the potential to improve the overall picture of forest health, aid in decision-making regarding preferential harvesting of trees, and measurably increase profits by identifying marketable timber products post-harvest.
