Music Information Retrieval is a burgeoning area of industry that assists consumers in retrieving information from increasingly large databases of music. waveDNA is an Ontario-based music software development company focused on building upon its proprietary algorithms for digital music representation and analysis in ways that make unique contributions to this field. The aim of the proposed research project, involving a collaboration between the postdoctoral fellow (Naresh Vempala) at Ryerson's SMART lab and the partner company waveDNA, is to develop a cognitively-based analysis engine.

Building a mathematical model of how user behaves on a website is a useful method for determining what a user does and does not like. This model allows for information relevant to a user to be presented without having the user go out and find the information by themselves. These types of systems, generally known as “recommender systems” allow websites to provide custom content to users without a user having to explicitly state what they are interested in. WhoThaMan wants to develop such a system so that users are presented with sports news articles that are relevant to them.

The purpose of the project is to identify the barriers to cleantech adoption, the role and effect of the government on the cleantech industry, and, in essence, understand whether or not the recent surge in venture capitalist investment and economic activity is potentially only a temporary aberration. Through iterative research and assistance from an advisory team, the internship will develop answers to which clients seek answers.

In this proposed research, a MEMS quasi]static micromirror will be developed for laser beam steering for various applications such as projection displaying of CAD drawing for assembly of complex parts and biomedical microscopies for tissue and cardiovascular imaging and cancer and tumor detection. The micromirror to be developed is able to overcome the limitations of existing designs, i.e., increasing the response speed (reducing the settling time from 10ms ~20 ms to 1~3 ms) and lower the cost (lowering the cost from > $200/piece to <$50/piece).

Integrating human factors (HF) considerations into the design of production systems can improve productivity and quality results while reducing injury risks to system operators. The researchers are currently conducting an action research study with Canadian electronics manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) to improve their production system design process (PSDP) and thereby their production systems by integrating human factors (HF). One of the first requirements is a clear understanding of the PSDP as a means of identifying and coordinating process improvements.

This project is to verify the elasto-plastic models in SVSolid software using the well]known FEM software, ABAQUS. SVSolid 2D/3D is powerful software designed specifically for geotechnical engineering field to conduct stress/deformation analysis, while ABAQUS is a software package designed for general engineering applications. The elasto-plastic model is applicable in many engineering materials. Three geotechnical engineering problems will be used to identify elasto-plastic models including von Miese, Mohr-Coulomb, Drucker Prager, and Cam-Clay models in SVSolid.

One of the most effective ways to reduce energy consumption in buildings is to construct them with more advanced envelope systems. There appears to be a lack of study in this area for apartments in North America and this research project aims to fill that gap. The objective of this project is to provide a deeper understanding and recommend standards on optimal envelope systems for apartment buildings tailored to the Canadian climatic conditions.

The project will entail the development of a flexible and robust data acquisition and monitoring system for the large scale long-term performance evaluation of residential ground source heat pump system. The literature review will guide different alternative ground loop heat exchanger options. The expected result will provide flexible and portable hardware/software equipment and survey protocol for large-scale monitoring and evaluation of ground source heat pump systems.

This study will evaluate the process and outcomes of public broadcasting reviews over the last 30 years in English-speaking parliamentary democracies. The objective is two]fold: to measure the effectiveness of the review process in each country, and to evaluate and make recommendations about the process in Canada. While a great deal of literature on this sector focuses on the structure and operation of public broadcasters themselves, this study aims to contribute to the less common discussion of policy reviews.

The intern will work closely with PPIC PipeCrawler design engineer to develop a new control and navigation system. The tasks will include 1) analysis of the mechanism and motion of the PipeCrawler; 2) derivation of a dynamic model for control design and synthesis of model based control of the PipeCrawler; 3) development of a DSP based controller including hardware and software; 4) integration and testing. A PipeCrawler with the proposed control system will no longer need the high level driving skills, reducing operation cost and improving pipeline inspection efficiency.