The Greater Winnipeg Area (GWA) white-tailed deer (WTD) population has grown substantially over the last three decades. Growing urban WTD populations in heavily human populated areas have led to human-deer conflict and represent a significant human health and safety concern. A major human safety concern is the alarming increase in the number of motor vehicle accidents within the city involving WTD. In addition, WTD host a number of diseases transmittable to humans and other wildlife, and deer cause significant property damage.

This research project aims at working closely with Manitoba Hydro, to examine existing techniques and further develop new tools that allow remote access to live transmission lines equipment that cannot be out of service. More specifically, we aim to employ robots to partially substitute for, and work cooperatively with, crew directed at service interruption free maintenance and inspection of live transmission lines. Such operations are often complex, hazardous and labor intensive.

We aim to use 3D stereo display to visualize a data bank of characteristics common to spiral galaxies. We plan to use an immersive environment at the Industrial Technology Centre's Virtual Reality Centre (VRC), i.e. a "half]cave" in which the user walks around and interacts with the data. Our approach will use advanced computer algorithms, supplied by nQube, working in combination with the human vision system to select colours which will be optimized for emphasizing relatinoships between galaxy characteristics.

This research will develop numerical modeling and optimization techniques for the design of radio-frequency (RF) coils used in Magntetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). These techniques will aid in the design of specific RF coils for interventional MRI procedures which impose unique and challenging demands on the RF coils's performance. The first step will be to enhance the current electromagnetic software that has been developed at the University of Manitoba (UofM) to allow the modeling of specialized circuitry found on MR RF coils.

3D imaging is becoming an increasingly popular and important too in medical education. The anatomy is the founation for all health sciences and all groups of health professionals. Medical/dental students, pharmacists, physicians assistants, nurses, medical rehabilitation professionals, human biology and even arts students, will receive some form of anatomy training during their professional career. 3D virutal anatomy teaching facilitates the understanding of spatial structural relationships and facilitates a significantly enhanced and sustainable learning experience.

Concerns regarding the quality of the electric power are becoming a crucial factor in modern power systems. Historically, most electric/electronic system equipment has been able to operate successfully when electric power was disturbed. However, the emerge of sensitive electronic equipment and devices which require highly-reliable electric power has created whole new areas of power quality consideration. It is well known that lightning, as a high energy phenomenon, is a source of severe disturbance.

This project is in partnership with the Canadian Water Network. Endocrine disrupting compounds or chemicals (EDCs) generally refer to chemical substances with the capacity to disrupt the endocrine system of animals. Scientific studies on the impacts of EDCs on aquatic wildlife in Canada, particularity studies on fish in the Great Lakes, have brought the issue of EDCs in the aquatic environment to the forefront. Efforts are now ongoing to comprehensively understand the fate of EDCs in wastewater treatment processes and develop effective ways to remove them to satisfactory levels.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) policy under the federal Fisheries Act requires industry to compensate for harmful alteration, disruption or destruction (HADD) of fish habitat. Manitoba Hydro has sometimes experienced difficulty in finding effective and worthwhile projects for compensation. Consequently, compensation projects completed in accordance with the preferences of DFO can sometimes be less effective than desired.

The research to be conducted involves the development of new technology that can detect breast cancer tumours using microwave technology. The necessary mathematical research to perform microwave imaging of the breast will be pursued together with the hardware design needed for such a system. The expertise and academic goals of the two interns offer a combination that will benefit this project.

Arthritis affecting the hip and knee is a common problem causing pain and disability for many Manitobans. Joint replacement surgery is a common treatment for this condition. Although many patients improve after the surgery, there are some who do not. It is in the patient’s, and health system’s best interest to try to learn which patients will gain the best results from joint replacement surgery so to use resources most effectively.