Broken Promises: Museum Exhibit Development during the Covid-19 Pandemic

Broken Promises is the capstone output of Landscapes of Injustice, a multi-year, intersectoral project exploring the dispossession of Japanese Canadians during the 1940s. The project illustrates the violation of human and civil rights at a time of perceived insecurity; measures taken in the name of national defence; the enduring harm of mass displacement, and loss of home and property; and human resilience. The traveling exhibit is one of the major research outputs of the project.

Evaluating and optimizing rural and urban lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQI2S) engagement with hospice and palliative care in the Island Health Region - Year two

Existing research focused on the experiences of gay and lesbian older adults with the health care system report that there is a general distrust and reluctance to access healthcare based upon the cumulative effect of discrimination over the life course. At present, while 75% of Canadians have indicated they would like to die at home, 45% of Vancouver Island residents die of in acute care. Clearly there exists a service gap and it appears possible that such a gap may be larger in the LGBTQI2S community.

Fin whales of the Gitga’at First Nation: Site fidelity, distribution, and abundance within a proposed shipping lane

A rare inland population of fin whale uses the remote Kitimat Fjord System (KFS) in northern British Columbia (in the marine territory of the Gitga’at First Nation). This is the only fjord system, both historically and currently, that this predominantly offshore species has used within Canadian waters. Fin whales returned to the KFS only recently, at the same time as industrial development planning accelerated for northern BC coast.

Assessing temporal and spatial patterns of bowhead whale presence and underwater noise in the western Canadian Arctic

Understanding when and where bowhead whales occur is ecologically, culturally and politically important in the context of a rapidly changing climate, with some of the greatest impacts happening in the Arctic. Decreases in sea ice allow for increased shipping and its associated underwater noise in one of the last acoustically pristine habitats in the world. Bowheads, the only endemic Arctic mysticete and a cultural keystone species for the Inuit, are vocal, their survival depends on sound, thus vulnerable to increasing noise.

Radar-based Real-Time Detection of Overdose Incidents in Small Public Spaces

This project aims to train machine learning models that use millimetre-wave radar data to non-invasively detect health incidents, such as overdoses in public bathroom stalls.

Probiotic Reduction of Biofilm and Viral and Microbial Spread in Built Environments through Air Purification and Humidity Control

Origen Air and the University of Victoria (UVic) will construct a controlled test environment inside a seven-meter shipping container with a greenhouse bio filter installed on the roof. It will connect to a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system servicing the interior of the shipping container. The system will include anti-viral surfactants and air purification/humidity control technologies, including probiotic fogging to destroy biofilms, genetically engineered pothos ivy biofiltration, activated carbon filtration, ultraviolet disinfection, and HEPA particle filtration.

Validation of the Rootd App for Reducing Anxiety and Panic Attacks

During the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s become quite apparent that mental health needs to be prioritized. Due to the demands of social isolation, getting adequate mental health support can be difficult. However, the mobile application Rootd provides a low-cost and large-scale solution to this problem, as it can help the average person deal with increased anxiety and panic attacks. In this proposed work, we will undertake a scientific validation of the Rootd app through the use of methods from psychology and neuroscience.

Translucent photovoltaic blinds: a novel solution for solar energy harvesting using perovskite

Climate change has been a top concern of Canadians for the past several years. Canada is among 3 top global CO2 emitters per capita. Our goal is to develop and commercialize a viable solar energy harvesting system to help Canada decarbonize its economy.
Amorphous silicon has the most mature technology in the photovoltaic market. Silicon solar cells are mostly used in solar farms or installed on roofs.

Autonomous Mission Planning and Simulation Software Design for Unmanned Surface Vehicles

Ocean industries and researchers need the on-site oceanographic and environmental data, but collecting that data is costly, challenging, and time-consuming. Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) offer a promising solution for marine data collection. Equipped with oceanographic sensors, cameras and communication devices, the USV Data Xplorer developed by Open Ocean Robotics can voyage for extended periods thanks to the additionally generated solar energy from the USV’s solar panels.

Studying Empathetic and Emotive User Interfaces for Data Collection During Disasters

In times of crisis or disaster, there is a need for software features and functions to be empathetic to the circumstances of the person who is using that software. Having empathetic software features and functions is particularly important when the software is being used to collect data about the health status and information needs of the person who is completing an online survey tool during a crisis such as a global pandemic.

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