Softab Technologies is a fast-growing company in Windsor, Ontario that is developing new formulations and methods to provide nutraceuticals: vitamins, natural extracts, and minerals in a revolutionary new form of chewable and dissolvable gel. They are working with a research team in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Windsor to refine the formulation and make it flexible for utilizing a number of different ingredients so that it can be customized and tailored to specific ingredients.

Rain water penetration can cause severe damage to building materials and facilitates the growth of mould, endangering the health of the occupants of the building. This Mitacs project will determine the water penetration resistance of various clay brick veneers used in various buildings. This research will also provide very important test data that may allow engineers and builders to use much lighter clay bricks (clay bricks with large voids) as the brick veneer. Use of lighter bricks translates to less carbon footprint and hence, is a sustainable choice.

The project will determine sliding wear behaviour of lightweight Al and Mg alloys for the continuously variable transmission (CVT) bore application and other engine applications. High temperature lubricated wear tests that simulate the actual operating conditions of CVT bore will be carried out. In addition, tests will be conducted at room temperature and under the dry conditions to benchmark wear resistances of different cast alloys and determine the wear mechanisms.

We will analyze long-term monitoring data that were sampled over ten years from nearshore regions of the Great Lakes to find out key factors that cause the proliferation of nuisance benthic algae and fouling of shorelines of Lake Ontario in the Toronto–Durham region and throughout the Great Lakes. Additionally, we will test whether environmental DNA in water and sediment samples can be used to track the dispersal of nuisance benthic algae. Our project will contribute directly to the ongoing monitoring programs in the Great Lakes and will be relevant for management of nuisance benthic algae.

Natural extracts have potential as anti-cancer therapeutics. These botanical materials are well tolerated and are safe to be given as supplements over long periods of time. This project aims to provide scientific and clinical validation of these extracts for their anticancer effects and sensitization of cancer cells to standard chemo regiments.

Over 70% of tasks in manufacturing are still manual; therefore, over 75% of variation in manufacturing comes from human beings. Human errors were the major driver behind $22.1 billion in vehicle recalls in 2016. Currently, when plant operators want to gain an understanding of their manual processes, they send out their highly-paid industrial engineers to run time studies. These studies produce highly biased and inaccurate data that provides minimal value to manufacturing teams.

It is critical that on-board power electronic components of electric vehicle inverters operate within optimal temperature ranges. Failure to accomplish this results in overheating, oversizing and degradation of electronic components. Moreover, reduced efficiency and motor drive performance will have significant economical impacts on global automakers. This research will further contribute to developing a new thermal management system incorporating impinging-jet-based technology with liquid cooling, for improved heat transfer capabilities; a current prototype had been tested.

Coming into force in October 2019, amendments to the Canadian Cannabis Regulations will introduce guidelines governing the legal production and sale of cannabis-infused extracts, edibles, beverages and topicals. These new products are at the forefront of the natural health product (NHP) and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries, but challenges associated with their formulation, production and stability are quickly mounting.