Projets novateurs réalisés

Validating a drug resistance marker for a globally important ruminant parasite

The barber-pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) is a parasitic worm of sheep, goats and cattle common in both UK and Canada. Infection of the barber-worm causes reduction in animal growth and milk production in addition to general poor health and high risk of death, costing millions from production losses annually in Canada and the UK. Symptoms commonly appear before it is possible to diagnose infection, so farmers regularly preventatively treat their flocks with chemical drugs. This drives the development of resistance to these drugs – the barber-pole worm has developed some level of resistance to all available drugs. Previous work has identified a genetic mutation within the worm that may indicate resistance to a commonly used drug, Levamisole. We will investigate if this mutation is more common in worm populations that have been exposed to Levamisole – If this is the case, then it will lead to an affordable point-of-care test which will act as a sign to farmers that this drug will not work on their farms, and so will guide sustainable treatment options.

Developing a robust approach to the monitoring and analysis of insect populations: trends in fly numbers in Québec and implications for insectivores

Insects, being dominant in almost all ecosystems, are vitally important for regulating ecosystem health. There are growing concerns that insect abundance is declining globally, causing serious consequences for ecosystem services. To understand insect abundance trends, and their drivers, we need long-term monitoring schemes that are sensitive enough to detect change over time whilst balancing against the need to be cost-effective. We also need to analyse existing datasets where available, improving analytical methods to make them more statistically robust. This project will address knowledge gaps by making use of extensively sampled data on fly abundance and biomass across gradients of agricultural intensity in Québec. I will analyse how agriculture influences long-term insect trends, adding robust evidence on insect population dynamics in a changing environment. I will quantify the effect of sampling effort and temporal and spatial scale used in the study to understand how future insect monitoring schemes could most efficiently capture long-term trends and impacts of environmental drivers. The findings will therefore inform the design of more efficient insect monitoring schemes and effective post-hoc analysis of datasets.

Modeling Protein-Ligand Cryo-EM Structures with Neural Network Potentials

Drugs act by binding to a target protein. Determining the three-dimensional shape the complex between a drug and a protein is challenging, particularly when the protein spans the membrane separating the interior and exterior of a cell. Cryo-electron microscopy allows these structures to be measured experimentally, but often the resolution is too low to aid the development of new drugs. We will combine this technique with artificial intelligence protein-structure determination and computer simulations to determine the structures of drug-bound structures with minimal direction by the user but with a level of resolution that had not been possible in the past. The student will be trained in machine learning, molecular simulation, and artificial-intelligence protein structure prediction.

Aesthetics of Order: An Exploratory Field Study of Journaling Launches in Toronto, Canada

Using the principle of the serious leisure pursuit information studies framework, this ethnographic research project explores set-up approaches to bullet journaling. By exploring the materiality of the bullet journal, and how journaling hobbyists create
and maintain their social worlds, this research project seeks to improve understanding on the sub-cultures in journaling communities. Through this, it contributes to building understanding on how contemporary journaling practices go beyond the act of keeping a journal to consider the material, tools, and environmental factors.

The influence of ocean circulation on local biogeochemistry and melting tidewater glaciers in northern Baffin Bay

The Arctic is undergoing rapid change due to climate change, making local processes such as ocean heat transport and nutrient supply critical to understand due to their respective influences on retreating tidewater glaciers and local ecosystems. Northern Baffin Bay is a key region due to its proximity to rapidly retreating tidewater glaciers, as well as the North Water Polynya which has great importance to local communities and ecosystems. Using data from an ocean circulation model, along with a software called ARIANE, modelled particles will be released in northern Baffin Bay and traced backwards in time, providing information on the origin of these particles and pathways that water follows as it enters the region. Changes in temperature, salinity, and nutrient concentrations along these pathways will be used to quantify the supply of heat and nutrients, hence improving understanding of the influence of ocean circulation, heat and nutrient transport on tidewater glaciers and primary productivity in the local region.

2022 Digital Marketing Innovation – Corridor Interactive Inc.

Corridor Interactive requires a digital marketing intern seeking direct experience with all aspects of creating company awareness, branding and customer lead generation. This position will benefit from working with an experienced marketing team plus have the opportunity of direct ownership of programs during their term. Candidates will be expected to bring their specific knowledge of digital marketing platforms along with innovation and creative enthusiasm. The ability to work and thrive in a virtual environment is required.

Supporting Black-led Technology Startups and Community-led Entrepreneurship Innovation Training in Prairies Canada

Black Business Ventures Association (BBVA) is a non-profit technology accelerator with a mandate to increase the participation of Black-led technology startups in Canada. In November 2021, BBVA launched the first Black-focused accelerator program in Western Canada. In order to implement its programs and connect with Black communities across the Prairies Region, BBVA plans to establish a strong digital presence across social media platforms and develop relationships with social and cultural organizations within the Black community. BBVA believes Black-led startups and tech-enabled businesses in Canada have the potential to present massive market impact and opportunities in an industry where only 2.6 percent of the tech workforce in Canada are Black (Brookfield Institute:
2019). In addition, there has been no research conducted to study the reasons for the persistently lower percentage of Canadian startups with a Black founder or co-founder or the percentage of Black students enrolled in STEM programs in post secondary institutions. BBVA is a part of the recently launched Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub and the Experiential Learning in Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (ELITE) Program for Black Youth and will gather data for use in research projects related to Black entrepreneurship.

Forecasting tool exchange times in the Muratec MW200 Lathe using Machine Learning

This project will focus on the design, creation and validation of a model to forecast replacement requirements within the Muratec MW200 lathes.

The overall project objective is to produce a model defining the relationship between machine state and upcoming maintenance needs. The primary focus is a turning machine (automated lathe) that has a selection of cutting tools mounted on a turret turntable. Different tools are used for different cutting tasks, and each tool has a specific durability and life span.

Sequent AI: Origination & Technology Strategy

Sequent AI is a consolidation focused on acquiring technology companies in both the operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) spaces. Through this approach Sequent AI aims to provide solutions that bridge the gap between OT and IT technologies. This project will go hand in hand with Sequent’s mandate as it will assess opportunity for innovation in the OT and IT spaces. Many industrial environments today have established extensive physical security systems, however, are lacking majorly when it comes to cybersecurity. This is where the main focus of the project will be with the intern being expected to perform both financial and strategic analysis in this area. The intern will also be involved in day-to-day operations at Sequent AI including financing of live transactions and management teams at each of the operating companies.

Decoloniality, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (D-DEI) at SeeChange Initiative

This project extends my internship with the organization that began in May (another 4 month internship). My internship mandate from the start has been to support SeeChange in developing a DEI strategy based on the “best” practices in the literature. However, I have learned that there is mounting evidence proving that many DEI initiatives being implemented by organizations are falling short. After having familiarized myself with SeeChange and their CommunityFirst methodology over the first couple of weeks of my internship, I had a revelation. I wondered whether the reason DEI initiatives were falling short was that they were not being led by the underrepresented groups they seek to serve, that is, they were not being done in a CommunityFirst way. Perhaps, contemporary DEI initiatives may be masking the deeper issue at their core, and in actuality upholding the power dynamics they seek to dissolve. The concept of “decoloniality” has been introduced in a number of fields, including global health, as a way to tackle this issue and dismantle the unequal power dynamics that resulted from colonization by the European and British empires. I asked myself whether this concept could be brought into the DEI field.

Salt Water Bath Bombs Small Business Expansion Project

This project will help Salt Water Bath Bombs expand by implementing a new revenue stream within the business that targets larger supply chains who support female owned small businesses such as Costco and Sobeys.

Virtual Healthcare Intervention System

Robin’s Nest Technology aims to develop innovative healthcare software solutions to make healthcare accessible by enabling convenient, secure, user-friendly, and reliable mental health support for diverse populations. Our interdisciplinary team from nursing and software engineering has developed a secured and fully integrated web-based platform and mobile applications to deliver virtual mental health support programs to those in need.
Robin’s Nest Technology is seeking to leverage AI (Artificial Intelligence) to offer mental health solutions in an efficient and cost-effective manner. One of the main applications of AI pursued by Robins Nest Technology is around early childhood development. The interaction between parents and their children is the foundation for the child’s future social skills, and the child’s mental health and emotional well-being are directly linked to their caregiver’s abilities. Among measures of scaling this quality, the Parent-Child Teaching Interaction Scale (PCITS) is an effective and well-established assessment tool that measures the parent-child interaction quality. The PCITS identifies problematic areas within parent-child interactions and is used in a variety of interventional research projects. However, it is time-consuming and costly, and, as such, is not readily implemented within clinicians’ practice.