Projets novateurs réalisés

Agrilo and Agrilo-VR: Field Validation and Real-World Deployment of AI-Driven Soil and Nutrient Sensing Systems in Kenya

Healthy soil is crucial for global food security, yet farmers face declining fertility, nutrient depletion, and rising fertilizer costs. These challenges are particularly pressing for smallholder farmers in Kenya, where timely soil information is limited. This project connects researchers from Canada and Kenya to advance Agrilo, a real-time soil nutrient sensing system, and Agrilo-VR, an immersive virtual reality platform for environmental education.

Agrilo’s portable, low-cost sensors measure essential soil indicators—including nitrate, phosphate, potassium, pH, boron, sulfur, CEC, NOM, magnesium, manganese, iron, and calcium—with near-laboratory accuracy. These data help farmers optimize fertilizer application, reduce nutrient runoff, and improve crop performance. Field validation will take place across Kenya’s diverse agricultural landscapes, allowing for assessment under real farming conditions.
A student intern will travel to Kenya to support field validation, collect soil datasets, and assist with the deployment and testing of Agrilo-VR in schools, training centres, and conservation programs. Agrilo-VR will transform real soil and ecological data into interactive learning environments that make environmental science accessible and engaging.

By integrating sensing technology, AI-driven analytics, and VR-based education, this project promotes climate-smart agriculture, strengthens international collaboration, and expands access to sustainable soil management tools across both partner regions.

L2M – Expert Validation of IPPM Now and Assembly of a Smart Trap Prototype

This project will help Insect Track Solutions improve and validate IPPM Now, a digital tool designed to make insect monitoring easier and more accurate for farmers, agronomists, and researchers. Today, insect data is collected in many different ways, making it hard to compare results or make fast decisions. The project will work with expert users to test the app, improve its accuracy, and ensure the information it collects is useful for real field conditions. At the same time, the team will assemble the first smart trap prototype that automatically detects insects and sends data to the platform. By the end of the project, Insect Track Solutions will have a validated app, a functional smart-trap prototype, and a basic data flow between the device and the platform, important steps that bring the company much closer to commercial readiness and support better integrated pest management across the Prairies.

Development of a Novel Dicalcium Phosphate Cement-Based Construct [Brushite-Shell/Monetite-Core] for Controlled Degradation and Drug Release in Craniofacial Defect Repair Surgery

Craniofacial and maxillofacial reconstruction is often limited by insufficient autologous bone and the shortcomings of current graft alternatives, which can degrade unevenly, bond poorly, or fail to support vascular growth. These issues are especially critical in cases of trauma, congenital defects, or cancer-related bone loss, where reliable, bioresorbable grafts are essential. This project evaluates and adapts Brushite-Shell/Monetite-Core calcium phosphate scaffolds for craniofacial, maxillofacial, and reconstructive surgery. Brushite (CaHPO4·2H2O) transforms into a more stable phase, slowing resorption, while monetite (CaHPO4) degrades faster, supporting early bone regeneration. Combining them enables controlled resorption and improved integration, and the monetite core can also be modified to deliver natural growth factors that promote bone and vessel formation. The aim of this project is to determine where this hybrid material provides the greatest clinical benefit and what design adaptations are needed for surgical use. The collaboration between Dalhousie University and the University of Illinois Health connects biomaterial innovation with clinical translation; Dalhousie focusing on material design, fabrication, and testing, and Illinois advancing understanding of clinical needs and real-world applications. This partnership will strengthen research collaboration, promote knowledge exchange, and support the development of safer, more effective bone grafts to improve outcomes in craniofacial and maxillofacial reconstruction.

QV Studio – Validate 2026 – Keroles

Canadians are paying for the climate crisis with the money, with their homes and with their lives. Fortunately, we have many transformatives technologies that can help mitigate this crisis. However, these technolgies are not as widely deployed as needed in part because they use very expensive materials, that are often also critical minerals that are scarce. As such, we need to get the most “juice” out of the scarce critical minerals used, and also do that at a financially viable way. O Nanotech is a nanomaterial supplier that provides such critical minerals in the quantum regime (particles that are typically under 5 nm). The performance of these critical minerals can be greatly enhanced when they are in the quantum regime, and therefore using such quantum dots can maximize the benefit obtained from the scarce critical minerals. However, quantum dots in the market are prohibitively expensive at 10s of thousands of dollars per gram. We have developed a recipe to use flame synthesis to scalably produce those quantum dots at 1-2 orders of magnitude lower costs. This project aims to validate the market, as well as benchmark the performance of those quantum dots in key climate technologies.

Real-Time Dense Deformation Field Estimation of Brain Tissue from Surgical Microscope Video

The proposed project aims to develop and validate a computational method for estimating how brain tissue moves and reacts to surgical tools using only videos captured from a microscope. The student will test both classical and modern deep-learning optical-flow algorithms, adapt them to the specific challenges of microscope imaging, and evaluate how well they can capture small, localized tissue deformations. Controlled experiments on ex-vivo bovine brain specimens will be conducted to collect synchronized videos and ground-truth force measurements, allowing the team to assess the accuracy and reliability of the force-estimation model under realistic surgical conditions. The outcome of this work will be a validated pipeline that can estimate tissue forces without external sensors, enabling more objective, real-time assessment of surgical performance. This project will benefit the participating institutions by advancing low-cost, AI-driven tools for surgical simulation, strengthening collaborative research in medical image analysis, and creating new opportunities for training, knowledge transfer, and future joint publications.

Advanced Nutrient Delivery Using Micronized Biochar and Recovered Phosphorus in Digestate Upgrading

Ryzome Environmental Corporation is transforming the way farms and greenhouses feed their crops. By recovering powerful nutrients and minerals from local waste streams, Ryzome is building a new generation of regenerative, greenhouse-ready fertilizers that help growers boost yields, strengthen plant health, and improve nutrient density. These products support healthier soils, reduce pest and disease pressure, and give farmers a reliable alternative to imported chemical fertilizers. This project advances Ryzome’s mission to create clean, consistent, waste-derived nutrients that make Canadian food production more resilient, sustainable, and future-ready. Ryzome is proving that the future of farming can be both productive and regenerative.

Climate Action through Community Hubs

This community-based research project will partner with Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) to identify how place-based community hubs – such as community centres, neighbourhood organizations, and frontline service non-profits – can catalyze equitable climate action. This project will help us understand how to address climate change equitably. Research has shown that climate action to date has tended to reinforce inequalities rather than ameliorate them. We therefore need to better understand how to scale up community-led climate action that benefits marginalized communities. Community hubs are perfectly positioned to address this gap. Every week, community hubs support hundreds of thousands of people across Canada, offering vital programs and services for children, youth, seniors, refugees, and economically marginalized residents. This research seeks to understand how climate action is being integrated into the programming of a wide range of community hubs across Canada and how, by leveraging their deep local connections, hubs can empower diverse communities to lead and benefit from the transition to a resilient and net-zero future.

L2M – BEsTech

This project will explore and test the idea of BEsTech, a platform that helps companies find the right additive manufacturing (3D printing) services, materials, and experts faster and without relying on middle agents. Instead of building full software, the project will study real industry needs, test simple prototypes, and learn how people would use and pay for this type of service. The findings will help the partner organization better understand how Canadian companies choose AM suppliers, what problems slow them down, and what features a useful platform should include. This will support the partner’s goal of improving access to advanced manufacturing in Canada and guide future commercialization opportunities.

L2M – Construction Equipment Tracking Market Research

TAUlab is building a fleet and equipment-tracking platform for small and mid-sized construction contractors. These companies often struggle with lost equipment, incomplete job-site reporting, and administrative overload. Although many large enterprise tools exist, they are bloated with features and rarely match how smaller subcontractors actually work day-to-day. Most companies in this segment still rely on verbal communication, or paper forms, which leads to inefficiencies and preventable costs.

This project will use customer interviews and feedback to: Validate the problem, Refine the feature set, Confirm pilot projects and build recognition messaging materials for future use

Design and development of branched polymers for advanced anion exchange membranes in water electrolysis for clean hydrogen production.

Anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) is a promising pathway for clean hydrogen production, enabling high efficiency while utilizing non-precious metal catalysts and cost-effective system components. A critical element in AEMWE systems is the anion exchange membrane (AEM), which facilitates hydroxide ion transport and maintains ionic separation between the electrodes under strongly alkaline conditions. A major challenge in advancing AEMWE technology is the development of chemically stable, highly conductive AEMs that can operate efficiently and durably in alkaline environments over extended periods.
This project focuses on the design and synthesis of branched polymer architectures tailored for high-performance AEMs in AEMWE applications. Specifically, it will investigate aryl-ether-free polymer backbones incorporating controlled branching strategies to improve hydroxide ion conductivity, ion exchange capacity, and long-term alkaline stability, while preserving membrane solubility and mechanical strength.
The resulting polymers will be processed into membranes and systematically evaluated for their electrochemical performance, water uptake, dimensional stability, and durability under alkaline conditions. Conducted in collaboration with Lund University, this project will provide advanced research training in polymer synthesis and membrane science. The outcomes are expected to support the development of next-generation AEM materials, contributing to the broader transition toward efficient, cost-effective, and scalable clean hydrogen production.

Altitude training effectiveness; Is there a role for sleep and menstrual health? – Femhealth

Altitude camp is a strategy in which athletes train in an environment where the air is less oxygen-rich, generally over 2,00 meters, in order to increase the body’s capacity to transport oxygen and improve performance. However, not all athletes react the same and several factors may explain these, such as sleep and menstrual cycle health. Sleep is a key for recovery and adaptation to training. Altitude can disrupt sleep which then limits adaptation. The menstrual cycle is an important indicator of overall health and hormonal balance in female athletes: irregular cycles or marked changes can signal that the body is under significant stress or lacking energy, and exposure to altitude can also influence this balance. It is therefore thought that menstrual cycle health and sleep may influence how an athlete responds to altitude training. Both together remain under-studied. The aim is to evaluate the impact of altitude training on sleep and menstrual cycle health, and to assess whether this possible impact plays a role in the effectiveness of altitude training with pro female cyclists. This will help develop practical individual recommendations to female athletes, so altitude training camps can be more effective while still protecting their health and well-being.

Exploring Nature-Based Supports for Mental Health in Educational Settings Across China and Canada

I will explore how schools in China use nature to support the mental health of students and teachers/Administration. By observing classrooms and speaking with educators, I hope to understand which practices are most effective and how they might be adapted for use in other countries. The University of Windsor will benefit by gaining new research insights and potential strategies to improve well-being in its own educational programs. Mitacs Globalink will benefit by strengthening international research partnerships and supporting the exchange of knowledge that can lead to better mental-health approaches in schools worldwide.