Projets novateurs réalisés

Specifications of a fuel cell hybrid powertrain for an agricultural machinery

Global warming and the atmospheric concentration raise of carbon dioxide (CO2) characterize the main
environmental problems nowadays. Forestry and agriculture sectors are among the chief contributors to the global
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to FAO reports, agricultural machinery is responsible for over 75%
of nitrogen oxides (NOx),42% of methane, and 20% of CO2. Canada generated 729 megatons of GHG emissions
in 2018 where almost 10% of that came from the agricultural sector. In the light of the discussed matters, it can
be stated that there has been an interesting momentum towards the electrification of agricultural machineries
while there is a lack of prototypes and specific driving cycle for further evaluations. this project aims at developing
a design specification for developing an electrified powertrain, composed of hydrogen fuel cell and battery, for an
agricultural machinery.

Investigating biological impacts of Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement using controlled mesocosm experiments

Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is rapidly emerging as a potential technique to mitigate against the worst impacts of climate change. However, little is known regarding the potential biological and ecological impacts of introducing alkaline base into the coastal ocean to capture CO2, reversing ocean acidification in the process. Specifically, it remains unclear whether the phytoplankton community are impacted by chemical changes induced by OAE. Recently, the National Research Council (NRC) in collaboration with Dalhousie University (Dr. MacIntyre) was funded externally to conduct a series of controlled experiments whereby natural phytoplankton communities are subjected to differing biological, chemical and physical conditions. This Dalhousie/NRC research team proposes to partner with Planetary Technologies to conduct a series of experiments at the NRC facility in Ketch Harbour whereby natural phytoplankton assemblages are subjected to increased alkalinity and closely monitored in state-of-the-art mesocosm tanks (~1000L). The Mitacs interns funded here will 1) assist in experimental design; 2) monitor changes in the seawater carbonate chemistry after alkalization; and 3) lead chemical data analysis and assist with interpretations alongside the larger project team.

Sliike Project – Mobile Apps/Website Design & Marketing Intern

Sliike Corporation is a startup B2B/B2C online marketplace and e-commerce company based in Quebec, Canada. We own a technology platform (App and website) that promote effortless transaction of beauty services, sales of beauty product and advertisement of global brands in cosmetics, fashion, lifestyle, home care and personal care.

Our platform also serves as a place of community and engagement for people of visible minority, particularly Afro-Caribbean.
Sliike connects beauticians to clients and CPG companies to consumers. We optimize the beauty services experience and grow the beauty trade of salon owners and independent beauticians.

Sliike is also established to promote all beauticians especially the beauticians of visible minority, their culture, values, products, lifestyle, and fashion.

Développement de nouveaux algorithmes de recherche et comparaison

3DPartFinder est un moteur de recherche commerciale révolutionnaire qui permet de trouver une pièce mécanique 3D parmi une banque de pièces existantes (déjà conçues et/ou fabriquées), un peu comme Google le fait pour chercher des mots. La grande différence est que l’on demande à 3DPartfinder de trouver une pièce similaire à celle dessinée avec un logiciel de CAO comme SolidWorks (ou avec un des cinq autres logiciels de dessin CAO supportés). Le résultat de la recherche est un ensemble des pièces classées par ordre de ressemblance. La recherche peut ensuite être affinée avec les pièces trouvées. 3DPartFinder est utilisé par des entreprises qui conçoivent des pièces d’aéronautique, d’automobile, d’appareils médicaux, d’horlogerie, etc. Le projet va permettre au logiciel de chercher plus facilement, plus précisément et dans une plus grande banque de pièces que présentement, et ce afin de demeurer les leaders dans ce domaine.

Thermo-responsive polymeric system for anti-inflammatory hydrophobic drug elution

Diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis have been widely impacted by the pathogenesis of inflammation. After traditional therapy, most of the time dying cells stimulate inflammatory effects which results the reduction of therapeutic effect and enhances the drug resistance. That is why treatment often requires frequent or continuous high-dosage administration of anti-inflammatory drugs. Efficient delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs to the targeted sites can reduce medical dosage and improve therapeutic effect. In recent years, nanogels have emerged as promising vehicle for delivering and releasing medications to patients as one of the main dimensions of nanomedicine. Nanogel is a polymer-based gel network of a 20-200 nm scale range that allows a high-dosage loading of biological compound through different chemical/physical interactions. In this project a novel thermo responsive polymeric nanogel system has been designed using FDA approved zwitterionic and PEG derivative compounds to encapsulate anti-inflammatory drugs with controlled elution. The loaded medications can be released from the nanogels through changing the polymer network to swell or compress upon activation by microenvironment changes (temperature/pH of the inflammation sites).

Electrical performance of next generation single-photon detectors

Light detectors are a mature technology that we encounter on a day-to-day basis without even realizing it, such as in cameras for high resolution imaging and in satellites and dishes for communication. The ability to detect light at the fundamental limit (i.e., single photons) is critical for numerous applications in modern medicine, imaging and quantum information science. Examples include dose monitoring for cancer treatment through singlet oxygen detection, 3D imaging with high resolution over long distances, and in quantum communication for enhanced security to safeguard our sensitive data in banking transactions. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) are pushing the limits of single-photon detector performance, but their cost and need for cryogenic cooling systems are significant drawbacks for many applications. Comparatively, single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD) technologies can be made portable without cryogenics but falls significantly short of the SNSPD performance.

The aim of this project is to overcome these drawbacks through the development of novel semiconductor nanowire p-n junction array avalanche photodiode (SN-APD) designs for high-efficiency single-photon detection.

Enterprise Data Engine Development

Enterprise Data Engine Development

Transformation et bonification d’un modèle intersectoriel de retombées économiques

Comprendre les mécanismes et apprécier les effets quantifiables qui s’opèrent dans une économie donnée lorsqu’un agent économique investit dans des immobilisations et crée de l’emploi constitue l’un des principaux objectifs de la conceptualisation du modèle intersectoriel de l’Institut de la Statistique du Québec. L’ensemble des juridictions se dotent de modèles capables de fournir un panorama complet d’un choc exogène. C’est un outil qui permet notamment d’évaluer un projet en matière de retombées économiques, mais qui vise également à anticiper et évaluer d’autres aspects d’une économie locale. Ces modèles viennent apporter désormais des compléments d’information sur la notion de productivité, sur les émissions de gaz à effet de serre ou bien encore sur le niveau des importations. Ces retombées sont considérées sous le prisme des revenus générés à partir d’un investissement, notamment au travers des taxes fiscales et parafiscales, mais également avec la création d’emploi. L’achat d’un bien d’équipement dans une économie locale va à la fois générer des taxes et va nécessiter de recruter pour les fournisseurs de premier rang.

E-Bell and ‘resource theft’: Using technology to understand causes and outcomes of cattle theft among pastoral communities in Western Kenya and eastern Uganda.

Pastoral communities in North-Western Kenya and Eastern Uganda has for the last decades gone through a vicious cycle of bloody conflict. The conflicts are centred mainly around resource use but manifests in cattle theft/raids leaving fatal casualties, mass displacements and abject poverty in its wake. While these conflicts are majorly driven by an array of factors, climate change seems to have perfected the conditions and exacerbated the rationality of the conflicts. This study will seek to understand more deeply the underlying drivers of such conflicts from the communities’ perspectives and determine why this problem persist despite various interventions by both government and non-government actors. In additional to the conventional research methods, a technological approach will also be deployed, to understand more on cattle movement. The significance of this study is to develop a set of recommendations for policy makers, researchers and development actors to inform their programs and intervention strategies.

Robotic Inspection of CANDU Fuel Channels

Fuel channel inspection is critical to safe operation of CANDU reactors. However, the existing techniques used to inspect fuel channels are slow. Fuel channel inspection represents a major bottleneck during maintenance shutdowns of CANDU reactors. To reduce inspection time, it is proposed to develop a robotic inspection system. Multiple copies of this inspection system can be utilized simultaneously to reduce inspection time. In previous work, a proof-of-concept robotic crawler capable of pushing an inspection head through a fuel channel was developed. However, key elements for the development of a complete robotic inspection system still need to be developed including a power and communication systems, a cable management system, improved localization system, and delivery system. This project will look at the design and development of these sub-systems with the end goal of developing a complete prototype of a robotic inspection system for CANDU fuel channels.

Étude des impacts génomiques de l’hybridation et de la reproduction asexuée chez fundulus sp.

Chez les vertébrés, le mode de reproduction le plus fréquent est la reproduction sexuée, ce qui implique la fusion de gamètes, soient l’ovule et le spermatozoïde, provenant de deux parents de sexes opposés. Dans certains cas rares, le mode de reproduction d’une espèce peut devenir asexuée c’est-à-dire, une reproduction par soi-même. Chez les vertébrés, ces lignées semblent toutes venir d’un croisement entre deux espèces différentes. Par exemple, à Porters Lake en Nouvelle-Écosse, on retrouve deux espèces de poissons, Fundulus diaphanus et F. heteroclitus, capable de s’interféconder et produire une descendance hybride asexuée qui est clonale. L’objectif de mes travaux est d’étudier les conséquences génétiques de l’hybridation et de la reproduction asexuée sur le génome de cette descendance. Pour ce faire, je vais caractériser et comparer l’ADN répété entre les espèces parentales et les hybrides. Cette partie de l’ADN évolue très rapidement et on s’attend à deux prédictions contradictoires selon que l’hybridation ou la reproduction asexuée joue un rôle prépondérant. D’un côté, l’hybridation tend à déstabiliser le génome et on s’attend à ce qu’il y ait une accumulation d’ADN répété. Au contraire, la reproduction asexuée devrait conduire à une diminution de la charge en ADN répété.

Social-ecological keystone species for viable fishing communities

My research seeks to identify species that are valuable socially and ecologically to fishers in Chilika (a coastal fishing community in India). To achieve this, I will interview fishers from three ecologically diverse communities to ask what fish are important for (but not limited to) nutrition, livelihoods, culture, biological communities. I will observe how this differs based on gender as well as caste grouping in the lagoon. My research puts Chilika fishers (and their insights) in the forefront to protect fish species of importance. Here, I will emphasize the importance of both local and scientific knowledge. The outcomes of my research are to undertake a social/livelihood analysis and to develop ecological and social profiles of the top four significant species within the lagoon. I will also use fisher knowledge to identify habitat range, map spatial abundances (qualitatively), identify other habitat preferences (spawning, migration, feeding). The global (and Canadian) implications of my study will be to contribute to developing a social and ecological combined understanding to inform theory, policy and practice pertaining to conservation and development that involves the wellbeing of both the fish and the fisher people