Innovative Projects Realized

Work improvement for the manual heavy structural workstations by using dynamic value stream mapping

The goal of the proposed research project is to improve the work productivity for the partner company (Ocean Steel) by identifying bottlenecks accurately in the steel fabrication workstations. This work included evaluating the current applied solutions in order to resolve the same problems encountered with Ocean Steel, which was done by conducting a literature review. However, many of the solutions that were found were not applicable to the Ocean Steel case, meaning that some improvement is required). The work will include activities such as time studies, simulation modelling, and lean-based optimization. Having accurate information about the productivity of their company as well as having a better opportunity of work improvement and production are all ways that will benefit the partner company from this project. Finally, Ocean Steel will be able to use the final deliverables from this research as a decision support system.

Large-scale land acquisitions, electoral democracy and rural citizenship in Senegal

My research examines the significance of opposition to large-scale land deals for electoral democracy and citizenship in Senegal. Since 2007, there has been a dramatic surge in land acquisitions in the Global South. These projects, because they often encroach on community farmland and pastures, can profoundly damage rural livelihoods. In Senegal, aggrieved populations across the country have mobilized to prevent the seizure of their land, most of which is managed by elected municipal councils. These protests denote changing representations about the respective rights and responsibilities of the state and individuals. This research project aims to understand rural citizens’ expectations toward their elected officials and measure whether contested land deals lead to party turnover at the local level.

During my stay at the University of Copenhagen, I will analyze qualitative data that I collected in Senegal as part of my postdoctoral fellowship and start drafting a policy report. As an eminent expert on land matters in West Africa, Professor Christian Lund will provide feedback and guidance on my findings, thereby enhancing the breadth of my analysis. The research stay will be the occasion to establish more extensive collaboration with Professor Lund, including the possibility of co-authoring an article.

Robust Polymeric Membranes for Carrier-based Selective Ion Separations for Battery Recycling

Current rates of recycling for many metal species are near-zero. Improved processes are needed for enabling efficient recycling of electronics waste, including batteries. In our work, we will design polymeric membrane materials that will provide a robust platform for separations processes, specifically targeting separating metal ions from each other in aqueous solution. The interns will be involved in membrane synthesis, mathematical modeling, and membrane performance testing, collaborating with an industrial recycling partner and a national lab partner. We ultimately aim to produce robust membrane materials that will be translated into real-world separations processes for our industrial partner, making battery recycling more efficient, safe, and cost-effective. This work will strengthen the critical Canadian mining and minerals sector.

Assessment of air quality using remote sensing technology for Alberta’s oil sands region Year Two

The objectives of this study are: • To assess the feasibility of using satellite remote sensing technology to measure trace gases and aerosols over northern Alberta. • To study the transport of biomass burning emissions and its impact on air quality over northern Alberta. Methodology: Data from several satellite sensors will be used in this study coupled with AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) ground measurement data, In-service Aircraft for a Global Observing System data (IAGOS), meteorological data and Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) Model. Satellite data sets: This study will use data from numerous satellite instruments, which are: MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer), MISR (Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer), CALIPSO (Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation), OMI (The Ozone Monitoring Instrument), MOPITT (Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere), and TES (Tropospheric

Precision AI Mitacs – Kathryn Aldridge

The agronomy intern will be an important member of our growing agronomy AI team. Precision AI now needs more agronomy expertise to achieve our growth objectives. The intern will help us accelerate our artificial intelligence model development by applying his/her expertise to more quickly identify crop and weed plants in the images we have collected. They will also be able to accelerate our AI performance testing. The intern would support our AI team with the work of annotating plant images for machine learning.

This work will support the creation and commercialization of Precision AI’s proprietary technology and IP. It will contribute to improving the speed and accuracy of the processes. This work will also contribute to the work that we are planning to launch in the United States.

In the short term, this work will help reduce the input costs of farmers. In the longer term, the project will contribute to the reduction of chemicals in the environment and food supply.

Business Strategy Internship

The research outlined in this project is intended to highlight the real world impact cryptocurrencies have on our climate, if there is any. It is meant to evaluate the carbon footprint released by crypto-mining as a whole, and against the benefit it provides to our economy. This evaluation will be used to determine whether any regulatory action is necessary in regards to the crypto market. This also aims to achieve one of the core goals of the project, which is to propose solutions that alleviate climate concerns while avoiding any market volatility. The research methods proposed in this paper are also meant to ensure the accuracy of the findings detailing the climate impact, economic impact, and the efficacy of the solutions proposed in this paper. The project aims to produce a presentation, a research paper, and thesis that highlights environmental regulation initiatives for policy makers, investors, and crypto mining organisations looking to sustainably invest. This research follows Canada’s Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change and Healthy Environment and Healthy Economy plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. Furthermore, the study aligns with the partner organisation’s aim to utilise global perspectives in solving pertinent worldwide issues.

Improving the efficiency of Hydrogen fuelling stations with Ionic liquids

Hydrogen is a promising vehicle fuel that emits no greenhouse gases at the end use and can be produced from a
variety of renewable and low-carbon sources. However, to provide a useful vehicle range it has to be stored at
very high pressures, with maximum pressures as much as 800 times atmospheric pressure. Fuel stations that can
deliver this pressure use a lot of energy and require large, strong, and expensive equipment. This project will
investigate a promising approach that will reduce both the energy required and the system size and cost for vehicle
fueling with hydrogen. By using a liquid to drive the hydrogen into the vehicle tank, the system can be more
efficient, more compact and more reliable. The intern will develop a system model and then build and test system
components. The partner will then use the results in developing a proof-of-concept system.

Thermal management innovations for enhanced battery performance, longevity, and vehicle range

Several barriers continue impacting EV adoption, including vehicle driving range, cost, lifespan, and safety. These barriers are aggravated in extreme cold and hot climate settings due to the sensitivity of batteries and EV technologies to sub-zero and high temperatures (above 45°C). Partnering with Ford Canada, we will jointly develop battery thermal management innovations combining physics-based hierarchical modelling methodologies, data-driven modelling approaches, design optimization, and advanced battery characterization. We will apply a holistic modelling, design, and optimization framework to Ford’s battery systems, enabling superior battery manufacturability, enhanced safety, and an extended lifetime in all climates. Placing battery thermal and degradation issues at the forefront, we will bring a paradigm shift in the design and optimization of battery systems. It is expected that Ford will incorporate these thermal management innovations in their next-generation battery systems.

Form builder for the SignForms web-based application

For the last 15 years, MarketDental has been committed to helping dental practices achieve high quality, result-oriented marketing strategies and engaging web-based applications that create meaningful impact in their practices and exceptional patient experiences.
SignForms is a patient management platform that enables dental practices to go paperless. Our application helps dental professionals to reduce paper use, increase efficiency with a secure and easy way to gather the data and collect digital signatures on every form, from any device.

Challenge:
At the moment, our company manually digitizes all intake, medical/dental history, and informed consent forms.
Customization and flexibility of the forms are two of the main challenges we are facing.

Solving the challenge:
An online form builder for the SignForms application will save time in the long run by enabling dental offices to create/edit custom forms themselves. A possible extension of the project will allow users to scan an existing paper form and generate an initial electronic version which then can be finely tuned using the form builder.

The SignForms will save hours of front desk labor, eliminate all paper printing & scanning. It streamlines the front desk operations, minimizes paper and printing related expenses, collects electronic signatures and is environmentally friendly.

Serverless Computing for Realtime Video Analytics: Measurement, Analysis, and Implementation

Ubiquitous deployment of networked cameras has boosted the prevalence of video analytics. Leveraging machines to automatically analyze captured videos has become the driving force behind a variety of contemporary applications. However, it is known to be resource-hungry with highly dynamic demands, which mismatches the existing monolithic cloud service deployment with coarse-grained resource allocation. Recent advances in serverless computing, which offers ultra-fast and fine-grained autoscaling, would become a game-changer. In this project, the intern from SFU will work with experts from the industrial partner to closely examine the potentials and challenges of serverless computing in building modern video analytics applications. We will start from realworld measurements and analysis on serverless computing for video analytics. We will then implement an integrated framework with geo-distributed resources to handle the complicated dynamics in live video analytics.

Software development for a Resource Management Software Suite – Part 1

?Levis is currently developing and productizing an online Resource Management Software Suite (RMSS) that targets small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across numerous industries. There are similar products in the space of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), whereby an organization can manage their entire business with one software product. These software suites contain many modules such as accounting, human resources, inventory management, asset tracking, and compliance. This software comes with a huge price tag so Levis strives to create an affordable solution for SMEs. The added functionality will make them more competitive within the market by offering similar features to existing software packages. They are also looking to provide functionality that has been requested by their current customer base. This work will help make Levis’ software suite more attractive to new customers.

By working with Saskatchewan Polytechnic (SP) and SP interns, Levis will be able to decrease their time to market by supplementing existing staff time with time spent by an Intern. Levis will also be able to benefit from having an academic supervisor provide mentorship to both the interns and Levis staff. Interns will benefit by learning about software development on an actual software product that will be productized.

Software development for a Resource Management Software Suite – Part 2

?Levis is currently developing and productizing an online Resource Management Software Suite (RMSS) that targets small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across numerous industries. There are similar products in the space of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), whereby an organization can manage their entire business with one software product. These software suites contain many modules such as accounting, human resources, inventory management, asset tracking, and compliance. This software comes with a huge price tag so Levis strives to create an affordable solution for SMEs. The added functionality will make them more competitive within the market by offering similar features to existing software packages. They are also looking to provide functionality that has been requested by their current customer base. This work will help make Levis’ software suite more attractive to new customers.

By working with Saskatchewan Polytechnic (SP) and SP interns, Levis will be able to decrease their time to market by supplementing existing staff time with time spent by an Intern. Levis will also be able to benefit from having an academic supervisor provide mentorship to both the interns and Levis staff. Interns will benefit by learning about software development on an actual software product that will be productized.