Projets novateurs réalisés

Micro/Nanobubble-Enhanced Cold Plasma Activation of Water

The project will develop a highly efficient technology for producing plasma-activated water (PAW) with low energy consumption. Expected outcomes of the project will enable high throughput production of PAW to meet the urgent need for green and sustainable technology in agriculture and food. PAW generated in large quantities will be at low cost without using chemicals in the formulation or leaving toxic by-products to the users or the environment. A suite of analytic techniques will be explored to understand the fundamental physiochemical properties of PAW that underlie the desirable activity. The activation efficiency will be significantly improved by micro/nanobubbles so that the power input from solar panel will be sufficient for high throughput production of PAW on-site. PAW application for improved growth of plants will be demonstrated in greenhouse. The project will create an excellent opportunity for training highly qualified personnel through partnership with the industry.

Analysis of the Effectiveness of Rapid Re-Housing Strategies for Achieving Youth Housing Stability

Research has repeatedly shown that increasing housing stability for vulnerable individuals consistently improves other outcomes in their lives. Choices For Youth (CFY) is a leader in the province of NL in providing comprehensive supports to vulnerable youth experiencing homelessness in order to secure better outcomes for housing, employment, and other health factors. This research aims to analyze different housing strategies employed by CFY (emergency/shelter, supportive, and affordable) to identify trends in long-term stability achieved after these interventions. As part of National Housing Strategy, the Government of Canada and the Government of NL are engaged with provincial partners, including CFY, in research on Rapid Housing Initiatives. This research aims to measure the advantages and limitations of diverse housing strategies in order to better inform policy and programming that effectively and efficiently addresses the needs of vulnerable youth experiencing homelessness and lead to better long-term economic and health outcomes.

Building A Shared Measurement Tool for Measuring Belonging in the Community

An important part of positive well-being is that one feels loved and supported through mutually caring and respectful relationships, whether from friends, family, companions, mentors, or others that may be in the community (UNICEF Canada, 2019). That is, wellbeing is intimately related to a feeling of belonging. As such, improving one’s sense of belonging is often a target of community programs. However, in order to know whether programs are having their desired impact, there needs to be an effective means of measuring belonging. The project represents a collaboration between non-profits in Waterloo Region, led by Marillac Place, and researchers at the University of Waterloo with the objective to develop tools for the shared measurement of belonging across different community programs in order to examine program impact in an evidence-based manner. This project will contribute broadly to research on belonging and benefit the partner organization and their collaborators more effectively serve their community.

Etudes de l’occupation de Tac1b dans le génome de Candida auris avec ChEC-seq

Candida auris est une nouvelle espèce de Candida découverte depuis 2009, qui s’est propagée dans six continents, causant des épidémies nosocomiales de candidoses invasives. La mortalité élevée et la transmissibilité rendent C. auris un pathogène fongique dangereux pour la santé publique. De plus, C. auris peut développer des résistances à toutes les classes d’antifongiques (azoles, echinocandins, polyènes). La plupart des isolats de C. auris sont particulièrement résistants au fluconazole (un des azoles), utilisé contre les candidoses invasives. Donc c’est important d’élucider les mécanismes de la résistance aux azole chez C. auris.
Notre groupe de recherche a identifié un facteur de transcription Tac1b, qui régule la résistance aux azole chez C. auris. Par contre, comment Tac1b contrôle la résistance n’est pas clair. Avec ce projet, nous allons investiguer l’interaction physique de Tac1b dans le génome de C. auris avec la méthode ChEC-seq, et ainsi les gènes contrôlés par Tac1b et les voies en aval de Tac1b vont être trouvés. Ces découverts pourront permettre d’identifier les nouveaux mécanismes de la résistance aux azoles chez C. auris et aussi les nouvelles cibles thérapeutiques pour les traitements antifongiques.

Development of sustainable technologies to derive fuel chemicals and other functional materials from renewable biomass

Waste generation rates are rising, as the results of the increased world’s population. Increased global concern over environmental issues led to a strong interest in developing sustainable technologies that derive fuels and chemicals from renewable feedstock. Renewable biomass materials, as lignocellulosic waste, are attractive since they contain large amounts of renewable carbon and biochemicals with potential applications for a wide range of industries. They are well suited for producing biochemicals and materials replacing fossil fuel derived products.
Biofuels as ethanol have many advantages over fossil fuels, as they are renewable. The addition of even a mild percentage of ethanol to gasoline requires no engine modification and enhances engine efficiency while lowering fuel consumption and toxic emission for both gasoline and diesel engines. Ethanol is the main ingredient in hand sanitizer and other chemical/ biomedical industries, thus the production of ethanol is critical especially for public health concerns as observed in the current case of the Covid-19 outbreak

Les jardins du Prince-cardinal Maurice de Savoie (1593-1657) : art, science et politique dans l’Italie baroque

Cette étude a pour objectif de répondre à des questionnements scientifiques sur les liens entre l’art baroque italien et la science ainsi que la politique. Nous analyserons un cas turinois peu étudié : le mécénat du Prince-cardinal Maurice de Savoie (1593-1657). L’objet d’étude sera les jardins qu’il a possédé notamment celui de l’actuelle Villa de la Regina. Notre méthodologie combinera l’analyse visuelle et textuelle. Nous investiguerons des éléments de la collection d’art du cardinal : L’allégorie de l’architecture, de l’astronomie et de l’agriculture (1625), huile sur toile de Domenico Zampieri dit Le Domenichino, exposée à la Galleria Sabauda à Turin et la gravure Le jardin du prince Maurice Savoie (v.1654) de Giovenale Boetto réalisée comme frontispice de thèse. Nous compléterons cette recherche par l’étude de textes sur ces jardins notamment Il Cannochiale Aristotelico (1654) d’Emanuel Tesauro, membre de l’Accademia dei Solenghi, société savante liée à cet espace vert.

Ce projet de recherche a reçu l’appui du CRSH pour la période 2021-2022. La bourse de la MITACS permettrait de développer davantage la recherche sur le terrain.

Co-exploring the potential of using virtual reality in long-term care

This project work with stakeholders, residents, family members, and care staff, in two long-term care homes to analyze the use of virtual reality to improve mood, support quality of life and increase social engagement in residents with and without dementia. Rendever is a virtual reality system that has been designed for these purposes and is used in over 400 care homes across the US, Canada and Australia. Research will be conducted over 2 years. We will include a diverse group with various sex and gender, age range, ethnic and racial backgrounds, etc. The sample will include 20 people with various types and stages of dementia, 20 family members, and 20 frontline interdisciplinary staff. This project also intends to explore effects of virtual reality on mood, quality of life, and responsive (aggressive) behaviours resulting from unmet needs in residents with dementia. The findings of this project will provide helpful insight into specific needs and preferences of LTC residents and their families. This project expands current knowledge about implementation science by adding a better understanding of user experiences about technology adoption in complex care environments such as long-term care.

Translating identities in institutional settings

The purpose of this project is to understand how the global support observed in Canada’s foreign policy relates to LGBT* policies and non-governmental initiatives in Canada. Additionally, Kwaku Adomako would learn from Professor Lee’s expertise concerning the global impact of Canadian asylum policies aimed at LGBT* persons fleeing persecution. This is as his interlocutors in Ghana seek international assistance in ‘raising capacity’ to generate local expertise on asylum advising as well as on social service delivery for sexual and gender minorities (SGMs). Furthermore, in light of his participant observation of community-based organizing of SGMs, Kwaku Adomako would like to draw from Professor Lee’s (and colleagues) use of auto-ethnography as well as critical and participatory methodologies to glean reflexive insights from studying LGBT* NGOs and communities (see Caron, Lee & Pullen Sansfaçon, 2020).

This project will help Kwaku Adomako re-establish and reinforce relationships with key researchers who work on similar topics in Canada to strengthen and expand professional networks.

Modélisation de la production embarqué sur un véhicule

Le secteur des transports est l’un des contributeurs majoritaires à l’émission des gaz à effet de serre au Canada. La compagnie CapSolar propose d’intégrer des modules photovoltaïques aux véhicules roulant pour favoriser l’utilisation d’énergies renouvelables dans ce secteur.
Dans ce stage de recherche, nous proposons de développer un modèle permettant de prédire la production d’énergie électrique d’origine photovoltaïque pendant le trajet d’un véhicule.
Cette modélisation permettra à CapSolar d’affiner sa stratégie de développement et lui fournira un outil nécessaire à la démonstration de la pertinence de sa technologie pour ses clients.

Growing high-yield, healthy plants using root-zone dissolved CO2 enrichment system: impact of varying degrees of dissolved CO2 addition on plant growth in controlled growth conditions.

Many industrial hydroponic growers supplement their greenhouses with additional CO2 to improve crop yields. Elevated levels of CO2 can increase rates of photosynthesis and dry-matter accumulation. Greenhouse operators, therefore, often inject extra CO2 (up to 700-1500 ppm) into the aerial environment to improve their crop yields. However, enhancing CO2 levels in commercial greenhouses can incur both high energy costs and material waste due to the frequent ventilation of greenhouses needed to control humidity andtemperature, and prevent certain plant diseases. The aerial deployment of CO2 thus wastes some materials and unnecessarily contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. This project is pursuing a novel root-zone supplementation technique that helps limit atmospheric diffusion and keeps supplemented CO2 near the plant. The technology represents both a potential advantage for producers and a means to reduce CO2 emissions in greenhouse operations. The project focuses on demonstrating improved crop yields and optimizing the delivery mechanisms.

Utilisation des données satellitaires et géospatiales, des enquêtes socio-économiques et de l’intelligence artificielle pour l’amélioration des prédictions de vulnérabilité des populations en lien avec la COVID-19

Le but de ce projet est d’utiliser l’imagerie satellite pour obtenir un portrait instantané et exhaustif d’une région ou d’un pays, et utiliser des données socio-économiques et en santé collectées par l’équipe de recherche pour combler le manque d’information sur un territoire. Les données enrichies seront intégrées à un SAD optimisé pour la fouille des mégadonnées avec des outils d’intelligence artificielle. Les analyses et les indicateurs extraits seront présentés à travers des tableaux de bord analytiques sur une plateforme web. Cet outil doit permettre de mieux cibler les zones de vulnérabilité, et facilitera les prises de décisions par les pouvoirs publics.

Solar interfacial evaporation for fast drying of water with a high concentration of solid

Speeding up evaporation of water is essential for reducing the volume of tailings from mining industry, shortening the time required for land reclamation, and eliminating greenhouse gas emission from degradation of organic materials in wet deposits. Solar interfacial evaporation is an emerging technology that harvests solar energy and converts it to latent heat for water evaporation. The energy conversion is localized at the interface between water and air from the top of a layer of photothermal materials. The evaporative surface is spatially separated from the water source to avoid heat loss from convection or conduction. The challenges for fast drying of tailings by solar interfacial evaporation are the effects from solid contents and organic compounds on the stability and durability of the evaporator. In this project, we aim to understand and control solar interfacial evaporation from water source containing high solid contents. Solid particles and organic residues in water will be excluded from the evaporator by tailoring the structural and wetting properties of the support surface and the top layer of the evaporator. The salt crystals will be limited in certain areas while the evaporative surface area can be maintained.