Projets novateurs réalisés

Clonal growth dynamics of rhizomes after herbicide treatments in Reynoutria spp. epinastic and control ecotypes

Knotweed (Reynoutria spp.) is listed in the International Union of Conservation 100 worst invasive alien species worldwide and causes extensive environmental degradation and economic impacts in British Columbia and other parts of Canada. Knotweed’s extensive rhizome systems enable to form large patches very resistant to most control methods, and requires repeated herbicide treatments, potentially leading to herbicide resistance. Populations in British Columbia exhibit epinastic growth which may be linked to resistance. The intern will be engaged in researching this unusual growth form through field and laboratory studies, supported by Greener This Side, an invasive species control company engaged in both practical management and research to devise better management methods of invasive species like knotweed. This research represents an excellent opportunity for the intern to study a phenomenon never before studied, and simultaneously allow Greener This Side to address complex questions that require a comprehensive approach.

Medical Technician for SpotLight-19 Clinical Trial

ISBRG is conducting a clinical trial of SpotLight-19©, ISBRG’s diagnostic technology prototype, following receipt of Investigational Testing Authorization (ITA) from Health Canada.

Develop a test system for the Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon of the Horse

The overall objective of the work is to understand how loading from the different muscle groups affects the strain that develops in the Superficial Digital Flexor Tendon (SDTF) of the Horse. We will be able to learn how the strength and power of each muscle group must be adapted to achieve different strain distributions in the SDFT. We will be able to determine what level of repeated loading causes degeneration and rupture of the tendon. Understanding the mechanics of the tendon in combination with biological changes, is essential to be able to develop successful treatments for problems with the tendon.
We will work with advisors and technical staff to determine how to hold the hoof on the load floor, how to apply loads independently to three muscle groups using different actuators, how to stabilize the foreleg during load application, how to expose the relevant tendon and maintain moisture content, how best to measure strain with digital image correlation.

Cycling Equity and Older Buildings

Bicycling has risen in popularity in many cities in recent decades, including Vancouver. However, some potential cyclists face barriers to taking up cycling, including the fact that many older buildings have insufficient bike storage facilities and other issues relating to bike security, building policies, etc. The ‘Cycling Equity and Older Buildings’ project will use interviews, focus groups, and surveys to better understand the issues impacting the improvement of cycling facilities and experiences in older buildings zoned for office, industrial, residential, and mixed-use in Vancouver. The research will use an equity lens that seeks to explore why different groups may face different challenges related to bicycle use. The project will make recommendations promote and support improvements in older buildings regarding cycling amenities, connections, and policies.

Improving knee osteoarthritis care for individuals with a BMI >35kg/m2

The best way to treat advanced knee arthritis in individuals with a body mass index (BMI) >35 kg/m2 is unknown. These patients are less likely to be referred for surgical arthritis treatment due to a higher risk of infection after surgery related to their higher BMI. They are advised to lose weight even though it is uncertain if weight-loss is beneficial for advanced arthritis. Further, unsupervised weight-loss could increase their risk for muscle loss and development of sarcopenic obesity (an important health condition of low muscle and low strength that negatively impacts mobility, surgical risk, and mortality). There may be better approaches to assess surgical risk in this patient group. However we first need to understand how and why BMI assessments for surgery access are used in orthopedics. This novel project will support education strategies around surgical risk assessment and improving equity and access to effective OA treatments for all patients, regardless of their body size. This work will contribute to the future development of more effective assessment strategies and personalized OA treatment approaches for this underserved patient group.

Control of point source low volume methane emission using methanobiofilteration technology

The research project identified here falls under the category of “clean energy technology”. Methanobiofiltration (MBF) is a new technology for the treatment of waste methane gas using a biological process, thus contributing to the reduction of the environmental impacts of current energy technologies. The lack of a complete technology package needed for various industry sectors has hindered its large-scale application in Alberta. With the fundamental knowledge and extensive research experience generated by Dr Hettiaratchi’s research group in recent years (Hettiaratchi et al., 2011; Chandrakanthi and Hettiaratchi, 2005; Stein and Hettiaratchi, 2001), the team is now ready to develop a full MBF technology package and initiate several full-scale field demonstration projects. The key objectives of the proposed project are:

1. Assessment of the commercial feasibility (CF) of MBF technology by undertaking a market analysis to identify the opportunities for the application of this technology in various industrial sectors. Economic feasibility and carbon offset analyses will be conducted using a life cycle approach.

2. Evaluation of the technical feasibility (TF) of the MBF technology under various field conditions, including the implementation of several full-scale methanobiofilters associated with landfills and the oil and gas sector.

Identification et caractérisation de nouvelles associations stellaires

Il est possible de définir les associations de jeunes étoiles, ou associations stellaires, comme étant un groupe d’étoiles qui naissent dans un nuage de gaz et qui émergent de ce nuage simultanément. Ces étoiles partagent donc des caractéristiques similaires telles que leur âge et leur déplacement dans l’espace. Alors, en étudiant le mouvement des étoiles dans notre entourage ainsi que leur position dans l’espace, nous allons appliquer un algorithme d’intelligence artificielle de regroupement afin de trouver de nouvelles associations de jeunes étoiles. Trouver ces regroupements d’étoiles nous permettra notamment de définir précisément l’âge des étoiles membres de l’association, ce qui est impossible à déterminer précisément par d’autres méthodes. La connaissance de l’âge des étoiles est fondamentale pour mieux comprendre leurs propriétés et comment elles évoluent dans le temps.

Circular Food Innovation Lab (CFIL)

The City of Vancouver has an aspirational goal to become a zero waste community by 2040, a goal that includes the development of a circular economy of food (CEF). A circular economy is where every material, including food, is used to its full extent and nothing is wasted or treated as garbage. Funding from Mitacs and the Carbon Neutral Cites Alliance is helping Vancouver move the dial on the circular economy of food. The City of Vancouver in collaboration with Vancouver Economic Commission’s Economic Transformation Lab will bring systems design interns from Emily Carr University of Art + Design together with Vancouver’s supply chain actors to find practical, innovative solutions to food waste. Tested on-the-floor by staff and managers these solutions will potentially inform new practices for a diverse range of sectors. This is ground breaking work that will be shared with Vancouver’s supply chain actor community and other cities regionally, nationally and internationally.

Une subjectivité en commun : entrelacs de l’intime et du collectif, de Simone de Beauvoir à Mathieu Riboulet

Comment rendre compte d’une expérience collective à partir de l’écriture de l’intime ? Telle est la question qui hante la lecture des œuvres de Simone de Beauvoir, de François Bon, d’Annie Ernaux, de Georges Perec et de Mathieu Riboulet. En entrecroisant leur mémoire personnelle à la mémoire collective, ces auteurs et autrices consignent une expérience de leur temps tout en réfléchissant à leur propre subjectivité. L’intrication de l’intime et du collectif dans les œuvres autobiographiques de Beauvoir, Bon, Ernaux, Perec et Riboulet, qui constituent le corpus principal, invite à s’interroger sur la constitution d’une subjectivité collective dans les écritures de soi contemporaines, dont témoignent également les récits d’Éric Chauvier, de Didier Eribon, d’Ivan Jablonka et de Leslie Kaplan, étudiés en corpus secondaire. La mise en partage des mémoires – personnelles et collectives du XXe siècle français – révèle le caractère insuffisant du « je » seul pour se raconter, car le soi n’est jamais totalement dissocié d’une communauté. Pour définir ce qu’est une subjectivité collective, il faudra d’abord s’attacher à comment se constitue une subjectivité en lien avec une collectivité.

Période d’essais et de raffinement du prototype ergocycle semi-allongé (vélo) intelligent (TRIVEL)

La technologie est maintenant bien présente dans les divers espaces de vie et elle est utilisée pour la réadaptation des personnes ayant des problèmes suite à des maladies ou traumatismes. Ce projet testera un premier prototype de vélo intelligent auprès des clients (patients et personnes en santé) et cliniciens. Le vélo intelligent, en plus d’offrir un visuel stimulant de type jeux vidéo, permettra aux utilisateurs de s’entraîner selon leurs capacités et préférences grâce à l’IA. Une première étape du développement est d’évaluer les effets sur les muscles des jambes et sur les efforts du coeur et de recueillir les commentaires des personnes qui pédalent avec les divers modules d’entrainement du vélo. Grâce à ce projet, le partenaire pourra décider des modes de pédalage à intégrer au vélo et il aura aussi des informations sur la capacité du vélo intelligent à déterminer les capacités de pédalage du client pour personnaliser son entrainement. La deuxième étude fournira des données d’utilisateurs cliniciens, elle apportera des informations intéressantes, entre autres sur l’utilisabilité potentielle en clinique du produit.

Recherche du mécanisme impliqué dans l’internalisation et le recyclage du récepteur CD36 suite à la liaison par les azapeptides

L’objectif premier de cette étude vise à étudier le devenir, à l’intérieur d’une cellule dérivée de globules blancs sanguins, d’une protéine (appelée récepteur) qui joue un rôle important dans la progression de l’athérosclérose. Comprendre comment cette protéine circule dans la cellule et comment cette circulation peut être modulée par des médicaments anti-athérosclérotiques potentiels (les azapeptides) est nécessaire pour expliquer non seulement leur mécanisme d’action mais aussi leur durée d’action.

Afin de répondre à cet objectif, la candidate travaillera avec des lignées cellulaires comme modèle d’une cellule appelée macrophage. Le récepteur d’intérêt (appelé CD36) sera marqué avec une sonde fluorescente et son internalisation, de même que son recyclage, en absence et en présence de médicaments seront étudiés. Ainsi, la candidate utilisera les technique de culture cellulaire, de transfection, de pharmacologie (dose-réponse des azapeptides) et de détection par fluorescence.

DHMG General Services Expansion Internship

My main project is the conceptualization, creation, and continuous refinement of my Digital Marketing Masterclass workshops. These workshops are designed to further educate and empower the C-suite, senior technical and strategic management, and the employees of “digital-forward” businesses. There is a huge gap in education currently with regards to what is available for current and new marketing professionals, and what is required operationally as a business in 2021. Covid, lockdowns, digital behaviors, privacy concerns – the list goes on.
As this application has developed, I have found myself with an equally exciting additional opportunity. I have partnered with a Saskatchewan-based venture capital firm to help strengthen the digital marketing arm of their accelerator program for growing start-ups. We are modeling early conversations around Clearco and GrowthX – I highly recommend looking into these businesses as they have proven to be extremely successful in a short period of time.
As these start-ups are most often composed of small teams wearing many hats, my business has the opportunity to provide and teach essential marketing skills across a broad spectrum of topics/areas. In essence, it is a natural starting point for the course mentioned above, with ample opportunity for further work beyond the course.