Projets novateurs réalisés

Allier la recherche et la formation pour le développement de la permaculture

La Société de développement économique de Percé (SDÉP) est en phase de déploiement d’une école de permaculture et d’innovation agricole dans la communauté de Val d’Espoir. Dans l’optique de développer un curriculum éducatif répondant aux besoins ainsi qu’aux réalités du milieu agricole locales, la SDÉP veut voir à la mise en place d’une communauté de pratique constituée d’acteurs locaux de l’agriculture innovante ainsi que de spécialistes provinciaux de la permaculture. Cette recherche permettra de déceler les besoins, les défis ainsi que les apports possibles des agriculteurs de la région de Percé et des permaculteurs du Québec à l’articulation de la formation, des stages pratiques et de la recherche opérés par l’École de permaculture et d’agriculture innovante de Percé.

Book Recommendation: Improving Collaborative Filtering with Content Information

Collaborative filtering is a product recommendation technique for making automated product suggestions to a user based on the preference information from similar users. Traditional recommendation algorithms drive personalized recommendations using the data from user purchases and ratings. For e-book retailers, besides user purchases and ratings, product features such as book content and metadata also provide valuable information that can be used ‘to improve the recommendation precision and recall. The goal of this project is to improve the recommendation algorithm in the e-book domain by incorporating additional user and product features. Research topics include the application of collaborative filtering, topic modeling and collaborative topic regression as well as experimenting with novel approaches.

Enquête sur l’appropriation culturelle dans le théâtre actuel au Québec: pistes de solutions

L’objectif général du projet est d’apporter un soutien concret aux praticien.ne.s du milieu du théâtre québécois dans l’identification, la prévention et la déconstruction des rapports de domination entre cultures, pouvant parfois surgir lors du processus de création. Par cette recherche, nous voulons améliorer la capacité des artistes à reconnaître les formes et les frontières de l’appropriation culturelle dans la création artistique. Nous voulons outiller et encourager nos créateurs.trices à emprunter des cheminements créatifs respectueux des héritages culturels et patrimoniaux de l’Autre. Nous partagerons avec le milieu un rapport d’étape qui sera présenté publiquement lors de l’ Agora | Diversité culturelle en novembre 2021, pour faire le point sur la recherche en cours. À la fin de la recherche, un rapport-synthèse final qui inclura un outil de médiation numérique, avec des ressources concrètes pour les praticien.ne.s du milieu du théâtre, sera présenté lors d’une table ronde publique, organisée à l’UQAM au printemps 2022.

Developing an Inflammation Intensity Score based on AI analysis of blood biomarkers

With chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis affecting the spine, a major clinical problem is that disease can advance over years with unrecognized persisting inflammation. Recently, we discovered that elevated concentration of certain substances in blood considered together, are highly associated with persisting local inflammation. This study will use data gathered from the blood chemistry analysis of 286 spinal arthritis patients followed for up to 12 years. Artificial Intelligence techniques will be used to help discern and analyze the data patterns in ways superior to previous methods. Patterns observed with the highest associations with persistent inflammation will be used to develop a suite of lab tests to assist diagnosis, define intensity of persisting inflammation and patients’ responses to drug therapy. It is envisaged that a successful suite of tests could also be used to assess presence and amount of inflammation in other chronic diseases such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

The Beginning of a New Area: Virtual Reality Exhibitions in Metaverses – A partnership between Thompson Landry & Art Collision in Art Gate VR

Create a virtual reality exhibition for the Thompson Landry Gallery & organize social live events in VR.

Digital Marketing Coordinator – SMS project

SMS messaging is a new digital marketing channel that is untapped. Very few companies are using this channel. One would only have to look at his/her mobile phone and one would notice very few SMS text messages that are advertisements.

Coupled with AI chatbot technology, SMS messaging could be a very profitable channel to bring traffic to DTC websites such as MyVega.com and MyVega.ca.

To this end, Vega would like to conduct SMS messaging (with AI chatbot technology) tests throughout a 4-month period. We want to know if SMS messaging with AI chatbot tech are good drivers of revenue. Also, we want to see if we are able to engage our retained customers through SMS + AI.

Furthermore, we want to further test using email automation to further scale up SMS + AI innovations.

The results will be directly tied to the performance of our Shopify eCommerce platform.

A huge treasure trove of data will be analyzed and insights will be gleaned. The conclusion of this 4-month test will be whether to continue or discontinue the SMS + AI chatbot strategy.

To create a business development and innovation process for the AirMatrix Sales Team

The project will include elements of in-depth research, designing and development of new methods and marketing strategies to increase the brand visibility and build AirMatrix’s pipeline. I will also be working alongside the Sales team to assist with strategic decision making, offering potential solutions to identify and overcome barriers to market entry as well as develop a sustainable Go-to-Market process that can be used in the long-run.

Relaunch Administration & Strategy

Sugar Swing is relaunching its dance company after 16 months of lesser activity. We offer a variety of services relating to dance lessons, social events, performing, and renting space. Some staff have moved on and there is much work to be done in order to restart and get back up to pre-pandemic levels. An intern would be helping the owner/director with a variety of management and administrative duties to help get to this level; effectively, to become their “second in command” for the next several months. The intern will learn the ins and outs of a small business including everything from marketing, scheduling, event and staff management!

Deal Dash Expansion into eCommerce and Amazon Platforms

Deal Dash Expansion into eCommerce and Amazon Platforms is our proposed project. Deal Dash Inc. is a new liquidation and retail business that is located in central Newfoundland. We research and source popular products in today’s market, inspect these products once shipped to us, and then display them for resale to consumers at discounted prices. Although we initially began exclusively online via our website, we have since concentrated our focus on our store-front located in Gander, NL. This project is aimed to establish and accentuate our business into the eCommerce realm. We will be renovating our website and increasing marketing tactics and strategies to increase consumer traffic from outside of central Newfoundland, and also introducing our business into the Amazon sales business.
This is an opportunity for us to expand our business and enter new markets using new platforms to aid in economic benefit for our business.

Evolving a system for effective communication with non-speaking patients in situations of medical emergency I hospital intensive care

Individuals with cerebral palsy generally use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices to help them interact socially. The vocabularies provided in these systems are not specifically helpful in communicating during medical emergency or hospital intensive care. This project involves user-centered design and development of a software module for use in such situations, based on a vocabulary set for medical situations derived through earlier research with MC users, caregivers, speech language pathologists and medical care professionals. The module will be implemented as part of an iPad-based MC product (TalkRocket Go) marketed by MyVoice Inc. By helping improve the quality of life of individuals with cerebral palsy who are MC users, this research will serve the mandate of the Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy. Designed to be easy-to-Iearn and easy-to-use, the system will help medical professionals provide better care to any patient who is unable to speak due to temporary medical conditions

Soutenir le développement de la recherche collaborative : des milieux académiques vers une pratique professionnelle intégrée et socialement responsable

Les discussions sur les questions identitaires et de justice sociale (Réconciliation avec les Premières Nations, des mouvements comme Black Lives Matter, etc.) sont omniprésentes dans le contexte québécois actuel. En reconnaissant l’importance de ces enjeux, les universités changent aussi leurs pratiques en recherche auprès des sujets humains, mais il faut encore que ces pratiques soient transférables aux milieux professionnels.
Dans ce contexte, il est nécessaire de fournir aux personnes diplômées en sciences humaines et sociales des outils pour une meilleure intégration des leur activité professionnelle hors université, qui prennent en compte ces nouveaux défis réels.
Le projet vise ainsi à consolider le pont professionnel entre la philosophie universitaire (l’éthique, la théorie de la connaissance et le raisonnement critique) et le marché de travail hors université. Il s’agit ainsi d’un travail de mise en pratique de connaissances académiques. La stagiaire contribuera à développer, au sein de l’entreprise partenaire (qui une entreprise québécoise), une offre de services en recherche qualitative intégrée, collaborative, interdisciplinaire et socialement responsable, offerte aux entreprises et particuliers.

Impact of dietary macronutrient content on energy balance and metabolism in lean and obese cats

Obesity is a detrimental disease that affects up to 60 % of domestic cats in North America. It is generally accepted that diet plays a fundamental role in the development of obesity in cats. However, few research studies investigate the role of macronutrients, protein, carbohydrates, and fats, in obesity. The aim of the present study is to evaluate how a low carbohydrate diet may benefit both lean and obese cats compared to both a low protein and a low fat diet, which each have a higher carbohydrate content. These results will deepen the understanding of the role of carbohydrates in feline physiology and energy metabolism in cats. The results of this study may help the petfood industry in designing diet formulations that can benefit the health of cats. Importantly, the results of this study may be used by veterinarians to make evidence-based recommendations aiming at feline obesity prevention.