Innovative Projects Realized

Characterization of diabetic bone at the nanoscale

Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disease affecting 422 million people worldwide, had often been associated with a loss in bone quality and strength, causing a higher fracture risk. However, thorough characterization of diabetic bone at the nanoscale has never been completed. This may indeed be relevant, as the structure and chemistry of the nanoscale components of bone directly determine bone quality and strength.

In this project, Raman spectroscopy will be used at the host institution to gain information about the composition of diabetic bone at the nanoscale. This will be compared to that of healthy bone to identify the nanoscale changes induced by diabetes. It is expected that there may be changes in organic/inorganic ratios, which will be compared with structure analysis at the home institution. This work will shed light on the reasons behind the compromised quality/strength and the higher fracture risk of diabetic bone, thus enabling potential treatments, improvement of implant success in diabetic patients, and in turn, an overall improvement in the quality of life of diabetes sufferers worldwide.

Birdsong from Before: a critical historical geography of bird sound recording

This project explores the history of bird sound recording in Canada and the USA, with a specific focus on the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology at Cornell University, New York, which holds the world’s largest bird sound archive. I will focus on three case study recordings: Arthur A Allen and Peter Paul Kellogg’s 1935 Ivory-Billed Woodpecker recordings, William W. H. Gunn’s 1953 Atlantic Puffin recordings, and Norma and Jerry Stillwell’s 1950 Barred Owl recordings. With a few exceptions, all recordings and physical materials pertaining to these case studies are held at Cornell University. Under the supervision of Dr. Juno Salazar Parreñas in the Department of Science & Technology Studies, I will undertake archival research of these collections, as well as complete supplementary interviews regarding these materials with individuals at the ornithological lab. This project will provide a critical social science perspective on bird sound recording, contribute to the completion of my PhD, and inform a public-facing environmental education project.

Influence du contexte biophysique sur l’intensité d’aménagement des forêts privées

Bien qu’elle soit la source d’une part importante des approvisionnements aux usines de transformation, la production de bois en provenance des forêts privées du Québec demeure nettement inférieure à la possibilité forestière. Des enquêtes menées auprès des propriétaires nous ont permis de documenter certains facteurs socio-démographiques reliés à l’engagement des propriétaires envers l’aménagement forestier. Dans ce projet, nous proposons d’utiliser les nouveaux outils de télédétection, notamment les données issues du LiDAR aérien, afin de mieux comprendre le lien entre le contexte biophysique et l’intensité d’aménagement des boisés privés. À l’aide des données du LiDAR aérien, nous dresserons d’abord un portrait de l’intensité d’aménagement forestier à l’échelle régionale de l’Estrie. Nous évaluerons ensuite dans quelle mesure des variables telles que la taille de la propriété, la situation géographique, ou les caractéristiques des propriétés voisines peuvent être reliées à l’intensité d’aménagement.

TinyEye COVID-19 Services Enhancement

With Covid-19 there has been a growth in online therapy opportunities. There are new challenges that need to be addressed to expand our service offering. TinyEYE is facing challenges in increased magnitude of touch points for similar levels of service delivery. An intern can participate in research and development of technologies that enable such offerings, focusing our pivot from working with schools to working with parents and guardians. The intern will
Partner with product managers and stakeholders to identify and gather requirements
Analyze and prioritize them
Design and implement solutions
Monitor and receive feedback for improvement
Write code, troubleshoot, and estimate using story-points
to meet the challenges where our operational teams require new software solutions.

Software Developer Internship

SNAP Virtual is a start up company, affiliated with a leading U.S. company, specializing in augmented and virtual reality (AR / VR) software applications. Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR / VR) are among the core technologies (AI, IoT, Robotics) being rapidly adopted for education and training purposes but also to automate, create efficiencies, enable remote work and develop innovative solutions. The intern will work to rapidly contribute to the development of their AR/VR solution to help launch a product support other SMEs.

Future-proofing community-based research and training services for a non-profit organization

My summer internship will support CFRAC’s efforts to respond to racism and discrimination in Edmonton, which has been made more difficult due to the challenges posed by COVID-19. Due to lock-down measures imposed by provincial and municipal governments, most Edmonton organizations have encountered varying financial implications. COVID-19 has also impacted non-profits, like CFRAC, uniquely due to a decrease in charitable giving (Imagine Canada, 2020). Further, CFRAC’s mission to focus work on the issues, concerns, and strengths in the community, and engage meaningfully with community members is limited due to social distancing restrictions on community engagement. Specifically, I will help develop training materials and online educational opportunities to foster community interest and support logistics and facilitation of educational events. My project will help develop new methods of community engagement through virtual networking and online community-building (through social media), and to support CFRAC’s existing research programs. My job will also involve searching for and supporting the development of new grant opportunities for CFRAC. This internship allows CFRAC additional resources and connections with post-secondary institutions in this under-resourced and uncertain time.

Laboratoire virtuel Proteus modélisation des interactions chimiques pour chacune des activités

Le stagiaire , étudiant à la maitrise en chimie, modélisera les équations chimiques des différentes activités de laboratoires virtuel proposés par Proteus VR. Ces laboratoires visent à soutenir la formation des élèves inscrits au cours de chimie de la troisième année du deuxième cycle du secondaire, spécialement ceux pousuivant un parcours à distance. Cette collaboration permettra à Proteus d’offrir des simulations de laboratoire immersives avec des résultats prenant en compte tous les paramètres variables tel qu’observé dans la réalité.

Calgary Folk Music Festival – Marketing & Research Intern

Calgary Folk Music Festival operates a number of properties and events, including our summer festival and our small music venue, Festival Hall. We are looking to gain further market knowledge through surveying and research on audience members. We want to be even more of an asset to the creative community and seek to gain increased knowledge of marketing and research best practices.

Placeholder Canada Inc. – Operations Analyst

Operations Analysts help run our business by interacting with customers to understand their needs, make space
recommendations, create and review space listings, source new channels of supply and demand for our marketplace, and prepare strategic analysis on various topics.

User Experience Design of Next-Generation Electronic Pocket Notebook for Law Enforcement Agencies

Mobile note-taking has soon taken over our digital world. With many digital applications offered on computers, mobile devices, and tablets. We want to further improve on this experience for those working in the law-enforcement industry and create an easy, and readily accessible application for police officers’ use. This mobile application will be a productive alternative to the paper and pens that so many are currently using.
Mobile Innovations delivers secure mobile data applications for Law Enforcement to operate on Android, iPhone & Windows. Our Mobile Police Assist (MPA) suite of Entreprise Apps covers everything from Records Management & Dispatch to Electronic Pocket Notebook, Officer Safety, GPS Tracking, eTicket, Daily Briefing, Form Completion and more.

Juvenile western rattlesnake movement patterns and habitat use on the Osoyoos Indian Reserve

Many animals undertake seasonal migrations in order to access habitats that are critical for activities such as breeding, feeding, or overwintering. In BC, western rattlesnakes undertake small-scale migrations between their overwintering dens and their summer grounds, allowing them access to critical food resources and mates. The migratory patterns of adult rattlesnakes are relatively well studied in BC; comparatively little, however, is known about juvenile rattlesnakes. If management decisions are based solely on knowledge pertaining to adults, important variation that that might exist between different age classes may be not be accounted for. In this study, we will use radio-telemetry to track juvenile rattlesnakes to assess juvenile migration and will compare patterns with existing knowledge on adult movements. We will also model juvenile habitat selection by comparing used and available habitat. This knowledge will benefit the partner organization, Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre, through bettering their ability to plan for conservation and land-use on their property.

Surveillance continue des signes vitaux chez l’enfant à l’aide d’un objet connecté, le VTPatch

Les petits appareils connectés qui surveillent les signes vitaux n’existent actuellement pas en pédiatrie. L’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer la fiabilité d’un patch connecté collé sur la poitrine des enfants pour la surveillance continue de leurs signes vitaux comme la saturation en oxygène, ou la fréquence cardiaque. Nous réaliserons cette étude dans un service de soins intensifs pédiatriques où les signes vitaux des patients seront enregistrés par le patch mais également par le système de surveillance habituel de l’unité qui servira de référence pour les comparaisons. En cas de validation de cet objet chez l’enfant, les applications seront nombreuses et il devrait permettre d’alerter les médecins de la survenue d’un évènement aigu chez les patients et pourrait ainsi améliorer sa prise en charge. Pour l’organisme partenaire, l’objectif à long terme est de pouvoir fournir un dispositif médical personnalisé certifié et d’en étendre la portée à toutes les familles du monde.