Innovative Projects Realized

Measuring Charity Impact Value Using Social Return on Investment: The Value of Implementing Experiential Sustainable Development Goal Learning into Children’s Activities

Scouts Canada is adapting programing to align more closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This research project will measure the amount of change in SDG awareness and behaviours of the participants and volunteers of the program. These outcomes will be monetized into a Social Return on Investment that compares the value of the outcomes to the input costs.
All organizations around the globe are being called to help achieve the global SDG targets. Through this research project, Scouts Canada will obtain: a better understanding of if new SDG programming achieves desired outcomes and what activities contribute most to achieving the outcomes; financial valuation estimates of the outcomes; comparisons of the financial valuations of outcomes to the input costs in a summary SROI metric; and measures that inform scouting parents and funders of scout programs.

Fast Catalytic Pyrolysis of Sewage Sludge for Producing High-Grade Bio-Oil and Effective Sorbent for Capturing Emerging Contaminants – Year two

Large amounts of sewage sludge (SS) have been generated yearly by municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWPs), which entail huge operational expenses and advanced treatments, and the final disposal of biosolids in agricultural applications is reduced because of the potential environmental risks (e.g., heavy metals and emerging contaminants) associated with biosolids applications. The increased use of certain medications (e.g., antibiotics, disinfectants) and personal care products (e.g., sanitizers, soaps) caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, will certainly increase the concentration of emerging contaminants in wastewater. Converting SS to effective sorbent and improving the quality of bio-oil, the by-product of the process, achieving environmental sustainability. This proposed research focuses on our novel integrated approach to co-produce effective sorbent (sludge-based activated carbon “SBAC”) and high-quality bio-oil through catalytic fast pyrolysis of sewage sludge. The cost-effectiveness and environmental impacts of the integrated system will be assessed through life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) analyses. Effectiveness of SBACs will be tested using wastewater and stormwater. Immediate benefit is to enhance the quality of urban water impacted by the pandemic COVID-19. This work has significant contribution in protecting our environment and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels by utilizing bio-oil from this process.

Plankton Biomass Estimation using multi-frequency sonar

The internship seeks to develop an acoustic classification algorithm that estimates the organism composition and density of plankton. A series of experiments have been conducted using trawl nets where a four-frequency sonar device was pointed across the net openings. The catch from each trawl survey is broken down into an estimate of the relative composition of different organisms. This internship involves relating the known catch to the corresponding acoustic measurements of that catch. Essentially, the objective of the internship is to develop an algorithm which will allow a sonar device to produce estimates of the types and densities of plankton in the part of the ocean that is being surveyed. The partner organization (Haida Salmon Restoration Corporation) would benefit from this internship by having an enhanced ability to predict salmon returns by being able to monitor the amount of food (plankton) available to the salmon.

Fast Catalytic Pyrolysis of Sewage Sludge for Producing High-Grade Bio-Oil and Effective Sorbent for Capturing Emerging Contaminants

Large amounts of sewage sludge (SS) have been generated yearly by municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWPs), which entail huge operational expenses and advanced treatments, and the final disposal of biosolids in agricultural applications is reduced because of the potential environmental risks (e.g., heavy metals and emerging contaminants) associated with biosolids applications. The increased use of certain medications (e.g., antibiotics, disinfectants) and personal care products (e.g., sanitizers, soaps) caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, will certainly increase the concentration of emerging contaminants in wastewater. Converting SS to effective sorbent and improving the quality of bio-oil, the by-product of the process, achieving environmental sustainability. This proposed research focuses on our novel integrated approach to co-produce effective sorbent (sludge-based activated carbon “SBAC”) and high-quality bio-oil through catalytic fast pyrolysis of sewage sludge. The cost-effectiveness and environmental impacts of the integrated system will be assessed through life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) analyses. Effectiveness of SBACs will be tested using wastewater and stormwater. Immediate benefit is to enhance the quality of urban water impacted by the pandemic COVID-19. This work has significant contribution in protecting our environment and reduce the dependence on fossil fuels by utilizing bio-oil from this process.

Understanding Empirical Risk Minimization via Information Theory

Deep neural network (DNN) is a class of machine learning algorithms which is inspired by biological neural networks. Learning with deep neural networks has enjoyed huge empirical success in recent years across a wide variety of tasks. Lately many researchers in machine learning society have become interested in the generalization mystery: why do overparameterized DNN perform well on previously unseen data, even though they have way more parameters than the number of training samples? The Information-theoretic approach for studying generalization is one the frameworks to answer this question. Although information-theoretic approach proves its applicability for several machine learning methods, it suffers from some shortcomings that have hindered progress towards the understanding generalization in DNN. In this project, we aim to improve the information-theoretic methods for generalization which let us find a promising answer to the question of why DNNs generalize well in practice.

In-depth analysis of deer management in Nova Scotia:critique of current policy and suggestions for futuremanagement approaches

This project will support improvements to deer management in Nova Scotia. Improved management
and conservation of Nova Scotia’s most important big game species supports wildlife habitat
conservation by NS DNR, but is also of importance to the forestry industry, and stakeholders such as
the NS Federation of Anglers and Hunters, and the Fur Institute of Canada. The objectives of this
project include critiquing current NS DNR deer management policy and suggesting improvements,
evaluating current deer data collection and identifying information gaps, assessing the usefulness of
Pellet Group Inventories (pGIs) for deer density and population estimates, and investigating the
development and application of population indices and population surveys. Improving the knowledge
of deer management policies will provide an excellent basis for future deer studies. In addition, this
analysis will help guide future management and policy decisions for other large mammals over time.

Accelerating Neural Networks on FPGAs through High-Level Synthesis

Computer hardware is enjoying a widespread renaissance with the emergence of the compute-intensive and challenging machine learning workloads. ABR develops and maintains NENGO, a biologically-plausible model for neural networks and is keen to develop hardware support for efficient realizations of these networks. FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), are an attractive target for this if we can overcome the communication bottlenecks that limit the effectiveness of these designs. This project aims to develop strategies for implementing communication between neuron populations mapped onto an FPGA and deploy them to the cloud for demonstration.

Developing Digital Brain Assessment Tools for the Home

Attention problems are common with aging and related disorders (like stroke) and are associated with poor recovery and quality of life. Many clinical tests of attention are not based on neurocognitive concepts and are limited to in person visits. The Dalhousie Computerized Attention Battery (DalCAB) is a theory-based, in-depth measure of attention that can be done in person or online. It has been used in-person with young adults, but it still requires more development as a remote test. Sixty healthy adults (30 young, 18-35 yrs, and 30 older, 55-85 yrs) will complete the DalCAB twice, once in the morning and once in the evening. Time of day and age effects on task performance will be analyzed. This research is a first step in the development of a tool for remote assessment that can be made broadly available to many different health care needs and populations.

Business Development Intern

Flex is an upcoming start-up focused on developing a fitness app that would incorporate AI to produce exceptional personal training experience. The internship would focus on improving the existing app, cultivating relationships with external stakeholders, and leveraging social media to gain users. The primary goal of the intern would be to grow the business that would directly impact the health and well-being of Canadians.

Avanti Software Inc. – Strategy & Operations MBA Intern

Project 1 – Product Innovation: The intern will be asked to conduct a focused deep dive in the HCM market, understanding (1) what competitors offer today (Workday, Ceridian, ADP) and the product features that these players currently have; (2) evaluate what capabilities industry consultants, thought leaders, and end users desire by team (payroll, HR, etc.) and software module (Payroll, Time & Attendance, Recruiting & Onboarding, etc.). Using this market research, a formal recommendation will be made, summarizing their findings, the implications of them, ultimately guiding where/how Avanti’s Development team should focus their efforts.

Project 2 – M&A and Regional Expansion: The intern will be asked to provide an evaluation of these growth avenues, exploring potential targets and regions for expansion, and why Avanti is well-positioned to execute on either. A thorough analysis of the intended targets, including the merits, risks and mitigants, and path to execution will be required. On the acquisition side, this will require a product mindset, with a focus on how the target will either expand or improve the Avanti offering.

Synergiq Solutions

Synergiq (a small Canadian technology company) strives to improve the health outcomes for community members. Synergiq has built a state-of-the art peer-to-peer online healthcare community platform to connect community members – including patients, caregivers and family members – for peer emotional support. This project aims to develop a recommendation for Synergiq’s go-to-market strategy / marketing plan for their platform, with a focus on reproductive health and family planning – particularly those navigating fertility challenges. A refined go-to-market strategy / marketing plan for this initiative will benefit Synergiq in a) assessing whether this is an opportunity to invest significant resources in, and b) becoming laser-focused on outreach and execution.

Business Co-op Student

The Mount Pearl Paradise Chamber of Commerce is looking for a “creative” business student to help companies make money and grow their business through an online presence. The global pandemic has hit businesses hard and we are seeking talented interns to help our members who are in all industries, pivot into the market, post-Covid. Growth is more than just marketing; it is sales and strategy wrapped in delivering creative solutions that are well executed. Students must have a basic knowledge of using and setting up social media channels and other digital resources to help businesses emerge from the pandemic stronger than before. This project will allow businesses who have struggled over the past few months to navigate their way through an online presence and emerge and grow from the global pandemic.