Projets novateurs réalisés

The CASM Group – Angelisa Daly

Like other businesses, The CASM Group is experiencing issues in regards to their online delivery services. Their needs include assessing their current platform, making recommendations about implementing a brand new e-commerce platform to manage service delivery.

The Therapeutic Potential of Psilocybin on Substance Use Disorder (SUD) and Posttraumatic Stress Using Rodent Animal Models

Drug addiction is a rapidly growing public health crisis in Canada. Death related to drug addiction is rising in Canada; especially opioid-related death was close to 3000 in 2016. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder that affects 9% of Canadians, while death related to drug addiction is growing in Canada; especially opioid-related death was close to 3000 in 2016. Current treatment is less effective for these issues. It is urgent to develop novel pharmacotherapies to treat both conditions. Magic mushroom is a polyphyletic, informal group of fungi. Recently, researches have shown that Psilocybin is promising to treat mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. However, the exact drug mechanism of Psilocybin towards treating psychiatric disorders is unknown, and few laboratories explore this compound’s anti-addiction effect. As a result, this proposal aims to test if Psilocybin improves drug addiction and PTSD symptoms in animals. We expected that the Psilocybin could reduce the drug addictions and PTSD symptoms in animals.

Electrodialysis treatment of Kraft black liquo rusing Bipolar membrane

The pro€iuGtion. capacity of the Kraft process is one of the important measures in the pulp and paper industry. A promising method for increasing the production capacity of the Kraft process is to lower the load of the recovery boiler by means of extracting lignin from the black liquor (BL). One of the sustainable methods for this purpose is employing membrane separation processes such as electrochemical extraction. In particular, electrodialytic treatment with bipolar membrane leads to separation of various elements based on their chemical, physical, and electrochemical properties and production of caustic soda. BL consists of electrolytes such as well as non electrolytes such. Hence, electrodialysis with bipolar membrane (EDBPM) is an effective way for lignin extraction from BL.

Business Strategy Internship with Virtual Consulting Corp

Virtual Consulting Co is providing an online platform to allow for pharmacists to perform virtual consults while working with central fill pharmacies to deliver medications to patients. The company needs a review of the various legal and professional standards across provinces in Canada and the various states in the US. Based on this review, the company would like to plan for an expanded offering that would allow for an expansion of the target market.

Supply Chain/Procurement Research Co-Op Student – SmartICE

Working closely with the SmartICE Executive Director, the Research Associate Co-op will focus on conducting research focusing on a review of critical success factors in
implementing communications and impact plans around social procurement and supply chains. This research will cumulate in writing a report and a presentation to SmartICE and stakeholders.

Momentum Design Build

Momentum Design Build is a Vancouver Island based construction and development company that designs and builds custom residential housing, commercial buildings, and light industrial projects. They have faced significant growth in the last two years and are looking for solutions to meet demand while maintaining a high-quality product. The proposed internship has two components. It will involve improving and developing budgeting systems for construction projects, as well as job-shadowing project managers and learning project management software to develop the intern’s project management skills. The internship will benefit Momentum by improving processes, which will enable them to identify their strengths and to take advantage of the growing opportunities in the development industry.

Connected Canadians Outreach & Partnership Coordinator

During COVID-19 Connected Canadians has expanded its programs to serve seniors in a variety of different ways, including helping to reduce isolation and loneliness amongst the senior population.

Research will be done to analyze any operational inefficiencies and weaknesses that may be present and create a strategy to best address them. Connected Canadians is growing rapidly, thus figuring out any occupational inefficiencies early on is ideal. Work will also be done to aid Connected Canadians in the volunteer management and recruitment engagement strategy to ensure the organization is able to keep up with the rapidly growing needs in the community.

Augmenting Flight Training with AI to Efficiently Train Pilots

There is a critical shortage of commercial pilots in North America, in large part because pilots who are qualified to conduct such training are in very high demand. Delphi is an innovative Calgary-based flight training school that is using novel methods to improve student outcomes, increase retention of students, and scale student training to better satisfy this demand. This research will use machine learning and intelligent tutoring system techniques to enable a new, simulation-based, training pipeline that aims to dramatically increase the success of Delphi’s training program, resulting in higher-success, lower-cost training of new pilots.

Process design and optimization of a bioethanol plant

Le bioraffinage forestier consiste a valoriser les principaux composes chimiques issus du bois pour la production de biocarburant, d’energie et de produits chimiques de specialite. Un concept de plus en plus etudie concernant les bioraffineries de 2eme generation est celui de bioraffinage integre. Parmi les differents concepts de bioraffinerie integree actuellement a l’etude, on peut citer celui impliquant les technologies d’extraction des hemicelluloses contenues dans le bois avant l’etape de mise en pate pour la production de bioproduits tels que l’ethanol. Le projet de stage propose s’articule autour de l’analyse et optimisation d’un procede de production de bioethanol. Deux etudes de cassont considerees : celie ou la bioraffinerie est un procede a part entiere et celie ou la bioraffinerie est implantee dans une usine de pate et papiers existante. .

The Development and Cost-effectiveness Analysis of High Throughput Screening for Drug Candidates Using a Dedicated, Novel Mass Production Microfluidics Technique

During the preclinical drug testing stage, conventional test subjects include animals and cells cultured in a lab, which are costly, and cannot correctly represent human tissue. Therefore, these test subjects may inaccurately predict human response to a drug and may falsely demonstrate a drug as “safe”. Upon public distribution, unexpected side effects may occur, which claim thousands of Canadian patients annually. This preventative phenomenon can cost the healthcare system billions of dollars. We propose large-scale production of human microtissues in order to be used as ideal subjects for screening preclinical drugs. Our objective is to effectively synthesize large sample sizes of 3D multi-tissue systems which can be used to screen multiple drugs in-lab in order to enhance our understanding of human response. Our research will benefit the pharmaceutical industry drug screening process, as well as other potential industries related to cosmetics, food science, and biotechnology.

Using soil nematodes as indicators of soil health in wet meadow rangelands

Grasslands store carbon, regulate water, recycle nutrients, and conserve biodiversity. In western Canada, seasonally flooded, wet meadow grasslands, also provide habitats for species at risk. Despite their importance to conservation, little is known about the effect of grazing on these ecosystems. This research will help understand how grazing effects plants, soils, and the ecosystem services provided by wet meadow grasslands. Specifically, this project will explore links between grazing, plants, and soil nematodes, small worm-like animals, that recycle carbon and nutrients in soils. Our research will test three questions: 1) Does grazing increase the abundance of grasses, sedges, and rushes in wet meadow grasslands; 2) How do changing plants affect the structure and composition of nematodes in wet meadow soils? 3) Can soil nematodes help monitor changes in carbon and nutrients in wet meadow grasslands? This research will focus on Lake Manitoba Plain Ecoregion and will small differences in soil, vegetation, and moisture to measure the effect that cattle have on plant and soil communities. Findings from this research will help with the sustainable management and conservation of wet meadow rangelands in Canada.

Cytology-based DNA measurement for oral cancer screening

Oral cancer (OC) presents a global burden on society and the healthcare system with high incidence rates and poor prognosis. Despite the oral cavity being easily accessible for visual assessment, lesions are often detected at an advanced stage when the prognosis is poor and radical interventions are necessary. An invasive biopsy of a clinically suspicious lesion is the current standard of care for OC diagnosis and lesion monitoring; however, repeated biopsies may not be feasible. This study aims to provide a non-invasive, objective, and accurate OC diagnostic test using high throughput DNA-based cytometry. This test combines artificial intelligence software with a commercially available and affordable slide scanner. Potentially, this new technique can be used in remote communities with limited access to care and provides a significant benefit in early detection of at-risk oral lesions and reduction in OC burdens.