Innovative Projects Realized

Marketing Analyst

a2o Materials Inc. is a nascent start-up company that has developed an adhesive material that will serve as a platform technology: it can bond to Teflon (at scale without heat) and can self-heal. a2o has emerged from the research programs of Prof.s Laurel L Schafer and Savvas G Hatzikiriakos at the University of British Columbia (Dept.s of Chemistry and Chemical & Biological Engineering respectively). This company is involved in the development and commercialization of these amine-containing polymeric materials that have been invented through collaboration between the groups of Schafer and Hatzikiriakos.

-Classic market entry analysis: is this an attractive market that can be entered or a development partnership struck in 12- 18 months
-Analyse above markets and evaluate time to market and power/trends in the industry
-Undertaking classic strategic analysis using PEST and 5 forces to contextualize market risks such as regulatory hurdles, political/social factors, economic trends using using secondary research
-Primary research will involve “Customer Discovery” – identify, contact, and interview industry stakeholders within targeted applications
-Costing analysis of competitive incumbent technologies and estimated a2o future costs given scale and market trends

Marketing Assistant

We are in a critical growth stage. In December of 2019, we leased our own 2500 square foot facility in North Vancouver with big plans for the summer of 2020. When quarantine started, we were down 90% in wholesales compared to weekly sales a month ago. About 80% of our accounts were food service or independent accounts, such as breweries, cafe’s and restaurants. We pivoted to start doing home deliveries, which took off. It started as a survival plan for duration of the crisis, but has shown potential to become a large, viable sales channel. It did so well, we had to stop doing them in order to finish the originally
planned expansion (inoculating new vats takes inventory that would otherwise be sold) that was put on hold. Once we are in full swing, we plan on growing and executing our direct to consumer home deliveries to its full potential, and will need a well versed intern who is able to contribute to all the challenges associated with growing direct to consumer sales.

The internship scope would be wide and comprehensive. A self-motivated individual eager to learn quickly and on the fly would do well in our environment.

Business Strategy Planning

CannSight Technologies is an expert in impairment detection technology development. With a solid customer base and
protected screening technology, the company was poised to enter the market of workplace impairment detection by mid- 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic cost the company to lose its customers’ interests and investment opportunities. I will be helping the company create a strategy and help plan on how to pivot their technology towards a more profitable market.

Business Strategy Planning Intern

CannSight Technologies is an expert in impairment detection technology development. With a solid customer base and protected screening technology, the company was poised to enter the market of workplace impairment detection by mid-2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic cost the company to lose its customers’ interests and investment opportunities. As the company is flexible and the technology is adaptable, the board is investigating pivots to similar markets/technologies, which is where assistance from a business talent is required.

Needs the support of a business student to help work on their business strategy planning to pivot their technology to something new. Need someone with background to be able to analyze different business models, their markets and feasibility; and to help them decide the best strategy to move forward with.

Summer Strategy Internship

The objective will be to launch a new online DTC division offering health services and products via an innovative health access technology interface that online web-based. These services and products will be guided and vetted by healthcare professionals and will be focused on animal care.

Investigation of interactions between biobased wax emulsions and pMDI wood adhesives

Wax emulsions are widely used in conjunction with wood adhesives to improve overall dimensional stability of the resulting wood products. In this study, we will investigate kraft lignin and waste tallow as sustainable, biobased partial replacements for fossil fuel derived wax. These renewable, hydrophobic materials can be formulated into a wax emulsion using conventional emulsification chemistry. Due to the chemical structural difference between a fossil fuel derived wax and kraft lignin and tallow, we will explore interactions between these biobased wax emulsions and pMDI resin, with a special focus on curing characteristics and wood bonding performance. Results from this project will shed light on potential chemical and physical interactions among various components of the wax emulsions and pMDI adhesives. Insights gained from this study will be highly beneficial for designing new biobased wax emulsions for the wood products industry.

Biofiltration as a pre-treatment for membranes

The Windsor Lake drinking water treatment plant (WLWTP) in St. John’s Newfoundland is a
microfiltration (MF) membrane plant. One shortcoming of membrane filtration is a phenomena called
fouling; fouling refers to the build up of rejected particles on the surface or into the membrane’s pores
that can negatively affect the membrane’s performance. Since it’s installment, WLWTP has
experienced high fouling rates, reducing permeate flux and requiring frequent chemical cleanings. The
proposed research project will look into reducing membrane fouling and thus membrane cleaning
frequencies by pre-treating the raw water with a biofilter to remove membrane foulants, namely
natural organic matter (NOM). By partnering with researchers at Dalhousie University, CBCL has an
opportunity to assess the potential of new biological filtration techniques to serve as an alternative to
coagulation in Atlantic Canada. By understanding the capabilities of biofiltration as a pre-treatment for
membranes, CBCL can work towards providing these solutions to their clients in the future.

Development of an Al-controlled closed-loop neuromodulation system form chronic conditions

The treatment of chronic conditions accounted for 58% of the annual healthcare spend in Canada in 2012, primarily through the use of pharmaceuticals. However, these are generally best suited to treat acute diseases, as with chronic use, side effects can accumulate over time while therapeutic effects diminish. Neuromodulation of the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) represents a promising and adaptable treatment alternative to pharmaceuticals in many cases. Such treatments are still in their infancy and are currently dominated (>99.5%) by devices utilizing open-loop stimulation with clinician-led, manual adjustment. A closed-loop system that responds to peripheral nerve activity and other biomarkers in real time would enable dose-sensitive and targeted therapies. However, closed-loop neuromodulation systems face a significant challenge; smart adaptation requires an understanding of how particular nerves encode information to govern the behavior of tissues or organs. New methods must therefore be developed to decode and harness the large volumes of highly complex information transmitted through the PNS. This project will employ the latest findings in machine learning to extract biomarkers from neural data. Semi-supervised training methods will determine how these biomarkers drive physiological responses.

Developing a strategy for ensuring confidence in drinking water quality andquantity for the Samson Cree Nation

The Samson Cree Nation, near Hobbema, Alberta, relies on groundwater aquifers for its water. In the
Samson Nation faced worsening water quality that has resulted in the issue of
more than 65 boil-water advisories to residences, affecting almost ten percent of the wells on the
The source of the problem is unclear, and residents are concerned for their safety. This
to 1) determine source of the well-water contamination, 2) understand water use and
of exposure to water-borne pathogens, and 3) develop best management practices to
ensure water quality and supply for Samson Cree Nation. We will use a combination of water
and meters individual well-sites, computer simUlation models, and geographic visualization
tools to understand the problem, develop solutions, and represent our findings in an approachable,
user-friendly format…

Integrated modeling for systematically examining the performance of the Kennedale constructed wetland for a clean Canadian water environment

Constructed wetland is a critical water infrastructure in major Canadian cities like the city of
Edmonton, which treats wastewater including storm water by reducing the suspended solids and the
related contaminants before entering into receiving waterbody. The design and evaluating the
performance of a constructed wetland requires accurate prediction of flow fields and particle pollutants
settling behaviours. The objectives of this study are to develop a three-dimensional (3D) numerical
model that can predict the flow characteristics in a constructed wetland including the flow fields of
multi-phases and the dispersion and settling patterns of particles considering the effects of vegetation,
evaporation and runoff. The proposed 3D modelingsystern will b~ applied to examine and improve
the suspended solid removal efficiency of Kennedale constructed wetland in the City of Edmonton.
This research program will benefit the city of Edmonton and also Canada by i) systematically
evaluating the performance of the major wetland facility in Edmonton, ii) providing a cutting-edge
design and management method for…TOBECONT’D

Optimisation des systèmes de stockage d’énergie sur les réseaux dedistribution en lien avec des parcs éoliens et solaires

Le développement des énergies renouvelables est l’enjeux énergétique contemporain afin de diminuer l’impact de l’homme sur notre planète. Le stockage de l’énergie est l’un des enjeux les plus importants pour leur développement. Elles ne peuvent pas se développer à grande échelle sans systèmes de stockage en raison de leur intermittence et dépendance aux conditions météorologiques. Ces systèmes, utilisés de façon optimale, permettent de faire coïncider l’offre et la demande et permettent également des gains économiques et énergétiques.

Power Factors possède des clients ayant des sites de production d’énergie éolienne et solaire. La recherche porte sur l’étude du dimensionnement d’un tel système (à l’aide des données opérationnelles et de simulations) pour compléter un parc solaire ou éolien. Certains sites possèdent déjà des systèmes de stockage. La compréhension de leur dimensionnement permettra d’optimiser leur utilisation afin de mieux les intégrer sur le réseau de distribution.

Natural Language Processing for Automated Classification and Analysis of Aviation Safety Reports

The aviation industry connects people, markets, and cultures around the world and aviation is the key to ensuring that air transport continues to play a major role in driving sustainable economic and social development. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), as the trade association for the world’s airlines, representing some 280 airlines or 83% of total traffic, established one of its strategic objective to continuously improve safety and security performance and achieve year over year reduction of the 5-year accident rate from 2019-2035.
This project is to support effective risk identification by applying Natural Language Processor technologies in classifying accident and incident report into global harmonized classification system. This will support efficient and effective data-driven safety risk analysis, supporting global aviation safety community and return socioeconomic benefits of safe and reliable air transport to public.