Innovative Projects Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

29670 Completed Projects

2811
AB
4990
BC
801
MB
663
NL
825
SK
8841
ON
9197
QC
95
PE
568
NB
1088
NS

Projects by Category

Automated Risk Identification in Modular and Offsite Construction

Modular and offsite construction, where a module of project or complete house is manufactured in a factory, requires a large upfront capital (working capital) investment in order to procure materials in advance of manufacturing and to deliver modules on time and on schedule. Thus, modular fabricators need to receive deposit and progress payment before the assembly process. In the eyes of a bank, a prefab house is “just materials”. It is not a house until it is finished and progress payments are only due when the building delivered onsite indicating the difference between the associated risk factors in modular construction and conventional type of construction.
The objective of this research is to develop an automated electronic checklist of items that are likely to give rise to risk on modular and offsite construction, as a risk is identified can be quantified, controlled, transferred, or managed.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Osama Moselhi

Student:

Partner:

Pomerleau

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

Concordia University

Program:

Accelerate

Validation of multispecies LNG CFD model and experimental data collection

Liquefied natural gas has been growing in popularity over the recent decades; however CFD tools that aid in the design process of new LNG technology have largely remained over-simplified. This project will produce experimental reference data against which a newly developed set of CFD tools will then be verified. These new tools have been specifically developed to take into account the sophisticated multispecies nature of the thermophysical and transport properties of LNG as they vary both by temperature and composition. LNG varies in composition depending on its location of origin and as well its age, these tools are developed to more accurately predict the physical processes occurring during tank storage under multiple conditions including heat transfer and sloshing. During these scenarios; aging and boil off occur and the liquid and gas composition are important parameters to understand to reduce greenhouse gas emissions during tank venting as well as preventing potentially dangerous roll over events. Validation of the tools is critical to creating a reliable set of tools to aid in the rapid development of the LNG industry.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Joshua Brinkerhoff

Student:

Partner:

Monash University (Clayton, Australia)

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Reclamation of mine tailings in British Columbia using biological soil crusts.

Biocrusts are soil crust communities made up of drought and cold tolerant soil dwelling biological communities. Biocrusts are predominant in landscapes inhospitable to vascular plants, such as deserts and tundra. This project will initiate and promote development of biocrusts on the Gibraltar mine tailings. The aim is to utilize the function of biocrusts in stabilizing substrates against erosion and accumulating biologically useful nutrients, to promote remediation of the mine tailings facility. Over a four-month period, this study will explore inoculum types, assisted watering frequency and substrate amendments on biocrust development on the tailings substrate. It is expected that a cyanobacteria supplemented inoculum and amendments that reduce stress for the biocrust communities, will increase biocrust development rate. Interpretations will be made to establish the potential and optimum methods for biocrust development at mine tailings facilities and other degraded substrates where topsoil is absent.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Anayansi Cohen-Fernandez

Student:

Partner:

Stantec Consulting (Sidney, BC);Taseko | Gibraltar Mines Ltd

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

British Columbia Institute of Technology

Program:

Accelerate

Au-delà des aspects opérationnels, quels sont les enjeux stratégiques de l’Industrie 4.0 sur les donneurs d’ordres du secteur aéronautique??

Actuellement, l’avènement de l’Industrie 4.0 constitue un incontournable pour les entreprises. L’arrimage entre le monde cyberphysique et la pensée stratégique comportent son lot d’opportunités et de défis. De ce fait, ceux-ci ont un impact majeur sur la stratégie organisationnelle touchant l’ensemble des choix et mesures nécessaire à la discipline et à l’atteinte des objectifs. À partir du contexte sociotechnique de cette révolution industrielle jusqu’à l’ensemble des technologies et compétences d’une organisation, les gestionnaires devront porter un regard analytique sur la situation, ce que le projet cible de faire. Plus particulièrement, les entreprises manufacturières canadiennes du secteur aéronautique qui comportent leur lot de spécificité et pour qui, leur modèle d’affaires penchera vers une évolution afin de mieux répondre aux attentes de l’économie numérique.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mehran Ebrahimi

Student:

Partner:

Bell Helicopter Textron Canada (Inactive)

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Aerospace; Technology; Manufacturing and Construction

University:

Université du Québec à Montréal

Program:

Accelerate

Qualité de l’eau souterraine dans la région des Laurentides et la MRC Les Moulins aux échelles régionale et locale

Ce projet vise à caractériser la qualité de l’eau souterraine de la région des Laurentides et de la MRC Les Moulins. Près de 400 puits seront échantillonnés pour faire l’analyse de 39 composés chimiques incluant les ions majeurs et mineurs (dont les nitrates), la bactériologie, 47 pesticides et 16 composés pharmaceutiques et de soins personnels. Les échantillons seront prélevés à l’échelle régionale et trois bassins versants expérimentaux seront ciblés pour un échantillonnage plus dense dans le but d’étudier l’impact de l’utilisation du territoire (développement résidentiel, villégiature ou agriculture) sur la qualité de l’eau souterraine. Les résultats permettront à l’organisme partenaire Abrinord d’acquérir des compétences dans l’échantillonnage de l’eau souterraine et l’analyse des résultats. Le projet permettra aussi au partenaire d’intégrer l’information sur la qualité de l’eau souterraine dans son plan directeur de l’eau, ce qui permettra de mettre en place une saine gestion des ressources en eau.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Marie Larocque

Student:

Partner:

Abrinord

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

Université du Québec à Montréal

Program:

Accelerate

Downhill slide?: Modelling climate change risks across the global ski industry

Natalie’s Mitacs Globalink research program contributes to a climate change challenge prioritized by two UN organizations: (1) the UN World Tourism Organization’s Tourism for Sustainable Development Goals and (2) UN COP24 Sports for Climate Action Framework. With it’s direct dependence on climate, the multi-billion dollar global ski industry is considered a climate change “canary in the coal mine” for the sport and tourism sectors, with far-reaching impacts for mountain communities. Natalie’s research will use and build on the SkiSim model to assess current and future climate risk in under-researched ski tourism regions in North and South America, Asia, and Eastern Europe. The research will address priority regional gaps and advance the sustainability module (water, CO2 emissions) of the model, enable evidence-based industry and government decision-making on climate adaptation, and help inform climate resilient transformations in tourism dependent mountain regions. The knowledge gained through the Mitacs Globalink research program will create international cross-sector collaborations and have strong export potential for the many regions and sectors that will inevitably face similar risks as climate change accelerates.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Daniel Scott

Student:

Partner:

University of Innsbruck

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Comparing Australian and Canadian Public Library Systems: A Qualitative Investigation of Best Practices and Barriers to Participation within Older Adult Library Programming

Public libraries have the potential to support communities in mitigating the challenges and capitalizing on the opportunities associated with population aging. In order to support public libraries in meeting the needs of Canada and Australia’s older adult population, this qualitative comparative study will investigate best practices and barriers to participation with regard to older adult library programming. I will conduct an environmental scan of older adult library programming and 5-10 in-depth interviews with public library staff interested in this field. The environmental scan and interviews will occur in Australia’s five largest cities, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide, which represent five of Australia’s six states. The data generated from this study will be compared with similar Canadian data that was generated between Aug. 1, 2018 and Dec. 15, 2018. This research will serve to identify lessons learned in Australia that may be applicable in Canada, and vise versa.

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Faculty Supervisor:

James Gillett

Student:

Partner:

The University of Melbourne

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Couplage de scénarios d’évolution du territoire à des scénarios climatiques pour le calcul de l’évapotranspiration future spatialisée au Québec méridional — Application de la télédétection –

La recharge des eaux souterraines est le paramètre clef dans la gestion intégrée et durable des ressources en eau souterraine puisqu’elle définit leur renouvellement. Non observable directement, elle correspond à la part des précipitations qui ne s’est pas évaporée et n’a pas été consommée par les plantes (évapotranspiration – ET) ou n’a pas ruisselé. Une des solutions les plus innovantes pour le calcul de l’ET est l’utilisation d’images satellitaires qui permettent de la mesurer directement sur un territoire et de façon spatialisée (depuis 1999 pour le satellite MODIS). L’obtention d’une telle chronique d’ET permettra de préciser l’estimation de ce paramètre, clef pour la recharge des eaux souterraines, en lien avec l’évolution d’un territoire. Il sera alors possible de calculer par extrapolation des scénarios d’ET future en contexte de changements climatiques et d’évolution du territoire. Le développement de la méthode sera appliqué sur le sud du Québec.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Marie Larocque

Student:

Partner:

Université de Neuchâtel

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Education

University:

Université du Québec à Montréal

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Femmes et vie politique en contexte de violence urbaine: le cas des résidentes des favelas de Rio de Janeiro

La recherche que je mène dans le cadre de mes études doctorales en études urbaines a pour objectif principal de comprendre et analyser les actions entreprises par les femmes résidentes de favelas de Rio de Janeiro pour contrecarrer la violence urbaine ou en diminuer les effets. Celle-ci porte spécifiquement sur les femmes, puisque, de par leur position dans les divers rapports sociaux (de classe, de race, de sexe et de spatialité), elles sont généralement celles sur qui repose la responsabilité de la survie familiale; un rôle qui est exacerbé quand la violence menace cette survie au quotidien. Afin de documenter ces actions et les analyser, cette recherche s’appuiera sur une vingtaine d’entrevues, une série de neuf groupes focaux et des observations participantes effectuées sur le terrain. Un séjour prolongé de 22 semaines est ainsi nécessaire à la réalisation de cet objectif. Grâce à ces données, je souhaite démontrer que ces actions, bien qu’elles puissent a priori paraître « naturelles », sont plutôt le fruit d’un processus de politisation inhérent à la survie au quotidien.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Julie-Anne Boudreau

Student:

Partner:

Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

Université du Québec : Institut national de la recherche scientifique

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Integration of scientific workflows in Geosciences

The 12-week research work will make a novel contribution to a large project called the Model Integration (MINT) framework, which in turn will improve the integration of scientific models in Environmental and Earth Sciences. Furthermore, this contribution to the MINT project will be a combination of best practices in reproducible research, Machine Learning, and domain knowledge in Geosciences. The outcome of this short visit to USC will benefit the research community by helping reduce the time for numerical model integration and lowering the barriers for researchers to make use of automated tools in their studies. More broadly, the MINT project will provide a state-of-the-art framework for scientists to facilitate their work when dealing with pressing societal and environmental challenges.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mark Crowley

Student:

Partner:

University of Southern California

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Improving strategic planning with pathway analysis

As a result of human impacts on the natural world, our societies may have to profoundly transform many of the systems that affect our everyday lives – especially our energy, food, and transportation systems. As these systems are complex and interconnected, it is difficult to foresee how they might behave as they change, and how changes might be brought about. To help face these challenges, my research develops computer models of societies and studies how they behave. This project focuses on improving the computational methodology that I use to model and study the behaviour of societies. By the end of the project, I will have helped to improve the methodology and make it more user-friendly. In addition, I will have gleaned insights into how societies might behave, which will be useful for developing strategic plans for managing complex changes in our societies.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Vanessa Schweizer

Student:

Partner:

Universität Stuttgart

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Large-scale optimization algorithms for optical and fiber networks

Networks are moving towards being adaptive. This means that automation will be used to replace processes which are today highly manual. This project proposes a development of knowledge in the area of algorithms required to enable adaptive networks. The project will train two PhD students to understand optical networks and devise optimization algorithms in the areas of interest. In particular, the algorithms will be devised to be fast and near-optimal to enable their implementation in the network in accordance with operator’s goals of making the network near-optimal and adaptive. We anticipate that the algorithms will be implemented in the network and used to make transport networks work near-optimality.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Brigitte Jaumard;Tristan Glatard

Student:

Partner:

Ciena Canada (Ottawa, ON)

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Information and cultural industries; Manufacturing

University:

Concordia University

Program:

Accelerate