Innovative Projects Realized

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

13270 Completed Projects

1072
AB
2795
BC
430
MB
106
NF
348
SK
4184
ON
2671
QC
43
PE
209
NB
474
NS

Projects by Category

10%
Computer science
9%
Engineering
1%
Engineering - biomedical
4%
Engineering - chemical / biological

Biophysical characterization of synthesized fluorescently labeled biologically relevant phospholipids

The chemical synthesis of lipids with defined fatty acid side chains in terms of chain length and the degree of saturation/unsaturation is important to provide high-quality products for life science research. When dyes are added to the lipids, they can be used to a variety of biomedically relevant experiments by measuring be color and amount of signal collected in a light detector. Moreover, very important lipids need to be isolated and purified from natural sources. One class of these lipids, called plasmalogens, has become very important to better understand brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
The intern will perform detailed analyses of these synthetic and isolated lipids. These studies will provide a better understanding of the structure and function of lipids and their role in biomembranes. The partner organization will benefit from a series of optimized protocols to produce biologically highly relevant molecules with the potential for new markets.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Elmar Josef Prenner

Student:

Patrick Lai

Partner:

Rane Pharmaceutical

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Accelerate

Musculoskeletal Model Development and Biomechanical Evaluation of the Levitation Knee Brace

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating musculoskeletal disease affecting approximately 1/3 of Canadians over the age of 25. Knee braces are often prescribed for OA patients to restore joint function and reduce pain in an attempt to avoid or delay knee replacement surgery. Most braces are designed to offload one side of the knee, however, more than 95% of knee OA patients have OA that affects more than one compartment of their joint. Spring Loaded Technology has designed the Levitation™ “Tri-Compartment Unloader” knee brace to reduce forces in all three compartments of the knee. This study aims to determine how effectively the brace offloads the knee joint by developing and using a musculoskeletal model along with several data analysis techniques. These evaluations of the Levitation knee brace are needed to prove efficacy of the device, which will contribute to growth and market success for Spring Loaded Technology.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Janet Lenore Ronsky

Student:

Ryan Baxter

Partner:

Spring Loaded Technology

Discipline:

Engineering - biomedical

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Accelerate

Microstructure Evolution and Thermomechanical Fatigue of Service-Exposed Coke Drum Materials

There is a growing demand when it comes to the repairing of the coke drum since most of the current in-use coke drums has been in service for decades. This study will develop a new methodology to assess the microstructure evolution and thermal mechanical properties of service-exposed coke drums. The focus of experiments of this project involves high temperature fatigue test to evaluate the fatigue life of the material. Through the studying, the evolution of microstructure evolution will be better identified and understood, providing the foundation of the analysis in the future. Finally, an optimized heat treatment procedure to help in repairing of the coke drum is to be developed, which will greatly benefit Suncor in the quality of repairing and reduce the cost.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Leijun Li

Student:

Zhe Lyu

Partner:

Suncor Energy Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Accelerate

State space models in credit and operational risk management

This project targets development of applied methods and practical solutions to risk management problems where only partial observation of a system is possible. Such settings are commonplace in financial and other context but can be challenging to address due to a limited number of production-grade ready-to-use solutions. The scientific component of the project employs approaches from a quickly developing and active area in machine learning. More extensive use of these approaches by Canadian banking institutions will lead to a more robust financial system and better service. The focal application areas in this project target the improvement of the value proposition to bank’s customers, accurate prediction of credit losses, and better sales outcomes in multi-product salesforces of financial services.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Yuri Levin;Mikhail Nediak;Jue Wang

Student:

Amir Emami Gohari;Alireza Farhang Doost;Linh Dieu Thi Dang;Vikram Dhingra

Partner:

Scotiabank

Discipline:

Other

Sector:

Finance, insurance and business

University:

Queen's University

Program:

Accelerate

Research and Data Analysis of Aycoutay Wellness Device user scans

The Aycoutay Health Screening Device is based on well-established EEG technology. It is a modern, computerized EDA based health monitoring/screening device that performs a comprehensive analysis of the bio-electrical activity of each organ and gland, as well as the critical interrelationship between them, using algorithms that translate this electrical data into diagnostic information. It is designed for wellness consumers and provides a primary diagnostic estimation or an opinion about state of internal organ systems. During a session, a user would perform a 30 second scan, this simple, affordable, cost-effective, painless, non-invasive and radiation free test can monitor all body systems at once to determine if they are functioning properly.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ammar Sarhan

Student:

Todd Best

Partner:

Aycoutay Technologies

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

Dalhousie University

Program:

Accelerate

Evaluation of pollinator restoration and management in The Meadoway

The purpose of this project is to identify bees and evaluate plant-pollinator networks based on the biomonitoring surveys conducted at the Meadoway in 2020 in partnership with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). The aim of these surveys is to develop a baseline understanding of bee diversity in the Meadoway and evaluate the impacts of restoration, as well, to improve these practices for restoration by TRCA into the future. The intern will conduct timed bee surveys at the Meadoway at sites 1-3 years post restoration and on specific flowers. Bees will be identified to species level and used to develop a synoptic collection for the Meadoway. The plant-pollinator networks will allow the intern to rank plants present in the Meadoway based on attractiveness and value to wild bees. This information will be available to TRCA for their ongoing projects that target biodiversity conservation in public spaces.

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Faculty Supervisor:

J. Scott MacIvor

Student:

Sisley Irwin

Partner:

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Early Warning Potential of Ambient Seismic Noise: Monitoring Tailings Dams

Recent tailings dam failures occurring in past years have highlighted a need for innovative approaches to monitoring these structures. This research proposes to explore advances in the development of a novel type of distributed fiber-optic sensing technology known as Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), and evaluate its performance in monitoring a tailings dam. Ambient noise interferometry will be applied to the collected data to measure changes in the shear wave velocity of the tailings dam structure. As changes in shear wave velocity is related to the rigidity of the tailings dam, this parameter may be used as a component of a tailings dam early warning system.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jan Dettmer

Student:

Susanne Ouellet

Partner:

BGC Engineering Inc

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Accelerate

Machine Learning for Default Prediction of Private Pension Administrator

In this research project, we will partner with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) to enhance its default prediction model for private companies administering pension plans in Ontario. Our goal is to enhance the current model’s timeliness in predicting default of private companies by addressing the lack of publicly accessible information from these private entities. We will bridge the existing gap using unsupervised machine learning algorithms to identify look-alike public companies and using natural language processing techniques to extract relevant information from alternative data sources such as websites and social media. The enhanced model will provide FSRA better insights into the plans’ funding adequacy and foresights on any potential solvency issues to better protect the pension plans’ beneficiaries.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Stephen Thomas;Ryan Riordan

Student:

Cecilia Ying

Partner:

Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Finance, insurance and business

University:

Queen's University

Program:

Accelerate

Towards the Development of a Prognostic tool for Harmful Algal Blooms – Year two

The Laurentian Great Lakes and many Canadian inland waters have experienced a resurgence of cyanobacteria-dominated harmful algal blooms (cHABs), which negatively impact recreational uses, aesthetics, taste and odor in drinking water. The presence of toxins can also have dire repercussions on aquatic wildlife and human health. The factors that influence the occurrence and magnitude of algal blooms and toxin production (e.g., nutrient enrichment, climate change) vary in space and time and are poorly understood. Thus, our ability to predict cHABs is currently limited and represents a major challenge for the management of our water resources. Founded upon cutting-edge machine-learning and Bayesian inference techniques, this research project aims (i) to identify the factors that regulate the occurrence of cHABs; (ii) to provide predictions of cHABs under different land-use and climate change scenarios; and (iii) to obtain a probabilistic mapping of areas around the Great Lakes that are characterized by an excessively high risk of cHAB formation. To showcase this modelling framework, the intern will use data collected from the Bay of Quinte (Lake Ontario, Ontario, Canada), a system that has been experiencing water quality issues, and where the elimination of cHABs represents one of the major challenges of eutrophication management.

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Faculty Supervisor:

George Arhonditsis

Student:

Carlos Alberto Arnillas Merino

Partner:

AEML Associates Ltd.

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Effect of Music on Interbrain Synchrony: A Close Look at Triad of Disabled Children, Parents and Music Therapist – Year two

Kids with one, two or three or more disabilities require special care and rehabilitation services. Specifically, for children with severe disabilities who are non-speaking, the opportunities for social interaction and participation are often limited. However, it is believed that these children continue to form relationships with those around them and that the brain encodes these interpersonal connections. One way to study these interpersonal brain connections is to examine the interbrain coordination between children, parents and a therapist. To this goal, we will compare the brain states of children, one of their parents and an attending therapist, in two activity settings: a music session and a story-telling session. These data are being collected at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. This post-doctoral fellowship will focus on developing advanced machine learning and data mining algorithms to dissect these data. These data are not easily analyzed with conventional methods as they are non-stationary, multi-channel, spatially correlated within-individual, and originating from multiple individuals. The findings from this research will advance the care of children and youth with disabilities globally.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Tom Chau

Student:

Javad Rahimipour Anaraki

Partner:

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Long-term effects of tillage, crop rotation, cover crop, and fertilizer nitrogen on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage – Year two

Soil organic matter and soil organic carbon (SOC) are the important drivers of soil health. Although winter wheat and red clover have improved the soil health and system resiliency in Ontario (Gaudin et al., 2013), little is known on how quickly changes to soil health can be made and under which management systems. With Federal and Provincial government policies on carbon trading, a better understanding of the impact of management on carbon sequestration would be valuable. However, meaningful Ontario data are needed. The long-term tillage system-crop rotation-fertilizer nitrogen trial at Ridgetown is well suited to provide this information and is unique to North America. Established in 1995, the trial consists of different tillage systems (no-till vs. fall plow), crop rotations (corn, soybean, winter wheat with/without red clover), and 4 rates of fertilizer nitrogen (to corn and wheat). Previous research demonstrated that winter wheat increased SOC after 11-yrs of production. Our proposed research will evaluate the impact of management on soil health, quantify SOC and total N stores and sequestration rates from 2006-2019, and identify the management practices that provide resiliency to the system by relating soil health with crop yield and variability between years.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Laura L Van Eerd

Student:

Inderjot Chahal

Partner:

Grain Farmers of Ontario

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Guelph

Program:

Elevate

Evaluating and optimizing rural and urban lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQI2S) engagement with hospice and palliative care in the Island Health Region – Year two

Existing research focused on the experiences of gay and lesbian older adults with the health care system report that there is a general distrust and reluctance to access healthcare based upon the cumulative effect of discrimination over the life course. At present, while 75% of Canadians have indicated they would like to die at home, 45% of Vancouver Island residents die of in acute care. Clearly there exists a service gap and it appears possible that such a gap may be larger in the LGBTQI2S community. It is therefore vital to explore the level of LGBTQI2S engagement with hospice and palliative care, in order to ensure this population is not further marginalized in end-of-life. Victoria Hospice and Island Health will facilitate access to healthcare service providers, and I will recruit rural and urban LGBTQI2S participants and their families throughout the Island Health region via the relationships I have built with community gatekeepers. A Participatory Action Research strategy will be used and a Community Steering Committee of older LGBTQI2S people representing various geographies as well as sexual orientations and gender identities will be established.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Nathan Lachowsky

Student:

Robert Savage

Partner:

Victoria Hospice Society

Discipline:

Epidemiology / Public health and policy

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Elevate

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