Projets novateurs réalisés

Development of a microbe granulation technology for the increased treatment of organic wastewater, removal of emerging containments and digestion of sludge

Today we are failing to properly and completely treat organic wastewater which results in large amounts of sludge buildup and many untreated emerging contaminates that are shaping and changing our environment. If we ignore this problem: we will see an increased need for resources to development new and very expensive mechanical processes to manage sludge, wildlife will experience further side effects, and the appearance of emerging containments that are causing additional side effects to the surrounding population will also continue to increase. It is expected that this project will deliver a new combined technology that will be able to effectively treat and clean organic wastewater in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The results of this study should enable us to advance and provide this new technology, in an economical way, to municipalities throughout North America in an effort to reduce emerging containments in the environment and solve the growing problem of sludge management.

Interactive ‘digital’ education for multilingual, multicultural, and transnational business practices: The framework for industrial EFL education in internationalism and glocalisaion

This project will bring to the international society a framework for “international-minded” education for business people and industrial entities. Such industrial entities may include ones that aim to start or enhance their international trading businesses, and study-abroad support businesses. The target entities may also include public educational institutions, and federal/state/municipal governmental entities that deal with international public relations, marketing, or communication. The framework provides the public with free referential resources for language and cultural management of international businesses and practices, which could be significantly supported and enriched by the in-depth understanding to the multi-facets of multilingual communication in transnational corporations, and the role of English as a global language in these complex new configurations, including digital communication. As its initial stage, the project aims to create resources to guide best practice for the education of transnational actors who need to deal with Canadian and Japanese customers, fulfilling the needs of the partner organization.

Investigating atmospheric chlorine chemistry in Cape Verde

Using simplified language, please provide a general one-paragraph description of the proposed project including the expected benefit to the participating institutions.

My project aims to better understand the impacts and significance of chlorine and chlorine-containing compounds in the atmosphere of Cape Verde. This will be conducted as part of the University of York’s Chlorine Enhancement by Mineral Dust and its Effect on Methane (CEMDEM) campaign, which will investigate the effects of mineral dust on chlorine concentrations and the subsequent impacts on methane levels. I will operate various instruments equipped to measure chlorinated compounds, and use this data to identify any chlorine-driven chemical pathways and elucidate their mechanism. This project combines York University’s strengths in conducting laboratory and field measurement studies on chlorinated compounds, with the University of York’s expertise in the measurement and modelling of chlorine chemistry, strengthening their ongoing collaboration. With this, we will provide insight into the complex processes occurring in the air that we breathe, and support the work of researchers and policymakers in protecting our air quality, which has direct implications to society from a health and policy perspective.

Evaluation of a ships hull through ice

The overall project is dedicated to energy efficient ship design for Arctic operations. Therefore, the causes for ice loads need to be understood, and also the properties of the prevailing sea ice conditions need to be determined. This has been done with multiple voyages, and now the data needs to be analyzed and put into context. Specifically, this project part refers to measurements conducted aboard ships and related ice property measurements in the Arctic. One part of the project is the analysis of measurements that are taken on the ship. The combination of acceleration measurements and ice thickness measurements has been done before and needs to be refined and re-applied to recent measurements. Additionally, the previous and upcoming analysis results need to be compared with available remote sensing information on sea ice deformation. On the sea ice, samples are taken and ice properties are measured. The measurements need to be processed and the data stored in a database. The data refer to two seasons (2024 and 2025) and will be compared. The measurement hardware needs to be refined and supported, combined with experiments in the laboratory. Her assistance is required, and her own ideas and developments can be included.

Honouring the Waters: Indigenous-Led Insights on Marine Shipping and Community Sovereignty – Marine Based Learning for Indigenous youth 12 and under

The Clear Seas Indigenous Internship Program aims to provide support to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities across Canada by helping them build the necessary internal capacity to research and protect their territories through a re-imagined internship program. Clear Seas provides mentorship to the interns and uplifts existing internal capacity within Indigenous communities. The Clear Seas Internship Program is tackling the real-world impacts of marine shipping on Indigenous communities, with significant cultural, social, and economic consequences. While shipping is vital for trade and economic growth, it often disrupts marine ecosystems, interferes with traditional fishing and hunting practices, and undermines Indigenous governance structures. This project’s scope is to be a leader for more holistic, respectful, supportive, responsive, equitable, and inclusive relationships between Indigenous communities and marine ecospheres through co-produced research spaces. The research centres around the marine ecosphere as Clear Seas can leverage their vast network of marine-related industries and partners. The knowledge developed through these projects will inform future Clear Seas research and guide marine-related policy and strategies.

Antenna Array Feasibility Study

Disruptive antenna technologies are required to provide performance and fabrication advantages in developing broadband wireless application products in emerging upper microwave and millimeterwave radio bands. The internship will investigate the feasibility of applying Polymer-based Dielectric Resonator Antenna (PRA), technology developed at the University of Saskatchewan, to commercial antenna array applications

Scalable Quantum Computing – Part B

Ruken Family Office Corporation is an investment firm specializing in data-driven strategies, risk modeling, and computational finance. As financial markets become increasingly reliant on high-performance computing, emerging technologies like quantum computing have the potential to reshape computational methodologies. However, the scalability and practical viability of quantum computing remain uncertain.
This project aims to identify which finance workloads suit quantum methods under realistic constraints. The work will account for full costs from data loading, state preparation, memory access, communication, and error correction, not only idealized circuit depth. It will produce fair, reproducible comparisons with CPU and GPU approaches at matched accuracy and runtime targets, characterize scaling with problem size and precision, and isolate the bottlenecks and the conditions that remove them.
The anticipated benefits include gaining access to research-based tools that assess the performance of commercial quantum platforms on financial workloads, provide insights into their scalability potential, and enhance understanding of future computational paradigms.

Development of Hybrid Tannin and Reduced Graphene Oxide Cryogels for Environmental Remediation of Aquatic Pollutants

The contamination of aquatic ecosystems by heavy metals and organic pollutants represents a global environmental challenge, threatening human health and ecological balance. Conventional treatment methods, such as chemical precipitation and membrane separation, are costly, ineficient at low concentrations, and generate secondary waste. Adsorption emerges as a promising alternative due to its simplicity and eficiency; however, its success depends on the development of sustainable, cost-effective, and high-performance adsorbent materials. This project proposes the development of a tannin–reduced graphene oxide (A-T/rGO) composite cryogel as an innovative and sustainable solution for the removal of heavy metals and organic dyes from aqueous efluents. The research aims to optimise synthesis parameters (particularly the tannin/GO ratio) to correlate structural properties (morphology, porosity) with adsorption performance. Furthermore, it seeks to achieve a deep understanding of adsorption mechanisms through kinetic and isotherm studies. The ultimate goal is to create a high-performance, low-cost, and eco-friendly material capable of promoting eficient and sustainable remediation of contaminated water.

L’Utilisation de la simulation et du design expérimental pour étudier l’effet du Système des Cellules Manufacturières Dynamiques (SMCD) sur la performance d’une entreprise réseau

Le type d’aménagement peut affecter les indicateurs de performance des entreprises manufacturières. Pour choisir le meilleur type, une ou plusieurs règles sont utilisées selon le contexte de l’étude. Une règle très connue pour les entreprises manufacturières; ‘Il faut mettre les deux machines ayant le flux le plus élevé à proximité’. Une autre règle utile pour un entrepôt est : ‘il faut stocker le produit qui roule plus à côté du quai de chargement’. En plus, les chercheurs ont proposé plusieurs modèles pour les problèmes d’aménagement. Mais dans la plupart des cas ils présentent des lacunes, comme le non considération de la fiabilité des machines ou de la capacité des fournisseurs à suivre leurs demandes. L’idée de cette recherche est d’essayer de déterminer l’effet des variables qui affectent la performance d’une entreprise manufacturière opérant dans un environnement dynamique (une grande variabilité de la demande client, des gammes de produit, etc.) et essentiellement l’effet de type d’aménagement; en lignes d’assemblage, en Système des Cellules Manufacturières Dynamiques, etc.

L2M – AI-Powered Microwave-Based Biosensor for Clot Formation Assessment

This project aims to develop an innovative biosensor that can continuously and non-invasively monitor clot formation in whole blood or plasma in real time. By combining microwave-based sensing technology with artificial intelligence, the system provides accurate, real-time information on coagulation dynamics without the need for complex laboratory instruments. The technology will help healthcare and biomedical research organizations, as well as companies developing biomaterials or biodevices that contact blood, perform reliable hemocompatibility assessments while reducing testing time and costs. For the partner organization, this project will establish the foundation for commercializing a compact, low-cost, off-the-shelf kit for assessing clot formation in blood or plasma samples exposed to biomaterials or biodevices.

Développement de granulés combustibles d’origine agricole de qualité supérieure

Le secteur agricole québécois désire mettre en place une filière énergétique à la biomasse agricole. Toutefois, la combustion de biomasses agricoles en remplacement des combustibles fossiles rencontre certains freins à son développement. Comme la biomasse contient des quantités appréciables d’azote, de soufre, de chlore, de potassium et de silicium, sa combustion émet plus de particules et d’oxydes d’azote et de soufre et engendre davantage de problèmes d’opération (encrassement, corrosion et mâchefers). Deux méthodes particulièrement efficaces pour diminuer l’impact négatif de ces éléments chimiques sont l’ajout d’additifs et la co-combustion avec du bois. L’objectif du stage sera donc d’évaluer quelle combinaison de produits permettrait une réduction des problèmes cités précédemment dans le cadre de la combustion de biomasse agricoles. Le projet comprendra quatre phases : 1) l’identification des combinaisons les plus prometteuses; 2) la fabrication des granulés combustibles à l’aide des équipements de Granulart; 3) la réalisation d’essais de combustion; 4) l’analyse des résultats. À terme, le projet aura permis de développer pour Granulart des granulés d’origine agricole de qualité supérieure pouvant être brûlés de façon durable au Québec

Can Learning Catalytics Replace Clickers?

Classroom response tools such as the ‘clicker’ are devices that students use in class to answer multiple-choice questions. Many studies have shown that clickers can lead to increased learning when properly used. Learning Catalytics is a new web-based tool marketed by Pearson that is meant to replace clickers. While Learning Catalytics offers more features than clickers there are also concerns which must be addressed: 1) Does the use of a web-based tool lead to more distraction in class (texting, facebook)? 2) Is Learning Catalytics as efficient as clickers in supporting students’ learning? 3) Are the new features that Learning Catalytics offers beneficial for student learning? The project will address these questions by comparing classes that use clickers to classes that use Learning Catalytics. The level of distraction and the students’ performance will be measured