Projets novateurs réalisés

Analyse comparative d’une formation en présentiel et d’une formation basée sur un jeu sérieux dans le cadre d’Hydro-Québec

Depuis quinze ans, Hydro-Québec organise des formations sur l’Initiation au code de sécurité des travaux Postes et centrales et Initiation aux risques d’induction, mise à la terre et foudre. Ces formations de trois jours s’adressent à toute personne appelée à intervenir chez Hydro-Québec. Visant un meilleur coût d’opportunité, Hydro-Québec a choisi d’intégrer une nouvelle modalité de formation constituée de deux jours de jeu sérieux suivis d’une journée en présentiel. Les jeux sérieux sont des jeux vidéo adaptés à l’enseignement. Leurs dimensions ludiques, informationnelles et communicationnelles s’articulent aux dimensions pédagogiques, didactiques et instrumentales pour en faire des instruments facilitant l’apprentissage. Cette étude consiste en une analyse comparative des deux modalités de formation, afin de permettre aux gestionnaires d’Hydro-Québec de faire un choix basé sur les résultats d’une recherche scientifique menée dans un cadre universitaire. Elle porte sur les apprentissages visés, les approches pédagogiques, l’évaluation des apprentissages et la motivation des apprenants.

Metagenomic study of dechlorinating microbial communities invitro and in situ, part 2

The project is focused on study of commercial microbial cultures for biological remediation of soils and ground waters contaminated by chlorinated organic compounds. The successful elaboration and improvement of the products requires analysis on molecular-genetic level and detailed understating of organization of the microbial communities. The work benefits to industry partner by providing comprehensive information on functional and taxonomic structure, metabolic models of the studied microbial communities and key microorganisms involved in dechlorination of chloroform.

L2M – Subsurface Energy Storage Software

This four-month business strategy internship will focus on developing the commercialization plan for a new startup founded at the University of Alberta. The intern will take the company’s proven software, a ‘digital twin’ that helps energy companies safely manage their underground storage assets and prevent multi-million-dollar failures, and conduct the necessary market research to build a complete, investment-ready business plan. The direct benefit to the partner organization, Edmonton Unlimited, is the tangible fulfillment of their mission. By supporting this project, they are actively de-risking a high-potential deep-tech venture and helping to forge a promising local technology into a real, Edmonton-based company, ultimately creating a valuable new asset for the city’s innovation ecosystem that will lead to future jobs and economic growth.

Accompagnement entrepreneurial et nouveaux outils de développement du modèle d’affaires : analyse de leur utilisation comme dispositif de support dans le passage du temps R&D vers le temps client

Le passage d’un « temps long » de R&D vers un « temps client » est souvent charnière pour les jeunes entreprises et caractérisé par de nombreux « bouleversements » pour une équipe qui doit composer avec un nombre de plus en plus grand de partenaires externes qui ont tous leurs exigences vis-à-vis de la proposition de valeur et du modèle d’affaires de l’entreprise. Le projet d’étude consiste à accompagner une entreprise spécialisée dans la conception et l’opération d’une plateforme web et mobile de réaction et diffusion nommée Liveshout dans cette période de transition. L’objectif est double puisqu’il vise, d’une part, à tracer la réflexion de l’équipe à l’aide d’un processus de type ethnographique et de l’autre, à mobiliser des outils de stratégie associés au concept de BM pour permettre à l’équipe de conserver une vision partagée du projet dans un contexte où l’augmentation du nombre de parties prenantes autour de la start-up peut induire des changements importants sur son modèle d’affaires.

Freeform fabrication and alignment of LCE micro lenses

This project develops programmable micro-lens arrays made from soft, temperature-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). Using digital micromirror lithography, the research will enable lenses that can adjust their focus through controlled shape changes. The collaboration between the University of Waterloo and Kent State University aims to advance adaptive optics for next-generation imaging and sensing technologies.

Conversion hétérogène des isomères de spin nucléaires de l’hydrogène sur la glace

Dans les conditions de basses températures et de faibles densités qui caractérisent le milieu interstellaire, il peut être démontré, par des arguments de symétrie, que l’interconversion des isomères de spins nucléaires (ISN) de la molécule d’hydrogène, o-H2 ? p-H2, est interdite. Des calculs théoriques ont cependant estimé que, dans ces conditions, les temps de conversion seraient de plusieurs milliards d’années dans le régime quantique, soit à des températures aussi basses que 4K, lorsque la molécule d’H2 est confinée à la surface de la glace. Mme Claveau participera aux travaux expérimentaux sur les mesures de conversion des ISN visant à améliorer notre compréhension des effets de confinement sur les mécanismes, et sur les taux d’interconversion des ISN de H2. Les résultats pourraient nous guider vers l’élaboration de meilleures stratégies de stockage pour des échantillons hautement enrichis en o-H2 ouvrant de nouvelles perspectives pour l’application de la résonance magnétique nucléaire pour l’étude des dynamiques interfaciales. Elle pourrait aussi permettre de valider l’interprétation des anomalies dans les populations des ISN rapportées dans divers objets observés dans le milieu interstellaire.

Developing a Reliability-Based Life-Cycle Cost Model for Electric Motors

The proposed internship aims to study how the characteristics and reliability of Permanent Magnet Electric Motors (PMs) affect their life-cycle cost (LCC), including initial, maintenance, and energy costs. First, the effect of the variation of design variables on the performance and initial cost of PMs will be assessed and the cost will be correlated to performance. Second, the effect of materials and processes on the reliability and the LCC of PMs will be studied and LCC will be correlated to reliability. The results will be presented to TM4 in form of a detailed database. In developing such database, theoretical and technical aspects of manufacturing PMs will be considered in close collaboration with the Electric Motors Design team of McGill University and TM4 Inc. This database, coupled with the performance models of TM4, could be used to obtain design solutions with optimum performance and minimum cost.

Projet d’augmentation de la distance de 30 cm à 100 cm

Son premier produit, déjà en phase de développement, permet de recharger sans fil des fauteuils roulants électriques dans les centres pour personnes âgées, améliorant ainsi l’autonomie des usagers et réduisant la charge de travail du personnel soignant.
Dans le cadre de ses efforts pour développer de futurs produits et augmenter les performances de ses systèmes, AWL-E cherche à améliorer significativement l’efficacité de sa technologie de couplage capacitif, ainsi que sa portée et sa capacité de recharge.

Development of A Marine Propulsion System for Shallow-water Icebreaker

Shallow Arctic waters present unique challenges for icebreaker design. A medium-to-large icebreaker intended for these environments will need to balance icebreaking capability with shallow-draft constraints, ensuring safe operation in shallow and deep waters. This project will address the key performance challenges in propulsion.

The demand for the propulsion systems would be high in ice-covered shallow waters. Propellers can experience violent impacts with ice blocks, leading to damage or jamming of the blades. In shallow depths, conventional large-diameter propellers are not feasible, i.e., the icebreaker must use smaller propellers to avoid grounding, which can limit thrust. In heavy brash ice, propulsive efficiency drops as the propellers re-circulate a mush of ice and water. The challenge is to design a propulsion solution that provides high power and high maneuverability in ice, is protected against ice impact, and still operates efficiently in open water.

Research will be carried out to explore effective solutions to address the propulsion challenges in ice-infested shallow while considering the leverage of propulsion system for ice clearing. The intern will be involved in the design and evaluation of propulsors by carrying out numerical studies.

“KnowMe Privately” – Conceptual design and prototypical implementation of a privacy-preserving, consumer-facing health portal service for active patient engagement and increased provider awareness

The aim of the project is to design effective informational security and privacy controls for a new type of patient health portal that will empower patients to share contextual information about their values, priorities and beliefs with members of their extended circle of care. Knowing “what matters” to patients is important for clinical decision-making in order to achieve the best possible outcomes from a patient perspective. However, such information is commonly not readily available to clinicians. The industrial partner in this project is developing the “KnowMe portal”, a Web-based service that empowers patients to register and share with their caregivers what matters to them. This internship project will design effective, yet easy to use mechanisms for protecting patient privacy in this portal solution.

Dreamcatcher Informatics: a Web-based and Mobile Information System to Support Land Management, Consultation, and the Preservation of History, Culture and Traditional Ecological Knowledge

The role of this internship is to assist in reaching the SSHRC goal for the Dreamcatcher system of capturing cultural data, traditional ecological knowledge, and traditional land use. This internship will contribute to the growing area of critical Indigenous research in Canadian planning practice and theory. Canadian planning structures, including heritage recognition and conservation, are one example of how post-colonial policy structures continue to fail to effectively work with Canada’s First Nations communities (RCAP, 1996); Indigenous heritage as a result remains underrepresented and under threat. By altering heritage planning policy and practice to include intangible heritage, resulting policy can more fully recognize heritage diversity in Canada and suitably protect Indigenous culture and knowledge for future generations. The development of community-centred collaborative heritage tools, such as Dreamcatcher, are prime examples of alternative planning tools central to the protection of Indigenous intangible heritage and traditional knowledge in Canada.

Strategic Decision Making in Adversarial Planning applied for Used Water Management

This research proposal is in the field of decision making under uncertainty. More specifically, we focus upon improving decision making in adversarial, stochastic and/or partially observable situations. In any situation where there is more than one agent that can impact its current state, or any variable that is outside the control of the agent, we are in the presence of adversarial planning. Failing to recognize the impact of other agents on a situation leads to suboptimal solution. Thus, finding a good solution to a problem in adversarial planning can lead to important shift in decision making paradigm and is of relevance for many fields of research. More specifically, we focus upon improving the decision making applied in the field of municipal used water management. The long term objective of this research program is to provide an adversarial decision making platform for researchers and practitioners to facilitate the decision making process. As we have 2 partners in this project, both have convergent yet slightly different interests. For our municipal partner, their interest lies at the improvement of their current situation regarding the evaluation of different decisions.