Projets novateurs réalisés

Amélioration des pratiques en gestion de projet au sein de Bâtir son quartier

Le projet de recherche a pour objectif de formaliser un ensemble de pratiques de gestion de projet via une plateforme numérique au sein d’une entreprise d’économie sociale œuvrant dans le domaine de l’habitation social et communautaire. Ces entreprises sont de plus en plus sollicitées afin de répondre à la crise du logement grandissante au Québec. L’entreprise d’économie sociale Bâtir son quartier (BSQ) coordonne la réalisation de projets d’habitation et d’immobilier communautaire depuis 1976. À la lumière d’une croissance anticipée des projets et du personnel, et dans une volonté d’amélioration continue, BSQ a entrepris depuis peu un chantier pour revoir et harmoniser ses pratiques de gestion de projet. Dans le cadre de ce chantier, BSQ cherche notamment à formaliser et à mettre en place des mécanismes pour améliorer l’accès aux données et informations ainsi que de permettre un suivi de la performance des projets par ses gestionnaires de projets. Ce projet de recherche permettra à BSQ de formaliser ses pratiques de gestion de projet et de les opérationnalisées au moyen de la plateforme, du développement des outils et des stratégies pour soutenir cette mise en œuvre.

Caractérisation avancée de biocomposites hybrides à base d’acétate de cellulose fonctionnalisée et de cellulose microcristalline pour des applications électroniques durables

Ce projet vise à développer des matériaux composites 100% cellulose pour des applications dans l’emballage électronique biosourcé et biocompostable.
L’idée consiste à plastifier le diacétate de cellulose par greffage chimique des chaines de polycaprolactone (PCL) flexibles afin de fabriquer la matrice CA-g-PCL. Les greffons PCL ont l’avantage d’avoir une température de transition vitreuse basse (Tg = -60°C) et d’être biodégradable. Les composites CA-g-PCL/MCCx (x est le pourcentage de fibres MCC qui sera rajouté) seront préparés par le couple extrusion-thermocompression. Les analyses morphologiques, diélectriques, calorimétriques, thermogravimétriques, mécaniques seront utilisés pour analyser les performances de ces nouveaux biocomposites. Les résultats seront comparés avec ceux des composites préparés via la plastification externes.

The asymmetric spin glass as a model of altered cognition in schizophrenia and the psychedelic state: A neuromagnetic and computational study

This project investigates the brain mechanisms underlying schizophrenia and altered cognitive states using advanced computational models inspired by physics and machine learning. It focuses on understanding how the brain’s activity, thought to operate in a balance between order and disorder (known as criticality), may shift away from this balance in schizophrenia and in the psychedelic state, affecting cognition. By analyzing existing brain data from patients and healthy individuals, the project aims to uncover the dynamical regimes of the brain that are linked to altered cognition and explore their implications for brain-inspired artificial intelligence systems. This collaboration between the Donders Centre for Neuroscience and the University of Montreal brings together complementary expertise. Prof. Kappen’s team at Donders contributes deep knowledge in statistical physics, machine learning, and control theory, while Prof. Jerbi’s team provides advanced neuroimaging analysis and psychiatric insights. This partnership bridges physics, AI and neuroscience, promising innovations in diagnosing and treating mental health disorders, as well as generating insights into the many dimensions of biological and artificial intelligence.

Elucidating the Environmental Triggers and of Localized Scleroderma (LS) in Quebec, Canada

This research project aims to understand how factors like where people live and their social and economic situations influence the development and outcomes of localized scleroderma, a rare but serious disease. By using advanced tools like machine learning and maps that track changes over time, the project will identify patterns and risk factors that may contribute to the disease. The findings will help pinpoint areas or groups of people who might need more support or targeted interventions. For Sclérodermie Québec, this work will provide valuable insights to guide their efforts in supporting patients and raising awareness. It will also help the organization advocate for better health policies and care strategies, ensuring that resources are directed where they are needed most. By contributing to cutting-edge research, Sclérodermie Québec strengthens its position as a leader in the fight against this disease, benefiting patients and their families across Quebec.

Détection acoustique d’anomalies en usine

L’usine du groupe Canam située à Sherbrooke est équipée de plusieurs perceuses magnétiques et statiques qui sont utilisées pour le perçage de pièces en acier. Ces outils doivent être opérés de manière optimale afin de limiter les bris d’équipement qui entraînent des coûts et du temps de maintenance supplémentaires. Notamment, la vitesse de rotation, la pression exercée sur l’outil et le type de mèche doivent être choisis judicieusement pour chaque tâche à accomplir. Le partenaire possède pour le moment peu de rétroaction pour s’assurer d’une utilisation optimale des outils. Cependant, les ouvriers expérimentés sont en mesure de déterminer l’état d’un outil à partir du son émis par celui-ci. Cette observation demeure néanmoins subjective, et gagnerait à être mesurée et analysée grâce à des méthodes numériques avancées. Ce projet vise à concevoir un système automatique d’écoute des perceuses pour fournir une rétroaction aux opérateurs moins expérimentées et garantir une utilisation optimale des outils.

L2M – Otherside Health

The project aims to provide accessible, empirically-guided, and population-specific mental health interventions. These interventions will be co-created with the populations who will benefit from them, using a participatory action framework developed by applicant Kev Kokoska’s PhD research with incarcerated people. The core idea is to tailor and repurpose the mental health tools that have proven effective in the hardest setting (prison) so that other hard to reach or “treatment resistant” communities may also benefit. Our mental health market research to date tells us that tailored (population-specific) approaches to mental health are of significant need, especially in historically marginalized communities. The main commercialization challenge we have faced is clarifying the difference(s) between ‘customers’ and ‘users’. Therefore, this will be the primary focus during this Lab2Market Validate process. We wish to better understand the needs of customers (institutions/organizations) and how solving their institutional pains will promote mental wellness in our users (specific segments of the ‘general public’).

Parameterized Pulse Encoding for Quantum Machine Learning

Chemical property predictions using quantum machine learning (QML) lie at the intersection of machine learning, quantum computing, and computational chemistry. QML models often use parameterized quantum circuits (PQCs) that abstract gate-level quantum operations but offer limited flexibility in adjustable parameters. To enhance QML model performance and generalizability, incorporating pulse-level operations, which lie below gate-level in the quantum computing stack, is crucial. These operations enable more adjustable parameters and finer control, potentially improving robustness against noise on real quantum hardware.

We hypothesize that integrating pulse-level operations into QML models will improve their ability to predict chemical properties like bond dissociation energies through regression tasks. The goal is to develop hybrid quantum circuit-pulse learning algorithms to optimize both pulse- and gate-level parameters. We will use quantum-mechanically calculated chemical data to train and test the models, investigating how training data size affects generalization error.

Additionally, the project will evaluate whether hybrid circuit-pulse learning offers advantages over standard quantum circuit learning in accurately predicting chemical properties. By addressing PQC limitations and exploring pulse-level operations, this work aims to advance QML’s application in computational chemistry, paving the way for more powerful and adaptable models.

Sii T’ax Development Corporation Five-Year Strategic Plan

This project is a strategic planning project designed to transfer skills and capacity building in the form of a five-year strategic plan for the Sii T’ax Economic Development Corporation. This project will also include an assessment of the current business units of the Sii T’ax Economic Development Corporation. Based on recent and current ISIS projects with the four villages of the Nisga’a First Nation, ISIS proposes to expand its economic development planning initiatives into a capacity building, skills transfer and mentoring role with the board of directors at the Sii T’ax Economic Development Corporation. In its highest-level form, this would involve an ISIS student spending an initial 2 months to become familiar with the Sii T’ax Economic Development Corporation and designing a five-year strategic plan. At the end of this 2-month period, ISIS would work on recommendations of implementation for the growth of the business units of Sii T’ax Economic Development Corporation.

Strengthening the Transition to Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Quebec: Understanding the Barriers, Mobilizing Stakeholders and ESG Strategies

The project aims to support Terre à table, an organization committed to sustainable agriculture, by deepening the understanding of the economic and environmental challenges related to agri-environmental practices in Quebec. The intern will conduct research to identify barriers to farmers’ adoption of sustainable practices and ways to overcome them. It will also analyze the sustainability strategies of food companies to foster beneficial partnerships between producers and businesses. At the same time, it will study the specific needs of other actors in the organization’s areas of action, such as indigenous communities . This project will enable Terre à table to better support producers in the transition to a more environmentally friendly agriculture, while strengthening its links with other players of the agri-food value chain.

Evaluating the Potential of Stationary and Mobile Energy Storage to Improve Energy Flexibility in Nova Scotia

THIS IS A GENERIC TEXT PUT IN PLACE AS THERE WAS NO PROJECT OVERVIEW

Agent conversationnel intelligent évaluant la crédibilité de signes cliniques en santé mentale

Le projet en développement consiste à créer un agent conversationnel intelligent destiné à soutenir les professionnels de la santé mentale dans leur pratique quotidienne. Cet outil novateur vise à faciliter le processus de diagnostic différentiel, une étape cruciale pour déterminer avec précision les troubles de santé mentale des patients. Grâce à une intelligence artificielle avancée, l’agent est capable d’interagir de manière naturelle et intuitive avec les professionnels, en leur fournissant des rétroactions adaptées à leurs besoins cliniques. Conçu pour s’intégrer harmonieusement dans le flux de travail des professionnels, cet outil peut contribuer à optimiser le temps consacré à l’analyse des cas complexes. Tout en respectant la confidentialité des données et en répondant aux normes les plus strictes en matière de sécurité, ce projet promet d’être une ressource précieuse pour les professionnels de la santé mentale, en les épaulant dans leur mission de fournir des soins de qualité.

Reconfigurable Ferromagnetic Liquid Crystal Elastomer Composites

Liquid Crystal Elastomers (LCEs) are shape-changing polymers that contain asymmetrical liquid crystal molecules chemically bonded to the polymer chains in an ordered fashion. Heat and light can be used to change this molecular order, which results in the polymer changing its shape. LCEs show promising applications in remotely controlled soft robotics and actuators, such as microscopic drug delivery systems and soft actuators in microelectromechanical systems. LCEs are thermosets. Once the microstructure is locked-in by crosslinking, it cannot be reprocessed and reprogrammed, limiting its scope to the function(s) it was designed for. Additionally, since these materials cannot biodegrade or be recycled, they are disposed of at their end-of-life. Dr. Mohand Saed’s group at the University of Cambridge has developed LCEs containing molecules with exchangeable chemical bonds (xLCEs), addressing this sustainability issue. The performance of these xLCEs as soft robots and actuators may be enhanced by the incorporation of ferromagnetic nanoparticles, developed by Dr. Hamed Shahsavan’s group at the University of Waterloo. Magnetic nanoparticles show promise to incorporate magneto-responsive locomotion, molecular reconfiguration, and unlock novel modes of shape change actuation. In the proposed collaboration, combining these enhancements will realize a novel, customizable shape changing material for developing soft robots, with increased sustainability.