Projets novateurs réalisés

Measurement of silicon quantum dots using RF-reflectometry

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Process design for interpreting deep learning model decisions using large language models

EBSCO and McMaster University’s Health Information Research Unit (HiRU) collaborate to enhance the delivery of high-quality, clinically relevant content to healthcare professionals. Through DynaMed, EBSCO’s evidence-based clinical resource, and HiRU’s literature surveillance program, McMaster PLUS, they provide a continuous stream of rigorously appraised articles from PubMed to clinicians globally and to DynaMed expert authors. Machine learning models have been developed by HiRU to expedite access to this quality evidence, but we do not understand how decisions are made by the models when they classify evidence. To adhere to transparency and responsible AI practices, this project will test whether large language models, like GPT-4o, can provide explanations for the machine learning model decisions. We will test GPT-4o with a series of prompts and approaches and evaluate how well it performs the task. The goal is to develop a process to be implemented within the support services for DynaMed authors to increase their trust in the model decisions.

CivicLabTO – AccessTO: Exploring the true cost of safety for undocumented people in Toronto

The City of Toronto, as a sanctuary city, is committed to ensuring that “residents have full rights to access City services without fear, regardless of their immigration status”. Consultation on the renewal of the Toronto Newcomer revealed that the City falls short of this commitment with regards to issues of safety that involve the Toronto Police Services. Through a jurisdictional scan, policy analysis, review of the literature, and interviews, this project will analyze the current policy frameworks at the City and Toronto Police Service, examine the policies and practices of other sanctuary cities with regards to policing and safety of undocumented members of society, and ultimately provide tailored recommendations to the City on how to address the raised concerns within the mandate of the City’s SafeTO commitments. In doing so, this project will review the efficacy of Toronto’s sanctuary city policy (first past in 2013) with regards to safety and policing while providing concrete recommendations for ways forward. As Canada’s largest, most diverse, and first sanctuary city, this study will shed light on the challenges of the implementation of this policy initiative while highlighting opportunities to improve its functionality.

Optimal design and operation of a sustainable building purposed as a professional training centre

This project will focus on the design and operation of a sustainable institutional building for vocational/professional training. This building, located at the CÉGEP de Victoriaville site, will apply sustainability principles and life cycle analysis as the cornerstone of its design. The intern will perform data analysis and carry out building performance simulations to provide additional information to the design team. Another important aspect to analyzed will be the operation of the building in the context of interaction with the electrical grid; from this point of view, load management strategies will be an essential design requirement. The final goal is to produce general guidelines that could be applied in similar buildings.

Démarche de recherche sur le portrait et la destination éducative et socioprofessionnelle des élèves inscrits aux Parcours de formation axée sur l’emploi

Pour les élèves handicapés ou en difficulté d’adaptation ou d’apprentissage (EHDAA), terminer le secondaire présente un défi considérable. Pour aider les élèves EHDAA présentant des retards scolaires importants à terminer leur cheminement au secondaire, le Ministère de l’Éducation du Québec a mis en place le Parcours de formation axée sur l’emploi (PFAE), qui offre aux élèves d’alterner entre les études et le travail. Très peu de recherches ont examiné ces programmes, et comment ils répondent aux besoins des jeunes y participant. Ce projet, réalisé avec Réseau Réussite Montréal (RRM), vise à comprendre les profils des élèves qui fréquentent ces programmes ainsi que leur cheminement scolaire et professionnel. D’une part, nous allons préparer la constitution d’un ensemble de données sur les élèves du PFAE à partir des données possédées par les Centre de services scolaires (CSS). D’autre part, nous allons analyser le parcours d’élèves du PFAE ayant pris part à l’étude Parcours pour obtenir des résultats préliminaires.

Persuasive Micro-Data Videos (MDVs) to support children’s outdoor play and learning in schools

Micro Data Videos (MDVs) are short videos, typically under one minute in length, that incorporate data visualizations to tell compelling, data-driven stories. In today’s fast-paced world and with increasingly shorter attention spans, MDVs have become a highly popular format for disseminating data-based information. Their strength lies in the ability to present factual data to the general public, regardless of their level of data literacy, in a timely, accessible, and engaging way. However, crafting an engaging and informative data-based story for such a brief timeframe is challenging, especially when the goal is to influence viewers’ perceptions and/or behaviors.

This research aims to advance the understanding of persuasive data storytelling and narrative visualization by exploring the persuasive potential of MDVs. We plan to develop a set of design guidelines for creating persuasive MDVs, which can be used to produce videos that swiftly raise viewers’ awareness and influence their attitudes/behaviours regarding health-related issues. Specifically, we intend to design, produce, and evaluate persuasive MDVs targeting educators, with the goal of advocating for the importance of outdoor play for children’s mental, emotional, and physical development.

Uncovering the cell type specific behavior of immune response in the chicken

This project will allow McGill University to be part of a larger-scale project focusing on the genetic expression variance in chickens, headed by the team at Aarhus University. Previous work has been done to categorize general gene expression across numerous tissues types, with the focus now shifting to better understand the drivers behind gene expression and how they impact various traits. This project will focus on uncovering genetic variants linked to immune response in poultry. Using collected RNA-sequencing data for various tissues and cells, gene expression will be measured for genes related to various immune reactions, and the variants impacting expression will be compared across cells and tissues. By identifying these variants, the biological processes controlling responses can be better understood, for a deeper view of the immune response. In doing so, poultry health and welfare can be better improved as rare variants are identified and understood, which can be used for things like selective breeding, as well as improvement of vaccines and treatments for various viruses and bacteria of concern. The understanding of the poultry genetics will serve as a driver for more sustainable food production in Canada and worldwide.

Comparative Study to Determine the Efficacy of Different Sanitizers to inactivate Human Pathogens on Shredded Lettuce and within Spent Wash Water

Bagged salads have been linked to foodborne illness outbreaks implicating Salmonella, E coli and Listeria. It was commonly believed that the post-harvest washing applied prior to bagging would remove field-acquired contamination. However, through various lines of research has illustrated that washing can result in cross-contamination of produce rather than decontamination. The majority of research performed to date has focused on the level of pathogen removal by different sanitizers. Yet, the ability to inactivate pathogens in wash water loaded with soils deposited by fresh produce would be more significant. To this end the project will evaluate a prototype sanitizer that in principal can be used in the presence of high organic loading, unlike commonly used bleach. The performance of Food Freshly will be compared to other commonly used sanitizers used in produce processing to get a relative measure of efficacy. The research will enhance the microbiological safety of fresh produce.

US-China Tech Rivalry: Technological Convergence and Implications for the Regulation of Autonomous Weapons Systems

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That’s My Jam: Understanding the Value of Quick Game Prototyping

“That’s My Jam: Understanding the Value of Quick Game Prototyping” will study how emerging game developers use game jams as a springboard for their professional practice. Our primary research question is: what challenges do game jammers face when transforming prototype games into commercial products, ad-hoc groups into indie development teams, and compact jam timelines into extended development cycles? Recognising the power of the game jams as a production tool, we will also investigate how established game studios have adopted their core tenets—experimentation, rapid prototyping, and even failure—into their creative processes.

This research will be rooted in interviews and surveys with experienced game jam facilitators, game jam participants who have transitioned to commercial production, and game developers who have integrated jam-like workflows into their studios. The output of this project will be an illustrated white paper that synthesises our research findings and scrutinises the industry implications of game jams—how they serve as sites of training, networking, and prototyping for early-career developers. Additionally, the paper will provide advice and resources for jam participants who wish to transition their projects into commercial contexts.

Polo Mallet Prototyping: Testing and Short-run Production

The collaborative project among NSCAD University/ Dalhousie Engineering and the partner, Penalty Four, seeks to refine development of a polo mallet prototype that can become an alternative to the conventional wood head with cane shaft, used in the game throughout its history. The inherent issue with the wood mallet is a lack of durability and consistency…. Players will carry a collection mallets (5-10) while also sending out others for repair, a costly and time-consuming process. The initial stages of this project involved having a range of shafts made using golf graphite and carbon technologies. In partnership with Greg Sims, Assistant Professor at NSCAD University, several mallet head prototypes (9) have been developed over the past 18 months. An interchangeable method of attachment between the shaft and mallet head has also been developed, showing promising results that are reliable and effective thus far.

The challenge is to refine the prototype model, conduct testing and batch produce several mallets for further in-game testing. The current prototype requires weight reductions near 20%. Selective removal/replacement of material is required, while maintaining or enhancing overall performance. The overall design will be advanced to account for the material(s) used, the method of manufacture and how it will be secured (attached and detached) to the shaft.

The benefit to the partner organization is in accessing engineering expertise, methodologies and use of facilities. The project moves the current prototype into a game ready version that can then be put in the hands pf players for further testing.

Évaluation d’impact des programmes de soutien financier des entrepreneurs immigrants au Québec : Cas des bourses d’honneur d’Entreprendre ICI

Ce projet de recherche vise à comprendre comment les bourses d’honneur, offertes par Entreprendre ICI, aident les entrepreneurs immigrants au Québec. En analysant les expériences des bénéficiaires de ces bourses, nous voulons savoir comment ce soutien financier influence la croissance de leurs entreprises et contribue à la création d’emplois. Le stagiaire mènera des enquêtes et des entretiens pour recueillir des données précises. Les résultats permettront à Entreprendre ICI d’améliorer ses programmes de soutien, rendant ces initiatives encore plus efficaces. En fin de compte, cette recherche aidera l’organisation à mieux accompagner les entrepreneurs immigrants, favorisant ainsi l’innovation, la diversification économique et l’intégration sociale au Québec.