Projets novateurs réalisés

Réappropriation par l’art : L’investissement des espaces urbains de Baie-Comeau par les jeunes Autochtones.

Ce projet, réalisé en partenariat avec le Centre d’amitié autochtone de Baie-Comeau (CAAM), vise à permettre à de jeunes autochtones de s’exprimer à travers des activités artistiques et de se réapproprier les espaces urbains de Baie-Comeau. Par le biais d’ateliers artistiques et d’une exposition, les jeunes pourront partager leurs expériences et leurs histoires, renforçant ainsi leur lien avec la ville et leur identité culturelle. Ce projet contribue à rendre visibles les jeunes autochtones dans la ville, souvent absents des données et des politiques publiques locales. En travaillant avec le CAAM, ce projet aidera aussi à renforcer son rôle en tant qu’espace culturellement sécurisant pour ces jeunes, tout en sensibilisant la population de Baie-Comeau aux réalités autochtones.

Internship project: Screening of dopants in V2O5 for enhanced electrochemical performance using machine learning-accelerated methods

Vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) is a widely studied material for electrocatalysis due to its redox properties and potential as an efficient catalyst for the oxyge¬¬n evolution reaction (OER). However, further improvements in its catalytic performance can be achieved by modifying its surface structure through the incorporation of dopants. This project aims to enhance the catalytic performance of V2O5 in OER by screening various dopant elements. Machine learning-accelerated Monte Carlo simulations will be employed to investigate the effects of dopants on surface reconstruction and controlled defect formation. After identifying promising candidates, density functional theory (DFT) calculations will be performed to create Gibbs free energy diagrams, offering insights into their electrocatalytic activity. The most promising candidates will then be synthesized and experimentally validated for water splitting performance.

L2M – CampusGo

CampusGo is a software platform designed to enhance user experiences in complex environments, such as large campuses, by unifying indoor-outdoor navigation. The platform aims to assist new employees, students, tourists, and visitors with real-time navigation and information. CampusGo offers a range of services, including the integration of multi-modal data such as 3D models, architectural diagrams, and user profiles, as well as indoor and outdoor path-planning capabilities. With a focus on providing a seamless experience through web and mobile interfaces, the system supports real-time navigation and offers users engaging ways to interact with their surroundings. The project is still in its early stages, with the initial deployment and beta testing conducted on a university campus, providing valuable insights into its functionality and user engagement.

Employment Impacts of Mining in Northern Saskatchewan

This research estimates the employment impacts of a new mine proposed for northern Saskatchewan. We estimate the direct, indirect, and induced employment effects of the proposed mine. Using publically available data, the research shows how a direct investment in a mine creates jobs all along its supply chain. This indirect employment is expected to be a significant contributor to total employment gains. The direct and indirect jobs also increase local incomes thereby financing the creation of additional jobs. This research identifies all three types of jobs and the resulting contribution to income. To complete the research, the intern will identify how to scale provincial data down to a regional level to account for the remoteness of these northern communities. The partner organization will receive a complete report that identifies the employment effects that then help it communicate results to its stakeholders.

!Drop impact of non-Newtonian fluids!!!

Le projet portera sur l’étude de l’impact de goutte de fluides complexe qui a de nombreuses applications industrielles ou en géophysique. Nous utiliserons notamment des fluides à seuils qui ont la particularité de se comporter comme des solides lorsqu’il sont faiblement sollicités et comme des fluides quand on a dépassé une contrainte limite dite contrainte seuil. La mayonnaise ou le dentifrice sont des exemples de fluides à seuil. Nous allons essayer avec ce projet de caractériser l’écoulement dans la goutte au moment de l’impact en tenant compte de la particularité des fluides utilisés. Pour cela nous utiliserons des outils théoriques et numériques développés pour l’étude de l’impact de goutte avec des fluides classiques (tel que l’eau par exemple). Nous espérons pouvoir obtenir une meilleure compréhension du phénomène et ainsi expliquer certains comportement singulier.

Integrating Optical and RADARSAT-2 Imagery for Enhanced Lake Ice Monitoring

This project aims to improve how lake ice is monitored in Canada by combining images from optical and RADARSAT-2 satellites with advanced data analysis techniques. Monitoring lake ice is important because it reflects climate changes, which affect both local and global environments. The partner company, ApoSys, specializes in using satellite technology for environmental monitoring, but current methods are limited by factors like cloud cover and lack of detailed data for smaller, remote lakes. By working on this project, ApoSys hopes to overcome these challenges and improve its ability to monitor environmental changes. The results will benefit ApoSys by enhancing its technological expertise, and potentially expanding its business into new markets. Additionally, better lake ice monitoring will support industries like fishing and tourism and contribute to climate change management efforts in Canada.

Rigorous development of database backends

Using a verification-based approach for database storage backends has the potential to avoid such bugs, but specifying the complexity of a modern backend upfront is a daunting task. To decompose the problem into smaller pieces, we base our approach on the following insights: (1) There are two broad classes of backends: eager, state-based maps, vs. lazy, operation-based journals. (2) We can write a high-level, abstract specification that accounts for both. (3) We can prove correctness and equivalence properties from the high-level specification. (4) The specification provides a kind of pseudocode for the implementation. (5) A similar high-level specification accounts for the composition of primitive stores. (6) We can express the complex internal architecture of a modern backend as such a composition.

An initial goal of the internship is to perform an experimental study (of performance and fault tolerance) of the implementation. The focus of the work will tackle items 5 and 6. The intern will design and implement a composition framework, and will use composition to mimic the functionality of an modern backend such as RocksDB. The research objective is to evaluate the backend designed following our rigorous approach, against comparable backends designed in an ad-hoc manner.

Ethnographic researcher – AI industry in Québec

Le projet Art-IA, mené par la Société des Arts et Technologies (SAT), MUTEK, Sporobole et le Metacreation Lab, explore les imaginaires liés à l’intelligence artificielle (IA) dans la création numérique. L’objectif est de créer une plateforme d’échange entre différents projets artistiques numériques pour répondre aux besoins des créateurs et ouvrir de nouvelles pistes de recherche et développement. Ce projet se concentre sur la structuration de communs de l’IA pour la création numérique, avec des séminaires et des groupes de travail. L’étude examine comment les acteurs du projet perçoivent les technologies et l’avenir de l’art en lien avec l’IA. Elle inclut la cartographie des projets artistiques au Québec pour identifier les besoins des créateurs et développer une boîte à outils technologique adaptée. La recherche s’intéresse également à l’utilisation de l’IA dans les projets des partenaires et aux discours sur l’IA sur les réseaux professionnels comme LinkedIn, permettant d’identifier les similitudes et différences dans les visions de la technologie parmi les créateurs et les industries culturelles. La méthodologie combine observation, entrevues avec les artistes et sessions de travail pour enrichir la recherchecréation.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances(PFAS) removal from landfill leachate using Extracellular polymeric substances(EPS) and surfactants

This research project aims to explore new ways to remove harmful chemicals, known as PFAS, from landfill leachate using natural substances called extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and commercial surfactants. PFAS are difficult to eliminate and pose health risks; nevertheless, existing remediation approaches are costly and entail environmental complications. By testing EPS and surfactants as potential solutions, the project hopes to find a more affordable and eco-friendly approach. The partner organization, Biogénie Canada inc., will benefit by gaining access to new, cost-effective methods for treating wastewater, which could improve their operations and help meet environmental standards more efficiently.

A new low cost device for skin monitoring

This project is aimed to develop an inexpensive device for general public in monitoring skin healthcare condition. The device will be able to take magnified images of skin in order to observe more detailed skin conditions. A low cost version of the device will be able to attach to a smartphone and use the built-in camera on the smartphone to take skin images. Another stand along version of the device will have a camera itself and will be able to wirelessly transmit images taken to other devices, such as PC or tablet. The intern will develop a working prototype for the device and transform it into a commercial product. The partner organization will benefit from the product developed by the intern and be able to further conduct manufacturing based on the intern’s work.

N2SOLVE: A Canadian/French Coordination Chemistry Partnership for Climate Change Solutions

N2SOLVE OVERVIEW: This research pairing between France and Canadian researchers will develop new functional molecules: ligands, transition metal, and main group compounds that promote the equitable use of resources, specifically with regard to the global nitrogen cycle. To ensure the well-being of future generations, innovative approaches that engage sustainable practice must be adopted. With an increasing population, it is essential that as a society, we work to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, invest in alternative energy sources, and discover superior/more efficient routes for the synthesis of specialty chemicals such as nitrogen-containing compounds from abundant N2 sources. Collectively, this collaboration buttresses a research project devoted to exploiting inorganic and main group chemistry for application in sustainability science, enhancing Canada and France’s reputations for scientific excellence. We will study novel molecules that display unprecedented reactivity patterns, producing high-quality data and HQP. Impact includes identifying new catalysts for multi-electron/proton reductions, providing a route for the transformation of an abundant nitrogen-feedstock stream (N2) into N-containing organics. Together, this work will cement a strong and sustainable economy, protect our environment, and strengthen France and Canada’s knowledge sector.

Using Acoustic Shock Waves from Optically detected Shower Meteors to Constrain Fireball Energetics

The extra-terrestrial mass flux on Earth is not well known with uncertainties of about a factor of ten relative to the estimated averages. We use seismological recordings of acoustic waves generated by meteoroids to calculate their mass and energy, because seismic stations are relatively densely distributed and the recordings are freely available. We want to determine the amplitude- or energy-coupling coefficients between the air wave and the seismic recording which depends on several parameters such as the physical properties of the air and the solid ground and the incidence angle. We want to determine these coupling coefficients for recording sites in North America and their dependencies on seismic installation parameters, geology, topography and azimuthal direction. For this project we combine expertise in meteoroid science (Western University Ontario) and seismology (KIT Karlsruhe) to achieve a step forward in mass flux calculations.