Projets novateurs réalisés

Network Traffic Classification for Cyber Threat and Malware Detection

Bell’s Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) team is collaborating with academic institutions in order to further research and develop cyber security analytics for the protection of critical infrastructure and data. The focus of this research is to create and leverage a traffic classification project specifically for network security purposes. This research to design distributed algorithms fast enough for analyzing massive high-dimensional
data generated by network traffic to detect cyber threats/ attacks and anomaly in the network.

First Nation Environmental Review and Analysis

The Government of Canada is in the process of reviewing legislation and procedures related to environmental processes, e.g. the Canadian Environmental Assessment process (CEAA) and the National Energy Board process (NEB). Indigenous groups across Canada have participated in engagement sessions, and made formal written submissions which have been made publically available. This research project will review and analyze of all the Indigenous submissions on the NEB and CEAA processes to identify the key themes, gaps and contradicting view noted with the various Indigenous approaches to these environmental processes as compared to current legislation. The outputs will provide the Atlantic Policy Congress (APC) with knowledge and material to ensure legislative changes align with Indigenous world views and priorities in accordance with the empirical evidence provided by the actual written submissions.

Ground Spatial Filtering in Near-Field Scanners

Near-field measurement is a key and inseparable part of Antenna characterization and electromagnetic diagnosis applications. Providing a fast method to perform this type of measurement will be of significant added value to the RF industry. Traditionally, near-field measurements are performed inside an echoic chambers and using a mechanically sweeping probe. This type of measurement is accurate but is also relatively costly and time-consuming. Moreover, due to the time it takes for mechanical probes to sweep, it might not be very efficient for certain types of diagnosis applications where it near-field data has to be acquired in a short time window. EMSCAN Corporation has introduced a new scanner which enables near-field measurement tests to be performed in real-time inside lab-environment. Besides all of the features this type of scanner has to offer, they can be improved in a few aspects. TO BE CONT’D

Development of new techniques for power system model validation and calibration

Dynamic modeling is one of the most important tools for the power system operation and planning purposes. In order to study the behavior of the system, which is subjected to disturbances, a valid knowledge of parameters of system components is essentially required. The objective of this project is to propose an applicable algorithm to identify the parameters of the power system components’ models. For the identification purpose, the actual power systems’ subsections data collected by phasor measurement units (PMUs) are employed. Afterward, the acquired model needs to be validated to assess the capability of the model in performing accurately in different operation conditions. This study is in line with the intern’s research topic, which is modeling, identification, and control of power generation systems. Moreover, this project will help the Powertech to add a tool to their software to predict the behavior of the power systems’ components.

Increasing Patient Engagement and Informing Marketing Decisions through the use of Patient Personas and Patient Journey Mapping

Mobile health (mHealth) apps allow patients to practice self-care and manage their chronic diseases. Common functions in mHealth tools allow users to monitor their symptoms and mood, keep a thought diary, track medication use and trend information; this provides data that can be used to better understand patient behaviour to ensure that patient needs are being met. By using a user-centered design approach for app design, the patient experience is captured through understanding their goals and challenges as well as their journey in living with or recovering from chronic disease(s). The Health Storylines platform, offered by the patient analytics company Self Care Catalysts, offers self-care tools which can provide these valuable insights in order to improve the app design and inform marketing strategies for specific patient groups, which will in turn drive higher engagement levels and improve patient empowerment.

Waste heat recovery in aluminium smelters: technical and economic analysis

Aluminium smelter are energy intensive and not particularly energy efficient, as most of the energy required to produce aluminium is lost along the production line. This is the reason why it is mandatory to perform a detailed analysis of the thermal wastes produced in these factories. The main objective of this project is to investigate the solutions to recover the thermal wastes and to convert them into useful power. The feasibility of these solutions are analysed by considering technological and economic aspects: in this way, a reliable solution to improve the energy efficiency in aluminium smelter is provided.

Webpage customer persona discovery and push notification guidelines

Cellphones get notifications from different companies every day, but we do not know whether these notifications have a significant impact on customers’ behaviour. Knowing the impact of these notifications would provide useful insights to marketing strategists. Since user behaviour will determine the efficacy of push notifications, this project initially aims to build a behavioural model, which will group customers based on their web site navigation behaviour. Phase 2 of this project will use that behavioural model to propose strategies for using push notifications to target different customer types. Phase 3 of this project will examine the effect of the notifications and generalize to a wider range of webpage datasets.

Next Generation Catalyst Layer Design for PEM Fuel Cells

The performance of non-precious metal catalysts (NPMCs) for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has now reached a stage at which they can be considered as possible alternatives to expensive Pt, especially for low power applications. However, despite significant efforts on catalyst development in the past, only limited studies have been performed on NPMC-based electrode designs. Thus, it is required to develop an effective NPMC-based electrode that can correctly balance the complex parameters to maximize the performance it can bring. Herein, we propose the research and development of cost-effective NPMC electrodes with enhanced performance from hierarchical nanoarchitectures. This work entails a unique and promising approach in the advanced manufacturing of nanostructured NPMCs and electrodes with accurate engineering of their nanostructures.

Développement d’un modèle prédictif de la valeur globale future d’un client dans le secteur b

Le Mouvement Desjardins, coopérative financière appartenant à plus de 4 millions de membres au Québec et en Ontario, évolue dans le contexte très compétitif du secteur bancaire. De plus, ce secteur voit apparaître de nouveaux concurrents non traditionnels dans plusieurs sphères des services financiers (financement participatif, solutions de paiement, transferts de fonds, etc.). Afin d’être en mesure de demeurer compétitif face à ces concurrents et de générer à long terme de la valeur pour ses membres et la collectivité, l’organisation doit évoluer constamment afin d’offrir les meilleurs services financiers en fonction des besoins particuliers de ses membres. La rétention et la satisfaction des membres sont au coeur des préoccupations de l’organisation, de même que la rentabilité des offres qui leur sont faites, élément indispensable à la santé à long terme de l’organisation.
TO BE CONT’D

Validation of the educational impact of a holographic lecture

UBC and Microsoft intend to collaborate on an applied research project where 3D models of the brain will be used to create an interactive Holographic lecture using Microsoft’s new augmented reality device, the HoloLens. The will form the basis for a lesson or “HoloLecture,” and will feature new interactions to take advantage of the HoloLens’s technology. The ability to manipulate the 3D objects and dynamically adapt them to a live lecture format will form the basis of a HoloLecture prototype that can be applied across disciplines. The investigation and validation of this approach will include not only an evaluation of the student learning experience and their learning outcomes, but also the ease of use for instructional staff to ensure that barriers to adoption of this new technology are lowered. TO BE CON’T

Feasibility and usability of ultrasound in aiding breast tumor detection Proposed period of internship

n this research we propose to carry out a feasibility study to identify an ultrasound transducer that can be used specifically for breast cancer tumor detection. This transducer will be interfaced with the available Ultrasonix Elastrography System at SFU. This will be the most significant part of the proposed research. It will include assimilation of the transducer with the ultrasound machine along with data capturing and analysis. Fast algorithms are necessary in this kind of imaging. Strains between frames are small, thus the sensitivity of the algorithms is also very important.

The data capturing will be done using breast phantoms. The breast tissue phantoms and tumor phantoms will be developed with material which has elastic properties similar to breast tissue and tumors. A preliminary probe design will also be proposed after the assessment for the suitability of use of the probe to make it available to wider audience.

Advanced Manufacturing of Graphene Oxide Membranes for Acoustic Drivers

The Graphene Audio group at TandemLaunch is working to revolutionize loudspeaker design through the use of graphene composite materials (Graphene-CMs) in loudspeaker membranes. Graphene is a newly discovered material with exceptional mechanical and electrical characteristics. Its low mass and high strength make it ideal for use in acoustic transducers offering an immediate benefit over existing loudspeaker technologies.
This project seeks to improve the manufacturing techniques and acoustic characteristics of these Graphene-CMs. Student researchers will focus on developing scalable industrial processes for making the Graphene-CM materials and for assembling loudspeakers from this unique new material. The project will involve students from Electrical Engineering, Material Sciences, Chemistry, and Sound Recording to help change how we hear the world around us. From micro-speakers in laptops and cell phones to subwoofers at rock concerts, this work will advance loudspeaker technology and improve the sound quality and efficiency of the speakers we use every day.