This research project investigates public and private investment ideas and strategies for local culture and heritage projects, with an emphasis on lessons for Toronto, Canada. The study will identify emerging trends and developments in the areas of urban planning, heritage preservation, cultural investment and local governance. The research will be based on current thinking from academic literature, public policy, professional expertise, and first-hand accounts of those working in the philanthropic and charitable giving sectors.

Traditional static authentication systems have a fundamental deficiency; it assumes the presence of the validated user through the length of the session. Continuous authentication algorithms periodically validate the identity of a user during the entire session. It relies on information that can be automatically extracted from the user such as biometrics and behavior patterns. A probabilistic approach can naturally model the noise and latent variables present in the data. The probabilistic output of such models is a confidence value.

The aim of the project is to develop molecules capable of treating cancer. Currently, chemotherapeutics used in the clinic kill cancer as well as healthy cells; this broad mechanism of action results in high toxicity to the patient. In contrast, our approach is to generate a targeted therapeutic that will work against STAT5, a specific protein which is overexpressed in breast cancer. This approach will limit the toxicity associated with currently used treatments.

The project relates to the fabrication of polymeric devices capable of mimicking that of live human tissue under x-ray computed tomographic (CT) imaging. These devices must be fabricated in such a way that specific material properties are controlled to thereby precisely mimic the desired tissue. The work following this will benefit the partner organization as they will be able to optimize CT imaging conditions by means of precise tissue mimicking polymeric devices.

This research will be looking at the effectiveness of improving silicon purity by the method of “slagging” and “solvent refining” to eventually get solar grade silicon. The most difficult elements to remove are phosphorus and boron so these will be closely monitored during purification processes. There will be two slags investigated, one of which was developed by Process Research ORTECH (PRO), and the effectiveness of the slag to remove boron and phosphorus will be examined.

Bleeding following traumatic injury is the leading cause of early cause of death. Currently these patients are treated based on the results of time consuming laboratory tests resulting in inappropriate usage of blood products and poor survival rates. Rapid recognition of defects in clotting mechanism is necessary to stop bleeding in trauma patients.

Through this research project I would like to explore the role of science museums in fostering engagement with science and technology, particularly, when controversial issues are at play (e.g. reproductive technologies, renewable energies, genetically modified food). It will focus on the ways in which museums exhibits communicate with visitors and, also, on the ways visitors create meanings during their visit. I am planning to study and to compare two controversial science exhibits, one in Canada and one in Brazil.

Well-functioning infrastructure, broadly defined as the basic physical structures and facilities needed for a society to function efficiently (like roads, bridges, and power plants), is integral to the economic and social wellbeing of a nation and its citizens. Unfortunately, in the post-2008 world of austerity and increased global banking regulation, governments and banks have been unable to provide the necessary capital to keep up with the world’s infrastructure investment needs.

Tropical forests house an exceptionally high biological diversity and despite great interest in factors that might drive the formation of high species richness, little is understood about how this diversity arose. In the Neotropics, rivers appear to delimit the geographic ranges of closely related avian species, and are generally believed to have been important in in promoting species formation by acting as dispersal barriers to populations on either side.

Despite an increase in the number of archaeological field projects in the Amazon region, few studies have analyzed landscape in order to understand the intricacies of political life of a given complex-society in the Amazonian prehistory. This research will focus on landscape formation and changes to decipher the degree to which the Tapajó group were politically centralized and hierarchically structured. It will also to contribute to the ongoing debate on the degree of human impacts and modification of the Amazonian landscape, in particular the Santarém region in the Lower Amazon.