In response to the number of residents at Louis Brier Home living with dementia, this project seeks to implement environmental modifications to support resident orientation (specifically related to the hallways and door frames). Based on the data analysis from the observations and focus groups, recommendations will be made for modest physical environmental modifications to promote […]

The Fraser River watershed, British Columbia provides habitat for Chinook salmon, which delivers food for First Nations, recreational anglers, commercial fisheries and endangered Southern Resident killer whales. Extensive forestry, agricultural, industrial and urban activities take place in the Fraser Valley exposing early life history stages of Chinook to a mix of legacy and new contaminants, […]

Optimizing plant processes is of prime importance now more than ever. With stricter infrastructures being placed on safety, environmental effect, and corporate social responsibility, more complex systems that optimize these factors are needed. These complex systems with advanced algorithms are intended to further streamline the existing process while mitigating issues leading to a safer workplace, […]

British Columbia’s (BC) resident killer whales are listed under the Species At Risk Act as ‘threatened’ and ‘endangered’ for the northern and southern residents, respectively. Contaminants have been recognized as one of the main threats affecting the survival and recovery of these populations. This project will look at the levels of contaminants of concern in […]

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells are a clean source of energy and a promising candidate for replacing internal combustion engines in automotive applications. However, the commercial use of fuel cells in such applications faces significant challenges on cost and durability. This project aims to address the concerns around fuel cell durability with a focus on […]

For this project, we will develop the statistical theory to support, as well as a full functioning prototype for, a large-scale multidimensional data visualization application. This application, which will be fully scalable, will include an interactive user dashboard with customizable widgets. By taking a methodological approach to research, along with an agile approach to development, […]

There is an increasing trend towards miniaturization in the microelectronics industry which increases the power density and thus heat generated from these devices. Consequently, one key factor limiting reliability and higher performance of electronic devices is the heat removal, to maintain the device below its maximum operating temperature. This indicates the importance of devising efficient […]

Organic and Printed Electronics are a disruptive technology that will create a wealth of new products and markets not yet imagined. Organic and printed electronics can help to overcome the numerous challenges the world is facing in the next decade such as environmental sustainability, energy supply, health and demographics, mobility and security, and others. In […]

Electric vehicles have been adopted around the world as an alternative to combustion engine vehicles. It has been a focus for academic and industry research efforts to develop battery materials with reduced cobalt, but the removal of cobalt comes at a cost. Reduced cobalt often decreases the stability of these materials. Further improvements to the […]

The VEC, under its Economic Transformation Lab and in partnership with SFU and MITACS, seeks to research, design, and publish an affordability dashboard that consolidates all important metrics/statistics on affordability, relevant to Vancouver businesses and talent. The Dashboard will not only focus on affordability of office, retail, and industrial space, as well as other pertinent […]

There is a large need for custom orthotic insoles that meet user’s needs in terms of comfort, pressure distribution correction and impact absorption integrated a in more extensive and flexible way. The limited reliable control of these factors in current manufacturing processes has led to frequent orthotic adjustments, reduced device compliance, lowered effectiveness and increased […]

Research into wearable systems, functional nanomaterials, 3D printing, flexible microfluidics, and commercial thermoplastic polymer (TP) microfluidics, is reported daily. However, much of this research is hindered by difficulties in integrating structures, devices, and systems realized using different materials platforms. While polymers such as SU-8 and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are popular with academics, TPs such as optically […]