The increased pressure of natural resource depletion and environmental issues have largely promoted the search for renewable energy sources such as solar energy. Solar heating systems that use air or fluid to transfer the heat energy from solar irradiation to the indoor environment have surfaced as green solutions with high energy conversion efficiency (70%). However, […]

Digital transformation is a global trend for many industry sectors, and it is extremely important for manufacturing companies to avoid being excluded from the global digital supply chain. Linamar which operates 60 advanced manufacturing facilities worldwide, as a leader in manufacturing solutions, has been investing in this new trend with the ultimate goal of achieving […]

Micro-algae (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) are increasingly used in food production, biotechnology and water treatment. By developing a high throughput screening system for naturally occurring micro-algae strains, we aim to expand the pool of strains available for biotechnology and other applications. We are implementing genomics and analytical tools in our pipeline to obtain detailed information about […]

This project will explore the measures of sustainability described by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) measures; find the key measures that venture capital investors review to make their investment decisions and create a framework to integrate sustainability measures within the early-stage entrepreneurship. This will not only promote the sustainability of the entrepreneurial venture but will […]

In partnership with the Rexdale Community Hub (RCH), this project involves undertaking a locally-informed feasibility study to assess the viability of a ‘Community Grocery Store’ model that provides affordable, accessible, culturally appropriate food in Rexdale (a Neighbourhood Improvement Area in Toronto). The intern will help train community-members to co-create and implement focus groups and interviews […]

The jurisdiction of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) covers densely urbanized areas, agricultural land, and natural features including forest, wetlands, and valley corridors. Connectivity between natural habitats is important for species resilience and maintaining biodiversity. When natural habitat areas are disconnected, they become fragmented. Fragmentation is especially problematic where it interrupts movement corridors […]

In recent years, increasing attention has been directed to “natural climate solutions” (NCS). In practice, Indigenous Peoples have been implementing NCS for millennia through sustainable land stewardship. Recent collaborative research with Wahkohtowin Development GP Inc. explored the question: what opportunities could NCS enable, including and beyond carbon sequestration, if rooted in Indigenous guardianship? The exploratory […]

Federal Canadian regulations of the Fisheries Act require operating mines and pulp mills to undertake biodiversity monitoring every three years to assess potential environmental effects. Different groups of organisms have differential sensitivity to pollutants and other environmental factors, so communities (e.g., invertebrates) provide a rich source of information about the system’s health Identifying invertebrates using […]

Mice and rats are commonly used in biomedical research to model human diseases. Usually, we house them in “shoebox-sized” cages in small same-sex groups. Since they are social species, we know having social contact is important for their well-being. For example, rodents will choose to spend time with other rodents rather than live alone, and […]

This research project will examine how precarious work conditions (e.g., casual, temporary, contract-based, and normally poorly paid work) impact women workers, particularly those who are historically marginalized, including racialized women, Indigenous women, women with disabilities, and GLBTTQ women. It will also examine the impacts of precarious employment on women as users of public programs and […]

Using computer based models, the optimal time will be determined at which to schedule machine maintainence and tool replacement on a set of production tools in common use at Linamar Corporation.

In the past decade, deep learning models have demonstrated their highest performance for a variety of tasks. These models outperformed classical machine learning models and even humans in terms of performance and accuracy. However, previous research indicated that these models are vulnerable to out-of-distribution and adversarial inputs. Ideally, these inputs should be rejected by the […]