Rapid prototyping, or 3D printing, has inspired the imagination of the general public, from simple build-it-yourself “hobby” machines using polymer-based binder material with inkjet functionality, to portable printers that can fashion components in zero gravity on the International Space Station. The functionality is user-friendly, in that printed material is dropped onto a substrate in viscous […]

The general aim of this proposal is to discover new natural products with antiviral activity against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which is responsible for the current COVID-19 global pandemic. Our lab has a collection of ~ 7,000 unique bacteria and fungi derived from marine sources that we will use to screen for the production of antiviral […]

The rapid expansion of the aquaculture industry has fueled significant advances in fish health and nutrition. One such innovation has been the development of the growth-enhanced Atlantic salmon, AquAdvantage Salmon (AAS), which was approved for commercial production and consumption in the US in 2015. AquAdvantage Salmon are raised exclusively in land-based operations using highly efficient […]

A swarm of robots should be available on the board of a vessel or oil rig so they will be deployed when spill occurs. Based on our existing know-how knowledge and technology, the swarm of robots automatically detect the boundary of the oil, then they deploy inflatable booms to contain the oil. After they successfully […]

The project will reformulate the coronavirus dispersal hypothesis to food web disturbance caused by ‘social mood’ of human behaviors. We will develop a dynamic system-theoretic model to capture the change pattern of such a “social mood” and identify early warning indictors. The approach will be an advance for understanding the pathogen dispersal risk among those […]

Potatoes are among the top five crops worldwide. With the rate of climate change accelerating, the pressures on potato production systems (e.g., heat stress, water stress, pest pressures) will intensify adaptation efforts. Although climate change is already happening, it is often seen as an abstract and distant problem that diverts resources from current production challenges. […]

To increase the speed at which companies can develop robots we plan to create a package containing a number of key path-finding programs which can be easily connected with any robot. This will make it easier to produce both commercial and experimental robots without the need to create a path-finding program unique to the robot. […]

The proposed research investigates an opportunity of monitor, measure, and model the role of carbon sequestration and emission of carbon dioxide from agricultural soils of Atlantic Canada. Precision agricultural practices will be designed to promote sustainable agriculture in Atlantic Canada.

The coastal ecosystem of Prince Edward Island (PEI) represents an interface between the open marine waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the sandstone, densely populated province of PEI. It is one of the wildest landscapes remaining in PEI and hosts several species at risk (including the endangered piping plover and red knot). This […]

Atlantic salmon are Canada’s top aquaculture export and contribute $1.5 billion annually to British Columbia’s (BC) economy. In BC, blooms of toxic algae are a common problem for salmon farmers, often resulting in large production losses due to lost growth and disease with high mortality. I recently identified for the first time at BC fish […]

There is an increase in reporting of angling activities linked to environmental pollution and exploitation. Soft plastic lures (SPLs) are a major pollution source arising from recreational angling. A small portion of SPLs currently commercially available are designed to be more environmentally friendly alternatives to PVC as they are biodegradable and are manufactured using natural […]

Navigation at sea is a complex and comprehensive task. Combined with the challenges of navigating in heavy traffic, and avoiding dangers in low light and low visibility, it becomes considerably more difficult. This project, bridgeVUE, leverages an emerging technology to enhance marine navigation by contextualizing radar data over an individual’s field of vision, in real […]