Technological advancements have profoundly altered the lives of children and youth in the 21st century. While there are undeniable harms associated with excessive screen use, digital media has positively transformed how children learn, make friends, and interact with society. Research has firmly established the benefits of technology-based learning for young people’s reasoning and thinking abilities, […]

Gene therapy has the potential to effectively treat a wide range of ocular disorders. However, the introduction of foreign therapeutic genes to cells is incredibly challenging. Compared to viral vectors, non-viral vectors (NVV) are far less immunogenic and less toxic. However, NVV are less efficient than viral vectors at delivering therapeutic genes because they must […]

The objective of the research is to validate and enhance production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers from hemp stems, agricultural waste. Two interns will carry out the proposed work to upcycling hemp stems into the biopolymers with advanced biotechnologies of fermentation and PHA synthesis. The final biopolymers produced from hemp stems will be characterized for physical, […]

Food security is a serious public health concern in the Guelph region, with prevalence of food insecurity surpassing the provincial and national averages. There is a need for community-based interventions to support individuals and families struggling with food insecurity and related poor nutrition and health. The proposed research aims to evaluate the impacts and acceptability […]

We are building a machine-learning algorithm to be able to understand the unstructured clinical notes better and to identify the most appropriate ICD codes for each visit. This algorithm will help healthcare systems standardize and extract insights from these notes to make them more useful for determining how sick patients are, what procedures are performed […]

Human’s gait, and activity monitoring play important roles in many applications that can have a positive impact on improving the ability of individuals to be as independent, secure, and healthy as possible. Most existing technologies rely on cameras and wearables, while people are not always compliant and need to be wearing them with a battery […]

This project examines the feasibility of low-cost evolutionary housing strategies to accommodate changing uses in Canada. It is a partnership between the University of Waterloo school of Architecture and architect John van Nostrand who has developed numerous prototypes for evolutionary housing in Canada and internationally. The research will begin with an analysis of existing prototypes […]

Development of selective drug delivery agents that target tumor cells with minimal toxicity to normal tissues is a major challenge in cancer therapy. Non-toxic bacteria can be used to target solid tumors because, within a patient’s body, they can only be active at a tumor site (where oxygen levels are pathologically low). Prior attempts at […]

This research is about technologies for ‘DIY’ or ‘novice’ home-construction. The research asks if high energy efficiency homes could be built by novice and non-expert builders. Energy efficient construction is an increasingly expert craft: with specialized knowledge, tools, and practices now required to achieve excellent building energy performance, this presents barriers to building efficiency for […]

Individuals and organizations use weather information to help inform day-to-day decisions. This project focuses on the use of weather information by winter recreationists in the Province of Ontario. Based on survey data, the project will identify the main sources of weather forecast information, the importance placed on this information, and the influence of specific aspects […]

Orthotropic bridge deck is lightweight steel deck, typically fabricated by welding “ribs” to the underside of a flat steel plate. The potential benefits of these deck systems are compelling. For example, from 1991 to 1993, the deteriorating deck on the Champlain Bridge was replaced with orthotropic steel deck panels weighing 25% less than the original […]

In this proposed project, our research team aims to develop a data ecosystem to use consumer-level technologies such as fitness trackers and wearables to support public health decision making. We will use the COVID-19 pandemic as a testing scenario for the technology, exploring the data to improve our understanding of the impact that social-isolation had […]