Automated harvesting of horticultural produce is an opportunity for Canadian farmers to improve the quality of yield, reduce labour costs, and increase revenues. The research project will focus on the design and development of soft pneumatically-driven robotic grippers that conform to the natural shape of delicate produce, such as mushrooms, in an effort to minimize […]

Rockfalls and landslides are a common hazard throughout Canada and have a significant impact on transport corridors, infrastructure associated with natural resources, and in public areas. The ability to determine the potential for slope failures is often limited either by the lack of a detailed assessment of the slope, or by the understanding of the […]

Wetlands provide important ecosystem services to human communities, such as groundwater recharge, storing floodwater, and supplying fishery resources. In Alberta, wetlands cover ~21% of the province, forming one of the Canada’s largest wetlands reserves; however, many of these wetlands have been impacted or lost through human activities. Over the past 30 years, there have been […]

The removal of unwanted body hair by body sugaring is an ancient method commonly used in the middle east, and it is fast becoming the method of choice in North America. When not done properly, the removal of unwanted hair can lead to injuries to the skin and can cause ingrown hairs, also known as […]

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are an unusual type of blood cell that is able to potently turn off immune responses. These cells are not normally present in healthy individuals, when a tumour is present, MDSC can block clearance of the tumour by the body’s immune defenses. A better understanding of how MDSC shut down tumour […]

Physical activity can help people prevent and manage diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Currently, many Canadians are not sufficiently active, citing lack of time, money, knowledge, and access to physical activity programs as barriers. This compilation of physical activity programs in Saint John, New Brunswick, will gather details of the types of physical […]

The project is to examine the determinants of e-cigarette, tobacco and marijuana use among Canadian students. Specifically, we intend to determine what are the major risk factors associated with e-cigarette, tobacco and marijuana use, and to identify strategies that can be used to help address these issues. Statistical analysis will be conducted to measure the […]

Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are characterized by decreased prefrontal cortex (PFC) regulation on hyperactive emotion generation regions, such as the amygdala. Real-time (rt)-fMRI neurofeedback allows for localized brain regions to be self-regulated through neuroimaging signal feedback. Recently within our lab, learning to decrease amygdala activation via neurofeedback was shown to normalize the neural […]

Quantification of human standing balance provides unique insight into the integrity of the human sensorimotor system, including the identification of balance deficits in conditions such as mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), stroke, and aging. While a number of high-cost instrumented balance quantification systems are available, they are primarily geared towards research settings. Novel technologies using […]

Drug resistance of medically relevant microorganisms poses a grave threat to human health and has severe economic consequences. Fungal pathogens pose an additional complication as they are closely related to their human host. Current therapies to treat fungal infections are limited and drug resistance has already emerged in the clinic. We have conducted extensive research […]

The Bicknell’s thrush (Cathurs bicknelli) is a rare songbird with the most restrictive breeding range in North America. The Bicknell’s thrush spends its summer months breeding in high elevation, stunted growth forests – a habitat that the species specializes in. In New Brunswick, there has been a documented population decline of 11.5% per year since […]

Radon is a cancer-causing radioactive gas produced by the natural decay of uranium in rocks and soils. It is the second-leading cause of lung cancer (after smoking) and the primary cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. 16 per cent of lung cancer deaths in Canada are attributable to radon exposure—approximating 3000 people a year. Radon […]