The Probiotics and Mental Health Research Lab in the Psychology Department at Acadia University is currently involved in exciting and innovative research examining the benefits that probiotics (a type of beneficial bacteria found in the human digestive tract as well as in certain foods) may provide to individuals living with psychological conditions such as anxiety, […]

This project aims to apply machine learning in the context of potato farming. By analyzing many previous spectrometer scans of potato plant leaves, models will be developed that can estimate the amount of nutrients in a potato plant based on a single scan. The models produced by this project will help offer a more scalable […]

Probiotics could help prevent or treat metabolic-related conditions such as dyslipidemia or Type 2 Diabetes. Combination of probiotics with prebiotic fibers could potentiate the positive effect of these treatments. Our hypothesis is that probiotic strains, coupled with brown algae prebiotic fibers, may hold potential for modulating lipid metabolism, which might represent an interesting avenue for […]

Rising river temperatures, partly driven by land-use and climate warming, threaten the future of Fraser River salmon. It is vital that fisheries managers acquire tools that will aid their understanding of how rising river temperatures will impact salmon in the Fraser River. With my industry partner, I will build a novel mathematical temperature model for […]

This proposed project will investigate potential modes of action of novel plant biostimulants on tomato plants. This will include changes in the plant growth rates and potential plant gene activation as it relates to the biostimulant treatment. It will also investigate changes in the microorganism profile in the root zone of biostimulant treated plants. In […]

Companies in the energy sector are increasingly considering the use of liquid metals in their operations (e.g. for cooling). This presents new challenges related to the inspection and monitoring of these infrastructures. Indeed, these industries often operate in very harsh environments (e.g. ionizing radiation) and under very high pressure and temperature conditions. Thus, the ultrasonic […]

Additive Manufacturing (i.e. 3D printing) of metallic materials is in a state of rapid, globalized expansion. Many of the associated technologies utilize metal powders as the raw feedstock material. Canada is a significant player in this area and is now home to a number of the world’s leading metal powder producers. This project seeks to […]

This project focuses on a herd of wild bighorn sheep on Kamloops Lake in the Secwépemc Territory of southern interior BC. The first goal of the project is to monitor lamb survival and assess habitat conditions for the Kamloops Lake herd over two years. The second goal of the project is to document Secwépemc Traditional […]

This project will expand upon the underlying research conducted with the 2012 Urban Futures Survey of Greater Vancouver. The intern will evaluate a survey that was the third similar survey approximately 20 years apart to inform planning policies in the Metro Vancouver region. The last survey, in 2012, used an online consultation platform instead of […]

Traditional surveying procedures are labor and cost intensive. Mapping features like manholes require traffic disturbance, add risk to the field crew personal and the community members. The proposed project utilize a newly developed unique LiDAR-based mapping system. The developed 3D mapping system has a substantial cost reduction compared to the commercially available, which also tend […]

The project will examine of population genomics, application of genomic selection, and identification of genes underlying economically important traits which are vital steps for the development of selection program. Consequently, this will have an impact on the economic viability of mink producers due to targeted genomic breeding strategies and the use of biomarker-assisted selection. Such […]

This proposed project will support our ongoing efforts in developing a novel two-stage fluidized bed gasifier for converting low-cost biomass residues to renewable natural gas in British Columbia to help the BC industry to meet the 2030 decarbonization target. Specifically, we will test and validate a new design of gasification reactor for producing low-tar syngas, […]