Building on my recent archival research, my Mitacs project explores the ways early 20th century discourses of betterment and progress, such as eugenics, in southern Ontario were unevenly entwined within rural domestic science educational institutions and connected to cultural histories and legacies of colonialism that diminished and disappeared young women who did not fit the […]

Assessing dangerous avalanche conditions requires a reliable stream of weather and snowpack data, which can be difficult and expensive to collect in many remote areas of Canada. Snowpack conditions can be simulated in these areas by coupling weather forecast models with physical snowpack models, however, this method has had limited adoption by avalanche forecasters. The […]

The wide adoption and development of wireless sensing technologies for the monitoring and autonomous identification of financial activities have affected financial institutions in the past decade. However, wider utilization of RFID technologies in the banking sector has introduced challenges regarding the security and privacy of sensitive financial data. The proposed innovations and technological developments will […]

Driven by climate change induced water scarcity, further enhanced by rapid urbanization and population growth, potable water reuse initiatives are gaining interest. Potable reuse involves the indirect or direct use of highly treated municipal wastewater as a municipal drinking water source. Historically, the most commonly installed potable reuse train consisted of microfiltration, reverse osmosis (RO), […]

Driven by heightened environmental awareness, the construction industry increasingly strives to utilize materials such as timber with a low-carbon footprint in their life cycle. High-strength mass-timber products, innovative ductile connections, and fast computer-numerically-controlled pre-fabrication, combined with changing legislation create better opportunities to also build tall timber structures. However, low ductility and limited tensile strength of […]

Despite the improvements in cancer diagnostic and treatment, cancer is still a leading cause of death in Canada with 30% of all deaths. Some cancers, like pancreatic cancer (PC), still have poor survival rates due to the lack of early diagnosis and good prognostics markers. The Atlantic Cancer Research Institute (ACRI) has developed a proprietary […]

Despite advances in biotechnology and organic synthesis, plants remain the main source of many of high-value bioactive compounds used in the medical, fragrance and food industries. Increasing demand for bioactive plants (e.g., cannabis and extracts thereof) require robust authentication approaches to verify feedstock, identify product adulteration and ensure product safety for consumers. This research aims […]

Modern pesticides have revolutionized agriculture. However, growing concerns with pest resistance, environmental run-off, and a lack of capacity to deal with abiotic stresses associated with drought or extreme heat (critical issues with regards to climate change) demand new solutions. Suncor has developed new plant immune aids that address these challenges by fortifying the immunity of […]

Development of Collaborative Service Robot (CSR) technologies usually targets a certain population group like seniors or people with developmental disabilities (DD) and requires tailored and dedicated research and development. This project is ultimately seeking to provide a proof of concept of a CSR platform that can assist people with DD. The overall project involves research […]

Heterosis is a natural phenomenon where offspring (hybrids) outperform their parents in many agronomic traits, although exploited in breeding the mechanisms controlling heterosis remain elusive. Genetic distance between parents has been positively correlated with heterosis, yet does not adequately explain the phenomenon. Dividing lines from any crop into heterotic groups that provide optimal combining ability […]

Dairy cattle are exposed to stressors that negatively impact health, fertility, welfare and production. Health and climate experts predict that exposure to stressors (i.e. pathogens and extreme temperature events) will increase as climate conditions continue to destabilize. Due to increased antimicrobial resistance, there is urgent need to explore alternative strategies to promote animal health; it […]

Substitution of existing diesel buses by zero-emission propulsion technologies (electric batteries and hydrogen fuel cell) in vehicles – specifically public transit fleets – can play an instrumental role in realizing Canada’s obligation towards green house gas emission reduction. It is imperative to enable transit agencies to assess the capabilities of existing technology variants in meeting […]