Experimental and field-based validation of environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring of juvenile and resident salmonids in British Columbia streams

Determining the distribution and abundance of species is a central requirement for making sustainable resource management decisions. Ecofish, in collaboration with the University of Victoria, would like to evaluate if environmental DNA (eDNA) methods can be used to reliably detect low density salmonid species in streams, with the objective of implementing eDNA as a defensible […]

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Building the Case for Sustainable Forestry in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia forests boast the second highest private ownership rate in Canada, with almost 3 of 4.5 million hectares owned by 30,000 woodlot owners and private corporations. Because of this, forest management practices vary widely. Though the Nova Scotian forests traditionally consist of large, mature, unevenly aged trees that support both important biodiversity and a […]

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An Assessment of Local Business’ Understandings and Needs for Community Leadership in a Small Urban Setting

Community leadership development and training programs must respond to changing corporate and public perceptions. There has been a lack of research on community leadership within small urban settings, where the impact that training and development programs have may be high. Our objective is to describe how local businesses in a small urban setting understand community […]

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Fibre response to temperature and precipitation variation in natural and planted stands of spruce (Picea glauca x Engelmannii) in northern interior British Columbiaa

This goal of this research project is to understand how wood fibre characteristics within planted and natural stands of spruce behave with changes to temperature and precipitation. Several methods of wood analysis will be used to determine this relationship including dendrochronology, scientifically dating tree-rings and comparing to climate, and analysis of fibre qualities, or cellular […]

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Assessment of the Performance and Treatment Benefits of Primary Solids Microscreen Filtration with an Onsite Wastewater Treatment System

Onsite Domestic Wastewater Treatment and Reuse is emerging as a potential solution to the water shortages, eroding distribution infrastructure, and energy intensive treatment processes that are a fixture of the modern city. However, existing onsite treatment technologies fail to compactly treat water to a high enough quality for urban reuse without increasing per capita treatment […]

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Harnessing the power of horizontal gene transfer for yeast strain development

Yeast are used on a massive scale in many industrial settings, such as production of food and beverages, nutrient supplements, pharmaceuticals, and others, totaling over $5 billion dollars in annual market value. Most yeasts currently used for industrial purposes are taken directly from nature and not optimized for the specific process requirements of industry. Currently, […]

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Secured Cell Broadcasting technology in M2M communication for energy specific application

This project will focus on researching Cell Broadcast solutions for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications (command and control operations). As an alternative to the Internet, Cell Broadcast is expected to offer great advantages to both Utility providers as well as Commercial/Residential HVAC consumers due to its characteristics and it’s broadcasting nature over cellular control channels. Adopting Cell […]

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A ubiquitous positioning solution for head-mounted sensors – Year two

Recent advancement in computer vision and sensing technology has shown great potential for autonomous vehicles. This work aims to studies using an Augmented Reality heads-up display to improve the reliability of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The algorithms developed will help drivers detect obstacles e.g. pedestrians crossings, improve current lane departure warnings to allow a […]

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Smart Learning and Course Management System

This is a research and development (R&D) project. The primary objective is to develop a Smart Learning and Course Management System with a pilot demonstration of an entrepreneurship development course. The target audience for the course is students interested in learning the fundamentals of running a startup company. The secondary objective is to document and […]

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Development and validation of blood-based biomarkers for improved heart failure management

Chronic heart failure (HF) is an epidemic affecting approximately 1.5-2% of Canada’s population (12% in patients over 80yrs) and the current one-year mortality rate after HF diagnosis remains disturbingly high at 25-40%. Even with treatment, many HF patients require hospitalizations during the course of their disease; in Canada HF is responsible for $3 billion in hospital […]

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Water Monitoring: Instrumentation and Software Research Project (2)

The Sustainable Water Governance and Indigenous Law Project (SWGIL) is funded by a SSHRC Partnership Grant. A key goal of the project is to create a prototype of an Indigenous-led, community-based water monitoring program. .By synthetizing modern technologies, with traditional stewardship practices, the project will empower Indigenous individuals and communities to actively engage in monitoring, […]

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