Working with research partners in Brazil, my PhD research at UBC uses video ethnography and other qualitative methods to analyze perspectives of social movement participants, farmers and policymakers towards urban agriculture. The project investigates how urban agriculture may support ‘scaling up’ more sustainable food production, transportation and consumption practices both within and outside of the […]

The proposed project is to field test a full scale novel lightweight sandwich panel which consists of steel plate at the front, concrete panel at the back and number of helical springs in the middle. This newly proposed sandwich panel will be subjected to repetitive different ranges of blast load to ensure its blast resistant […]

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common types of neurodegenerative disorders and the development of an effective treatment remains a challenge for researchers today. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) which are closely related with AD, especially the alpha-7-nAChR, are involved in neuroprotective effects (effects which may result in the salvage, recovery or regeneration […]

Cytochromes P450 are enzymes that add oxygen to organic molecules, to convert them to water-soluble products that can be further metabolized. These oxidative enzymes are ubiquitous (found in animals, plants and microorganisms). We are working on cytochrome P450cam, isolated from a wild soil bacterium. This enzyme catalyzes the oxidation of camphor (an organic molecule that […]

In this project, using such mainstream cryptocurrencies as BitCoin and Ethereum as representatives, the intern will analyze the transaction collection strategies of their mining pools, and then collect transactions and the corresponding blocks data to build a large dataset, from which the computing power of different mining pools and their proportions will be analyzed, together […]

Lubricated pipeline flows were originally proposed 50 years ago. In this method a low viscous fluid like water is used to lubricate the heavy oil flow as it has a very high viscosity. Because of density difference between these two fluids, the interface is unstable. As a result, we proposed adding another layer which is […]

The partner uses a simple formula to estimate the percent of deck space committed on upcoming sailings. The goal of this project is to determine whether the accuracy of this calculation can be improved. The objectives of this project include understanding the data used in the “% full” calculation, conducting a literature review to determine […]

Conflicts between humans and black bears in urban settings challenge the wellbeing of both human communities and black bear populations. As human urban communities develop and expand into areas with bears present, conflicts between humans and bears may also increase. It is important to utilize available tools such as education and regulatory bylaws to reduce […]

Many people with physical disabilities depend on forearm crutches to help them walk. Although crutches are helpful, many people experience overuse injuries. Injuries to the wrists, elbows and shoulders are commonly experienced with long-term use. The research project will examine differences between a traditional forearm crutch and two models of a newly designed forearm crutch […]

Given that plastic pollution in the marine environment has been a critical issue in Canada and in the rest of the world in recent decades, our project aims to provide a possible solution to mitigate plastic waste in the ocean. Previous findings have shown that asking people to make a commitment can effectively change their […]

Personalized health is increasingly gaining public attention in the media as the future of healthcare. Personalized health is the idea that medical treatment will be tailored to the individual based on their predicted response or risks of disease. Omics analysis, defined as the universal detection of different classes of biological molecules, has the potential to […]

Predation on smolts as they out-migrate down natal rivers may significantly contribute to the decline and lack of recovery of Chinook salmon in British Columbia. A prior study of mortality of Chinook smolts released by the Cowichan Hatchery suggests only a small portion of the fish reached the ocean due to predation by raccoons, river […]