This project involves the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of new low-molecular weight gelators for cleaning up oil spills. First responders to oil spills can add these gelators to the oil / water mixture to prevent spreading of the oil before additional resources are available to clean up the spill. This project will involve collaboration with […]

N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) is a reactive molecule which shows surprising reactivity toward various small molecules – such as bond activation of inert compounds. Although NHCs have shown their great reactivity, there still remains a lot of interesting molecules yet to be activated by NHCs. The objective of this project is to elevate the reactivity of […]

Sea cucumbers are found in both benthic areas and deep seas and have been used as a source of food and drug for decades. During the past decade, several scientific research initiatives explored various species of sea cucumber. However, not much research has been done on Atlantic species. As an emerging fishery in Atlantic Canada, […]

Electric power is almost entirely transmitted through polymer insulated cables or wires in every home, factory, plant or apparatus. If the temperature of a cable increases, it would be an indication that some accidents or malfunctions such as inflow of excess electric current occur in the cable. The generated heat, indeed, degrades the polymer insulations […]

This project will combine filtration characterization and advanced 3D imaging and modelling of material structures to find ways to improve the recovery of process water from difficult-to-treat tailings that are the by-product of mining and mineral processing. This process is called solid-liquid separation and it is a critical area for the reduction of oil sands […]

Resource extraction, including mineral exploration and mining, is an important part of Canada’s economy. There is currently a great interest in finding the minerals that are needed for batteries; arguably the lack of minerals is the biggest impediment to cutting the price of electric vehicles and weaning society off fossil fuels. Artificial intelligence has great […]

La croissance racinaire des plantes fourragères destinées à l’alimentation des bovins a été peu étudiée. Ce projet vise à évaluer l’effet de certaines pratiques agronomiques sur la croissance des racines de fléole des prés, de fétuque élevée et de luzerne. Pendant deux saisons de croissance, les racines de ces plantes ont été photographiées chaque semaine, […]

The sequence of costly wildfires that burned at multiple locations in British Columbia and Alberta during fire seasons in 2003, 2015, 2016 and 2017 remind people that fires play an important part in forests of southwestern Canada. However, people are also increasingly recognizing the role of fire in providing ecological renewal and diversification. As a […]

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 […]

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) presumes that sustainability is a function of how well we understand ecosystem function and ecological dynamics. This includes understanding relationships among climate, disturbance, vegetation patterns, and ecological services. Recent research on the historical ecology of montane forests in western Canada has challenged the long-standing notion that stand-replacing fires characterized the landscape. Instead, […]

Ecosystem-based management (EBM) presumes that sustainability is a function of how well we understand ecosystem function and ecological dynamics. This includes understanding relationships among climate, disturbance, vegetation patterns, and ecological services. Recent research on the historical ecology of montane forests in western Canada has challenged the long-standing notion that stand-replacing fires characterized the landscape. Instead, […]

It remains unclear if fishes that occupy Canada’s leading tidal energy test site in Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, will be negatively affected by turbine installations. The objective of this project is to determine fishes’ interactions with operating turbines. Of approximately 70 species of fishes that interact with Minas Passage only three have […]