Innovative Projects Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

13270 Completed Projects

1072
AB
2795
BC
430
MB
106
NF
348
SK
4184
ON
2671
QC
43
PE
209
NB
474
NS

Projects by Category

10%
Computer science
9%
Engineering
1%
Engineering - biomedical
4%
Engineering - chemical / biological

Broadband energy harvesting from tree-like mechanical structures

Harvesting energy from renewable resources, such as wind and ocean waves, is an important issue facing our world today. With the increase in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, there is a need to move away from nonrenewable resources and to find new methods for capturing energy. Wind turbines operate most efficiently within a narrow band of wind speeds, outside of which the amount of electricity they produce plummets. To capture wind energy from random wind gusts over a broader band of wind speeds, flexible harvesters have been created that bend in the wind to convert wind energy into electrical energy. These can also be used to generate energy from ocean waves and currents. For this project, we will use simple, treelike mechanical structures to harvest energy in this way. We expect to increase the efficiency of these mechanical treelike harvesters by deriving a mathematical theory for the tree structure dynamics as well as by performing simulations to optimize parameters of the tree such as branch stiffness and materials used. Also, we will look at the feasibility of using alternative methods to generate electricity within the tree structure.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Vakhtang Putkaradze

Student:

Mitchell Canham

Partner:

Discipline:

Mathematics

Sector:

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Housing Boom and Bust in Resource-based Economy-the Case of Ordos City, China

Ordos is a resource-based city located in Inner Mongolia, China, which currently undergoes a financial crisis caused by a collapsing housing market. During the past 15 years, the housing market in Ordos City has experienced a boom and bust cycle. This research aims to conduct a systematic and scientific research to thoroughly explore the reasons behind this unfortunate crisis. The significance and uniqueness of this research lie in the discussion of housing market in a resource-based economy, which is a missing part in the existing studies. By collecting and analyzing data, running mathematical models, conducting surveys and interviews, this research aims to identify the critical factors of a resource-based economy that may affect housing development, and then to explore to what extent these factors affect housing market in Ordos City. In addition, this research is targeted to inform policy-making and implementation on housing market management and natural resource development in Ordos City, as well as offer suggestions to prevent the similar crisis that may occur in other resource-based regions.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Zhu (Joe) Qian

Student:

Xing Su

Partner:

Discipline:

Urban studies

Sector:

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Exploring subliminal processing using instrumental hypnosis

Cognitive scientists typically divide cognition between controlled and automatic processes. This framework construes controlled processes as being voluntary and effortful and automatic processes as involuntarily and effortless. Automatic processes are therefore considered outside the scope of voluntary control. Undermining this notion, studies show that hypnosis – an enhanced form of mental absorption and self-regulation – can actually suppress automatic response. Hypnosis therefore provides a mean to alter mental processes that appear immune to cognitive control. The current project aims to test the boundaries of cognitive control by investigating the limit of this effect and explore the corresponding neural patterns. Because subliminal processes sit below the threshold of awareness, researchers often view them as hard-wired and highly resistant to controlled processes. It is indeed difficult to conceive how one would be able to alter mental processes situated beyond the horizon of consciousness.
Challenging this assumption, we will demonstrate that hypnosis can act at the level of subliminal perception. We intend to employ state-of-the-art psychophysics and human-brain electrophysiology to demonstrate that unconscious perception is actually permeable to cognitive control and measure the corresponding neural dynamics. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Amir Raz

Student:

Mathieu Landry

Partner:

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

University:

McGill University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Reproducibility of diffusion MRI white matter structural connectome

The ensemble of the human brain wiring configuration is known as the connectome. Using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging, we can approximate the connectome and use it to increase our understanding of normal function and of neuro-diseases. However, the complex interactions between each steps from brain images to the final wires give rise to many potential sources of error. Using an array of modern simulations of these steps, we will study and disentangle the effect of their interactions to increase the accuracy of the connectome estimation in humans.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Maxime Descoteaux

Student:

Michael Paquette

Partner:

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

University:

Université de Sherbrooke

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Scalability of a low-polluting semi-gasifiercookstove and fuel intervention in theTibetan Plateau

Almost half of the world’s population cooks with highly polluting stoves and household air pollution (HAP) is one of the leading environmental risks for global health. Current efforts to reduce HAP have focused on improved cook stove and/or fuel interventions. However, most previous stove interventions failed to achieve reductions in air pollution exposures due to a combination of technological, affordability, and behavioural problems.
Our research will evaluate the scalability of low-polluting stove and processed biomass fuel intervention in the Tibetan Plateau, China. The specific research aims are as follows:
1. Quantify stove adoption, sustained use, and intensity of use
2. Evaluate individual and households factors that impact stove adoption and use
3. Measure the impact of different cooking patterns on household pollution
Improving our understanding of the scalability of stove-fuel interventions is important for policy and planning of scaling up these interventions at a regional-level in China and aboard.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jill Baumgartner

Student:

Sierra Clark

Partner:

Discipline:

Epidemiology / Public health and policy

Sector:

University:

McGill University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Cumulative effects of air exposure and extended angling time after repeat capture on endangered mahseer (Tor khudree)

Catch-and-release has been promoted as a strategy to relieve pressure on fish populations, yet target species respond to the practice in different ways, and the same fish may respond differently to multiple captures. These nuances are critical in recreational fisheries targeting endangered species, particularly in areas where individuals are likely to experience multiple captures. Recent research efforts examining the responses of the endangered T. khudree to catch-and-release have shown that the species is physiologically and behaviourally robust to the practice; however, in small, popular fishing areas such as WASI Lakes, T. khudree are likely to undergo multiple captures. Our proposed study intends to identify which angling behaviours result in decreased survivorship of released fish. We will angle T. khudree at WASI Lakes, simulate a series of recaptures using different angling techniques including extended angling and air exposure times, and evaluate impairment of individual fish after each simulation and again prior to release. The results of this study will provide fisheries managers with essential information for managing the mahseer recreational fishery sustainably, and provide anglers with concrete information regarding the best practices for mahseer catch-and-release fishing.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Steven Cooke

Student:

Petra Szekeres

Partner:

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

University:

Carleton University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Raman spectroscopic study on the solubility of CO2 in water in a fused silica capillary reactor

With the development of social and economic structures, and an increase in energy consumption, the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has increased rapidly. This increase is regarded as one of the greatest factors in global warming. Capturing CO2 from large stationary sources and inject it into deep saline aquifers is being considered as part of a possible mitigation strategy to reduce anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, in order to make this a reality, it is necessary to enhance the reliability of numerical simulations for CO2 storage capacity of specific saline aquifers. This project will use the experimental method to measure the solubility of CO2 in water from 293 to 363K and from 3MPa to 30MPa. The data collected should provide the CO2 solubility data needed to increase the numerical reliability. The end goal is to move a step closer to making the storage of CO2 in saline aquifers a safe and plausible way to reduce the emissions that are a leading factor in global warming.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jesse Zhu

Student:

Meghan Vissers

Partner:

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

University:

Western University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Ammonia nitrogen removal from wastewater by anaerobic-aerobic fluidized bed

Recent decades have seen an increase in nitrogen concentration in bodies of water as a result of human activity. High nitrogen concentrations in water are toxic to humans and can be harmful to the environment. The purpose of the research project to be performed at the Zhejiang University of Technology is the study of the hydraulic characteristics associated with removal of ammonia nitrogen from wastewater treated in an anaerobic-aerobic fluidized bed bioreactor. There is a need to study the hydraulic characteristics of the proposed process in order to determine optimal reactor conditions for ammonia nitrogen removal. The goal of this study is to
see if high removal efficiencies of both nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand (COD) are possible in the proposed process. Removal efficiencies of greater than 90% for nitrogen and greater than 80% for COD are expected.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jesse Zhu

Student:

Quinton Cleghorn

Partner:

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

University:

Western University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Production of n-alkanes by In-situ Hydrogenation and Decarboxylation of Unsaturated Fatty Acid with hydrogen donor

This research topic has significant potential industrial application as it can convert waste (or industrially unusable) fatty acids into fully saturated fatty acids by hydrogenation, then decarboxylation to long hydrocarbon chains. Catalyst is a fundamental aspect to many chemical reactions, where many important laboratory and industrial processes are dependent on carefully selected catalyst to operate. Majority of this research project will be dedicated to finding the right catalyst by prepare and screen various catalysts that might be suitable for decarboxylation and hydrogenation reactions. Co-precipitation will be used to precipitate out fine particles and form catalysts to be used. A microreactor will be used to allow greater range of conditions to be tested while exercise finer micro process control. Various detection method such x-ray diffraction, TEM, will be used to identify the product and the catalyst used by mapping its detailed molecular structure.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jesse Zhu

Student:

Renze Jiang

Partner:

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

University:

Western University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Youth Bullying and Cyberbullying in a Canadian and Indian context

This comparative research explores the subject of bullying among youths in two major cities of New Delhi, India and Toronto, Canada. This research aims to compare the resources available to youths in India and Canada in regard to bullying awareness, cyberbullying, and its prevention methods. This research will compare the experiences of two socially and culturally distinct populations with the issue of bullying among high school youths. For the purpose of this research, I will conduct series of interviews with NGOs, journalists, governmental authorities, and high school youths in India who are affected with the subject of youths, bullying, and cyberbullying. This research will offer Canadian bullying-prevention scholars a novel perspective on the issue of bullying among Indian high school youths In addition, this research offers the Indian high school youths and community’s anti-bullying activists a novel method to deal with this phenomenon.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Daniel Drache

Student:

Shila Khayambashi

Partner:

Discipline:

Political science

Sector:

University:

York University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Achieving Climate ‘Justice:’ Indian climate justice narratives, and who’s being ‘left out in the cold’

My collaborative research project with Tyrone Hall will examine the concept of “justice” in India’s climate change policy, discourse and action. Embedding the notion of “climate justice” at the core of climate change discourse results in a political frame around risk (Indian) and responsibility (Global North’s). The study examines how the needs and risks of marginalized and vulnerable communities (women, farmers, rural and coastal areas) are accounted for in the climate discourse (policy, media, and activism). It also considers the implications of India’s new climate plan and how environmental organizations focused on climate change are influencing public opinion and narratives. The study will yield significant insights on how policy, media narratives, climate education and plans can be reoriented to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Daniel Drache

Student:

Nicolette Little

Partner:

Discipline:

Political science

Sector:

University:

York University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Catalysts for natural products epoxidation

The present project consists of developing new catalysts for the epoxidation of natural products. Those catalysts will be titanium and molybdenum, two well known metals for this reaction, on well defined porous silica supports. Solid catalysts are favoured in industries because they are easy to produce at low cost and easy to separate from the reaction medium. Finally, they can be reused several times. The current project consists of developing an easy strategy to prepare titanium and molybdenum catalysts by direct wet impregnation of the support with the metal precursor. The amount of metal and its coordination on the support are crucial for the activity of the catalysts. To have a better understanding of the catalysts activity, electronic microscopy of the surface will be performed to determine the active phases for each supported metal. The epoxidation reaction in carried out in liquid phase. The yield of epoxides by these two catalysts will be at least 65%.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Serge Kaliaguine

Student:

Luc Charbonneau

Partner:

/N SPRO

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

University:

Université Laval

Program:

Globalink Research Award

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