Innovative Projects Realized

Expert Gestures for Multi-touch Interaction

Modern smartphones and tablets, and many notebook computers rely on multitouch interaction to augment keyboard and mouse input. Multi-touch gestures typically consists of taps and swipes – simple gestures that don’t exploit the full range of technical and human capabilities. In earlier work, we determined that users are willing to learn expert-level gestures, but often find them difficult to discover and challenging to learn without formal training. However, when an expert version of a standard gesture is demonstrated, they are willing to adopt and use it.

Our proposed research explores two questions:
1. How can we make these gestures more discoverable, so that users are aware of them?
2. Once users are aware of them, are expert-gestures more effective at solving common tasks?

We will implement three expert-gestures which are improvements on standard pinch-to-zoom. We will run a controlled study where users need to (a) discoverability and notification mechanisms, to help users discover these gestures, and (b) use these gestures to perform common tasks (e.g. map navigation or drawing) to determine their effectiveness.

Development of In-Situ Characterization tools for Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition System

Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is a popular tool for the deposition of thin film materials that are common in solar cells, sensors and display technologies. However, the need for a vacuum environment and slow material growth rates restricts ALD applicability in large scale commercial and industrial materials production. Atmospheric Pressure Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition (AP-SALD or SALD) is a variant of ALD in which thin film materials are deposited without the need of a vacuum environment and with the added benefit of quicker deposition rates. While SALD mitigates the problem of scalability, it also presents a unique opportunity for the learning of material properties as the film is deposited. This in-situ characterization, allows for quantitative tuning of the material property to an optimal value in real time via SALD process parameters. TO BE CONT’D

The use of drama in middle school classrooms to enhance learning

Drama is a unique and effective way to help students understand and retain information in the classroom. Studies have shown that drama can increase creativity, insight and retention (O’Hara, 1984, p. 314). Drama is especially useful when it is used cross-curricularly (educational lessons that cover more than one subject). My proposed research project will focus on how drama is used in classrooms in Chongqing, China. I am not necessarily focusing on specific drama classes but looking for how drama is used in “non-drama” subjects. I am interested in how drama is used in the classroom to enhance students’ learning. I hope to discover new skills and techniques that help students learn and hope that I can utilize those teaching styles in my own future classroom. I am excited for the potential opportunity to explore diverse classrooms to develop me as a well-rounded person and future educator. O’Hara, M. (1984). Drama in education: A curriculum dilemma. Theory Into Practice, 23(4), 314–320. doi:10.1080/00405848409543133

Cross-cultural perspectives and experiences of food addiction

Researchers have recently proposed the concept of food addiction, postulating that certain foods can provoke addictive symptoms, similar to drugs of abuse. Current understanding of food addiction is, however, limited by a paucity of qualitative research examining the validity of this construct, and of cross-cultural research examining how food addiction is experienced in non-Western societies. The present cross-cultural qualitative study will address these issues by comparing and contrasting experiences and definitions of food addiction between Brazilian and Canadian individuals. Individual interviews will be conducted with a sample of 15-20 Brazilian patients in treatment for food addiction. Themes will be generated in order to clarify how Brazilian patients conceptualize and experience food addiction, and contrasted with results from a similar study conducted with Canadian participants. Elucidating how individuals define and experience food addiction is key in order to reach meaningful and cross-culturally valid conceptualizations and treatment options.

China English and its Role in the Differentiated Education of English Language Learners in Canada

This project will explore the dialect of China English at Southwest University in Chongqing, China. The research will attempt to connect the study of China English to the purpose of offering a more inclusive and comprehensive education for English language learning students in Canadian schools. The project will involve an observation of China English as present in oral and written forms across the Southwest University campus and in classrooms. This project is a part of Xu & Connelly’s (2013-2020) SSHRC Partnership Grant Project entitled “Reciprocal Learning in Teacher Education and School Education Between Canada and China.”

The Pedagogies and Perceptions of English Language Teachers in China

The overall objective of my research project is to examine the pedagogies and perceptions of English language teachers in China with the intent of comparing and contrasting them to those of French language teachers in Canada. The summarized objectives are (1) to develop a clear understanding of teaching strategies used by English language teachers in China, (2) to gain insight into the teaching resources used by English language teachers in China, and (3) to analyze how teacher-student interaction facilitates the usage of the English language in English language classrooms in China. The conclusions drawn from this project will be used to contribute to the overall goal of the SSHRC Partnership Grant Project of developing a better understanding of the similarities and differences between Canadian and Chinese education.

New statistical machine learning methods applied to high dimensional sensory input data from chemistry

Machine learning is the concept where a computer can be trained to recognize data and predict future outcomes based on the trends that exist in the data. This method of analysis has not been used on engine data, specifically in-line oil. Oil is an engine’s lifeblood and a lot of data can be collected and engine health can be predicted based on these measurements. This project aims to deploy machine learning concepts in the area of engine failure prediction. A special sensor equipped with the machine learning algorithm will be able to report all vital signs of an engine in a matter of minutes.

Exploring Differences and Similarities in the Geography Curriculum

The main objective of my research project is to compare the Canadian Geography curriculum with the Geography curriculum in China within grades 7 and 8. Over the course of 3 months I will be able to analyze the major topics covered by the Chinese geography teachers, explore the resources available to students and analyze how those resources are used to teach grades 7 and 8. This research project will be carried out through observations of classrooms in China. Note taking and journal writing will be the main method of gathering data. The observation of a geography classroom in China would be beneficial for me as a geography teacher since it will broaden my pedagogical horizons, acquire different teaching methods and extend my cultural knowledge. It will also help me develop an understanding of the Chinese culture, teaching psychology and philosophies that are held within the classrooms. Overall, my research will greatly assist in the development of becoming a better teacher within in Canada’s multicultural society.

Experimental Validation of an Offshore Wind Turbine Control-Oriented Model and Advanced Contoller Implementation

Our laboratory has developed an improved model of large scale offshore wind turbines systems for controller design. This model captures all the important dynamics involved in the system such as the 3 dimensional motion, wave disturbance and wind effects, allowing to design advanced control techniques to enhance the efficacy of the wind turbines and increase their lifespan. The project consists on the experimental validation of this model. Although simulations have been performed achieving promising results, no experimental validation has been done since our home university does not possess a real model and the necessary facilities to run the experiments that the host university has. Once the validation is done I will proceed to design advanced controllers based on this model in order to improve the performance of the offshore wind turbine system. Finally, I will implement these controllers in the real model of the host university and evaluate the performance obtained. If validated, these new controllers will be applicable to large scale wind turbines, maximizing their energy capture and increasing their life span.

Ammonia nitrogen removal from melamine wastewater by biological fluidized bed

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 and chemical oxygen demand (COD) from wastewater treated in an anaerobic-aerobic fluidized bed. Most of the current biological denitrification processes are performed by some form of biological method but are only suitable for removal of relatively low ammonia nitrogen concentrations due to the requirement of an appropriate carbon to nitrogen ratio. Thus, 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 main expected outcome of the research project is the achievement of maximum removal efficiency of both COD and ammonia nitrogen from melamine wastewater, which is made possible by a high resistance to organic loading in the reactor.

Plurilingual Competence and Language Practice in English for Academic Purposes

Research in second language education has raised an overarching question regarding what kind of language practice that should be in the place to respond to the changing global landscape of higher education. Though the notion of plurlingual competence has gained increasing attention in recent years, there has been scarce literature focusing on (and comparing) educators’ and students’ perceptions of language choice/practice in academic English teaching and learning from the perspectives of plurilingualism in the Chinese context. My research will address this gap. The project aims to explore Chinese educators’ and students’ perceptions of the language choice/practice for English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teaching and learning. The research questions inquire the facts and reasons for participants’ choice and use of multiple languages in EAP. This qualitative research will employ interview as the main research method and content analysis as the main analytic tool for data analysis. The results of the research will provide valuable insights into the complex relationships between English and Mandarin for EAP in the specific Chinese context, as well as implications for institutional language policy making in its response to a greater diversification of languages and internationalization agenda.

Investigation of LDPE/LLDPE blends foaming behavior based on the high-pressure rheology

Rheology is the branch of physics that deals with the deformation and flow of matter, especially the non-Newtonian flow of liquids and the plastic flow of solids, which is very important in the foaming process. Currently, the rheology of a pure polymer is mainly used to characterize the foamability of polymers. However, the processing conditions, such as high pressure and blowing agent dissolution, exert a significant effect on the rheology. Thus, the investigation of the rheology under the practical conditions is critical for a better understanding of the process and its optimization. The objective of this research project is to correlate the high-pressure rheology of Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and Linear Low density polyethylene (LLDPE) blends with their batch foaming behavior. The high-pressure rheology of LDPE and LLDPE will be characterized, respectively. TO BE CONT’D