Innovative Projects Realized

Water chemistry, vegetation, and spatial variables affecting aquatic insect biodiversity in Edmonton stormwater management facilities, as compared to wetlands across Alberta, Canada

Urban stormwater ponds present an opportunity for aquatic biodiversity conservation within cities. However, stormwater ponds receive city runoff and other effects of urbanization, which may mean that only certain species can live in them. A landscape-scale comparison of urban and rural pond biodiversity has not been performed in Canada. We will sample aquatic insect biodiversity and measure environmental variables in 35 Edmonton stormwater ponds, and test what variables explain insect biodiversity measures. We will then use Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute data for the same taxa from 1168 ponds across Alberta to analyze in what ways Edmonton’s urban ponds are similar to ponds across the province, in terms of both environmental variables and aquatic insect species composition. From this we will develop urban pond management recommendations to increase aquatic insect biodiversity, and assess the conservation value of Edmonton’s stormwater ponds in the context of aquatic insect biodiversity across the broader landscape.

Shallow geothermal systems evaluation for Bow Valley municipalities

Energy use in buildings is among the largest energy users, accounting for about 13% of the total energy use and over 12% of the total CO2 Omissions in 2020 in Canada. The buildings sector is viewed as one with the potential for significant CO2 emission reductions by transitioning from the current fossil fuelled energy systems to new green forms of energy production. Among the technologies with the potential to provide heating and cooling, high efficiently with minimum emissions, the shallow geothermal (geo-exchange) systems with the ground source heat pump technology at its core is a promising avenue for development. This project aims to deliver this technology feasibility assessment for an average home in Bow Valley area, taking into account uniqueness of the area’s geographical location, geological setting, climate conditions and building layouts.

Conception pour manufacturier additif et analyse

Conception spécifique de pièces ou d’assemblable pour la fabrication additive pour des machines automatisées d’emballage et analyse poussés de propriétés physiques de matériaux granulaires.

Creating Brand UX

The convenience of online shopping is winning-out over the desire to shop local. At Fitzba.com, we are making local shopping as convenient as online.
Our product development team is in a race to achieve product-market fit. But the other side of having a great product is telling people about it. The Digital Marketing intern and the Brand UX intern will work directly with the CEO to plan and execute brand strategy.

Building Community Resiliency: Creating culturally safe resource for Indigenous communities

The NB FASD Centre of Excellence is a diagnostic clinic providing services to New Brunswick province. We provide education to family members of those who live with FASD and the professionals who work with them and provide lifelong intervention and support for our clients. We are also responsible for educating the province on FASD prevention. We will be conducting a pilot study with selected First Nations healthcare practitioners and the wider community healthcare practitioners to evaluate if an alcohol-use awareness workbook is culturally safe to use with clients. This workbook focuses on an evidence-based approach to change and recovery, evidence-based skillful practices, and problem alcohol use with co-occurring disorders.

This project will help to address challenges by creating culturally relevant materials so that we can provide education to First Nation communities that are reflective of their needs. These materials will also help us to strengthen our relationship with the communities in which we provide services. This project will benefit the Regional Steering Committee and GFSI by providing additional support resources for communities and supporting community resiliency efforts.

Greater Fredericton Social Innovation’s (GFSI) mandate is to provide social planning to advance comprehensive community strategies guided by research, analysis, and community-defined goals.

Fredericton Junction: Building Rural Community Healthcare Capacity

Tri-County Healthcare PharmaChoice is in Fredericton Junction. This pharmacy serves a local region with a population of approximately 3200 people. Along with the Fredericton Junction Health Centre, Tri-County Healthcare PharmaChoice provides healthcare services to the villages of Fredericton Junction, Tracy, and the surrounding rural areas. To help build continuity for this community, this project aims to create an entry point for students who are interested in the field of healthcare which will in turn create further capacity for rural healthcare in New Brunswick. This project will also create awareness of small and medium business management in rural areas for non-business students and provide a platform for students to step up in community leadership roles.

Vers l’implantation d’un système de consigne de contenants pour plats et boissons pour emporter : étude de cas dans la Ville Prévost

Cette recherche porte sur l’implantation d’un système de consigne et réutilisation de contenant pour emporter
auprès des commerçants de la Ville de Prévost. Elle a pour but de concevoir une méthode pour changer des
comportements/habitudes visant le zéro déchet par des approches et outils innovants comme la cocréation et le
travail de collaboration entre différentes parties prenantes, de documenter un exemple probant. Par l’exemple de
la Ville de Prévost comme ambassadrice, cette recherche vise à influencer les commerçants de restauration à
s’investir dans l’économie circulaire avec le zéro déchet ainsi que les autres municipalités à tendre vers de
nouvelles pratiques de politiques municipales.

Charlotte County: Building Community Capacity

Within the 2023 calendar year, the Charlotte County Resiliency Steering Committee, partnering with CBDC, aims to improve community capacity through an intentional focus on enhancing relationships with local island communities by developing a shared vision for the initiatives, meeting in person on the islands and developing and delivering the second annual “Our Amazing Place” event. During the 2023 calendar year we aim to double our contacts on the islands and increase levels of trust and cohesion between island communities, the Community Capacity and Resilience steering committee, and the RSC-based community development committee, as well as focus on gaining and sharing knowledge of community needs and resources.

This project is, in part, a collaboration with the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) Compass: Rural Experiential Learning Program. Compass is a flagship community-engaged learning opportunity offered through UNB’s Office of Experiential Education. The Compass program at UNB supports economic, social, and civic development in rural communities throughout New Brunswick. Interdisciplinary teams of students work with rural communities and regions to create innovative solutions to pressing challenges in those regions. Charlotte County Regional Committees in partnering with UNB, are offering community-engaged learning opportunities to students.

Optimiser l’usage des technologies mobiles en soutien à l’autonomie résidentielle des personnes autistes

Ce projet vise à mettre à mettre en valeur, au moyen de développement d’outils de transfert et de valorisation des connaissances, des cahiers développés dans le cadre d’un projet de recherche qui s’adresse aux intervenants et qui visent à optimiser l’utilisation des technologies mobiles existantes en soutien à l’autonomie résidentielle des personnes autistes. Ces outils d’intervention sont orientés via la sociologie des usages, une perspective qui permet de nous intéresser à la fonction réelle des technologies dans la vie des personnes autistes plutôt que de considérer ces derniers comme des acteurs passifs sur lesquels agiraient les technologies. Ainsi, en nous intéressant aux usagers, nous cherchons à comprendre comment ils s’approprient certaines technologies et comment agir pour optimiser l’usage qu’ils en font pour répondre à leurs besoins de soutien résidentiel, et ce au-delà de la durée de vie des technologies ou des programmes qu’ils utilisent.

Performance study of low carbon footprint cement obtained through the electrochemical decarbonation of limestones used by the Canadian cement industry

The electrochemical decarbonation (ED) of limestone is a novel disruptive technology with the potential to promote deep decarbonization of the cement industry, which emits about 8% of carbon dioxide global emissions. ED uses water electrolysis cells to precipitate Ca(OH)2, which has been used as an alternative raw material for Alite synthesis, the main clinker compound. Although this is evidence of the Ca(OH)2 potential as raw material for cement production, cement chemistry is more complex, and it includes other relevant compounds that are also significant for cement performance. Accordingly, this research aims to formulate an alternative clinker using precipitated materials from the ED of limestones from the Canadian cement industry and to assess its performance as a low-carbon footprint binder for concrete. On positive results of this research, evidence will be obtained on the technical potential of the alternative raw material, promoting ED scalability in the current chains for cement production.

Putting Latin America Organizational Communication on the Map: a decolonial approach

Considering the lack of a systematic and contextual revision of the academic knowledge in organizational communication developed in Latin America, and yet a consistent and increased development of the field of organizational communication in this region of the world, the research project aims to present a portrait of this field from and for the South. Following recent attempts to decolonize communication studies, this research project proposes to develop criteria, tools and heuristics model for data collection and analysis of the field of Latin American organizational communication that are grounded in the historical, economical and social contexts of this part of the world, as well as the perceptions and practices of Latin American researchers. Most of the approaches, tools and models in organizational communication have been developed and legitimized in the global North imposing a western view of knowledge that does not take into account the diversity of academic labor. Moreover, there is a strong critical Latin American tradition of communication studies that has historically resisted Northern imperialism. The research project aims to continue this line of inquiry by questioning the characteristic of this Latin American tradition and of its application to the field of organizational communication.

Antifungals against Malassezia (Antifongiques contre Malassezia)

Malassezia species are amongst the most abundant fungi in humans, found in mucosal surfaces and on the skin. While Malassezia can cause damage when present in tissue (for example in Crohn’s disease and pancreatic cancer), our knowledge of Malassezia’s involvement in diseases of internal organs remains fragmented and incomplete.
The selected intern will support the realization of various projects related to the involvement of the fungus Malassezia in human health, specifically in chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases and cancer, the main goal of the project being to identify the most effective antifungals (alone or in combination) against Malassezia.