Innovative Projects Realized

3D Human Motion Generation Using Learnt Motion Representations

In this internship, we aim to develop a machine-learning model that learns human pose and movements. Such
models can be used for AI-assisted human animation creation, motion refinement and denoising, video or imageto-
pose conversion, and motion editing. We plan to implement and push state-of-the-art human motion models by
taking inspiration from the advances in computer vision research. Consequently, the research results will be
published in peer-reviewed journals or computer vision venues, and the source code will be publicly available.
Another expected outcome of this internship is a toolbox for the animators at Ubisoft for game development.
Finally, we plan to collect information about the users’ interactions with this toolbox to be used on future research
on AI-assisted animation creation and editing.

Construction of an extended cardiac activation map to the torso volume

Cardiac arrhythmia represent a major health issue in Canada, as well as in Europe, as they may lead to sudden death. Accurate means of detection need patients to undergo invasive and perilous exploration, because understanding of electrocardiograms is currently limited. To improve non-invasive detection, it is in particular interesting to understand the physical and mathematical links between the so-called “activation time”, a representation of the electrical activation of the heart, and measurable quantities such as electrocardiograms on the torso surface. In this project we propose a novel point of view, studying the evolution of a mathematical extension of the activation time in the torso. We hope to establish clearer correlations between the quantities measured on the torso surface with intra-cardiac information such as activation maps.

Exploring Eating Behavioral Phenotypes in Mood Disorders

Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder, represent a common and severe group of mental illnesses. Poor eating behaviors contribute to worsened symptoms and quality of life in these patient populations, but this aspect is not adequately addressed in clinical care. Previous work characterized six groups of eating behaviors in mood disorders, including low appetite, high appetite, emotional eating, food addiction, irregular eating rhythms, and poor diet quality. The objective of this project is to explore these eating behaviors in mood disorders, using a personalized food diary through the app ‘RxFood’. The goal of this study is to validate the previously identified eating behavior characterizations and confirm the feasibility of using an app to assess the behaviors in people with mood disorders. This project will contribute to larger investigations in the field, improved clinical assessments, and the development of new treatment strategies which consider eating behavior in mental healthcare.

Why is it important to fund Indigenous-led systems change?

Vancouver Foundation (VF)’s Indigenous-led systems change grants support organizations addressing structural inequalities and racism faced by Indigenous organizations in BC. These organizations have historically been marginalized, counted on few resources and spent much of their time reporting to donors and coping with other bureaucratic barriers. This research will bridge the gap by reviewing academic and non- academic sources to provide evidence of the colonial roots of the barriers that Indigenous and Métis-led organizations face. It will inform an advocacy and engagement strategy led by VF to influence public and private leadership to fund and contribute to lasting change across Indigenous communities in the province. The findings will be shared with Indigenous-led organizations in BC and beyond on VF’s online platforms through reports written in an accessible language, including a literature review, an annotated bibliography and maps on the pressing needs and ongoing system-change initiatives in British Columbia.

Experimental verification of non-standard phantom simulations: applications for orthopedic device heating

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a safe and effective tool for imaging patients without implanted medical devices. However, implants can negatively interact with MRI scanners, which sometimes earns the patient a ban on MRI because their implant is deemed unsafe. Orthopedic implants (e.g., plates, screws, and nails) often heat up during MRI, so they must be tested to determine if they heat too much or if the patient can be safely scanned. The current testing method is very simplistic, leading some orthopedics to heat a little more than acceptable, so new testing methods are needed to address the current oversimplifications. This project aims to develop simulated and experimental tools for more realistic testing materials (e.g., bone mimic) and for blood flow cooling of implant heating. These tools will be utilized during implant safety testing by MRIdt, increasing the proportion of orthopedics that were previously ‘unsafe’ but can now be safely scanned.

Indigenous Guardians and Natural Climate Solutions: Elevating Youth Voices and Mobilizing Knowledge

In recent years, increasing attention has been directed to “natural climate solutions” (NCS). In practice, Indigenous Peoples have been implementing NCS for millennia through sustainable land stewardship. Recent collaborative research with Wahkohtowin Development GP Inc. explored the question: what opportunities could NCS enable, including and beyond carbon sequestration, if rooted in Indigenous guardianship? The exploratory research suggests that – while support for Indigenous-led NCS is, first and foremost, about rights – Indigenous Guardians appear well-placed to advance a holistic approach to NCS with multifaceted aims including biodiversity protection, cultural revitalization, and economic development, among other possibilities. This project will continue the earlier exploration and mobilize knowledge to reach key stakeholders and community members, thereby expanding collective awareness and elevating youth voices on climate action and Indigenous guardianship. This will be achieved through ongoing workshops with youth and the development of a co-authored scholarly journal article, policy brief, infographic, youth-led film, and public webinar.

Personalized event recommendation system in community-based healthcare

Social isolation and loneliness are serious public health issues with many adverse effects on individuals’ quality of life and well-being. Notably, these are growing problems in the aging population. Working from an existing prototype and extension of our previous Mitacs project, the main objective of this research project is to develop and optimize a personalized sequential recommendation system to address an individual’s flagged unmet needs or to advance identified personal goals based on their survey data in order to improve their quality of life and overall satisfaction. Recommendation options could include social events, service, educational or volunteer activities that are available within a neighbourhood geography according to their preferences.

UFB generation and lifespan in industrial applications

Ultrafine bubbles (bubbles that are several nanometers in diameter) have been adopted in several applications Japan and surrounding countries, ranging from cleaning and sanitation of surfaces with reduced use of chemicals, to the treatment and preservation of seafood, to new and emerging chemistry and energy storage approaches. One application that has shown some promise is the use of these bubbles in the growth of plants in aquaculture systems. The intern will be looking in-depth at different strategies for generating and distributing ultrafine bubbles in plant and animal growing systems where pumping and piping systems are used to move water and nutrients from a central location to each of the plants. The intern will determine the impact of piping and system designs on the lifespan of these bubbles, and will look at developing new applications with partners in nova scotia to explore possible use of this technology in a canadian environment.

Managing Knowledge Discovery and Data-Mining Through Visual Analytics, Concept Maps and Ontologies

This research project aims to prototype and evaluate a computer system supporting the creation of data-driven domain ontologies.
The first phase consists in creating a working prototype of a computer application supporting:
1) Preliminary research;
2) Creation of an interactive and visual computer interface allowing the visual concept mapping of a domain, its entities; define relationships between those entities and define attributes and parameters of those entities and relationships;
3) Linkage of these parameters, attributes and relationship to actual data from that domain;
4) Iterative exploration and validation of the ontological model via a “top-down-driven” approach using visual
analytics tools and techniques in the context of a paired analysis process.
The second phase of the project consists in qualitatively evaluating the this tool in the context of paired analysis, versus a traditional analytical approach, as a method of supplementing domain-contextual knowledge discovery, data mining and knowledge transfer.

Community Sector Council NL: Social Entrepreneurship through Acquisition

The Community Sector Council NL is interested in exploring the potential of a Social Enterprise Hub in the Province that will focus on social entrepreneurship through acquisition, With an anticipated wave of business owners looking to retire over the coming years, CSC NL is interested in promoting social enterprises and co-operative conversion as an addition to the business succession menu. The process involves transitioning independently owned business to collective ownership such as a nonprofit. The Hub would provide dedicated support to nonprofits/charities looking to explore the business acquisition process, providing skills training, one-on-one support and connections to key organizations in the ecosystem. This could include financial intermediaries, co-operative developers, business valuators, lawyer and accountants. The objectives are: to review the literature, undertake a jurisdictional scan, conduct key informant interviews and structure a pilot project.

MISE EN PLACE DES PRATIQUES DE DÉVELOPPEMENT EN GESTION DES RESSOURCES HUMAINES CHEZ MITCHELL AEROSPACE INC.

Le stagiaire supportera le développement du plan stratégique des ressources humaines de l’entreprise en élaborant des processus et des outils de recrutement, d’accueil et intégration pour les nouveaux employés. La réalisation de ce projet contribuera à améliorer la rétention du personnel et de standardiser les pratiques d’accueil et intégration dans l’entreprise. Ce projet permettra à Mitchell Aerospace Inc. de solidifier son positionnement comme leader dans l’industrie de la fabrication et la conception de casting et permettra à la chaîne d’approvisionnement aérospatial canadienne de mieux se positionner face aux compétiteurs internationaux.

Business Development Intern – Beyond CSR – Building Social Impact Capacity in Business

Common Good Solutions is a social impact firm that aims to strengthen the social impact sector through consulting, training, and innovative ecosystem building initiatives. Our work supports governments, institutions, organizations, and businesses to understand, articulate, and grow their social impact. To truly contribute to the goal of more sustainable, socially oriented economies, we have to work with diverse actors and across sectors. We feel that the opportunity to impact the private sector is now – equity, ESG, DEI, and the UN SDGs are putting pressure on companies to take action. This is where we see CGS as a solution.

We are interested in leveraging our tested process on social impact measurement to the corporate world to support social impact auditing – understanding the business and identifying the areas for impact, and a methodology to evaluate and monitor impact for external and internal dissemination.

To better understand the opportunity, we need to do some market research, build out the business line, build a lead sheet, and beta test our process with a willing client.