Innovative Projects Realized

TrojAI Cloud Cluster Expansion

An experiential learning opportunity for an intern to work with software as a solution platform in local server and cloud environments. The intern will gain valuable hands-on experience with data engineering tech stacks and technologies associated with deploying scalable software solutions locally and in the cloud.

Development of Lipid Nanoparticle Reagents for Functional Genomics in Difficult-to-Transfect Cells In Vitro Year Two

The objective of this project is to develop lipid nanoparticle (LNP) reagents for the delivery of nucleic acids to turn off, or turn on target genes in “hard-to-transfect” neurons and stem cells in vitro and in vivo. A recent report (BCC Research, April 2011) observed that “51% of researchers employ cell-based techniques to perform transfection routinely. Although transfection techniques have been available for many years ….this procedure faces challenges such as the efficiency of gene introduction and its toxicity in cells.” With an estimated market of $1.9 billion by 2016 this project will help explore high value market niche that is poised for substantial growth. It will leverage clinical grade, proprietary LNP reagents, a novel proprietary microfluidic-based manufacturing LNP technology, and a unique mechanism of action that maximizes LNP potency by combining broad expertise in technology development and commercialization from the University of British Columbia, and Precision NanoSystems Inc. (PNI).

BSI-SMU – Chef and customer onboarding optimization

Easy Platter is looking to scale nationally. For which, we need to meet 2 primary objectives:

1) Build a chef onboarding platform that enables chefs across Canada to sign up
2) Optimize the customer journey by creating stickiness on the platform

This project is key for Easy Platter as we move from a NS based company into a national brand. We want to make it easier for Chefs across the country to sign up and also, enable the customers to engage on our website seamlessly and get more for their value.

We would also link the new developments with Hubspot (our CRM system) which would help us to learn more about chef profiles, manage schedule and build a pipeline of supply of chefs.

Using intelligent insights, we would like the customers to be able to learn about their grocery spend, nutrition and food waste. All under one platform.

Riopelle à Saint-Thuribe

Le projet de stage organisé en collaboration avec l’entreprise Artéfact urbain s’inscrit au coeur des enjeux actuels et nationaux de la mise en valeur culturelle régionale ainsi que de la gestion du patrimoine religieux. Le stage se déploie en deux volets; d’une part, une exposition présentant une série d’oeuvres de Riopelle sera organisée et prendra place dans l’église de Saint-Thuribe, de pair avec le développement d’une programmation estivale permettant de mettre en valeurs les attraits, organismes et entreprises de la région portneuvoise; d’autre part, un colloque régional sera organisé en collaboration avec le Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec afin de mettre en lumière les églises régionales ciblées par de potentiels projets de requalification, de manière à développer une approche de cocréation dynamique et novatrice permettant de prendre en charge le patrimoine religieux québécois en fonction des besoins actuels.

Prevalence and Patterns of Modifiable Risk Factors for Dementia

With the aging of the Canadian population, the number of people living with dementia is projected to increase. Due to a lack of disease-modifying treatments for dementia, there is a pressing need to better understand how we can reduce dementia risk across all Canadians. A wide range of modifiable risk factors for dementia have been established and a 2020 report from the Lancet Commission found that addressing these modifiable risk factors might prevent up to 40% of dementias.

Most research examining risk factors and dementia outcomes has tended to focus on individual risk factors. However, it has been established that we need to move towards understanding multiple risk factors simultaneously. This project will examine modifiable risk factors for dementia in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) participants, calculate how frequently they occur, and identify any common patterns to build our understanding of modifiable dementia risk in the Canadian population.

Imagerie plasmonique à contraste d’indice et nanostructuration pseudo-aléatoire

Ce projet vise à contribuer au développement de biocapteur de nouvelle génération pour répondre aux exigences dans le domaine de la santé. Il s’agit de développer des outils de modélisation électromagnétique afin de mieux qualifier et quantifier les images optiques obtenues.

Livelihood Strategies and the Experience of Urban Development: the Case of Women Workers in Resettlement Colonies in Mumbai

A prominent feature of urban development in the present era is the forced eviction of communities living in informal settlements to make space for infrastructural projects. The research project looks at the livelihood strategies adopted by women in the Lallubhai Compound, a resettlement colony in Mumbai, to navigate the effects of their displacement due to the urban development project. Since the social norms relegate women to the household, their unpaid labour inside the house to sustain the family is often not recognised or acknowledged. However, women bear the major brunt in the event of a crisis such as displacement. The strategies adopted by women to cope with the effects of displacement, which is spread across their paid and unpaid work in the informal sector, are in effect subsidising the cost of labour of the people in the city. Thus, women contribute directly, through their paid work, and indirectly, through their life-sustaining social reproductive work, to the workforce of the city. However, this significant contribution made to Mumbai’s urban development by women living in resettlement colonies and navigating the impacts of the cycle of displacement and resettlement is not being recognised.

Autonomous surgical phase recognition on endoscopic camera images

At large, the desire of the Mitacs Research Grant is to gain understanding of surgery as a new field of science, dubbed Surgical Data Science (SDS), and to provide computer knowledge compatible robot system development through ontology driven Surgical Process Modeling (SPM) and Deep Learning (DL) methods, which can lead to autonomous surgical phase detection-based clinical systems. Surgical phase detection is a key challenge in SDS to create decision making support in the Operating Room. The overall objective is the development of autonomous surgical phase detection methods with SDM for laparoscopic hysterectomy (LH) procedures, based mainly on the endoscopic video data. All data used in the study is anonymized, publicly available, and surgically-annotated.

Multi scale assessment of Ecosystem Resilience to Hydroclimatic disturbances

The connection between climate change and terrestrial ecosystems has long been a key challenge in global change research. Climate change and hydroclimatic disturbances will impact the structure and functioning of these ecosystems. Therefore, studying their responses to disturbances at different scales is crucial for contributing to ecosystem management, mitigation, and adaptation strategies. This study seeks to answer the question raised in WCRP carbon feedbacks in climate systems: “How will highly-vulnerable land carbon reservoirs respond to a warming climate, climate extremes, and abrupt changes?” The objective of the project is to develop a multi-dimensional resilience index (MDRI) that includes resistance, resilience, and recovery aspects of the ecosystem. The MDRI, with its improved understanding of resilience, will help identify ecological hotspots in the country for better ecosystem management. Our research also expands on current work in a fundamental direction to provide a deeper and more thorough knowledge of ecological functioning.

Development of Lipid Nanoparticle Reagents for Functional Genomics in Difficult-to-Transfect Cells In Vitro

The objective of this project is to develop lipid nanoparticle (LNP) reagents for the delivery of nucleic acids to turn off, or turn on target genes in “hard-to-transfect” neurons and stem cells in vitro and in vivo. A recent report (BCC Research, April 2011) observed that “51% of researchers employ cell-based techniques to perform transfection routinely. Although transfection techniques have been available for many years ….this procedure faces challenges such as the efficiency of gene introduction and its toxicity in cells.” With an estimated market of $1.9 billion by 2016 this project will help explore high value market niche that is poised for substantial growth. It will leverage clinical grade, proprietary LNP reagents, a novel proprietary microfluidic-based manufacturing LNP technology, and a unique mechanism of action that maximizes LNP potency by combining broad expertise in technology development and commercialization from the University of British Columbia, and Precision NanoSystems Inc. (PNI).

Outcomes of a Training and Mentoring Program for Electrical and Plumbing Employers

We are proposing a novel gender-inclusive approach with a focus on understanding barriers faced by women, Indigenous people, youth, and other underrepresented groups to increase recruitment, improve retention, expand and stabilize the construction and industrial workforces across Canada, and support employers. This proposal builds on our prior research on workplace factors associated with health professions’ workplace stressors, injuries and retention, and our former collaborative professional practice with injured miners, employers, and unions on workers’ return to work. Our proposed research will develop and implement strategies to increase worker participation and retention in the construction and industrial workforce, based on gender-, age-, and ethnicity-informed systematic analysis of barriers to recruitment and retention.

Reshaping the management of low back pain in the emergency department

In Australia, low back pain (LBP) is the 5th most common cause of presentation to emergency departments (EDs). However, most LBP cases seen in EDs are non-serious and non-urgent, and they place a significant pressure on ED staff, who are trained managing patients with urgent health problems. The project aims to develop, implement and evaluate a novel model of care for patients with LBP presenting to EDs. The novel model of care includes 1) a triage approach to identify ED patients with non- urgent LBP who can be redirected to outpatient setting, 2) reshaping the ED workforce to give better access to physiotherapists for patients requiring within ED care, and 3) a virtual care for patients requiring hospitalisation who could manage themselves at home, with remote consultation with hospital-based clinicians. If successful, this model of care will be a solution to relieve significant pressure on EDs in Australia and globally and will allow to improve healthcare services efficiency.