Innovative Projects Realized

Investigating the Effectiveness of an Online Research Education Course to Build Capacity for Meaningful Research Partnerships Among the Spinal Cord Injury Research System

People with spinal cord injury (SCI) want to work with researchers as research partners. However, people with SCI have said they do not feel like they have enough knowledge of the research process to be involved, or that researchers have only involved people with SCI in research for the researcher’s gain. To help people learn the knowledge and skills needed for a research partnership, an online course has been created by the North American Spinal Cord Injury Consortium, which is a network of SCI groups and organizations (including the Canadian/American Spinal Research Organization). The University of British Columbia Okanagan is partnering on this research project with the CSRO to understand if completing an online course can increase one’s knowledge and skills for being in a research partnership. Through this partnership, CSRO will gain valuable information for improving future versions of the course, and can take many of the lessons learned to inform the current decision making processes they follow when deciding to fund or not fund research programs.

Applying in vitro flowering systems to increase the efficiency of cultivar selection and propagation in cannabis

Since legalization, cannabis has become a multibillion dollar industry and is now one of our most economically important crops in Canada. A unique aspect of the cannabis industry is that the market demands are continually evolving and there is a constant need for new cultivars with unique chemical and flavour profiles. This is an expensive and time-consuming process, but will play an important role in the long-term success of Canadian cannabis producers. The objective of this research program is to develop new methods to refine the selection process and to bring new genetics to market quicker. Both of these objectives will be achieved by exploiting in vitro flowering, first as a pre-screen for cultivar development, then as a more efficient propagation system to rapidly multiply elite genetics. Ultimately, this will reduce the cost of genetic improvement and help bring them to market quicker and cheaper, providing a competitive advantage.

Eye-tracking based early detection and monitoring of neurodevelopmental disorders in virtual reality environments

The metaverse and associated technologies are opening up a wide array of opportunities, including ones that allow for the advancement of personalized medicine. This project will use a common feature of modern virtual reality headsets, eye tracking, to provide screening and monitoring of two very common conditions in Canada and the world at large: autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyper disorder. This adaptation will allow soon to be common virtual and augmented reality headsets to provide beneficial information to both care providers and the individuals living with these disorders. Nomad XR will then explore the best way to commercialize and scale this technology to make it as accessible as possible, while providing a revenue stream to itself by (1) licensing the technology for clinical usage and (2) exploring subscription style apps.

Climate Plan for Resilience on Cortes Island

In Canada, climate change is altering local environmental patterns, damaging built infrastructure, causing acute injuries during natural catastrophes, and leading to chronic health issues. Rural and remote island and coastal communities have been disproportionately impacted by climate change and climate events. As such, climate scientists globally have been calling for climate change planning efforts and action plans. This project will include an environmental scan, community consultation, survey, and community workshop community to identify the priorities and experiences with climate change on Cortes Island, current carbon emissions sources and levels, existing climate mitigation and adaptation efforts, and collective goals for sustainability in the future. The work undertaken in this project will directly inform Cortes Island’s first Climate Resiliency Plan.

Raising Canada: Top threats to children in Canada and the business case to prioritize the needs and rights of children and address these threats

Children and youth flourish in environments that are predictable, safe, and structured. However, this is not the case for many kids in Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted these protective factors and exacerbated risk factors. Against this background, the first objective of this study is to explore the present threats facing children and youth in Canada and craft effective recommendations that promote greater equity and belonging for ALL children in Canada. This research will conduct comparative analyses to better understand the regional differences within the country. The second objective of this research is to develop the business case for policy makers and funding agencies with the view of influencing government policies and the priorities of national funding agencies. This research will be a practical blend of academic and community research to increase its reach, credibility, use and usefulness to a myriad of key stakeholders

Implantation de bandes herbacées dans la zone littorale du Lac Saint-Pierre

Au lac Saint-Pierre, la culture de soya et du maïs dans le littoral a contribué à détériorer la qualité de l’eau et à mettre en péril les populations de perchaude. L’implantation de bandes riveraines et de bandes herbacées le long de fossés agricoles fait partie des solutions avancées pour rendre l’agriculture plus compatible avec la préservation du milieu. Le projet proposé vise à développer des approches pour assurer le succès d’implantation de bandes herbacées le long des fossés agricoles dans le littoral du lac Saint-Pierre. Il comporte deux volets. Le premier implique deux dispositifs qui seront mis en place sur le terrain pour 1) cerner l’influence des taux de semis, du choix des espèces clés, des plantes compagnes et du travail du sol dans le succès d’établissement et la production de biomasse et 2) tester plusieurs mélanges herbacés. Le deuxième volet sera abordé par une expérience en serre et vise à étudier l’effet de la richesse en espèces herbacées sur la productivité des mélanges. Ces expérimentations nous permettront de recommander un choix d’espèces, de combinaisons d’espèces et de travail du sol pour assurer une bonne implantation des bandes herbacées en zone littorale.

Risk Assessment for the Growth of Clostridium botulinum in High Hydrostatic Pressure Treated Seafood Salad

There is a consumer trend for “Natural” products that have received minimal processing but more importantly are free from artificial preservatives. This represents a challenge to food producers as consumers expect safety as a given and also an extended shelf life. The food industry has been inventive in developing new processes and identifying natural preservatives to meet the consumer demand but also that of retailers who require an extended shelf-life compatible with their distribution chain. With new products or processors comes new food risks and these need to be identified and addressed. The proposed project will be directed towards identifying the risks from preservative-free deli salads that have been treated using the novel technology-high hydrostatic pressure (HHP). HHP is a process whereby high pressures (akin to those experienced in the deep oceans) are applied to products. The high pressure literally squeezes the life out of microbes but leaves the more resistant types unharmed. It is the latter (i.e. Clostridium botulinum) spores that represent a potential food safety risk. Therefore, the research will evaluate such a risk and introduce measures by which it can be mitigated.

Développement d’un dispositif et d’un outil d’accompagnement au repreneuriat

Le nombre d’entrepreneurs et de dirigeants de PME de plus de 50 ans au Canada et particulièrement au Nouveau-Brunswick s’accroît et, ces derniers devront bientôt céder leur entreprise. Dans ce contexte, il devient crucial d’assurer la relève entrepreneuriale ou le « repreneuriat ». Le projet de recherche entrepris par le stagiaire, porte sur la création d’un nouveau dispositif d’accompagnement permettant de consolider le tissu économique et entrepreneurial local en participant à la réalisation et au succès des processus de transmission et reprise d’entreprises qui demeurent un enjeu majeur au Canada et au Nouveau-Brunswick. Pour le partenaire, ce projet a un fort potentiel de « commercialisation » dans le sens où les résultats de cette recherche lui permettront d’améliorer ses services d’accompagnement auprès des entrepreneurs, et de consultance auprès des organisations de soutien à l’entrepreneuriat (p. ex., organismes publics, agences gouvernementales, banques) du Nouveau-Brunswick. Cela contribuera ainsi à assurer la relève entrepreneuriale dans la province.

Évaluation des déterminants de la performance et suivi du développement chez les hockeyeurs élites québécois

Ce projet vise à réaliser l’évaluation et le suivi des équipes nationales féminines et masculines de hockey sur glace en vue des Jeux du Canada. La condition physique, les habiletés psycho-cognitives, les performances en situation de match ainsi que les habiletés seront évaluées à deux reprises durant la saison morte 2022. Ensuite, les joueurs sélectionnés seront suivis pendant près d’un an de façon continue et régulière en vue des Jeux du Canada. Ce projet permettra à Hockey Québec de bénéficier de l’expertise scientifique des stagiaires pour monter un protocole d’évaluation et de suivi novateur, tandis que ces derniers auront la chance de s’impliquer avec la plus grande fédération sportive dans la province et ses athlètes élites.

Effectiveness of Targeted Individualized Multi-modal Treatments in Adults Suffering from Persistent Concussion Symptoms as Compared to a Self-Directed At-Home Program

Disabilities secondary to traumatic brain injury are a major source of burden. Specifically, patients in Ontario seeking tertiary care for persisting symptoms following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) result in health costs of over $110 million annually (Hunt et al). Numerous treatments have been utilized and studied in an attempt to treat persistent postconcussive symptoms. However, the majority of clinical trials have examined the efficacy of a single treatment. Given mTBI is a heterogenous condition characterized by a variety of clinical presentations, one could assume a lack of recovery or response to therapy when done in isolation.

Our primary objective is to evaluate the benefits of an individualized rehabilitative treatment protocol through the assessment of changes in the brain. We intend to study the before and after treatment states of the participant, via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a rapid advanced electroencephalography (EEG) when compared to a control group who will receive self-guided education alone. The structural changes will be compared to standardized assessments as well as the participants’ self-reported postconcussion symptom severity score.

For the partner organization, NeuroCatch, the proposed project hopes to help assist in addressing the current limitations known to cognitive health assessments.

Mapping thermal refugia in salmon streams using a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS)

Climate change predictions make it highly likely that Pacific salmon will be exposed to future water temperature extremes. Given the importance of cold water to maintain Pacific salmon, the availability of discrete cold-water patches in rivers/streams that can act as thermal refugia may become increasingly critical to protect salmon. Such refugia can be provided by the input of cooler tributaries or from influxes of cold groundwater. Developing reliable monitoring/mapping methods to identify potential cold-water refugia areas within basin river/stream networks will become increasingly important tools for salmon conservation and management in a warming world. Information on the relative capabilities of different monitoring methods is needed to determine what could be employed most effectively to track the ongoing status of cold water refugia and to identify potential management interventions where needed. This project aims to map locations of thermal refugia in streams using a remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS or drone).

Development of Fully Compostable Beverage Cups

The objectives of the proposed research are to develop fully compostable and biodegradable beverage cups in Manitoba, using paper made from “waste” biomass (canola straw, cattail biomass) biodegradable polymers.