Innovative Projects Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

29670 Completed Projects

2811
AB
4990
BC
801
MB
663
NL
825
SK
8841
ON
9197
QC
95
PE
568
NB
1088
NS

Projects by Category

Development of polymer modified ATR-FTIR sensing platform for anions relevant to soil health

Soil moisture is a critical parameter in precision agriculture, which requires timely adjustments in the soil water resource management. Optimization of fertilizer and seed placement only result in producing improved yield if soil moisture is sufficient. Conventional soil monitoring techniques allows one-time soil sampling which are returned
to the laboratory for soil fertility assessments and these assessments used to inform precision agriculture adjustments. State of art soil moisture sensors assesses soil properties such as electrical resistance, dielectric constant, or interaction with neutrons as proxy for the moisture content. The accuracy of these sensors is questionable since the measured property and soil moisture may vary depending on various environmental factors such as soil type, temperature, and salinity. Soil salinity and sodicity management is another key part of soil water resource management. Increases in sodium or potassium contents lead to decreases in soil structure, impeding drainage and reducing crop yield. Reliable soil sensors with high temporal fidelity are necessary to optimize irrigation amounts and timing for precision farming.
This project proposes to develop polymer-based receptors that are selective to ions responsible to salinity in soil. ATR-IR spectroscopy is an ideal technique to characterise polymeric films.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ian Burgess

Student:

Partner:

LiORA

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Agriculture and Food; Advanced Manufacturing

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program:

Accelerate

Analysis of Renewable Ammonia Production and Transmission across the Atlantic Ocean

We will explore a low-carbon hydrogen pathway, i.e., renewable power-to-ammonia (P2A) production and distribution to connect the hydrogen economy between Canada and Germany. Ammonia is a commodity for fertilizer with mature production and distribution infrastructure. However, careful analyses are required to evaluate its potential as a hydrogen carrier for energy and trade. A combined techno-economic assessment (TEA) and life-cycle analysis (LCA) will be conducted to evaluate the levelized cost of ammonia and its associated life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Various renewable ammonia production, storage, transmission and distribution technologies will be compared using a performance matrix. The results of the project will facilitate the decision-making process for different stakeholders in a hydrogen economy.

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Faculty Supervisor:

XiaoYu Wu

Student:

Partner:

Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Evaluation of Application of Shredded Tiresas Insulation Layers for Highways in Alberta

Stockpiles of scrap tire grow larger every day in Alberta due to heavy industry. Safe and healthy disposal of scrap tires requires costly municipal landfill space. Using tire derived aggregates (TDA) for construction applications such as road embankment and insulation layers is of great attention and interest to Alberta’s government. Frost penetration beneath the pavement causing frost heave in winter followed by spring thaw weakening is one of the factors that affect the base layer thickness in cold climates. Reducing frost penetration into the pavement can enable design engineers to use moderate base layers, hence limit depletion of natural aggregate resources. Thermal resistivity of TDA is roughly eight times greater than for typical granular layer. Thermal properties of TDA, its low cost and availability make this product a great replacement for costly insulations such as Styrofoam boards. In this study, the performance of TDA as a road insulation layer will be compared to bottom ash and Styrofoam insulation layers. Frost heave and load bearing of the insulated sections will also be monitored and evaluated

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Faculty Supervisor:

Alireza Bayat

Student:

Partner:

University of Alberta

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Elevate

Centralized and Decentralized Waste and stormwater Treatment Intensification

Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and micropollutants are primary environmental stressors that pollute lakes, drinking water wells, and streams. They originate from human activities and come through point and non-point sources. In the case of point sources, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) must remove these stressors before discharge into water bodies. Driven by population increase and climate change, wastewater treatment objectives have become more stringent to ensure clean water, requiring extensive removal of nutrients and other pollutants. These objectives demand more footprint and advanced treatment technologies resulting in increased energy use and higher wastewater treatment operating costs. These costs, coupled with sustainability requirements, provide an impetus for more energy-efficient and intensified wastewater treatment processes and technologies. Thus, the project proposed developing and testing a cluster of waste and stormwater process intensification technologies to treat carbon, nutrients, and emerging contaminants at a lower cost and smaller footprint.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Martha Dagnew;Andreas Heyland;Franco Berruti

Student:

Partner:

Muddy River Technologies;Bishop Water Technologies Inc.;MW Technologies;Thames River Phosphorus Reduction Collaborative

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Agriculture; Other services (except public administration); Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of Western Ontario; University of Guelph

Program:

Accelerate

A Prototype of Integrated RFID and BIM 360 for Automated Site Inspection

In this research proposal the application of a sensory technology such as Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID for improving construction site inspection is investigated. For that, the joint use of RFID and Autodesk BIM 360 platform is investigated in order to improve the site inspection by providing more automated 3D visualization of the site for the site managers or site surveyors. Also, the possibility of updating the 3D models of the site with information acquired or added during the site inspection is also experimented. This can help to enhance the 3D modeling of the site, while any changes or items added onsite are identified.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Osama Moselhi

Student:

Partner:

Pomerleau

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

Concordia University

Program:

Accelerate

TreeGraSP

Avec le développement en parallèle de technologies de traitement automatique des langues de plus en plus performantes, de théories linguistiques de plus en plus précises et de banque de données de plus en plus riches, il est maintenant plus facile de comparer les langues et d’identifier leurs points communs et leurs divergences. Un défi pour les linguistes computationnels devient donc de faire le pont entre les théories linguistiques et les outils informatiques. TreeGraSP vise à relever ce défi. Ce projet utilise des méthodes statistiques sur de vastes corpus ainsi qu’une théorie linguistique bien formalisée afin de construire une grammaire qui pourra capturer au mieux le sens de langues variées. Au cours de mon stage, je travaillerai à étendre ce projet au français en créant un algorithme qui permettra d’annoter sémantiquement des textes de façon semi-automatique, ainsi que des algorithmes de conversion qui contribueront à l’enrichissement et au partage des données du projet avec la communauté la plus large possible.

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Faculty Supervisor:

François Lareau

Student:

Partner:

Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Information and Communications Technology; Artificial Intelligence

University:

Université de Montréal

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Nuclear shell model calculations as input for astrophysical processes

The student will use the interacting shell model to study properties of ground and low-lying excited states as well as the corresponding electromagnetic and weak transitions for nuclei of importance for astrophysical scenarios like the nucleosynthesis in the r-process. For this the student has to learn about the shell model and how to perform and analyze calculations with the shell model code. The student will also learn about both the nuclear physics aspects and the nuclear physics input needed for astrophysical modeling of the r-process.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Chary Rangacharyulu

Student:

Partner:

GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Other

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Particle identification using the in-flight fragment separator (FRS) at GSI

The GSI projectile fragment separator (FRS) is a versatile, high-resolution magnetic spectrometer designed to efficiently separate projectile fragments in their mass and nuclear charge. It has been efficiently used in the study of nuclear structure and reaction dynamics with relativistic radioactive heavy-ions over the last few decades. In the present project the intern will learn the basic principles and the technical aspects of FRS. In particular, she will work on the detection and identification of the reaction products using the information of magnetic rigidity (B?), time of flight (TOF), and energy loss (?E). The project will allow the intern to grasp knowledge and working experience on state-of-art radiation detectors and modern experimental techniques for measuring the energy, position, and timing related to nuclear reactions. The project will provide an opportunity for the intern to work in a leading research laboratory in the world and establish networks with international scientists. It will be a valuable addition in her academics and play an important role in deciding future career pathways.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Chary Rangacharyulu

Student:

Partner:

GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Other; Technology; Life Sciences (not health)

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Influence of a warm up and protective clothing on exercise performance in cold weather sports.

Outdoor winter sport athletes face unique weather conditions that might include wind, snow and rain. These weather conditions can occur at a variety of air temperatures, ranging from above zero to -20 C. The colder the air temperature the more challenges winter sport athletes face in warming up for competition and then staying warm.
The sports that are affected the most include alpine skiing, cross country skiing and biathlon. In each of these sports, the competitors wear light weight race suits to ensure they have optimal movement, aerodynamics and breathability. Before their competitions athletes use warm up strategies to increase their muscle temperature and increase blood flow to muscles. They do these warm ups in insulative clothing that is worn over their race suits. When they finish their warm ups they have to remove their insulative clothing to prepare for their start. Lab research has shown that skin and muscle temperature decreases quickly with cold air exposure when participants wear light weight non-insulative clothing. Thus, it is likely that winter sport athletes experience a decrease in skin and muscle temperature when they remove their warm ups and wait to start, especially if the conditions are cold, windy or wet.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Kennedy

Student:

Partner:

University of Innsbruck

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Globalink Research Award

GRID: Geo-Registry Integrated Datachain

This project will conduct business model validation research for a blockchain prototype developed by Arrowhead Development Company Ltd for the real estate industry. The student intern will collect market research from potential stakeholders of this industry to help the partner organization assess business opportunities and revenue streams as well as informing the launch decision.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Neil Maltby;Jane Fraser

Student:

Partner:

Arrowhead Development

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Real estate and rental and leasing

University:

St. Francis Xavier University

Program:

Business Strategy Internship

Predicting Reactions with Controlled Errors

Given a group of molecules and a specification of reaction conditions, do chemical reactions occur? If so, what products are produced, and what is their relative abundance? This problem pervades chemistry, with applications in environmental science (e.g., the degradation of pollutants), molecular sensing (e.g., interpreting the results of tandem mass spectrometry), chemical synthesis (e.g., finding efficient ways to synthesize drug molecules), and energy-efficiency (characterizing molecular combustion). Such problems are usually addressed by nearly exhaustive experimental and/or computational characterization techniques, both of which are extremely costly in terms of time, money, and human resources. We aim to use a data-science approach, so that these previous experimental/computational works can be leveraged to make predictions of likely chemical reactive pathways. One important innovation is to make these predictions in a controlled way, with error estimates so that future experimental/computational studies can be focused towards reactions where the model is highly uncertain, and redundant work can be avoided. Other innovations include using reactivity indicators to construct rich molecular representations and representing chemical reaction networks as hypergraphs.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Paul Ayers

Student:

Partner:

Sorbonne Université

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Artificial Intelligence; Quantum Science

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Chemical and biological conversion of mussel processing by-products into new value streams in agriculture

Atlantic Canada’s fishery industries have been identified as key sectors where market demand is expected to increase. PEI mussel and shellfish production employ over a thousand employees, and contributes in excess of CAD$60 million to PEI’s coastal and rural communities. Production of Atlantic Canadian shellfish has tripled since 1995 and is expected to continue growing rapidly. Prince Edward Aqua Farms Inc., is one of the largest mussel and oyster producers in North America, generating 9,072 tonnes of mussels annually which results in 2,770 tonnes of solid waste by-products. Waste disposal is a serious economic and environmental burden that can cost the industry upwards of $888,410 each year. Landfill disposal of these by-products may also result in higher greenhouse gas emissions and represent a loss of valuable natural resources. Dalhousie University’s Innovative Waste Management Group aims to work with PE Aqua Farms to identify economically and technically viable pathways to create value from mussel by-product solid waste streams, including composts, biochar, and alternative agricultural liming amendments.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Gordon Price

Student:

Partner:

Prince Edward Aqua Farms Ltd.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Dalhousie University

Program:

Accelerate