Innovative Projects Realized

Developing a Farm Management System: Migrating from iOS to Android platform

The project conducts a research to explore and investigate ways in developing a farm management tool that will assist farmers to have instant and secure access to information, and have the ability to update those information. Information updated on a device outside the coverage of wireless connection will be updated and synchronized when the device is within a coverage using application level synchronization technique. The research result will benefit partner organization in making an informed decision on their future development efforts as well as deliver a more complete solution to their customers, allowing them to optimize their service according to the customer need.

Conception de Réseau réflecteur large bande opérant aux bandes Q-V pour des applications spatiales

Les CubeSats sont des satellites de petite taille qui requièrent des antennes occupant un très faible volume au lancement. Les antennes paraboliques typiquement utilisées sur de plus gros satellites ne sont pas une option dans ce cas étant donné leur réflecteur courbé et volumineux. Les antennes réseau-réflecteur (ARR) se sont positionnées ces dernières années comme une solution intéressante pour les CubeSats grâce à leur réflecteur planaire pouvant être replié sur lui-même au lancement puis déployé en orbite. Cependant, les ARRs existants en orbite fonctionnent sur une bande de fréquences limitée et couvrent une seule bande. Ce projet vise à explorer ces limitations avec une conception qui couvre deux bandes de fréquences avec une grande largeur de bande. Le stagiaire bénéficiera de l’expertise d’ingénieurs spécialisés en conception d’antennes de satellite de la compagnie MDA, chef de file mondial dans le domaine des charges utiles de satellites de communication et de télédétection.

Persévérance scolaire en contexte multiculturel – Étude de cas de la commune de Léogâne: Comprendre les enjeux locaux afin de déployer des stratégies interprofesionnelles ancrées dans un soutien macrosystémique

Des enjeux majeurs affectent la persévérance scolaire des élèves à l’école primaire en Haïti. Le stage de l’étudiante va contribuer à expliciter en quoi les conditions scolaires non dites teintent l’acceptabilité communautaire de l’école.Le projet vise cerner ces enjeux dans le but d’améliorer le parcours scolaire au niveau primaire en Haïti. Cela pemettra de trouver dea moyens variés pour offrir des choix aux élèves en vue d’une vie citoyenne autonome, adaptée à leur milieu. Pour y arriver, il faut un inventaire des besoins d’apprentissage à prendre en compte et vérifier les perceptions touchant des pistes de carrière qu’ils ouvrent. Cet inventaire permettra 1) de mieux mobiliser les communautés durant le développement des jeunes durant leur école primaire 2) de soutenir ces futurs adultes à une vie active productive dont ils seront fiers.

Influence de la salinité sur la toxicité d’un effluent minier lors de l’enlèvement de l’azote ammoniacal par nitrification-dénitrification

L’exploitation des sites miniers nécessite une importante consommation d’eau. En cas de rejet en milieu naturel, les contaminants (dans le cas présent, l’azote ammoniacal, mais aussi les nitrites et nitrates) présents peuvent avoir des impacts sur l’environnement. La mise en place d’une filière de traitement est alors nécessaire. Celle-ci doit permettre de répondre aux normes de rejet définies par la règlementation. Aussi, dans le cas d’une filière biologique, certains paramètres de l’effluent (dont la salinité) peuvent avoir un effet inhibiteur sur les performances de l’enlèvement et rendre ainsi les procédés de traitement inefficaces. L’objectif de ce projet est alors de réaliser des essais d’enlèvement de l’azote ammoniacal d’effluents salins par nitrification-dénitrification au sein d’une succession de réacteurs à lit fluidisé afin d’essayer de déterminer quels sont les paramètres opérationnels optimaux à mettre en place pour assurer un traitement efficace, robuste et économique applicable aux exploitations minières et ainsi d’étudier l’impact de ce type de traitement sur la toxicité de l’effluent.

Effectiveness of Vibration Massage in Automotive Seating

This research study will examine the effectiveness of a vibration massage system in automotive seating. The vibration parameters of the massage system will be tested by examining different vibration frequencies, types of vibration exposure, and location of the vibration while occupants are sitting in an automotive seat. The intern will measure biometric data of the participants, including electrocardiogram (ECG), galvanic skin response (GSR), and facial expression following different vibration massage patterns. Subjective surveys will be administered to the participants to determine what their vibration massage preferences are. The completion of this research project will further inform the partner organization regarding the bene

Developing Monitoring and Verifications Framework for Ocean-based Carbon Dioxide Removal in the Canadian Atlantic Waters (Bedford Basin, Canada)

In response to the current climate crisis and since the Paris COP21, there has been widespread international agreement on limiting warming to < 2°C. Two recent IPCC reports have emphasized that the most feasible pathway to limiting warming to 2°C or less is to deploy both climate mitigation (emissions reduction) and intervention (Carbon dioxide removal) to achieve “net negative emissions” by the end of this century. In this project, we will monitor and verify one method of ocean carbon dioxide removal (CDR) called Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) that in its final, tested form would be acceptable to stakeholders, governance bodies and carbon credit markets. OAE can be achieved through a variety of approaches. Most are either directly or indirectly linked to the chemical weathering of minerals, which neutralize protons when they dissolve in the ocean and increase the ocean's capacity for CO2 uptake and counteract ocean acidification, which is considered an environmental threat to a range of marine ecosystems. Benefits to Canada of such an approach would include acceleration of a highly scalable CDR pathway and kick-starting a new industry of ocean-based CDR verification and measurement technology.

Use of Advanced Customizable Leach Columns as a tool to characterize the physiochemical processes occurring in mine waste rock and tailings

Mining generates large amounts of waste (e.g. waste rock and tailings), some of which contains sulfide minerals that oxidize and produce acid rock drainage (ARD) when exposed to oxygen. Mine waste is commonly stored on-site in storage facilities which can account for > 80% of all ARD produced. Several methods exist to address ARD potential, but these tests are rarely linked to specific environmental conditions or repository designs. Using Advanced Customizable Leach Columns (ACLCs) as a way to provide laboratory scale tests that replicate site specific conditions (e.g., temperature, oxygen availability, water content) can potentially offer a better prediction of ARD potential and inform design considerations for storage facilities. The interns will lead research into improving ACLC designs by quantifying the role of different variables that will lead to improved waste storage designs at the field scale. The improvements, modifications, and discoveries made as part of this research will be implemented in the new generation of ACLCs developed by Okane to offer to clients worldwide.

Economic Burden and Socio-Ecological Determinants of Asthma and COPD in British Columbia

Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD) are the two common lung conditions in British Columbia(BC). Given the dynamic character of these two diseases and modified treatment options in recent years, this proposed study aims to assess and update the economic burden of asthma and COPD in British Columbia and determine regional differences and the impact of social-economic aspects on the burden of asthma and COPD.

A continuous observational pool of individuals with asthma and COPD will be built utilizing BC health administrative data from 1997 to 2021. We will compare the excess medical costs and healthcare consumption of COPD and asthma patients to the general BC population by comparing the overall costs of the case and control cohorts. We will examine total costs as well as related expenses. Costs will be modified to reflect current Canadian inflation rates.
Also, relying on the social-economic and disease factors available in BC health administrative data, we will perform an explanatory assessment using a predictive formula to measure the distribution of variation in (1) excess total healthcare costs of asthma and COPD and (2) asthma and COPD hospitalization that can be linked to significant social-economic and these two lung conditions.

Development and validation of treatment optimization planning software for MRI guided focal laser ablation of prostate cancer

Over 23,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) in Canada in 2020. Focal therapy uses high energy focused heating delivered via a laser fiber to destroy the tumour and has shown promising results in controlling prostate cancer. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows the surgeon to distinguish the cancerous tissue from healthy tissue, better customize the treatment to the patient and monitor thermal damage to the tumour. This project focuses on developing software to help the physician plan where to place the laser fibers to ensure maximal damage to the tumor while minimizing damage to the adjacent healthy tissue. To achieve this goal, improved MR thermometry, rapid imaging and communication between the scanner and a standalone PC is required. Through this project, Siemens Canada will gain potential personnel to facilitate emerging research in the field of medical robotics, and validation of a novel clinical procedure using Siemens’ products.

Is correction of malnutrition sufficient to improve low physical function before elective colorectal cancer surgery? A randomized controlled trial of nutrition vs nutrition and exercise prehabilitation

Bowel cancers and diseases are treated with surgery. But recovery from surgery is difficult. Patients can experience long hospital stays, complications after surgery, and a delay in the return of their usual daily activities. The 6-min walk distance (6MWD) is a test performed before surgery to evaluate physical fitness. If a patient is unable to walk 400 m in 6 minutes, the chance of them developing a post-surgical complication and having a longer hospital stay is high. Prehabilitation aims to facilitate post-surgery recovery by improving fitness before surgery. We propose a research project with a 4-week intervention before surgery comprised of nutrition alone or nutrition with exercise in patients with poor nutrition and who are unable to complete 400m in the 6MWD test before elective bowel surgery. The therapeutic goal will be achievement of >=400m 6MWD. The findings of this study will guide optimal treatment for patients requiring bowel surgery.

The Implicit Language of Our Bodies: Developing Immersive Technologies to Transfer Embodied Experiences

While much of how we interact with the world is grounded in the body, embodied forms of knowledge have received little attention in research and practice. The inherent difficulty in communicating embodied experiences, and the paucity of tools to do so, poses a significant barrier to sharing it—a problem which is only exacerbated by our increasingly digital and disembodied world. Here, we will develop immersive technologies to directly transfer embodied experiences. Working with the Center for Circus Arts Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer (CRITAC), we will study embodied experiences in circus acrobats, and how technological innovation may help in research, education and creation within circus. We will bring together circus artists, neuroscientists, designers and engineers to co-design immersive technologies, studying both the impact of the collaborative process on participants and the ability of the resulting technologies to convey embodied knowledge. The research findings and resulting technological tools will allow CRITAC to integrate embodied knowledge into circus research and education, and will help the circus arts adjust to the new creative demands of the digital era.

Surveillance continue des perfluorocarbures issues de la production d’aluminium

La production d’aluminium primaire est un processus produisant une quantité importante de gaz à effet de serre. Par souci de mieux quantifier et de réduire la quantité de GES émis, Rio Tinto a fait l’acquisition d’un appareil de mesure permettant de suivre un type précis d’émissions de GES, associée à plus de 25% des émissions directes de GES de l’industrie. Le projet visé permettra d’abord de caractériser le fonctionnement de l’appareil au moyen de deux bancs d’essai en condition de laboratoire. Ces essais contrôlés permettront de mieux caractériser les sources de variations du signal.
Par la suite, le projet s’intéressera aux mesures industrielles provenant de l’appareil afin d’établir des corrélations entre les indicateurs de contrôles, les performances globales et les émissions de GES. Suivant ces analyses, des solutions seront proposées et validées dans un contexte industriel pour confirmer leurs efficacités respectives en termes de réduction de GES et en termes d’efficacité énergétique.