Innovative Projects Realized

Lumiio – Kira Boyartchuk

Lumiio’s purpose is to empower health communities through disruptive technology, combined with classical research methods at every level, to ultimately improve health and quality of life. This Business development intern will help Lumiio improve its operational processes to that are required for marketing to new and existing clients, inform sales strategies, and generate data needed to create key decisions. This role requires involves exercising sound judgment for day-to-day operational activities, strategic direction, and providing advice and recommendations to support strategic business decisions

Lumiio – Maia Tripathi

Lumiio is recruiting a Business Development Intern to support our business development, product strategy, marketing, operations, and executive leadership team. The Intern will be joining the Lumiio team during a pivotal time in the company as we scale our operations and expand our product offering and global customer base. The Business Development Intern will guide the organization’s future success by researching and making recommendations to support business activities, client needs, and product direction.

Conducting Indigenous Mentorship Program with IndegenousTech.ai

IndigenousTech.ai Corporation (IndigenousTech.ai) is part of a consortium including Forrest Green Resource Management Corp. (Forrest Green RMC). Forrest Green RMC is one of the entities inside of the Forrest Green Group of Companies which specializes in credit data and analytics. IndigenousTech.ai has completed the application process in Ontario to become Canada’s first Indigenous controlled consumer credit reporting agency. IndigenousTech.ai’s mission is to train and hire Indigenous youth on-reserve to increase self-sufficiency, own-source revenue and economic development. To this end, IndigenousTech.ai conducts summer mentorship programs for Indigenous youth focused on financial, digital and accounting literacy. This summer mentorship program is designed to achieve IndigenousTech’s mission described above. Success of the mentorship program requires the contribution from knowledgeable personnel in the fields of finance and accounting. This internship will enable IndigenousTech.ai to conduct a successful Indigenous mentorship program and grow further.

Centrifugal spinning and thermal processing of glass fibres

Currently, our commercial borate-based “Cobra rod” glass is being used to preserve utility poles, doubling or trebling the lifetime and is a key to enhancing lifetimes of wood distribution and transmission power poles. Our main objective is to successfully process our glass into fibres, beads, and glass fibre mats like those used in the insulation industry. Along the way, we hope to gain fundamental knowledge about the thermal behaviour and processing parameters of our glass, to further glass science as well as guide future needs of the partner organization. This ability to tune the production process will lead to new products, clients, patents, and avenues for the application of our product, such as incorporation into engineered wood products. Furthermore, the partner organization will fabricate lab equipment which can be used for fundamental glass research in future collaborations with the scientific community.

Evaluation of the effect of butyrate supplementation on the expression of circadian genes, inflammation, sleep quality and psychological factors in patients with ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although its prevalence is rapidly rising worldwide, the pathophysiology and definite treatment of IBD is yet unknown. In particular, Canada is among countries with the highest IBD prevalence. Recently, circadian rhythm disruption has received significant interest for the IBD pathophysiology. In addition IBD patients develop dysbiosis, associated with a decreased number of the gut bacteria producing butyrate. Lately, there has been growing evidence of butyrate therapeutic approaches in the IBD management. Butyrate potentially exerts an epigenetic control on circadian rhythms by regulation of circadian genes, and can improve dysbiosis. However, there is no study on the effect of butyrate therapy on the circadian genes expression in UC patients. This study aims to investigate the effect of butyrate therapy in such patients on regulating the circadian genes expression, improving clinical symptoms, inflammation and sleep quality, and reducing stress and depression incidents.

Development of a novel liquid fertilizer from distillery stillage

Distillery stillage is a liquid waste produced during the fermentation of milk permeate to yield alcohol. Stillage is an environmental liability due to its potential to create anoxic dead zones in aquatic ecosystems. Nevertheless, stillage also is rich in vital nutrients that can support plant growth. The goal of the proposed research is to reformulate distillery stillage to be used as a green liquid fertilizer, thereby converting a waste stream into a valuable by-product. Our partner organization, Dairy Distillery (DD) is an innovative company that produces high-quality ethanol from milk permeate, making the world’s first milk-based vodka (“Vodkow”) and hand sanitizers. Current waste treatment facilities necessary to safely dispose of large volumes of stillage will represent a significant operating cost ($250,000 per year) to DD upon expansion. If stillage can be reformulated into a fertilizer, these costs will be reduced dramatically, directly benefiting DD and reducing the footprint of fermentation.

Preuve de concept pour le développement d’un prototype R&D de produit d’entrainement dotée d’une technologie de capteurs intelligents

Le projet de recherche consiste à réaliser une preuve de concept entourant la compréhension, la conception et le développement d’un démonstrateur en vue du développement d’un futur prototype R&D de produit d’entrainement intelligent grand public dotée d’une technologie électronique avec capteurs. La technologie développée permet de mesurer et récolter des données sur la trajectoire du produit qui sont ensuite transmise sans-fil vers une application logicielle. L’exploitation et la valorisation de ces données à l’aide d’algorithmes en intelligence artificielle permet d’établir une corrélation statistique nécessaire dans l’évaluation des performances d’entrainement envisagées.

Locally based surface extraction techniques for handheld imaging technologies

The research aims to develop a device technology and software to recover surface information from a handheld scanner. The idea is to combine pre-existing object analysis technologies with a local device capable of reconstructing an objects shape from data collected by simple (shelf component) electronics as the device is passed over the object in the absence of information from a separate imaging system or device. The idea is to create the necessary technology to include realistic imaging as part of a ‘tri-corder’ like device. All existing similar approaches make use of remotely placed imaging systems to acquire extra information about object shape.

Genome-wide association study provides an opportunity to identify genetic resistance in canola varieties against Leptosphaeria maculans

Our intention is to find excellent resistance sources in the Canadian canola cultivars, and other available genotypes through field, greenhouse and lab research to enhance resistance. This will supplement the new resistance sources including novel R gene and quantitative resistance in canola against blackleg disease in Canada. It will also reduce it to become endemic and prevent epidemics, when the environmental conditions favor the pathogen in certain seasons (like the summer of 2021 when it was very dry across the prairies). The investment in this research will benefit the three interns through the training they will receive, and the opportunity to meet the growers and key players in industry. The partner organization which represents growers and industry, will benefit through the seed industry, canola industry, growers, stakeholders, and Canada’s economy. It will also help our canola to be exported without trade barriers due to plant pathogens.

Modélisation et optimisation de l’efficacité des surfaces texturées dans les engrenages

Le film d’huile présent entre les dents d’engrenages leur permet d’avoir une durée de vie élevée. Des études démontrent que d’ajouter des microcavités de surface sur deux pièces en contact séparées par un film d’huile aurait des effets bénéfiques qui engendreraient une réduction du frottement, donc conduiraient à des augmentations d’efficacité. L’idée principale est d’appliquer cette technologie aux engrenages. Cependant, les dimensions des microcavités sont critiques pour avoir une augmentation de l’efficacité notable. Un modèle numérique sera développé pour simuler le comportement du fluide dans les microcavités. Une fois, ce modèle validé, avec l’aide de mesure expérimentale à l’Université de Poitiers en France, il sera couplé à un algorithme d’optimisation qui permettra d’obtenir les meilleures dimensions des microcavités ainsi que leurs positions. Les résultats obtenus à la fin de cette recherche devraient permettre d’augmenter le rendement des engrenages. À l’échelle mondiale, les engrenages sont utilisés dans des millions de voitures, de véhicules industriels et de transports. Même faible, une augmentation du rendement peut représenter énormément d’économie d’énergie et c’est l’environnement qui en tire avantage.

Regional Chamber Support Initiative

At the grassroots level, Chambers serve as the Voice of Business to government while offering products and services that facilitate the creation of relationships between businesses, provide discounts to reduce business costs, and offer learning opportunities that support business growth.

Many Chambers of Commerce in small communities across Northwestern Ontario are facing significant challenges in providing services to businesses in their area due to a shortage of financial resources and volunteer resources. As a result, at a time when the business community most needs support to help weather an economic storm such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the layoff of staff at a large employer, the local Chamber is left ill-equipped with fiscal and human capital to assist. Chambers of Commerce in Nipigon, Terrace Bay/Schreiber and Atikokan have recently paused operations due to these issues and the Marathon Chamber has greatly reduced their operations, leaving their business communities with minimal support or assistance.

The Thunder Bay Chamber knows that our region is stronger when all businesses have a supportive Chamber to address their needs. The purpose of this research project is to identify opportunities to assist these small community Chambers in providing support and services to their business community.

Evaluating the protective effects of electrical muscle stimulation with and without blood flow restriction during periods of short-term inactivity

Physical inactivity is associated with impaired removal of sugar from the blood after a meal, or insulin-resistance and a reduced muscle mass and fitness. While exercise is well-established to prevent these impairments, it may not be feasible in some clinical conditions. Therefore, passive interventions that mimick the stressors and elicit the benefits of exercise may be required. Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) and tourniquet induced blood flow restriction (BFR) can prevent muscle loss during inactivity. It remains unknown if differences exist between EMS with and without BFR to prevent muscle loss. Whether these passive interventions can prevent insulin-resistance or decreased fitness during inactivity remains unknown. We will critically evaluate if BFR can increase the effectiveness of EMS in preventing the negative consequences of decreased physical activity. This work will support evidence based recommendations for the use of our partner’s product, the optimization of automated programs, and could springboard new features/prototypes.