Innovative Projects Realized

Ecology Action Centre (EAC)-Marine Planning and Community Engagement Internship

The Ecology Action Centre’s Marine team works locally, nationally and internationally towards protecting the marine ecosystem and maintaining sustainable fisheries, which support vibrant coastal communities. The marine team has a remote office based in Norris Point, NL and where this internship will be based.

We are offering a Marine Planning and Community Engagement Internship position to join our team for 4 months. This position will be responsible for data analysis of past and current research on the marine and coastal management areas surrounding the Gros Morne Region off western, NL. They will also support the Marine Planning and Engagement Coordinator during community workshops and participatory mapping sessions. This includes but is not limited to analysis of data from historic marine research at the Bonne Bay Marine Station in Norris Point, NL, reviewing workshop data gathered and, working with their supervisor and regional advisory committees to draft management recommendations for potential marine protection and sustainable economic development for the Gros Morne region of western, NL.

Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative (AHOI)-Building a Circular Economy with the Gros Morne Region in western, NL.

Atlantic Healthy Oceans Initiative (AHOI) is a non-profit organization that is tackling the reduction of single-use plastics and increasing waste diversion from landfills through the improvement of waste management in the Gros Morne Region for tourism business operators, municipalities and the Gros Morne National Park. AHOI will continue the work it started in 2020 to help the region transition towards a true circular economy. The help of 2 interns with expertise in these areas will improve our ability to achieve our targets and help fill the gaps identified in our 2022 Waste Management Report. The main areas of focus this summer will include work to;
? label garbage, recycling and refundable bins with diagrams on trails, roadsides and in towns to assist visitors in separating their waste and reducing their use of plastics overall.
? create more informative materials at welcome centers or permit booths, informing visitors of how to sort their waste as well as the danger litter poses to wildlife.
? help community groups and towns to offer reusable drinkware to replace single-use plastics, including cups and bottles.
? continue to help tourism operators transition away from single-use plastics and become a more circular operation.
? continue beach cleanup waste and brand audits to better understand what’s ending up on our beaches and develop recommendations on how to stop this from happening at the source.
? begin phase II of working towards a circular economy and create a plan that will allow curbside composting to be implemented successfully in the Gros Morne region.

Sales and Marketing Internship

Building on this, the intern will help us innovate and grow our business so we can thrive post-pandemic. This project will benefit our business in terms of providing an innovation-based approach for us to thrive in the market.

The overall objective for this project is to assess our strengths and weaknesses and to create strategy for us to increase our position in the market. We have identified a biology student with an interest in our business and strong business skills who is a great fit for our project.

Evaluation of the Ottawa Social Housing Network’s Shared Services Program

This project is an evaluation of the Ottawa Social Housing Network’s (OSHN) Shared Services Program. The OSHN is a non-incorporated member-based organization, made up of community housing providers and housing related organizations in Ottawa. The Social Housing Registry of Ottawa (the Registry) (https://www.housingregistry.ca/) is the sponsor of this project. The Registry has been in place as a federally incorporated organization since 1997. The Registry maintains the centralized waiting list for the City of Ottawa. Community housing providers (HPs) provide market and subsidized housing in Ottawa. The Registry and HPs are members of OSHN and will benefit from the proposed project.

Researchers from the Centre for Research on Educational and Community Services at the University of Ottawa are collaborating with OSHN and Cahdco to evaluate this program. OSHN a large network of providers of social housing and support services to people who cannot afford or maintain independent housing on their own. Cahdco is the Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation’s development corporation, established in 1996 to provide development consulting to non-profit organizations (http://www.cahdco.org/about/). Their Shared Services arrangement is a means by which members of the OSHN can collectively negotiate with providers of services (e.g., snow removal, maintenance) to achieve cost savings. The evaluation will review past experiences with the program to provide recommendations for improvement.

Arctic Research Foundation – Technology Bakeoff

The general objective of this project is to perform a “technology bakeoff” to determine which technical solution will best suit the project in terms of scalability, speed and cost. The data related to research metadata is currently stored in Dynamodb using a single table design. Dynamodb is excellent in terms of transaction processing, but is not strong for analytical queries. Various techniques for offloading the data into a platform where analytical queries can more easily be performed, and data can be further examined using tools within the Amazon Web Services (AWS) ecosystem. The interoperability of the data with resources from CCADI will also be explored if time permits.

Business development for the launch of Emotional Imaging

Emotional Imaging, Incorporated, is preparing for the launch of their flagship product. The intern will lead business development with the aim of building a viable startup that will deliver accessible value. This will include but is not limited to: user research, market analysis, and business modelling – all which will guide the team in realizing their mission over the months and years to come.

KnowMeQ Recommender and Bias Reduction Project

KnowMeQ Inc, a future of work online skills assessment is working with the University of Guelph to establish a candidate recommender tool which reduces bias. This is the first phase of deliverables of the relationship, wherein the groups are building towards an ethical AI algorithm and an Adaptability Quotient (AQ) composite measure.

Data Readiness Analysis

Engaging with the Centre for Ocean Ventures subsea platform, the Stella Maris, this project provides sensor manufacturers with descriptive analytics of their sensor data. As brand new data is collected in conjunction with other sensors, a range of high-level analytics will identify future exploration and research opportunities for sensor companies.

Process Analysis and Data Augmentation with SmartBin Products

Poor waste management poses a threat to human health. Apart from being unsightly, it pollutes the air, has an adverse influence on water bodies, and depletes the ozone layer when burned—all of which contribute to climate change. Conventional waste management strategies are frequently used inefficiently. Newfoundland-based, SmartBin is a startup enterprise making rapid product development and client engagement strides. This project aims to augment our efforts to sort and separate different types of garbage based on their properties. In addition, we want to investigate additional capabilities to add to our sensors to see which one performs best in our proposed system. Finally, we also want to validate the economic validity of this approach in the local market.

Facilitating Legislative and Regulatory Compliance in a Complex and Dynamic Healthcare Environment

The proposed project will help TOH rise to the challenges posed by this complex and dynamic environment by facilitating: (1) identification of compliance risk, (2) a risk-based approach to risk mitigation, and (3) targeted recommendations to effectively and efficiently close compliance gaps and ensure effective and meaningful reporting and monitoring of compliance risks based on impact to the organization. Facilitating a strong legislative and regulatory compliance program will support TOH in achieving its strategic objectives by delivering on better value (through increased efficiencies) and ensuring better patient and staff experience, thus advancing healthcare in the communities we serve.

Water Quality Modelling of the Humber River Watershed, a Mixed Urban-Rural Watershed

The Humber River watershed is a mixed urban, rural watershed within the Greater Toronto Area and a designated Canadian Heritage River. The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), in partnership with relevant municipalities, is developing a watershed plan to determine existing conditions and identify measures to protect, enhance, and restore watershed conditions. Water quality is a concern in this watershed. This research will identify the most appropriate model to understand current conditions and assess potential future land use scenarios for key water quality parameters of concern (e.g. chlorides, metals, nutrients). Based on the results of the modelling exercise, a cost-benefit analysis of different management strategies will inform land use and infrastructure planning. This work will benefit TRCA, by developing concrete management actions that can be implemented in the watershed to improve water quality.

Collective Interchange: Toolkit for Immigrant Women focused on Sustainability of Businesses and/or Employment

Collective Interchange: Toolkit for Immigrant Women focused on Sustainability of Businesses and/or Employment
There is a considerable gap between the needs of immigrant communities and the services that are offered. This gap sometimes stems from the non-inclusive structure of service providers. With respect to employability and business readiness factors, research shows that many people face barriers or challenges that can be incapacitating. Immigrant women facing significant challenges without assistance in handling them are likely to fail at work even if they are successful in getting a job. Many of these factors are due to unfamiliarity with the Canadian work environment, legal system, culture, etc. Lack of sufficient digital literacy skills in addition to language barriers are also factors that affect immigrant women’s accessibility to services. Unfamiliarity with immigrant context, in addition to gendered systemic barriers, will isolate immigrants from doing economic activities. When it comes to visible minority immigrant women, this systemic, non-inclusive structure is more prominent. Supporting community programs, through designing pilot projects which raise awareness about realities of minority groups will increase organizational capacity and inclusiveness to serve these groups and help them reach their goals to achieve a sustainable livelihood.