Innovative Projects Realized

Data-Driven Decision Support Framework for Predicting and Mitigating Structural Fire Risks

Fire-related events can result in substantial losses represented by injuries, fatalities, and structural damages. To protect Canadians, there is a real need to identify key risk factors that contribute to the frequency and severity of such events, and subsequently, devise mitigation strategies that prevent structural fire risks. The powerful combination of incident data sources and artificial intelligence technologies has the potential to accurately extract the leading causes of structural fires. In this respect, the objective of the project is to develop a data-driven decision support framework to enhance the decision-making of structural fire quantitative prediction and mitigation. Empowered by the framework, the partner organization can: 1) explore interdependent key fire incident factors and corresponding losses which can enhance the understanding of structural fire risks; and 2) evaluate different structural fire risk levels and their potential high-risk ones can be flagged for ultimately formulating mitigation strategies in a more targeted and proactive manner.

3D in silico modelling of prostate cancer growth and treatment

Prostate cancer is a prominent cause of death in Canada. A better understanding of how prostate tumours grow and respond to treatment is vital; however, typical lab methods used to study cancer have key limitations. To compensate for these shortcomings, computational models have revolutionized the study of cancer. This research proposes modifying an existing 3D computational model of generic tumour growth and specifying the model to describe the growth and treatment of prostate tumours with systemic and radiation treatments. There are few existing 3D computational models of prostate cancer growth and treatment, and none use the type of model being proposed. This research will result in a model that researchers may use to study various prostate cancer treatment methods and schedules. Eventually, clinicians could use this model for patient specific treatment planning by using the proposed methods with a patient’s biopsy results to produce a unique model for each patient.

Binary Stream – market intelligence project

This role will help a leading Canadian software provider expand its footprint globally and remain competitive at the right scale. As one of the most well-recognized Microsoft solutions providers in North America, Binary Stream has not had as much exposure abroad, and this role will be critical to our understanding of the global market and how to excel within it. As the impacts of business transformation are ever present across all industries, providing solutions that help promote modern work both within Canada and abroad will be key to our continued growth as a society.

Benefits to Canada:
This role will help a leading Canadian software provider expand its footprint globally and remain competitive at the right scale. As one of the most well-recognized Microsoft solutions providers in North America, Binary Stream has not had as much exposure abroad, and this role will be critical to our understanding of the global market and how to excel within it. As the impacts of business transformation are ever present across all industries, providing solutions that help promote modern work both within Canada and abroad will be key to our continued growth as a society.

Benefits to the Intern:
The intern will gain valuable hands-on experience analyzing growth opportunities and be afforded the chance to make impactful recommendations that help determine the company’s future direction. This is a significant benefit that will help them contextualize their learning in a real-life scenario and gain insight into how business decisions can be made based on market analysis and cost-benefit evaluation.

Biotechnological solutions for treatment of mining waste

Depletion of high-grade ores is intensifying the energy consumption levels for processing minerals. Pressures from financial stability boards to maintain compliance with task force on climate-related financial disclosures (TCFD) has triggered industries to focus on decarbonization strategies. Moreover, generation and reclamation of staggering amounts of waste from conventional mining practices has been a formidable challenge for industry, government and communities making metal extraction unsustainable. As the fourth wave of innovation drives electrification, metals such as copper, cobalt, manganese and lithium will be key enablers for fabrication of novel materials employed in cleaner technologies such as electric vehicles, solar cells, windmills and hydrogen fuel cells. As innovators within the mining ecosystem, we are harnessing natural chemistries to develop sustainable bioprocesses for remediation of mine waste and extraction of low-grade metals. Our objective is to bring in a carbon negative technology for metal production and waste reduction that will be central to realization of completely electrified society.

Wavelength Music Arts Projects

This project is intended on focusing on the recovery of live music and art events that have been negatively impacted by the affects of the COVID19 pandemic. Enhancing the audience experience is going to be the main focus of Wavelength as they prepare to offer in-person events in spring 2022. The intern will contribute to the organization’s capacity to re-engage audiences and welcome them back to their event series with the aim of maximizing attendance, engagement and earned revenue potential in a safe environment. The intern is to provide information in the form of projects and a final report at the end of the internship for possible creative solutions to this problem. The objective of this project is to think of and develop solutions as to how it is possible to strategically and safely host live events. If live events are not yet feasible, then to develop hybrid or remote solutions that provide as close to the benefits of live in person events as possible. The benefit of this project the organization would be to have broaden and aid in further examining options to aid in socio-economic recovery from the negative effects of the pandemic.

Religion, modernization and spatiality in Taiwan

Taiwan has been undergoing an important religious revival in the past forty-years. However, while religiosity used to be mainly locally based, the progressive modernization of the island led to new forms of country-wide temple lineages and displaced forms of worship. The aim of this project is to look at how this shift in religious location took place as well as how it is lived, produced, and assumed by the Taiwanese urbanites. Through the Mitacs Globalink Awards, I hope to gain the opportunity to be a visiting student at the Graduate Institute of Religious Studies at the National Chengchi University, Taipei. Under the mentorship of my host supervisor, Professor Yu-Chen Li, I would be able to do the necessary on-ground research in Taipei and come up with both empirical data and a suitable problematic for my MA thesis. As a visiting student, I also hope to visit the unique library collection, and thus gain necessary access to the history of current temple lineages.

Developing the design system for a new generation of Green Fan Abradable Materials

The abradable rub strip (ARS) material’s main function is to minimize the clearance between blade tips and the fan case, thereby increasing the overall engine efficiency. Under tensile and compressive loading, the abradable material behaves different, and has a significant post-failure compaction under compressive loading. Therefore, its characterization is complex and requires a wide range of testing. The intern will help develop the test plan for standard and non-standard mechanical tests per standards. Furthermore, the characterization test reports will be used to develop material models for ARS that have a significant impact on the engine simulation results of extreme cases like fan blade-off (FBO).

Probabilistic flood risk assessment of urban areas protected by levees

Floods are an increasing threat worldwide causing widespread destruction, loss of life, economic damages and social impacts. Contributing factors include population density growth in urban areas and increasing impervious areas which disrupts the natural hydrological cycle. Accurate flood risk assessments are therefore required to help cities and institutions to better prepare inhabitants to the occurrence of such events. In most areas sensitive to floods, defence systems (such as dams, levees, dikes, etc.) are already in place. Levees are the most common structures for flood protection, however, due to uncertainties in their design and hydrological and hydraulic factor, their behaviour requires more research to better quantify this uncertainty and determine their resilience to flood events. The current research project aims to provide an integrated method of probabilistic flood risk assessment for a location in Toronto, Canada. This will include developing a new probabilistic levee failure assessment method that accounts for different failure mechanisms and and to quantify the social and economic impacts of floods to produce a probabilistic flood risk maps.

Atmospheric boundary layer dynamics over an Acadian forest

Temperate forests play an important role for regional climates through their exchange of heat and water vapor with the atmosphere. How heat and water vapor affect the near-surface climate is linked to the diurnal growth and decline of the atmospheric boundary layer. The objective of the project is to understand how the atmospheric boundary layer responds to heat fluxes with a ceilometer and radiosonde soundings over the mixed Acadia Research Forest in New Brunswick during the growing season. This will provide the intern understanding on how atmospheric observation campaigns are planned and executed and how collected field data is processed and analyzed.

Aging in Place Medical Device 2 of 2

Home Health Systems has built a sensor and software for Aging In Place monitoring for senior citizens. It supports outpatient care where costs are reduced by 10X and patients get treated at home where they prefer to be. This project will complete the next steps required for Health Canada certification as a class 3 medical device.

Land Trust Consultant – Thames Talbot Land Trust

We are at a pivotal time with great opportunity to make positive changes for our planet. The need is urgent as we face the dual crises of climate change and loss of biodiversity. Conserving natural heritage lands is one of the most effective ways to address climate change and provide habitat for some of Ontario’s and Canada’s rarest species. We are in a crucial moment with an opportunity to “build back better” while nature appreciation is top of mind and national and international commitments support nature conservation.
This project will support critical capacity growth for TTLT by identifying pathways to support growth through staff and volunteer increases and reorganization and addressing possible new streams of revenue such as carbon offsets. TTLT is committed to increasing land protection and care of lands but human resources are a limiting factor. The project will investigate current staffing and volunteer models, new distributed leadership models with volunteers and identify thresholds for investment in additional staff. As a land-based organization, TTLT has a unique opportunity to participate in new revenue streams through carbon offsets. These opportunities may be part of the research completed to evaluate long term sustainability of the organization.

INCREASING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AG-WEST BIO COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

As Saskatchewan’s bioscience industry association, Ag-West Bio’s goal is to grow the provincial bioeconomy. The company’s strategy includes the development of programs to educate entrepreneurs; support for early-stage companies; hosting events to create connections; and creating materials that showcase success stories. Ag-West also works to promote bioscience in general. The development of new crops, processes and ingredients are key to the creation of innovative and sustainable products.
This project aims to promote Saskatchewan’s bioscience innovation cluster capabilities in general, and Ag-West Bio’s member companies specifically. Members include many start-up companies who have limited funds for marketing and promotion. Ag-West Bio strives to assist them by sharing their success stories. As well, the project will work to build awareness of the benefits of bioscience, since consumer understanding and acceptance of science and technology is crucial for successful commercialization.
Outreach to these audiences has changed over time and new tools have come available. Different tools are more appealing to some sectors than others and organizations must continually evolve the tactics they use to reach their perspective customers.