Innovative Projects Realized

Sustaining a Creative Non-Profit in a Challenging Economy: On Cue Performance Hub Productions

In continuation of the last Mitacs project, Boosting Performing Artists’ Careers for Recovery Post COVID, this proposal looks further at strategies of sustaining creative work long term for emerging performing artists in Regina in challenging economic times. Expected benefits to the non-profit partner organization include the ability to build administrative infrastructure to support creatives in Regina thereby leveraging government, foundational and private financial support. This support activity is aimed at emerging performing artists as they exit post-secondary education and seek work that will sustain them in the professional world of theatre, music, dance, and film. Our strategies include: supplying meaningful professional development opportunities for local artist (also archived on our website for provincial and national dispersal); performance opportunities through partnership with local cultural institutions and networks; technical, dramaturgical, design and grant writing assistance; help in seeking touring opportunities; and broad-based accessibility support for artists and audiences.

Wildfire Chemicals, Surface Water Sources and Fish Habitats: Impacts and Research Gaps

The increasing wildfires threaten, indirectly, water quality by altering physicochemical properties and introducing contaminants to water bodies. This research aims to address how wildfire pollutants impact water systems, identify research gaps, and analyze data from Canada and worldwide to understand trends and mitigate impacts on water resources.

The Aunte Indigenous Residency

The Aunte Indigenous Residency supports artists and writers whose practices embody contemporary and traditional
forms of artistic expression located in Interior BC. The program will offer not only artists-in-residence programming,
but also mentorship, skills and development training, entrepreneurship and mental health supports. The Aunte is
committed to strengthening the Indigenous art sector by supporting artists in capacity building and expanding their
skills and knowledge within their practices to build strong authenticity, integrity and community.

The residency program is currently in its infancy and is working to develop programming delivery, policies and
procedures, develop partnerships, bylaws and complete organizational development. The goal is to approach this work
through a decolonial lens and will require extensive research and drafting to complete.

Iterative Learning Control for Spacecraft Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, and Docking

The space economy is developing quickly and Canada wants to play a role in the new sector of “in-orbit services”, where satellites are repaired and refueled while space debris is removed from space completely. All these activities require the servicing spacecraft to get a good look at the client spacecraft before docking. In this research, we aim to make the pre-docking inspection orbits as accurate as possible. Through a collaboration between Carleton University and Obruta Space Solutions, we will “learn-by-doing” using Iterative Learning Control (ILC). First developed for factory robotics, ILC will help our servicer learn from position and rotation errors in its first inspection orbit to improve the accuracy of subsequent orbits. These accurate orbits will improve the servicer’s inspection of the client, ultimately increasing the likelihood of a successful servicing mission. Refueling, repairing, and removing — all to help keep space sustainable for generations to come!

Development and validation of a new cosmeceutical and organic cream

This project is supported by a company dedicated to revolutionizing the personal care industry with innovative, eco-friendly skincare solutions. The objective of this industrial project is to create high-quality products that promote healthy skin and contribute to a cleaner, greener planet. Drawing from our experience in operating a zero-waste store, we understand the importance of convenience and sustainability for our customers.

Our unique approach includes developing a groundbreaking packaging solution that eliminates the need for customers to bring their own containers to the store. By transporting and selling our skincare product refills in plantable boxes and securing them with biodegradable materials, we ensure that our packaging leaves no harmful trace in the environment. This innovative packaging concept, which has not yet been done, will change the way we buy and use skincare products.

Through extensive scientific research, we have identified what dermatologists, scientific studies, government agencies, and environmental groups recommend for skin health and sustainability. Using our out-of-the-box thinking and sound scientific and engineering principles, we have developed a solution that aligns all these recommendations and is easy for consumers to adopt.

Développement d’une Application Collaborative pour la Détection Automatique des Engins de Pêche Perdus avec Sonar Sidescan et Apprentissage Automatique

La détection des engins de pêche perdus en mer est un défi environnemental majeur. Ce projet développe une application innovante pour détecter ces engins en analysant les données de sonars sidescan au format .xtf. Elle se divise en trois sections : détection des engins, étiquetage et entraînement, et carte des engins. La première section charge les fichiers, reconstruit les images et détecte automatiquement les engins, tout en permettant des modifications d’annotations. La deuxième section permet d’annoter les images et d’entraîner un modèle d’apprentissage automatique pour la détection. La troisième section affiche les positions des engins récupérés et compare les signalements aux découvertes réelles. Orientée par projet, l’application permet de créer et partager plusieurs projets pour faciliter la labélisation, améliorant ainsi l’efficacité et la précision de la détection des engins perdus, contribuant à la préservation des écosystèmes marins.

CdS heterojunction contacts for CZT photon counting X-ray detectors

X-ray CT scanners and Magnetic Resonance Imaging have been described as the most important advances in medical technology in the last century. Further improvements in CT scanners will be possible with CZT photon counting detectors which are being implemented in next generation CT scanners. Improvements enabled by photon counting CZT detectors include faster imaging, meaning image quality is less sensitive to patient movement, higher resolution, tissue sensitivity and lower X-ray dose. The goal of this project is to further improve reliability, charge extraction and background noise in CZT detectors through refinements in electrical contacts.

Surveillance en temps réel des infrastructures avec capteurs quantiques et IoT pour un transport durable

Ce projet combine les capteurs quantiques et l’Internet des objets (IoT) pour améliorer la surveillance des infrastructures de transport, telles que les ponts et les routes. Face au vieillissement des infrastructures et aux défis climatiques, les capteurs quantiques offrent une précision exceptionnelle pour détecter des phénomènes invisibles comme la corrosion et les variations de température. Intégrés dans un réseau IoT, ces capteurs permettent de collecter des données en temps réel et d’analyser l’état des structures, facilitant ainsi une détection précoce des défaillances potentielles et une gestion proactive de la maintenance.

Le projet repose sur des recherches antérieures ayant démontré la supériorité des capteurs quantiques par rapport aux technologies classiques. Grâce à ces capteurs, il sera possible de prolonger la durée de vie des infrastructures, de réduire les coûts de maintenance et d’améliorer la sécurité publique en évitant des défaillances catastrophiques. Ce système innovant pourrait positionner le Canada en tant que leader mondial dans l’utilisation des technologies de pointe pour la gestion des infrastructures critiques, tout en ouvrant des perspectives de collaborations internationales. L’impact global de ce projet contribuera à une gestion plus durable et efficace des réseaux de transport.

Surveillance en temps réel des infrastructures avec capteurs quantiques et IoT pour un transport durable

Ce projet révolutionnaire intègre les capteurs quantiques et l’Internet des objets (IoT) pour optimiser la surveillance des infrastructures de transport, notamment les ponts et les routes. Dans un contexte de vieillissement des infrastructures et de pressions climatiques croissantes, les capteurs quantiques se distinguent par leur capacité à détecter des phénomènes invisibles aux technologies classiques, comme la corrosion interne, les microfissures ou les variations subtiles de température. Connectés à un réseau IoT, ces capteurs collectent des données en temps réel, permettant une analyse approfondie de l’état des structures et une maintenance proactive ciblée.

En s’appuyant sur des recherches prouvant la supériorité des capteurs quantiques, ce projet vise à prolonger la durée de vie des infrastructures, réduire les coûts de maintenance et améliorer la sécurité publique en évitant les défaillances soudaines. Cette technologie offre également des opportunités d’innovation, comme la gestion adaptative du trafic ou la priorisation des investissements en fonction de données objectives.

Ce système novateur place le Canada à l’avant-garde de la gestion des infrastructures critiques, renforçant sa position sur la scène internationale. En combinant modélisation théorique, prototypes et tests sur site, le projet établit un nouveau standard pour une gestion durable et efficace des réseaux de transport.

Nitrous oxide emissions monitoring and remediation approaches during wastewater treatment using partial denitrification anammox process

Wastewater treatment plants contribute to greenhouse gas emissions through the release of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), which are produced during various treatment processes. During biological nutrient removal in wastewater treatment, processes such as activated sludge can generate N2O (a potent greenhouse gas) during total nitrogen removal. Further energy consumption in wastewater treatment plants, including electricity for aeration and pumping, also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. The use of fossil fuels for energy generation further intensifies these emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants underscore the importance of adopting energy-efficient technologies, optimizing treatment processes, and implementing remedial strategies. The proposed project will evaluate greenhouse gas emissions in a BioCord biofilm technology using an advanced total nitrogen removal process called partial denitrification anammox (PdNA) and demonstrate remediation approaches under different conditions in the biological nutrient removal process. The pilot project will demonstrate the contribution of BioCord to climate change mitigation by lowering emission generation through the metabolic activities of the microorganisms within the biofilm, as well as energy and carbon footprint minimization. By reducing emissions and promoting sustainable practices, wastewater treatment plants can contribute to Ontario’s efforts to mitigate climate change and achieve environmental sustainability.

Advancing Reconciliation Through Education, Language, and Theatre

Virginia Robertson is partnering with Shawnigan Lake School to teach Hul’qumi’num classes to secondary students. Recognizing that the student body is primarily settler and international students, the curriculum design will create space and time for students to learn Canadian colonial history, to engage with active Hul’q’umi’num’ language speakers, create their own theatrical vignettes based on Hul’qumi’num linguistic expression, and reflect on their own individual linguistic heritage.

The secondary student participants will document their project experience through personal learning journals, develop individual learner profiles that includes their linguistic origins and environments, noting their attitudes to the current health system, to cultivate awareness of the role that these factors played throughout the program and research process by writing their own stories in their own words.

The benefit to Shawnigan Lake School is the introduction and implementation of the school’s first immersive, Indigenous language programme that addresses the foundational concepts of Indigenous knowledge and first people’s principles of learning. Shawnigan Lake School is launching a Reconciliation Action Plan in October 2024 and the Hul’qumi’num language program is a foundational pillar of this. Shawnigan currently has 18 students who self-identify as Indigenous, and yet may never have had the opportunity to engage with their cultural and socio-linguistic identity.

Ethics Bowl Canada: Bilingual coordinator position

Ethics Bowl Canada (EBC) is a not-for-profit that operates exclusively for the advancement of education. It’s purposes include (a) promoting and developing the teaching of critical thinking to the public in a way that is compatible with the standards of excellence of academia and (b) advancing education by providing a public forum for students and educators to engage in respectful dialogue about ethical issues by organizing adjudicated competitions called Ethics Bowls / Coupes Éthiques, in both official languages. EBC currently works with sixteen universities across the country, and thousands of students from over 175 schools take part in its events annually. A key strategic focus of this year’s operations is to significantly expand the organization of French-language events; at the moment, only two events are taking place, one in Québec, and one in Manitoba. The University of Ottawa is stepping up to play a leadership role in this development by (a) supporting the Regional and Provincial English-language events in Ontario, (b) become the leader for the development of the French-language Coupe Éthique in Ontario, and (c) support EBC’s internship for a bilingual coordinator that will help new volunteer organizers across the country. The internship will not only support the University of Ottawa’s Department of Philosophy in assuming this new leadership role in Ontario, but it will also support the creation of French-language in Québec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Alberta, and British Columbia, where contacts have already been established with local French-language educators.