Innovative Projects Realized

Deep Decarbonization in Cities: GHG Emissions Measurement, Monitoring, and Reporting

As the urgency for action against climate change increases, local governments around the world are committing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through deep decarbonization targets. Cities are the largest place-based sources of GHG emissions and therefore have great potential to reduce emissions on a global scale. To reach net-zero by 2050, transformative change is not only needed to create deep decarbonization pathways, but also to disrupt the current path dependency on carbon that most cities face today.
This qualitative study will examine net-zero pathways, collaborative governance structure, GHG emission measurement, monitoring, and reporting practices within climate action plans. The study will also offer a baseline understanding of current practices in Canadian cities and provide an accessible dataset for future studies to access.
Through a partnership with ICLEI Canada, the student interns will gain access to relevant internal research data and resources needed for the study, while the partner organization expects that the academic research will be useful to their existing and ongoing projects and improving the PCP program. The purpose of this project is to
inform the implementation of deep decarbonization plans for cities.

Implementation of collaborative regional sustainable development strategies: An international study on structure and outcomes

Global and local policy makers require realistic information about options to achieve sustainable development. To this end, this research project aims to improve understanding of the institutional dynamics related to implementing community sustainability strategies and the resulting plan outcomes. Plan outcomes are the concrete sustainability improvements, linked to the goals in the community sustainability strategies (e.g., reduction in greenhouse gas emissions)(Clarke & Fuller, 2011; MacDonald, 2012). This research will inform future discussions around implementing community sustainability strategies globally (in developed countries, emerging economies, and developing countries), thus helping inform future international and local policymaking on the topic of sustainable communities and sustainable development. Through their involvement in this project, ICLEI will gain access to a large data set, which consolidates local knowledge from around the world about implementing sustainability strategies. Access to this knowledge will reinforce their position as a key informant to local and global policymaking in the realm of sustainability

Delivery Optimization for Post-Secondary Clients & Associated Communications

Aligned Outcomes’ leads organizations to solve complex business optimization problems by clearly assessing the firm’s current state and identifying symptoms with evidence. AO rapidly iterates on effective solutions, building virtual operating models of a client’s organization. AO’s innovative Enterprise Digital Twin platform integrates work unit alignment, processes, technologies, governance, costs, and customer journey satisfaction. Opportunities for this MITACS project sit within the enhancement of AO’s Platform and integrated delivery method. Specifically, the Intern Project will be focused on data capture and analysis within client live engagements adding clarity to AO client’s business problems and identification of available solutions. Further, this client-facing experience will contribute to AO’s upcoming product re-development initiatives and, the intern will also contribute to AO’s storytelling – sharing valuable generic insights to the marketplace. The project will support AO’s innovations within the post-secondary industry. As AO continues to grow in the post-secondary sector, additional capabilities from our Platform are required.

The Gaia Project: Communications and Marketing Coordinator

The Gaia Project (“TGP”) is a New Brunswick-based charitable non-profit with the mission to empower youth to take action on climate change through education. For over 10 years, TGP has been providing in-class support to teachers across New Brunswick and the unceded territory of the Wabanaki peoples by delivering hands-on experiences that ignite student curiosity, enhance skill development, and provide meaningful and developmentally appropriate information related to the causes of and solutions to climate change.
The Gaia Project’s target audience has traditionally been teachers, but with the addition of new and innovative educational programming, the organization hopes to get more information and resources directly engaging youth. To do this TGP will hire an intern with specialization in communications and marketing. This individual will work very closely with both The Gaia Project and St Thomas University to implement exciting new strategies to steer the not-for-profit into brand new pathways for empowering youth. These new tools will include Youtube promotions, tiktok trends and sharing, new marketing campaigns and more not yet identified approaches. The intern will have the opportunity to influence thousands of youth with important messaging around sustainability and climate change education.

Génération d’une banque de lipocalins synthétiques

Génération et criblage d’une banque synthétique de lipocalins

Material Textualities: Literature between Collecting and Hoarding

In light of an urgent ecological demand for attentiveness to the non-human; outcomes. this proposal stresses the importance of the literary medium in addressing eco-critical questions. In essence, this project explores the interdependency of human and non-human entities through literary-material desires: collecting, hoarding, and discarding. My research thus asks how we can read literature under the distinct material configurations of collecting and hoarding, and how eco-material concepts like waste, reusing and recycling can be applied to literary analysis.

Marketing and Sales Coordinator

We are looking for a Marketing and Sales Coordinator to help us share the story of Chocolat Voyageur, a bean to bar chocolate company based in Hampton, NB. The position will focus on our three main objects including adding a more in-depth strategy to the existing marketing plan, create a spreadsheet that identifies further potential partners and stakeholders for Chocolat Voyageur and helping to further grow and share its story.

The coordinator will work closely with the chocolate maker and owner to learn about bean to bar chocolate, its philosophy and goals. They will have a chance to work with people in a market and boutique situation to share their knowledge and the products as well as independent time to build, learn and create the strategies above.

CFD simulation of a solar nano photocatalytic cavity reactor for hydrogen production by water splitting

The challenges and problems concerning the energy crisis, environmental protection and also global warming force human societies to use alternative green and renewable energy resources instead of conventional resources. In this regard, hydrogen gas as an important energy carrier has been noticed seriously. This project aims to concentrate on the CFD simulation of a solar photocatalytic reactor for hydrogen production by water splitting. The results of the model can be used to optimal design of photoreactors for efficient hydrogen production.

Expert explanations via video: The key to unlocking scientific journal articles for university students?

Scientific research papers are complex, dense, and filled with jargon, so traditionally the valuable knowledge they contain has been accessible to only a handful of experts. SAGE publishing, one of the world’s largest academic publishers, and Dr. Adam Frost, a cognitive neuroscientist, independently created video formats that help scientists directly communicate their discoveries and practices in approachable ways so that that knowledge can reach a much wider audience. Both SAGE and Dr. Frost designed these videos to help train new scientists to understand complex scientific documents, which is a very difficult task that has stood as a barrier to careers in the sciences for many promising students. These video explanations, delivered by the same scientists who conducted the original research, should substantially improve learning outcomes for the students who view them, but since this is a new solution to a longstanding problem, it needs to be validated. With this project, we deploy these videos in a large psychology course at the University of Toronto and collect data throughout to measure how they impact student learning, which is contributing to both the theory and practice of science education.

Designing and Implementing a Communication Plan for Purpose Homes

The Purpose Homes Pilot project, an initiative of Purpose Construction, focuses on building affordable 5+ bedroom homes to accommodate larger and blended family models. Purpose Homes also aims to create a zero-barrier pathway to homeownership for low income Indigenous and Newcomer Canadian families. The objective of this Mitacs project is to implement a communications plan for Purpose Homes that prioritizes accessible and informative materials to be used for stakeholder engagement, community consultations, marketing, and fundraising purposes.

IMII E&T Road Mapping Assessment Project

The IMII held a strategic “road mapping” workshop with its industry, government, academic and other innovation ecosystem members in October 2021. The workshop identified this project as an immediate/priority need. IMII and its members support a number of programs meant to help attract and develop a qualified workforce. However, the program offerings have historically not been coordinated and the degree of overlap and duplication, or gaps in what is being offered is not known. As the minerals industry is facing increased competition for skilled persons, and particularly those of diverse backgrounds, a baseline is required from which improvements can be developed. The project will help IMII and its members address the challenge of efficiently and effectively addressing gaps in the local workforce system (organizations and activities that prepare people for employment, help workers advance in their careers, and ensure a skilled workforce) for Saskatchewan’s minerals industry as it strives to develop a digitally talented workforce that is more diverse and inclusive and representative of the communities in which the industry operates.

Geological and Geophysical Studies of Source and Reservoir Units in the Flemish Pass Basin, Offshore Newfoundland

Suncor Energy Inc. and Memorial University will collaborate on a research program for three Master’s student interns to study the crustal structure and geological history of the petroleum-bearing Flemish Pass Basin and adjoining Central Ridge, offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. The goal of the research is to understand the large and small-scale tectonic processes that formed and modified the basin and underlying crust; reconstruct the ancient drainage system that deposited the sedimentary rocks in the basin; and define the timing and distribution of fluid and oil migration after the rocks were deposited. Geophysical, mineralogical and geochemical techniques will be employed. Suncor holds interests in several exploration and significant discovery licenses in the study area. The internships will provide the company with data and interpretations that will be useful for planning their exploration program in the licensed areas.