Innovative Projects Realized

Exosomes to prevent post-operative atrial fibrillation

Fifty thousand Canadians undergo open-chest heart surgery every year. Albeit effective at fixing heart disease, half of these patients slip into an abnormal heart rhythm called “atrial fibrillation”. Because atrial fibrillation increases the risk of heart failure and stroke, doctors are eager for therapies to keep post-operative patients in normal rhythm.
Recently, we found that injection of exosomes at the time of open chest surgery prevents atrial fibrillation. Exosomes are fluid filled microparticles created and released from the membrane of stem cells. They contain factors that participate in cell-to-cell signaling to influence tissue function.
In this study, we will compare blood to heart stem cell exosomes to see if the source influences prevention of postoperative atrial fibrillation. We then see if our heart-derived exosomes can prevent other, more common, forms of atrial fibrillation. This information is critical to develop this promising approach for the ~200,000 Canadians with atrial fibrillation.

Real-time AI-based analytical decomposition of 5G network latency

LatenceTech offers a cloud analytics and monetization solution for cellular networks with a special focus on ultra-low latency connectivity. Using SAAS and AI, our solution helps mobile operators, telecom vendors and advanced industries to track, predict and secure the new benefits of 5G cellular technology.
The project consists in performing an analytical decomposition of the response time (latency) of 5G cellular technology. This will allow a better understanding of the reason for the high variance in milliseconds of the 5G latency by analyzing, in real time, the sub-components of the 5G latency such as transmission time, propagation time, routing time, etc. This data will allow customers (mobile operators) to take palliative and preventive measures to improve the quality of the 5G network in terms of latency. Understanding the components of latency will help to “understand why and how” the network generates such latency and why it varies over time.

Writing for Change: Articulating an alternative model of health care delivery for immigrant seniors

Immigrant seniors face a variety of challenges, such as language barriers or poor health, that impact their ability to age at home or to stay healthier for longer. S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’ collaboration with Vancouver Coastal Health is investigating the impact of the PACE model on BC immigrant seniors. The model brings teams of different healthcare professionals together to better target the individual senior’s needs. To share the findings of this pilot project, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is seeking an intern that can disseminate the results to a variety of stakeholders to further promote research in this area and to help healthcare providers to improve their services.

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.