Innovative Projects Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

29670 Completed Projects

2811
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4990
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801
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663
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825
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8841
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9197
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95
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568
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1088
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Projects by Category

Analyse modale harmonique des roues de turbines hydroélectriques par l’étude de régimes permanents

Le but du projet est caractériser les efforts que subit les roues de turbines hydroélectriques à partir de leurs données d’opérations en production d’électricité. À long terme, le projet permettra de combiner les méthodes de conception par modélisation numérique et par analyse empirique pour caractériser plus précisément les efforts que subit la roue. On pourra alors concevoir des roues plus durable et ainsi augmenter l’efficacité de nos centrales hydroélectriques.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Souheil-Antoine Tahan

Student:

Partner:

Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Energy and Utilities; Green/Alternative Energy; Sustainability & the Environment

University:

École de technologie supérieure

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Assessing Climate Change Impacts on the Population and Habitats of Piping Plovers in Prince Edward Island

The proposed research focuses on examining the influence of regional climate variability and extreme weather events on the population and habitats of Piping Plovers in Prince Edward Island (PEI). Correlation matrices between records of population parameters and regional climate conditions will be generated and correlated variables will be tested for significance using t-tests. A passive inundation model of sea-level rise will be run using a Digital Elevation Model (enhanced by LiDAR imagery) and various future emission scenarios to assign vulnerability scores to currently suitable habitat for Piping Plovers on PEI. The proposed study will not only inform the partner organization of how local climate conditions and climate change affects Piping Plovers on PEI but also present a comprehensive and replicable model for analyzing the effects of climate change on shorebird species in Atlantic Canada.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Xander Wang

Student:

Partner:

Island Nature Trust

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Prince Edward Island

Program:

Accelerate

Advancing the reliability of social media discourse as a measure of public sentiment about COVID-19

The proposed research is to develop a method for making valid, representative estimates of public opinion from sufficiently large and diverse non-probability samples such as social media data. We aim to demonstrate the theoretical, methodological, and practical contributions to the field of public opinion research by demonstrating the reliability and utility of this method in the context of measuring public responses to COVID-19. The measurement of public opinion as it pertains to COVID-19 is critical to strengthening understandings of the pandemic’s broad social and economic implications. The proposed research will use statistical and machine learning methods to demonstrate how user-generated content collected from social media platforms can be utilized in a principled way so as to produce and extrapolate low-bias, representative measures of public opinion related to COVID-19 and other contemporary societal issues.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Clifton van der Linden

Student:

Partner:

Vox Pop Labs Inc

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

New and Digital Media; Public Service, Policy, and Governance; Information and Communications Technology

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Accelerate

Non-Linear Control by Artificial Intelligence for complex and underactuated systems

The project is part of a PhD Thesis titled “Overcoming the Reality Gap: Imitation and Reinforcement Learning Algorithms for Bipedal Robotic Locomotion Problems” which aims to study the use of imitation and reinforcement learning algorithms to allow humanoid robots to learn how to walk in an efficient way. In particular, the project to be developed in Canada in the UQTR corresponds to the application of reinforcement learning algorithms for obtaining new gait patterns or for improving the efficiency of existing ones. This optimization process is performed realizing multiple tests of different robot controllers which tune their behavior based on a score called reward inspired in natural learning processes. These tests are realized through the iterative combination of simulations and experiments with the real robot that result in gait patterns that are fast and energetically efficient into the simulation environments as well as in the real robot.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Alben Cárdenas

Student:

Partner:

Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Artificial Intelligence

University:

Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Mathematical Modelling and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy for Degradation Monitoring of Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers

Water electrolysis plays a vital role in clean energy generation by producing hydrogen from water.
Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers represent a novel technology used for this purpose.
The performance of such electrolyzers is highly affected by various degradation processes occurring in
such systems. In this project, we are aiming to understand the sources of inefficiencies and the
parameters that control such mechanisms in water electrolyzer systems. Mathematical models
equipped with data obtained using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy will be used to
investigate the response of a test system to different degradation mechanisms. Finally, mitigation
strategies will be developed in order to enhance the efficiency of water electrolyzers. The applicability
of the proposed methodology for monitoring water electrolyzer systems can be extended to other
types of electrochemical systems, including larger-scale industrial systems.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Bartosz Protas

Student:

Partner:

Pulsenics

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Accelerate

Asper School of Business, Higher Learning Foundation

This project is related to #IT24812 and this is phase 2 of that project. After the success of my first BSI project with the Higher Learning Foundation (HLF), we have decided to continue applying for the program to expand the positive impact we have on the mental well-being of our community. HLF is a registered charity that nurtures mental fitness by providing mental fitness classes, scholarship opportunities, and community-building projects. The added value of this project is I will be focusing my attention and resources on innovating HLF’s organizational structures and processes. As a small rising non-profit, HLF currently does not have a systematic process to ensure the consistency of the employee experience. Since HLF’s goal is to grow in size and replicate our success in the local community on a wider scale, I will be building a full-fledged Employee Experience Plan (EXP) to provide a structure to the process and ensure the quality of employees and volunteers’ experience. Within my goal of providing organizational structures I will also create marketing processes to grow our social media and provide structure for future roadmap.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Subbu Sivaramakrishnan

Student:

Partner:

Higher Learning Foundation

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Education; Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of Manitoba

Program:

Business Strategy Internship

Investigation of Raman Spectroscopy for Commercial Clinical Chemistry Applications

The project aims to address the issue of the lack of access to basic blood tests in a majority of the world’s population. We will explore the potential of Raman spectroscopy to provide a reagent-less alternative to traditional clinical chemistry methods. By proving that Raman spectroscopy, in conjunction with advanced machine learning, is able to quantitate critical yet low-concentration analytes, it is possible to develop a purpose-built, commercial, reagent-less clinical chemistry analyzer platform providing critical insight into the health of patients in low resource settings.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Keng Chou

Student:

Partner:

EluciDx

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

A Needs Assessment and Preliminary Program Evaluation of a Community Social-Emotional Learning Program

Mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, are becoming increasingly common among children and adolescents, yet still only a small portion of youth receive the support they need. For these reasons, many community organizations have been focused on helping children develop the social and emotional skills which help to support children’s mental health and avoid mental illness. This project involves evaluating such a program, called Brainworx!, which is run by a Canadian not-for-profit, Start2Finish. A team of developmental psychologists will evaluate the social and emotional needs of children involved in the program. They will also evaluate how children’s social and emotional skills change over the course of the program. Finally, the team will make recommendations on how the program could be modified to better promote the social and emotional needs of children in the program.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Heather Henderson

Student:

Partner:

Start2Finish

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Accelerate

Retrospective model for search and identification of imprint

Immediately after birth, female mammals possess around 1 milion of gamete cells (oocyte). However, less than 1% of this pool will become a fertilizable oocyte. Part of this occurs due to a natural process of selection during development. During the oocyte’s growth phase, they must undergo a process of cytoplasmic maturation, where they accumulate proteins, metabolites and RNAs essential to support embryonic development. They also need to undergo the so-called “nuclear or epigenetic maturation”, where the chromosomes condense, segregate and reprogram/acquire the epigenetic marks. In this point, the oocyte’s DNA is correctly marked with DNA methylation and histone modifications. One of the most studied imprinted genes, the IGF2R, is controlled by elements sensitive to chromatin methylation and is expressed when the ICR (imprinting control region) region is methylated in the maternal allele. To achieve this goal, we propose to compare the methylation patterns between the first polar body and their respective oocyte and the oocyte’s ability to develop parthenogenetically to the blastocyst stage in vitro.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Lawrence Smith

Student:

Partner:

Universidade de São Paulo

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

Université de Montréal

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Development and characterization of antimicrobial Ever-gel for medical textiles

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to combat infectious diseases and reduce their spread around
the world. In particular, bacteria and viruses can survive on many common fabrics for days or even weeks, from
which they can be transmitted to people or other surfaces. The proposed research project aims to develop a
coating for personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and the public that would enable it to kill viruses
and bacteria, taking away this path for them to spread. This coating would be based on the Ever-gel material
developed by Everbond Interface Technologies Inc., expanding the applications of this material platform to
medical textiles and fabrics and leading to a new product line. The project will involve making sure the coating is
effective at killing viruses and bacteria, that it is safe and nontoxic, and that it does not come off the coated fabrics
during use or washing.

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Faculty Supervisor:

William Anderson;Boxin Zhao

Student:

Partner:

Everbond Interface Technologies Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Accelerate

Generation of integration-free, high-quality iPS cell lines from a non-invasive, accessible tissue source, the plucked hair follicle

In theory, hair cells will be reverted back into stem cells and then pushed towards pancreatic progenitor cells to create pancreatic organoids. The goal of the project is to pluck hair follicles from individuals across Canada, cryogenically preserve them and use those follicles towards reprogramming. We want to determine whether or not we can create high quality iPS cell lines using a tissue source which can be obtained anywhere in the world, without a painful procedure. If successful, this would mitigate the burden of cell collection with respect to autologous iPS- based therapies. It would also generate a research biobank of iPS cell lines, which can be further evaluated to determine the effects of donor age and the quality of the starting material on iPS generation. This in turn would validate Acorn Biolab’s commercial services of biobanking as well as provide a possible end-use case for the stored samples.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ian Rogers

Student:

Partner:

Acorn Biolabs

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Accelerate

Pilot testing the recovery of gold from mine tailings using a novel clean technology

AJ Min Inc. is developing a novel technology to recover gold from tailings material. The technology requires little energy, little to no reagents, and little to no additional water. Past testwork has indicated that this technology can recover significant amounts of gold from some tailings material, and that the recovered gold can be upgraded. This project will build on previous testwork to assemble and test a pilot unit to evaluate if the recovered gold can be upgraded sufficiently to be commercially viable. In addition, empirical models will be developed from the testwork to describe the performance and capabilities of the technology.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Bern Klein

Student:

Partner:

AJ Min Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Mining

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate