Innovative Projects Realized

Image-based phenotyping to accelerate analysis of breeding field trials

Plant breeding companies develop new seed varieties by growing thousands of candidate varieties in large field trials and manually selecting the best-performing varieties. Variety selection is informed by genomic data, but plant populations still need to be grown in field conditions and screened for specific physical characteristics, called phenotypes, such as yield, disease resistance, harvestability and other important traits. In-field measurements of these phenotypes are expensive, tedious and time consuming, and much of the collected data is not directly used by breeders. Digital phenotyping has the potential to efficiently provide critical information to plant breeders by analyzing aerial images of field experiments collected by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, the process of transforming UAV images into actionable information for plant breeding companies remains a significant bottleneck in this important process. To capitalize on the potential efficiency and genetic gain enabled by UAV based imaging of field trials, we propose to work with Nuseed Canada to integrate and refine our PlotVision software into Nuseed Canada processes for their crop breeding field trials.

Cansbridge Internship

As a Cansbridge fellow, the intern will research and develop reports related to global educational pedagogy and strategic business plans for educational technology companies to promote innovation in the EdTech industry in Canada. The intern will work alongside a managerial team and relevant stakeholders within an EdTech company to develop a strategic business plan for the Canadian market. The intern will maintain and engage in relationship will current clients and contacts, while aiding with class scheduling, assessment, and academic content. The capstone research project will be reported and presented by the intern.

BSI Project Proposal for Laura Russell

The aim of this project is to inform the development of, and fully test and develop a mobile application designed to improve the process in which people find shared accommodation/ roommates. User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) are important elements for creating successful digital products, where the user experiences positive emotions while interacting with the product. UX/UI has become an increasingly important determinant of the success or failure of software systems. Experiments with customers require the ability to elicit customer feedback and techniques for collecting qualitative data can include surveys, interviews and observations. The research proposed will allow the partner organizations to test and further develop a roommate matching platform that provides users access to verified roommates and listings, as well as in-app messaging, to develop relationships with potential roommates. The allows users to search for compatible roommates not just by budget and location, but by living preferences and personality traits. In addition to designing and building this platform, the partner organization willl also conduct research on what features users request to strategically prioritize the company’s growth.

Work zone Delay Modelling using Big Data and Machine Learning

Managing traffic through work zones is a highly complicated task where designers need to ensure smooth traffic flow without exposing workers to safety risks. One aspect of effective work zones traffic management involves predicting anticipated delays, understanding their causes, and proactively mitigating those causes. Unlike smooth traffic flow, predicting travel times and delays through interrupted traffic conditions is a more challenging task. This is particularly true when simultaneously managing traffic through multiple work zones, such as along the 700km Trans Mountain corridor between Edmonton and Vancouver where lapses in GPS signal and drops in cellular coverage are common. To help facilitate more effective work zone traffic management, this project aims to utilize Big Data collected along the Trans Mountain corridor to develop advanced statistical machine learning models capable of predicting travel times and delays along the corridor and other similar roads. The project will also investigate the impacts of several temporal, weather, and design variables on the delays to facilitate better traffic management.

The Next Generation Agriculture: Role of functional endophytic microbiome in Cannabis varieties against mycotoxigenic fungi and Powdery mildew.

Recent publications have surveyed cannabis flower microbiological communities, detecting several concerning genera like Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. Clostridium, Eschericia, Salmonella and Staphyloccus. There are several documented cannabis complications and even fatalities due to Aspergillosis in immuno-compromised patients. One must also recognize that strict and nonspecific microbial regulations can eliminate the use of beneficial microorganisms in agriculture and deliver unforeseen consequences in the marketplace. Mandated laboratory testing for non-specific total yeast and mold petri-dish assays will fail commonly when used chitinase (anti-fungal) producing microorganisms like Trichoderma hazarium. T. hazarium is known to reduce Aspergillus growth. These false TYM failures can induce growers to use less biological fungicides and more chemical fungicides that are known to concentrate preferentially over cannabinoids in some extraction methods. Antifungal beneficial microbes that are harmless to human health are far easier to sterilize than small molecule fungicides like myclobutanil.

Energy Efficient Solar Refrigeration Systems for Long-Haul Trucks

the power requirements of refrigeration units in long-haul trucks. The proposed solution will help displace an equivalent amount of diesel fuel that is otherwise used to power the refrigeration unit. Specifically, this research will result in a comprehensive embedded systems platform for the remote monitoring of Westhill Innovation’s solar powered reefer setup. Using a detailed experimental set up and analysis, we will design a PLC based power system to power a reefer trailer completely using renewable energy such as solar. This will require a detailed hardware design consisting of the various subsystems, for process monitoring, control, and operation. The entire system will be specially designed to withstand and endure harsh conditions incurred in continuous highway driving, which is typical in the long-haul trucking field. Further, we will develop a suite of customized communication protocols for a co-ordinated operation of the various subsystems. Additionally, we will also design customized human interface modules for the vehicle operator and the service engineers at Westhill, to facilitate collective monitoring, timely intervention, and servicing, to enhance the efficiency of the solar powered reefer.

The Development of a Mobile Mapping Tool for Archaeologists

The interns will support the development and testing of an archaeological field notes tool called STRATUM. This tool will allow all notes and documentation, usually collected in note books or various handheld devices, to be collected on one digital device like a tablet or phone. The tool development will be guided by the results of three studies: 1) analysis of user needs and sources of stress; 2) testing and iterative development of a field-ready version prior to commercialization; and 3) a qualitative study evaluating Indigenous needs of, and opinions about, STRATUM and archaeology more generally. We will use the results of these studies to build an evidence-based, data-driven commercialized version of STRATUM that meets the needs of archaeologists in regard to their field work, Indigenous rights-holders in regard to their heritage, and archaeological regulators in regard to how data is collected and curated.

Study of the synergistic effect of two phenolic compounds (Eugenol and Carnosol) and Cisplatin in the treatment of oral cancer

Our project is to discover a more effective way to treat oral cancer that includes Eugenol and Carnosol and its derivatives that are effective in treating different types of cancer and also examining their beneficial (preventive and therapeutic) effects.

The specific objectives:

1) To study the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects of these two compounds as well as its effect on the reinforcement of the defense system of the normal gingival cell (preventive aspect).

2) To study in vitro the therapeutic effect of Eugenol and Carnosol alone or in combination with cisplatin in oral cancer: To study the effect of this combination on

a) Proliferation of oral cancer cells.

b) Apoptosis of oral cancer cells.

c) Cell migration

d) On the autophagy of oral cancer cells

e) Telomerase activity as this telomeric activity has attracted much attention both as a diagnostic marker and as a therapeutic target in oncology.

3)Improve the quality of oral health.

Tumor Reduction and Enhanced Responsiveness to Radiation Therapy and Chemotherapy Via Selective Removal of Iron: Mechanism and Preclinical Evaluation Year Two

Chelation Partners Inc. has developed a family of new and highly selective iron chelators such as DIBI. In collaboration with Dr. Hoskin, DIBI is being investigated as a novel anti-cancer agent. Preliminary research suggests that DIBI can selectively inhibit the growth and survival of cancer cells and render them more sensitive to radiation therapy. The proposed research builds on previous work to increase our understanding of how the removal of iron by DIBI affects cancer cells and makes them more sensitive to radiation and/or chemotherapy. This knowledge will be used to identify promising combinations of DIBI and other cancer treatment regimens that can be used together to improve cancer treatment outcomes. These studies will advance our understanding of cancer cell iron-dependency and will establish the in vivo effectiveness of DIBI in combination with radiation and/or chemotherapy to provide a strong rationale for further development of DIBI as an anti-cancer agent.

La contribution de l’économie sociale et solidaire à la circularité de la filière agroalimentaire québécoise : défis, constats et opportunités

La crise sanitaire de la Covid-19 a révélé plusieurs enjeux autour de la filière agroalimentaire, notamment celui de notre dépendance aux chaînes d’approvisionnement extérieures. Alors que de nombreux gouvernements déploient des stratégies d’adaptation à la pandémie et multiplient en parallèle les initiatives pour lutter contre les changements climatiques, quel peut être l’apport des entreprises d’économie sociale et solidaire à une meilleure circularité dans la chaîne agroalimentaire? En effet, au-delà de la pandémie, la circularité de la filière agro-alimentaire est un levier dans une perspective de réduction des gaz à effet de serre (GES) et d’accélération de la transition écologique.

Optimisation des séquences de ramassage pour le triage automatisé de matières recyclables par un bras robotisé

Afin d’augmenter leur compétitivité, les centres de tri misent sur la robotisation des opérations de tri de matières recyclables. Dans ce contexte, notre partenaire CRVI a réalisé un montage physique à échelle réelle d’un robot trieur attaché à un convoyeur de matières recyclables.

L’objectif du présent projet est de mettre au point un système de prise de décision capable d’optimiser les séquences de ramassage des objets. Considérant la vélocité limitée du robot ainsi que le débit important d’objets dans un environnement de tri réel, il est impossible de procéder à un tri exhaustif avec un seul robot. Il est donc important d’optimiser la stratégie de tri afin de maximiser la valeur des lots triés. La valeur de ces lots dépend à la fois de l’homogénéité du tri, la valeur marchande des matériaux ainsi que des volumes disponibles en inventaire.

Notre approche consiste à résoudre la tâche d’optimisation de la séquence de triage en utilisant des algorithmes d’apprentissage par renforcement. Dans un premier les temps, les contraintes d’affaires sont traduites en une valeur scalaire à optimiser par les algorithmes.

Exploring EdTech Related Innovation and Identifying Economic Growth Opportunities within the Canadian Virtual Learning Sector

The education system is rapidly evolving due to technological and societal change that have been brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes have contributed to the demand for technological infrastructure to help address these evolutions (OECD, 2020). With the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators, guardians, and students have been forced to adapt to a virtual learning model. During this shift, educators are in need of support that can help them in providing students with continuously engaging and quality education. In the interest of understanding how Canada can best adapt its technological infrastructure in order to better support virtual learning, it is important to look at the technology that has already been developed in Asia. The intern will be partaking in a research project that will determine the efficiency of technologies aimed at better supporting educators in providing quality virtual education. The main objective of the intern will be to understand the EdTech sector in Asia and to determine the best technology that can be used and adapted by Canadian educators.