Innovative Projects Realized

Bottlebrush elastomers for high-performance stretchable semiconductors

Wearable and implantable electronics have the potential to transform personalized health monitoring, particularly as human-machine interfaces and biosensors to improve human health and well-being. When we think about the current electronics in our lives, such as our phones or laptops, we notice that they are mostly hard and not flexible. This is in strong contrast to our natural bodies, which are soft, dynamic, and curvy. The differences between current hard electronics and our soft bodies makes it uncomfortable to wear these electronics. Moreover, when electronics are placed inside the body for long periods of time, an inflammatory response is elicited, resulting in device failure from tissue buildup covering the sample. To solve this problem, researchers are looking at making electronic materials softer and understand tissue compatibility. This project seeks to develop electronically conductive semiconducting polymers to build transistors, a fundamental unit for all modern electronics.

Experimental and numerical investigation into the seismic performance of vertical connections used in precast concrete shear walls

Precast concrete shear walls are an economical structural system for low, medium, and high-rise buildings. Precast concrete structural systems have various advantages, such as improved quality of construction, efficient use of materials, reduced construction time, and cost-efficiency. The concrete wall panels are typically one story in height and are connected horizontally and vertically to adjacent panels at each story. This research focuses on investigating the behaviour of typical vertical connections, currently designed, fabricated, and installed by Advance Precast Ltd. (AP), under earthquake loading conditions. A range of connections will be evaluated experimentally with different shear and tension loads. The experimental result will be used to calibrate a numerical model. This model will be used to evaluate a broader range of configurations. The outcome is a design procedure for these typical vertical connections. Then, improved vertical connections will e developed based on deficiencies found in existing connections. The improved connections will undergo a rigorous experimental and numerical program like before. The outcome will be more efficient and robust vertical connections, which may be used to assemble precast concrete shear walls in higher seismic regions in Canada.

Precise Calibration of Super-Kamiokande Photosensors

How can matter, including us, actually exist? According to the Big Bang theory, at the start of the Universe an even amount of matter and anti-matter was created, which should have all annihilated leaving nothing but photons.

Subatomic ghostly particles called neutrinos may be a critical piece of this puzzle. A phenomenon called neutrino oscillation was observed by the Super-Kamiokande experiment in 1998 and garnered the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physics. We can now explore whether these oscillations behave differently between neutrinos and antineutrinos, shedding light on this mystery. Super-K consists of over 11,000 single-photon sensors providing detailed images of light from particles produced by neutrino interactions.

An incomplete understanding of the uncertainties in the detector response limit the precision of the final measurement, which can mean the difference between a discovery or not. This project aims to implement extremely precise and detailed measurements of a single photosensor into the Super-K physics analysis to hopefully improve the understanding of the uncertainties in the detector response.

Creating Space for STEAM: Assessing and Supporting Teacher Efficacy in STEM Education

To prepare today’s youth to be successful in the future, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning has become a priority within Canadian education systems. To better meet the learning needs and requirements of 21st century educators, teacher education must continue to be resigned and updated to reflect the changing K-12 education system. This study aims to strengthen the partnership between a Canadian University and Let’s Talk Science, a STEM education organization, so that STEM learning may be better integrated into teacher education. Evidence-based long-term professional development will be infused into the program as a result of this relationship, and its influence on educators’ knowledge, teaching self-efficacy, and classroom implementation of STEM will be assessed. The ultimate goal of this research project is to develop an integrated and self-sustaining STEM education model through partnerships, as well as to evaluate a unique professional learning model.

Characterization study of the pressure drop throughout lifetime of the Ruby-Fill generators

The objective of this study will be to characterize the generator column line resistance, at different flow rates, throughout the generator lifecycle.

Developing and Testing a Miniaturized In Situ XRD for Mineralogical Characterization of Planetary Surfaces

Mineralogy is the key to interpreting planetary geology and climate history. The aim of this project is to develop initial designs and prototype components of a portable and miniaturized In situ X-ray diffractometer (ISXRD) that will be mounted on a rover for planetary exploration applications. This miniaturized instrument will enable direct mineral characterization of intact surfaces with minimal sample preparation, which is not yet available on any planet, including Earth. This instrument will make a key Canadian contribution to future exploration. A Canadian instrument developed jointly by academic and Canadian industry partners will be produced, eventually to potentially be part of future Mars rover missions. An additional benefit to PROTO Manufacturing, will be to develop a commercial version of the ISXRD for terrestrial characterization applications which will enhance their business in Canada.

Sociodemographic and environmental predictors of mental health outcomes, substance use, and self-care behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic in New Brunswick

Understanding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadians’ mental health is crucial to inform government planning for the delivery of services and support during and after the pandemic. This research project will assess the mental health impacts of COVID-19 in New Brunswick by analyzing self-reported data from Statistics Canada’s Survey on COVID-19 and Mental Health (SCMH) Cycles 1 and 2 and comparing these to pre-pandemic data from CCHS. This work will help gain an understanding of how mental health experiences differed across sociodemographic groups and according to environmental factors in NB before and during the pandemic.

La mise en place du BIM chez un entrepreneur. Interférences, Coordination et Simulation 4D.

Le projet porte sur l’intégration de technologies issues du Building Information Modeling chez un entrepreneur général, EBC INC. À travers un projet de mise en contexte, le centre ambulatoire B1 du nouveau CHUM, il sera étudié les possibilités d’intégration des technologies de coordinations, de gestion des interférences et de construction simulée. L’objectif principal du projet est la mise en place d’un concept opérationnel sur l’implantation
de ces outils chez un entrepreneur. L’objectif secondaire de cette étude sera d’améliorer le processus de gestion de projet d’EBC INC sur le projet d’application en minimisant au maximum les interférences sur chantier et en améliorant la coordination entre les différents professionnels. La mauvaise coordination des dessins serait la cause de près de 47% des coûts reliés aux changements durant la construction. Grâce à l’utilisation de maquettes numériques en 3 dimensions, il est maintenant possible d’éliminer ces erreurs de façon virtuelle plutôt que sur le chantier. Le partenaire entend ainsi réduire ses coûts tout en améliorant la qualité du produit livré.

Développement d’une approche participative pour la restauration hydrogéomorphologique de la rivière à Mars

Dans la foulée du déluge de juillet 1996, une grande partie des rives de la rivière à Mars furent enrochées, ce qui leur assure une relative stabilité. Toutefois, si les enrochements permettent bien de contrôler l’érosion des berges, les études démontrent que ces ouvrages sont la cause d’environnements artificiels et écologiquement pauvres. Selon les études réalisées dans les dernières années, une déstabilisation des berges et le démantèlement du barrage seraient les deux solutions les plus durables écologiquement et économiquement pour restaurer l’état de santé global de la rivière à Mars et des écosystèmes qu’elle supporte. De plus, cela permettrait à la population de fréquenter une rivière naturelle dans son milieu de vie, et d’en retirer des bénéfices comme la santé et l’accès au plein-air.
Or, le but de notre projet est d’inclure les citoyens et les riverains à cette démarche, puisqu’ils sont ceux qui possèdent une proximité avec la rivière dans leur milieu de vie. À cet effet, nous mettrons sur pied des échanges de connaissances, des conférences, des ateliers participatifs, des consultations publiques et des entrevues pour saisir l’opinion de la population sur le sujet.

Improving honey bee queen health as the basis of integrated colony health

The University of Lethbridge and the Alberta Beekeepers Commission are working together to improve the health of Alberta’s honey bees. Beekeepers in Alberta face high levels of colony winter loss, and they have also had difficulty accessing quality imported queens. ‘Poor queens’ are one of the most common reasons for winter loss cited by beekeepers. We will examine the linkages between queen health and colony success, and the factors that mediate these relationships. Specifically, the proposed project will examine methods of requeening and storing locally bred queens. This project will also examine the linkages between queen health and productivity, queen pheromones, worker behaviours, and colony performance, providing beekeepers with on-farm methods by which they can evaluate queens before introducing them into colonies.

Record, Recall, Reflect: A Qualitative Examination on the Impact of Compassion Fatigue on Toronto Zoo Staff

A job as an animal care professional can be bittersweet – great levels of work satisfaction can also come with an increased likelihood of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion (“compassion fatigue”). This project aims to ‘take a picture’ of Toronto Zoo staff experiences with compassion fatigue and provide a deeper understanding of the impactful experiences that staff have while caring for geriatric, sick, injured, and dying animals. Visual and descriptive findings will describe the role(s) of animal care professionals and contextualize coping mechanisms with regards to this phenomenon. Overall, this research will enable staff, the Toronto Zoo, and the general public to discover more about the lives of humans and non-human animals, in the hopes that the lessons learned will last a lifetime.

Integrating Cognitive Assessment Games into Ambient Activities In Long Term Care

Maintaining cognitive ability is key to successful aging and to retaining the ability to live independently. BrainTagger is a suite of games that assess highly specific brain functions. BrainTagger LTC is a version that has been designed for measuring cognitive status of residents in long term care (see ltc.braintagger.com for a demo). The goal of this project is to incorporate BrainTagger cognitive assessment into the ABBY ambient activity being sold by Ambient Activity Technology. Assessment of cognitive status will be an additional feature for ABBY that should improve its value proposition to long term care homes. With a current installed based of around 200 ABBY units, adding BrainTagger will provide rich insights into the cognitive status of LTC homes and will also provide administrators with a means of monitoring their residents so that interventions can be made when residents are experiencing atypical cognitive decline.