Innovative Projects Realized

Geoinformatics in remote places: using sensor-augmented vehicles to support situational awareness, and environmental data generation

This project will explore the potential of agile geographic sensing technologies to support remote terrestrial platforms that are able to access unpaved wilderness environments. Laser scanning and photogrammetric survey systems will be tested to assess their capability to support real-time terrain navigation, spatial situational awareness,

Development of innovative tools for marine ecological assessment and intertidal habitat restoration.

The current innovative research project has three objectives to address current deficiencies in contaminated sites assessment and remediation: (1) To develop a rating system that defines the stages of recovery/impact at marine sites based on intertidal community structure and pollution tolerance/sensitivity/intolerance of resident species. (2) To develop methodology for the assessment of environmental stress levels at marine sites that prevent natural recolonization of the area. (3) To identify keystone species that facilitate the re-colonization of additional species assemblages and are associated with rapid increases in species richness toward more advanced stages of recovery. (4) To investigate the effectiveness of providing additional rocky substrate and transplanted species assemblages as intertidal habitat restoration strategies to accelerate rates of recovery.

Methodology.

Howe Sound is selected as the experimental field system to undertake this work due to the availability of historic intertidal diversity data along pollution gradients from Woodfibre (active 1920-2006) and Port Mellon (active 1990- present) pulp mills and the Britannia mine (active 1905-1974, reclamation 2001-08). Permanent intertidal quadrat study sites at 8 beaches along pollution gradients in Howe Sound and completed biodiversity surveys during 1990-93 and 2004 have been established (Bard, 1998; Bard et aI., 2004).

Conception et fabrication d’un système de communication sans-fils in vivo appliqué à une prothèse d’épaule

Malgré la croissance technologique du domaine médical, les prothèses d’épaule n’ont connu que peu d’amélioration. Toutefois, installer une prothèse est complexe puisque l’ajustement de celle-ci aura un impact direct sur la mobilité et la douleur que le patient ressentira. Afin de maximiser le résultat, Stratera propose de concevoir une prothèse instrumentée permettant ainsi de mesurer et quantifier la stabilité durant et après l’opération. Le sujet de cette recherche sera d’établir une communication sans fil entre la prothèse in vivo et un module externe.

Qualification and application of a novel in-situ punch shear test cell for polymer material testing under severe environmental conditions

A novel high temperature and high pressure materials test system, a so-called in-situ punch shear test cell, has been developed to qualify materials for reliable service in harsh environments representative of those typically encountered in oil and gas operations. Conventionally, materials are first exposed in harsh environments, then removed from the aging fluids for mechanical testing. This practice can lead to generating unrealistic (often optimistic) mechanical properties. In this project the intern will deploy the novel test cell and conduct series of tests, first to qualify the device and validate test processes and measurements, and second, to conduct a series of tests with polymer materials under test conditions that are of high relevance to the industrial partner. University researchers and partner engineers will collaborate with Innotech Alberta, where testing will be completed using facilities apt for safely handling potentially hazardous materials. The project will conclude with compiling documentation from the experimental study that will be used for an industry collaborative development of a standard in ASTM International.

Sea and Coastal Ice Characterization Using Multi-Source/Multi-Temporal Earth Observations and Artificial Intelligence

In Canada and around the world, climate change and pollution are affecting the integrity of coastal and marine environments. These effects include the deterioration and loss of ecosystems, accelerated coastal erosion, reduced water quality, and the depletion of marine biodiversity. To reduce risks and mitigate impacts on ecosystems, stakeholders need a continually updated knowledge of coastal conditions and a detailed understanding of their vulnerability to human activity and natural disasters. This project will combine artificial intelligence with multisource and multitemporal satellite Earth observations to provide accurate and near real-time information on ecosystems features impacted by climate change. This analytical platform will help characterize sea ice and obtain relevant information, i.e., ice type, roughness, and texture, using hyperspectral sensors embedded on the drone, aircraft, and satellite and aims to improve the quality of information. Different departments in several sectors such as natural resources, fisheries, municipalities, etc will then use all this information.

BSI – Shravan & Francois

OBJ 1 Identify overall process to be used for the front end & backend of the payment integration process of Oliver POS
OBJ 2 Integrate Oliver POS with Moneris payment app, Moneris checkout app, Authorize.net Payment app, Stripe Payment app and SaRoadshow Product X development
OBJ 3 Integrate Oliver POS with Moneris payment app, Moneris checkout app, Authorize.net Payment app, Stripe Payment app and SaRoadshow Product X development
For approach to be used, please see below.

HTTP/2 anomaly detection in 5G service-based architecture

The Fifth Generation (5G) mobile networks is currently being deployed by telecommunication operators and is designed to provide multiple services with new and variable quality of service requirements. 5G networks design is based on the communications between different network functions using the HTTP/2 protocol. HTTP/2 protocol has multiple vulnerabilities that can be exploited to launch attacks on the 5G network. This project aims at empowering 5G network with intelligent anomaly detection solution to secure it against HTTP/2 attacks using machine learning techniques and a 5G network testbed. As a major player in 5G mobile network and service, the partner organization will benefit from this project by leveraging the innovative ideas and the outcome of this research such as proof of concept and publications. These can be used to directly contribute to the partner’s business and reputation.

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

La connaissance du comportement dynamique des turbines hydroélectriques est capitale pour estimer les sollicitations que l’écoulement hydraulique exerce sur les surfaces d’une roue et améliorer ainsi leur fiabilité opérationnelle. Une estimation précise de ces efforts est essentielle lors de la conception de la roue et aussi durant l’exploitation. Deux sources indépendantes nous procurent des informations sur le comportement de la roue. La première est obtenue avec la simulation numérique et la deuxième source est obtenue empiriquement; il s’agit des données collectées in situ par des capteurs installés sur la turbine. Ces deux sources sont complémentaires et aucune n’est suffisante à elle seule. Le présent projet a pour but de développer un outil pour identifier les caractéristiques durant le fonctionnement de la turbine sur les différents régimes (à vide, charge partiel, charge complète). L’objectif pratique est d’apporter une meilleure connaissance de la réponse modale de la machine en régime de production, afin d’accéder aux paramètres modaux réels et à leurs incertitudes.

Crisis management lessons from the pandemic: Assessing leader’ skills readiness and relevance

The coronavirus pandemic has presented business leaders with one of the most protracted crises in recent years. From the time the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic in March of 2020 to the present, leaders in all types of organizations have had to manage through uncertain, volatile conditions. This study seeks to understand how well prepared these leaders were to face this crisis in 2020 and 2021. What crisis management skills were key? What skills did not serve them well, and what gaps in their crisis management training became apparent? By understanding the competencies required for leaders to be effective during long-term crises, this study can identify how universities, private training companies, and organizational learning and development teams can evolve the ways in which Canadian leaders are prepared to lead in times of crisis.

Investigating the characteristics of reinforced compressed earth block

Around half of the world’s population are living in some form of earthen building. Compressed earth blocks are widely known as a low-cost material that has high thermal capacity, low environmental impact, and ease of construction. The project will address three items: material characterization, development length of steel reinforcing bars and performance under freeze-thaw cycles. The material characterization work will focus on testing a series of CEBs under concentric compression as well as prisms of the same materials in four-point bending to get the compressive and the tensile strengths. The specimens will be subjected to freeze-thaw cycles to measure the durability of the material. Also, pull-out tests will be conducted on the reinforced compressed earth blocks to find an appropriate equation for the development length and compare it the reinforced concrete ones.

Développement de méthodes d’optimisation pour la planification des maintenances des turbines en coordination avec les opérations dans les systèmes de production hydroélectrique

Le vieillissement des systèmes de production hydroélectrique nécessite la réfection des groupes turboalternateurs
dans les centrales. Considérant que l’arrêt de turbines pour des périodes de maintenance impacte
directement la production hydroélectrique, il est nécessaire de considérer ces maintenances dans les plans de
production. Actuellement, les modèles d’optimisation de la production hydroélectrique et les modèles de
planification des maintenances sont résolus indépendamment, alors qu’ils gagneraient à être modélisés
ensemble. Le but de ce projet est de modéliser la production et la planification des maintenances en un seul
problème d’optimisation afin de résoudre les deux problématiques simultanément. Des méthodes de
décomposition, comme Dantzig-Wolfe, sont envisagées afin de résoudre le problème et d’accélérer le temps de
calcul. De plus, ces méthodes n’ont pas encore été utilisées spécifiquement pour ce type de problème.

Knowledge Recombination and Alliance Strategy in Science-based Businesses

Project Objectives: 1. To identify the best practices in knowledge recombination by comparing science-based multinational corporations and start-up firms. 2. To suggest refinements in alliance strategies for science-based multinational corporations and start-up firms. 3. To uncover processes and organizational structures to productively exploit the confluence of biotechnology and nanotechnology by MNCs. Post Doctoral Fellow Name: Dr. Varkey Jon Thomas Motivation for Research: Successful organizations create new knowledge by recombining knowledge from multiple sources and disciplines (Grant, 1996; Kogut & Zander, 1992). Firms in science-based industries, such as biotechnology for example, create radical new products and processes based on scientific knowledge from multiple disciplines. Biotechnology firms, which originated in the 1980s (Zucker et al., 1998), are now incorporating nanotechnology to create new products and processes with the potential to transform an industry in search of new therapies (Sharp et al., 2011). For example, biotechnology based drugs, which until recently could not cross membrane barriers inside the human body, can now be designed on the nano-scale, leading to a new class of targeted drug delivery therapies, particularly in oncology. Recombining knowledge from diverse disciplines is inherently uncertain and requires large, consistent financial commitments over long periods of time.