Innovative Projects Realized

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

29670 Completed Projects

2811
AB
4990
BC
801
MB
663
NL
825
SK
8841
ON
9197
QC
95
PE
568
NB
1088
NS

Projects by Category

Toronto Arts Council Partnership for Research on Funding of Equity Seeking Artists in Toronto

Toronto Arts Foundation (TAF) and the Diversity Institute are partnering to analyze arts funding outcomes for Persons of Colour, Indigenous Persons, Deaf Persons, Persons with Disabilities and Persons Living with Mental Illness, as well as 2SLGBTQAP Persons in Toronto. This project will identify barriers faced by these marginalized groups when applying for arts funding in Toronto from five major funders including TAF’s sister organization, Toronto Arts Council. A final report will provide an evaluation of TAC’s ability to adequately fund artists, arts organizations, and artistic communities from these groups in relation to other major funders in the city.
Using a Gender- and Diversity-Based Analysis (GBA+), the project will analyze both qualitative and quantitative data on funding success rates and gaps that exist within the city’s arts sector. The purpose of a GBA+ strategy is to improve an organization’s capacity to better measure and improve their processes for enhancing gender equity and inclusion of marginalized groups.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Wendy Cukier

Student:

Partner:

Toronto Arts Foundation

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program:

Accelerate

Industry & University Partnership in Developing Highly Qualified People to Address the Human Resources Challenge of the Global Mining Industry

There is a global human resources shortage in the mining industry due to a number of factors including demographics affecting supply and projected production growth affecting demand. Companies are struggling to develop and retain Highly Qualified People (HQP) who are essential to the successful operation of their business. HQP have an invaluable combination of technical postsecondary education and lengthy industry experience which takes many years to achieve. In my seven years working at the UBC Engineering Co-op Program I’ve developed relationships with hundreds of people related to the mining industry such as students, faculty, staff at other universities in Canada, senior engineers, and human resources. I plan to collect data through surveying mining alumni from schools across Canada and interview industry experts to support my hypothesis on the impact that university and industry partnership can have on addressing some of the greatest human resources challenges of the mining industry.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Malcolm Scoble

Student:

Partner:

New Gold Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Mining

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Bamboo and agri-fibers for disposable food packaging

The Government of Canada looks to phase out single use, non-biodgradeable plastics starting in 2021. There is little comparative information for Canadian vendors and consumers on the true sustainability of even so-called ‘green’ packages. The project aims to examine the potential for manufacturing of fully, and safely compostable takeout food containers using Canadian agri-fibres and other high-performance non-wood fibres such as bamboo. The project will gather critical knowledge about the properties and suitability of various non-wood fibres for moulded pulp containers. It will formulate, fabricate and test prototype products developed in BC. The project will also survey and evaluate the local and wider market for disposable takeout food packaging products.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Chunping Dai

Student:

Partner:

Bambooers Lifestyle Concept Ltd

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Développement d’un système d’imagerie acoustique temps-réel pour localiser les sources de bruit en milieux de travail

Au Québec, plus de 350 000 travailleurs sont exposés quotidiennement à des niveaux de bruit nocifs. Les trois méthodes pour réduire le bruit sont : éliminer la source de bruit, ajouter des matériaux absorbants ou porter des protecteurs auditifs. Bien que cette dernière méthode soit la plus simple, elle n’est pas assez efficace. Pour mettre en place les deux autres méthodes, il est nécessaire de localiser les sources de bruit. Comme il n’est pas possible de voir le bruit à l’oeil nu, l’imagerie acoustique devient une solution efficace, puisqu’elle permet de visualiser les sources de bruit. Ce projet vise à développer un prototype d’imagerie acoustique permettant d’envoyer en temps réel le bruit détecté par des microphones et des caméras sous forme d’images à un ordinateur. Ce prototype permettra d’identifier rapidement les sources de bruit et facilitera la mise en place de solutions de réduction de bruit.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Olivier Doutres;Nicolas Quaegebeur

Student:

Partner:

Université de Sherbrooke

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Technology; Manufacturing and Construction

University:

École de technologie supérieure; Université de Sherbrooke

Program:

Accelerate

BETSY – Bovine Expert Tracking and Surveillance

OneCup provides cattle management solutions to the livestock industry. Our AI is called BETSY – Bovine Expert Tracking and Surveillance. Using artificial intelligence, we put a rancher’s skillset into a device the size of a small book. With several types of cameras, BETSY can ID and track cattle activity 24×7. For example, she can track an animal’s growth over a season, or determine if an animal is suffering from a disease or lameness. When BETSY finds something that requires human intervention, she texts or emails a human immediately. Combined with historical tracking, a rancher can access a detailed view of a herd’s entire history, down to the individual animal level.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jiannan Wang

Student:

Partner:

Onecup AI

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Artificial Intelligence; Agriculture and Food; Technology

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Accelerate

Physics-enhanced machine learning to optimize a state-of-the-art manufacturing process

We are bringing together modern techniques in Bayesian machine learning to optimize process parameters for a state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication process. The challenge is that while the process contains complex underlying dynamics and some degree of stochasticity, there are a large number of process parameters and a small number of samples to use for model training and validation. Thus, efficiently modelling the process phase space is of paramount importance. The goal is to predict several key material properties, and our approach involves embedding physics knowledge into the models so that the parameter space can be searched efficiently and in accordance with known physical constraints. The bayesian approach will enable us to estimate both the optimal parameters and also the sensitivities of the process to its inputs. These modules will be combined into a hierarchical machine learning platform to replace existing design of experiment requirements and eliminate calibration runs. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate that accurate models of manufacturing processes can be made without the use of computationally expensive and unnecessarily complex techniques. The expected benefit for the partner company is to ultimately productize this approach and deliver to manufacturers to increase throughput and yield.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Rafael Kleiman

Student:

Partner:

Circuit Mind Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Accelerate

Implementation of BMP protocols to manage irrigation and controlled drainage to conserve water and nutrients within agricultural lands

Tile drainage is becoming popular as a way to control excess moisture in the field to increase productivity. Yet, the economic return on investment (ROI) on installing tile drainage is not known in Manitoba. This research will allow us to assess the impact of water management through controlled drainage on yield. Detailed water table depth at different times will help us model water flow within the rootzone and its impact on crop yield. Data collected in this study will be used to calibrate computer models (HYDRUS, DrainMOD) for different locations so that weather data from different years could be modeled to assess the long-term impact of tile drainage. Excess moisture is a big constraint in crop production in Manitoba. At the same time, during a dry summer it is important to conserve the limited precipitation within the field. Since fields with controlled drainage were chosen and instrumented to provide real-time data for decision making it will be possible to utilize limited water for maximizing yield during a dry season. The Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) reported that between 1996 and 2014, approximately 40% of crop losses were the result of excess moisture.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ramanathan Sri Ranjan

Student:

Partner:

Prairie Water Management Association

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Manitoba

Program:

Accelerate

Dual-language development of minority speakers from face-to-face to remote delivery

The rapid shutting down of daycares and schools due to COVID-19 have left many new Canadian families isolated due to limited proficiency in English and small social networks. In regular school programs, teachers have expressed that reaching families who do not speak the language of schooling has been particularly challenging due to the language barrier. On the other hand, families have reported that being at home has strengthened their child’s minority language, suggesting a silver lining to these difficult times. Informed by the challenges faced by our partner, ABC Head Start Society, the proposed project applies a community based participatory framework towards the goal of including and empowering our research partner and members of the community in the research process.
The research being undertaken within the SSHRC Partnership Engage Grant study builds on our previous research in providing dual-language support for young language learners in a preschool or kindergarten environment (MacLeod, Meziane & Pesco et al., 2020), and extends this research to adapt to the COVID-19 context. Our goal is to assess the barriers and facilitators to dual-language learning among children who speak a minority language at home, and pilot a program to adapt to the COVID-19 context.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Andrea MacLeod

Student:

Partner:

ABC Head Start Society

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Accelerate

Analyse d’un systeme de stockage thermique residentiel par masse d’eau

Le projet consiste a faire I’optimisation energetique d’un procede de chauffage et climatisation residentiel innovateur con9u par I’entreprise partenaire. Ce procede consiste d’une pompe a chaleur puisant son energie dans deux bassins d’eau servant de reserve energetique. Un ensemble de capteurs sola ires sert d’appoint energetique pour Ie chauffage des locaux en hiver et de I’eau chaude domeslique en €lIe. Cette optimisation sera basee sur I’analyse energetique du systeme comple! dans I’environnement TRNSYS. Les relombees pour I’entreprise seront d’avoir un outil pour la conception future des prochains systemes qu’ils voudront realiser bases sur ce principe.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Louis Lamarche

Student:

Partner:

Hydr-Lmr Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Energy and Utilities

University:

École de technologie supérieure

Program:

Accelerate

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Students’ Housing Needs and Experiences

That the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on housing is well recognized, however the impacts on students’ housing situations in particular is not well understood. These impacts may differ from those affecting other populations due to students’ housing and employment precarity, and as their housing needs have shifted as a result of the move to online learning. This research will examine how students’ housing situations have changed due to the pandemic by determining the factors associated with students’ higher likelihood of moving, the nature of these moves, and the reasons behind them. In each case, differences by gender, race, and international student status (i.e., those paying non-domestic tuition) will also be considered. The research will allow the partner organization to better identify target markets and new design or conceptual features of the housing they provide in the changing context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Nick Revington

Student:

Partner:

Unité de travail pour l’implantation de logement étudiant

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Public Service, Policy, and Governance; Education; Other

University:

Université du Québec : Institut national de la recherche scientifique

Program:

Accelerate

Optimization of Drug-eluting Bio-absorbable Scaffolds for Body Piercing Applications

Nearly 20% of all piercings lead to local infection, and therefore, it is imperative to develop alternative and commercially-viable methods of piercing aftercare to prevent infection. The general objective of the proposed project is to optimize the design of drug-eluting bio-absorbable scaffolds for human and animal tissue piercing applications with a focus on multiple drug release properties. The required concentration of drugs to be embedded within the scaffold will be determined based on the drug release profile and degradation rate (in-vitro).

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ali Ahmadi;Christopher Cartmell

Student:

Partner:

BioPierce Canada Ltd

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Prince Edward Island

Program:

Accelerate

Assessing Data Sources for a Social-Ecological Model of a Recreational Fishery

BC’s rainbow trout fishery consists of over 800 lakes, fished by hundreds of thousands of anglers across the province. It provides some of Canada’s best fishing, but there are key processes occurring that fishery managers can not account for with current approaches. Researchers and managers have created a new management tool that would allow decision makers to predict how a change in regulations or stocking would impact the fishery across the entire province. However, it needs to make the leap from a theoretical study to a practical tool. This study will address some of the remaining questions about the tool’s application by considering informing it with a variety of data sources. The outcomes of this project will help the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC, our partner organization, advance their objective of enhancing and conserving BC’s freshwater fisheries.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Brett van Poorten

Student:

Partner:

Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Accelerate