Innovative Projects Realized

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

31620 Completed Projects

2978
AB
5221
BC
856
MB
696
NL
899
SK
9419
ON
9858
QC
98
PE
619
NB
1192
NS

Projects by Category

How do urbanization and invasive alien species interact in their impacts to native biodiversity?

Land-use change and invasive species are two of the three major drivers of biodiversity decline globally, however, interactions between these drivers in their impact to whole community diversity and ecosystem function are relatively understudied. This proposal serves to fill this knowledge gap through collaboration with the long-term ecological monitoring data from the Toronto and Region and Conservation Agency (TCRA). Using high-resolution land-use and ecological survey data provided by TCRA we propose to investigate the effects of urbanization and invasive species on native biodiversity assemblages in Toronto and the surrounding region. In particular, we shall model how
invasive species and urban expansion interact in their effects on native diversity, ecosystem function and stability. We shall then combine these models with publicly accessible land-use projections for 2050 to highlight areas where biodiversity is most at risk from these pressures and least resilient to the establishment of invasive species.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Marc W. Cadotte

Student:

Partner:

Imperial College London

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Investigating the mechanism of ice nucleation by sizefractionated macromolecules found in ambient aerosols in the UK and in Canada.

Atmospheric ice formation can alter cloud properties, impacting precipitation and cloud lifetimes. Understanding the microphysical processes which control ice formation in clouds is vital for reducing climate uncertainties. For example, ice nucleating particles (INPs) induce the freezing of water droplets in clouds, therefore, understanding the nature and abundance of these particles in the atmosphere is important for improving our understanding of the aerosol-cloud radiative effects on climate. The proposed research aims to fill the vital research gap of understanding the mechanismby which macromolecules nucleate ice in clouds. I aim to do this by taking samples collected in the UK, with known ice nucleating ability, to the University of British Columbia to investigate their surfactant properties. This project is innovative as it uses real ambient samples and unique instrumentation for the field of atmospheric ice nucleation. The outcome of this will help us to better understand the nature of biological INP in the atmosphere and use their potential surface tension properties to predict ice formation in clouds as a result of changes in concentrations of organic aerosol.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Nadine Borduas-Dedekind

Student:

Partner:

University of Leeds

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Regulation of Calcium Impermeable AMPAR Subunit GluA2 in the Amygdala and Striatum of Cocaine-Seeking Rats by TARPs

The use of cocaine and heroin among young Europeans and Americans has been steadily increasing over the past decade (UN World Drug Report, 2018) and as such it has never been more important to understand the mechanisms whereby some individuals switch from recreational controlled drug use to compulsive drug seeking, the hallmark of drug addiction. This project aims to identify the mechanisms underlying a shift in network processing from recreational to habitual drug-seeking. We aim to identify proposed plasticity mechanisms in the amygdala that rely on modulations of gluatamate receptors. For this purpose, we will use brain tissue samples from habitually cocaine-seeking rats, as well as electrophysiology in slices and cultures of genetically modified mice. Combining these approaches will allow us to understand these mechanisms from a molecular, cellular, and behavioural perspective. Hereby we expect to find potential new drug targets for disengagement of the brain structure driving habitual drug-seeking behaviour.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Derek Bowie

Student:

Partner:

University of Cambridge

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

McGill University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Development of a novel trait-based approach to understand how and why optimal trap design for forest pests varies across taxa

Insect pests pose a major threat to forestry in Canada, the UK and globally, particularly in the context of a changing climate and global trade. Effective survey and detection tools are needed to provide early warnings of pest outbreaks and provide information to guide decisions about the need for management action. For eruptive and invasive species, early detection is critical to maximize the likelihood of control measures being successful.
However, detection programs are currently operationally and conceptually inadequate because we lack a mechanistic understanding as to how and why the most effective trap design varies with target taxa. This project will apply a novel analytical approach to evaluate the effect of trap design on the detection of forest pests according to their traits, such as body size and other physical characteristics. Trait approaches are becoming increasingly popular in ecological studies due to their potential to improve mechanistic understanding but have yet to be applied in this context. The findings will therefore inform the development of
more effective detection programs for forest insect pests.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Sandy Smith

Student:

Partner:

University of Reading

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Forestry; Life Sciences (not health); Environmental Science and Technology

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Machine Learning for the Discovery of Metal–Organic Frameworks for Hydrogen Storage Applications

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of crystalline materials with ultrahigh porosity, and high surface areas. With these properties, along with variability for both the organic and inorganic components of their structures, MOFs are of interest for potential applications in clean energy, most significantly as storage media for gases such as hydrogen and methane, and as high-capacity adsorbents to meet various separation needs. The use of quantitative structure-property/ activity relationships (QSPRs) is an emerging and helpful mathematical tool that allows the link between physical or chemical properties to predict the behaviour or desired characteristic of a molecule. The purpose of this study is to exploit both fields in order to obtain the optimal MOF for hydrogen storage, as well as investigating what parameters affect the hydrogen uptake capabilities. Following the screening of optimal MOFs, they will be synthesized in the lab to test performance and validate the methodology.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Ashlee Howarth

Student:

Partner:

Cranfield University

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Clean Technology; Green/Alternative Energy; Energy and Utilities

University:

Concordia University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Robust and practical tools for imaging vascular reactivity in the brain

Vascular disease (problems with blood vessels) are a leading cause of death and disability. Stroke alone (blockage of blood vessels) is the 4th biggest killer globally (3rd in Canada), most disabling (2/3rd of survivors disabled) and costs society ~£26 billion a year in the UK. It can be hard to detect. A brain that has vascular disease can appear healthy in MRI images taken at rest. However, under stress the damaged blood vessels cannot maintain a sufficient blood supply. It is possible to identify these problems by stressing the brain artificially by asking a patient to breathe in carbon dioxide mixed with air. This signals the blood vessels in the brain to increase the blood flow. We aim to accurately measure this change in blood flow to provide new insight into vascular diseases of the brain. Combining complementary MRI techniques from Nottingham (more comparable across patients) and Toronto (more patient friendly) will provide a practical diagnostic tool.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Jean Chen

Student:

Partner:

University of Nottingham

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Understanding science majors’ views towards becoming a science teacher in the UK and Canada

In the context of science teacher shortages in both countries, this exchange proposes to use already-collected data to compare and contrast how young people with a specialism in science in both the UK and Canada view the prospect of becoming a science teacher. This comparison will develop understandings of who does, and importantly who does not, want to become a science teacher and why. The results of this comparative analysis will be disseminated via a written research summary, with the potential to prompt future research and policy in this area, in addition to future collaborations between the host and home universities.
I especially look forward to the opportunity to learn from Dr Allison Gonsalves’s world-leading theoretical expertise within the field of science identities. This will inform my ongoing doctoral work into teacher identities, as well as my future research career. As a French speaker, and former French teacher, I also relish the opportunity to develop my French language skills in a professional environment.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Allison Gonsalves

Student:

Partner:

University College London

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

McGill University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Developing and Piloting a Comprehensive Evaluation of a Community Delivered Social Communication Training Program for Families of Autistic Pre-school Children

Increasing prevalence of autism worldwide intensifies the need to identify effective and accessible supports. Speech-language therapy is one of the most frequently accessed services for children diagnosed with autism. One intervention commonly used by Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) is More Than Words®-The Hanen Program® for Parents of Children with Autism. Despite its widespread use, it lacks sufficient scientific support to understand for whom and how this program works best. Randomized control trials (RCT) in real-world settings are urgently needed. Before running costly RCTs, we need to develop and pilot test a strong plan for evaluating treatment outcomes. To do this, we will (1) collaborate with SLPs to develop a feasible and comprehensive evaluation plan, and (2) test the usability of our plan within a small study conducted in a real-word SLP program. Results will also inform future treatment program development and modifications of existing programs at The Hanen Centre.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Janis Oram Cardy;Patricia Tucker

Student:

Partner:

The Hanen Centre

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

The University of Western Ontario

Program:

Accelerate

Treeline advances in a changing climate: understanding how climate affects reproduction and early life stages in Black spruce

Northern high-latitude ecosystems experience disproportionate levels of climate change. This strongly affects the previously temperature-limited vegetation in the sub-arctic tundra. Treelines, the boundaries between forests and the tree-less tundra, are expected to shift northwards in response. However, only half of the examined treelines have advanced since 1900. Why warming is associated with treeline advances in some but not other populations remains unresolved. The availability of viable seeds, may explain lagged responses to climate change. Yet, we have a poor understanding of how seed production and seed viability vary in sub-arctic forests. In this project we will investigate how climate controls seed production and viability in black spruce. Moreover, the project will be used to establish a longer-term experiment to test our hypothesis that the capacity for black spruce treeline advance is determined by their ability to produce sufficient viable seeds. The project is expected to result in 2 publications.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Carissa Brown

Student:

Partner:

University of Liverpool

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Life Sciences (not health); Sustainability & the Environment; Forestry

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Comparative Data Analysis in Political Aesthetic Strategies: The Persuasive Propaganda of the Italian Populist Right on Facebook and Twitter

This research project informs an essential part of my broader doctoral research which investigates the aesthetic and rhetoric practices developed by today’s far-right populist movements for their propaganda and communication on social media. Working along with Professor Vijay Mago and DaTALab researchers I will generate, collect, and analyse a wide range of new and original data drawn from Facebook and Twitter. These data will inform and integrate my theories concerning the interpretation of the social, political, and cultural basis of the renewed consensus gained by today’s far-right organisations. They will also provide evidence to support my discussion around the persuasive potential of the aesthetic strategies implemented by far-right organisations online. The focus is on the Italian scenario, which is considered an interesting and under-researched example of the new rise of far-right populist movements in the last decade, from the margins to the mainstream. This project brings together research methodologies in the arts and humanities with social media theory and data analysis to develop an interdisciplinary approach for the investigation of today’s society issues and challenges from a multifaceted and innovative perspective.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Vijay Mago

Student:

Partner:

University of Bristol

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

New and Digital Media; Information and Communications Technology; Other

University:

Lakehead University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Choosing Coral Winners

The aim of this project is to analyse symbiont and microbial communities of F1 corals from different parental lineages (high/low heat tolerant) during a mild heat stress/natural bleaching event in order to identify communities/traits which are associated with heat tolerance.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Julia Baum

Student:

Partner:

Newcastle University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Life Sciences (not health); Environmental Science and Technology; Sustainability & the Environment

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Investigation de la localisation cellulaire de l’effecteur 51690 de Melampsora larici-populina.

Melampsora larici-populina est un très petit champignon causant la maladie de la rouille du peuplier. Une fois qu’il s’est incrusté dans une de ces plantations, ce dernier cause d’énormes pertes financières. Pour y arriver, celui-ci injecte des petites protéines afin de déjouer ses défenses immunitaires et de s’approprier ses nutriments pour se développer. Pour arriver à mieux le comprendre, une de ses protéines spécialisées sera étudiée. Dans un premier temps, elle a été couplée à une molécule fluorescente verte et comparée à une protéine dont la localisation était connue et couplée à une molécule fluorescente rouge pour savoir ou elle se dirige précisément dans une cellule. Ainsi, le but de ce projet sera de confirmer avec précision l’interaction prédite par les tests préliminaires par deux méthodes et ce, avec un grand degré de précision. L’œil d’experts sur le sujet permettra d’obtenir des résultats sans équivoque et ultimement de mieux comprendre la maladie.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Hugo Germain

Student:

Partner:

Université de Lausanne

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Biotechnology; Environmental Science and Technology; Life Sciences (not health)

University:

Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Previous
1…1,6791,6801,6811,6821,6831,6841,685…2,635
Next

Join a thriving innovation ecosystem.

Subscribe to our newsletter now!

Subscribe

Mitacs — Return on Innovation

Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.