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

High heat flux microprocessor cooling using binary fluid mixtures – Year two

As the heat fluxes produced by modern high-performance microprocessors continue to rise, so too must the effectiveness of the removal of these fluxes. Accordingly, a large amount of research has focused on developing techniques to enhance cooling in computer systems. A novel method of doing so involves replacing the single-phase liquid or two phase-liquid vapor coolants typically employed in such systems with binary fluid mixtures. Previous studies indicate that this may increase mixing within the flow and/or improve the critical heat flux (CHF) of the system, potentially leading to significant increases in heat transfer. The proposed project will therefore investigate the use of such mixtures in microprocessor cooling technologies in greater detail. The first part of the project will use experiments performed in simple flows to study heat transfer in fluid mixtures and identify the mixtures capable of significantly enhancing heat transfer. In the second part of the project, these mixtures will be tested in existing microprocessor cooling technologies, including both spray cooling and microgap cooling technologies. Should the research be successful, this may allow the partner organization to increase the clock speeds, and thus the performance, of their high-performance servers.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Laurent Mydlarski

Student:

Partner:

Hypertechnologie CIARA Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

McGill University

Program:

Elevate

High heat flux microprocessor cooling using binary fluid mixtures

As the heat fluxes produced by modern high-performance microprocessors continue to rise, so too must the effectiveness of the removal of these fluxes. Accordingly, a large amount of research has focused on developing techniques to enhance cooling in computer systems. A novel method of doing so involves replacing the single-phase liquid or two phase-liquid vapor coolants typically employed in such systems with binary fluid mixtures. Previous studies indicate that this may increase mixing within the flow and/or improve the critical heat flux (CHF) of the system, potentially leading to significant increases in heat transfer. The proposed project will therefore investigate the use of such mixtures in microprocessor cooling technologies in greater detail. The first part of the project will use experiments performed in simple flows to study heat transfer in fluid mixtures and identify the mixtures capable of significantly enhancing heat transfer. In the second part of the project, these mixtures will be tested in existing microprocessor cooling technologies, including both spray cooling and microgap cooling technologies. Should the research be successful, this may allow the partner organization to increase the clock speeds, and thus the performance, of their high-performance servers.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Laurent Mydlarski

Student:

Partner:

Hypertechnologie CIARA Inc

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

McGill University

Program:

Elevate

The impact of climate change on individual and compound extreme events across Eastern Canada – Application to Intensity-Duration-Frequency curves in Labrador City – Year two

The possible failure of surface water management systems is one of the main concerns in the design, construction and management of critical infrastructures such as dams, nuclear facilities and mining activities, especially in northern latitudes. Extreme rainfall and sudden snowmelt events exert major controls on surface runoff and flooding events in cold regions such as Canada. Climate variability and change can alter the severity, magnitude and concurrence of such extreme events. Although the temporal variations of individual extreme events such as temperature and rainfall have been the subject of many recent studies, their joint representation as well as the spatiotemporal variations in these multivariate components are neither well-documented nor fully understood. This research aims at understanding the nonstationarity of individual and compound hazards in Eastern Canada and more specifically in Labrador City, the mining site of Rio Tinto – Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), through a high-dimensional statistical framework. Downscaled future climatic data records will be used as input to a statistical projection method for modeling future snow water equivalents across the studied domain. Using predicted temperatures, rainfall and snow water equivalents, univariate and multivariate future trends of the studied extremes will be quantified.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jan Franklin Adamowski

Student:

Partner:

Iron Ore Company of Canada (QC)

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Mining

University:

McGill University

Program:

Elevate

The impact of climate change on individual and compound extreme events across Eastern Canada – Application to Intensity-Duration-Frequency curves in Labrador City

The possible failure of surface water management systems is one of the main concerns in the design, construction and management of critical infrastructures such as dams, nuclear facilities and mining activities, especially in northern latitudes. Extreme rainfall and sudden snowmelt events exert major controls on surface runoff and flooding events in cold regions such as Canada. Climate variability and change can alter the severity, magnitude and concurrence of such extreme events. Although the temporal variations of individual extreme events such as temperature and rainfall have been the subject of many recent studies, their joint representation as well as the spatiotemporal variations in these multivariate components are neither well-documented nor fully understood. This research aims at understanding the nonstationarity of individual and compound hazards in Eastern Canada and more specifically in Labrador City, the mining site of Rio Tinto – Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), through a high-dimensional statistical framework. Downscaled future climatic data records will be used as input to a statistical projection method for modeling future snow water equivalents across the studied domain. Using predicted temperatures, rainfall and snow water equivalents, univariate and multivariate future trends of the studied extremes will be quantified.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Jan Franklin Adamowski

Student:

Partner:

Iron Ore Company of Canada (QC)

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Mining

University:

McGill University

Program:

Elevate

Multi-scale Image integration for Surgical Guidance – Year two

During surgery, a neurosurgeon must refer to three levels of image information: macroscopic from the patient’s MRI or CT, providing anatomical context of the surgical target; mesoscopic information from a surgical microscope or exoscope providing a highly magnified view of the region surrounding the surgical target; and the most important microscopic information provided by histology samples of excised tissue that must be analyzed in a pathology laboratory. Through precise image registration, this project will integrate MR/CT images, exoscope images, and images from a novel hand-held scanning laser confocal neuro endoscope device that provides histology-equivalent microscopic (AKA Digital Biopsy) images in real time. When integrated within a common framework, these multi-scale data will be visualized using an augmented reality display in real time during the surgical procedure. By registering the Stereoscopic exoscope image with the patient’s 3D MR/CT data, this approach will, for the first time, provide the surgeon with the means to immediately relate data from macroscopic MRI (target points, nerve bundles) to the mesoscopic exoscope view, and will also provide real-time imaging at the cellular level via the Digital Biopsy images. (See Figure 1 Attached).

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Faculty Supervisor:

Terry Peters

Student:

Partner:

Synaptive Medical Inc

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Manufacturing; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of Western Ontario

Program:

Elevate

Multi-scale Image integration for Surgical Guidance

During surgery, a neurosurgeon must refer to three levels of image information: macroscopic from the patient’s MRI or CT, providing anatomical context of the surgical target; mesoscopic information from a surgical microscope or exoscope providing a highly magnified view of the region surrounding the surgical target; and the most important microscopic information provided by histology samples of excised tissue that must be analyzed in a pathology laboratory. Through precise image registration, this project will integrate MR/CT images, exoscope images, and images from a novel hand-held scanning laser confocal neuro endoscope device that provides histology-equivalent microscopic (AKA Digital Biopsy) images in real time. When integrated within a common framework, these multi-scale data will be visualized using an augmented reality display in real time during the surgical procedure. By registering the Stereoscopic exoscope image with the patient’s 3D MR/CT data, this approach will, for the first time, provide the surgeon with the means to immediately relate data from macroscopic MRI (target points, nerve bundles) to the mesoscopic exoscope view, and will also provide real-time imaging at the cellular level via the Digital Biopsy images. (See Figure 1 Attached).

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Terry Peters

Student:

Partner:

Synaptive Medical Inc

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Manufacturing; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of Western Ontario

Program:

Elevate

Low-cost Machine Type Communication User Equipments for LTE (part 3)

Machine-to-machine (M2M) devices are defined as the equipments which do not require a direct human interaction for communicating to each other. M2M networks are predicted to have a large end-user market in the near future with numerous potential applications, such as home automation, patient monitoring, transportation, and smart metering. Currently, the main bottleneck is to reduce the overall cost of these equipments in order to enable a practical implementation of densely-deployed M2M networks which can cover an area of interest and, for example, connect different regions of a city. The proposed research will be part of Sierra Wireless’ ongoing activities to develop such low-cost machine-type communication devices compliant with the long-term evolution (LTE) communications standard.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Lutz Lampe

Student:

Partner:

Semtech

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Information and Communications Technology

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Impact of a protected essential oils on the intestinal microbiota of dairy cows

The intestinal microbiota is essential for enhanced gut health and adequate fiber digestion. Factors such as diet transition and the stress of parturition are associated with changes in the normal microbiota of cows. Microbiota manipulation to improve performance can be achieved by the use of feed additives, such as and essential oils and vitamins, but its mechanisms of action are not completely understood. Furthermore, changes in the fecal microbiota can directly influence the vaginal microbiota of cows, which has been indicated as a major player in fertility. This study aims to investigate the consequences of a new coated additive on the intestinal microbiota of dairy cows. To do that, 30 Holstein cows will be divided in 2 subsequent groups (treatment and non-treatment). Supplementation will start when cows are moved into a transition diet (21 days before estimated calving). Fecal samples and vaginal swabs will be collected before supplementation (D-21), and at D-7, D7 and D21. Blood samples will be taken at D7 and D21 for beta-hydroxy butyrate and cortisol levels. Next generation DNA sequencing will be used for microbiota characterization to investigate the potential of the additive to enhance beneficial bacteria and control stress-related imbalances.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Marcio Costa

Student:

Partner:

JEFO Nutrition

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Université de Montréal

Program:

Accelerate

Sensory Disinhibition, Cognitive Flexibility and the Neural Correlates Underlying Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Simultaneous EEG-fMRI Study

Individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often struggle to relax, or simply be at ‘rest.’ In particular, recent research has revealed participants with PTSD show hyper-activity across the visual cortex while at rest. Referred to as sensory hyper-activity and disinhibition, altered resting-state patterns are thought to be underlying hypervigilance and re-living sensations clinically, as well as cognitive deficits, which may be produced when cognitive resources are overwhelmed by sensory hyper-activity. Nonetheless, research has been slow to characterize sensory hyper-activity and disinhibition, as well as any downstream effects related to such a sensory pathology. Therefore, we plan to analyze the neural correlates underlying sensory hyper-activity and disinhibition, as well as cognitive flexibility, since cognitive flexibility has been revealed to serve as a protective factor post-trauma(s). In particular, we plan to record electroencephalography (EEG) and functional MRI (fMRI) simultaneously, where we may reveal the temporal and the spatial correlates related to the above. Simultaneous EEG-fMRI, critically, has never been used to study PTSD and may be analyzed by advanced machine learning algorithms to reveal the biomarkers relevant to trauma-related psychopathology. Homewood Research Institute conducts research on trauma-exposed populations and stands to benefit by advancing more personalized, research-guided therapy for participants with PTSD.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Margaret McKinnon

Student:

Partner:

Homewood Research Institute

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Elevate

Hyperpolarized 129Xe Cerebral Perfusion MRI Imaging Development – Year two

Imaging of cerebral perfusion (the delivery of blood to a capillary bed in the brain tissue) is significant for diagnosing a variety of diseases. There are multiple challenges associated with perfusion imaging which significantly limits the quality of cerebral perfusion images. I am planning to develop a novel approach of cerebral perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using hyperpolarized (HP) xenon-129 (129Xe).
To conduct HP 129Xe perfusion imaging, I am developing a novel HP MRI Time-of-Flight (TOF) pulse sequence. This imaging technique allows for the acquisition of perfusion images with a high signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio. Furthermore, this imaging methodology allows for the acquisition of quantitative perfusion images in less than 20 s.
HP 129Xe TOF imaging has the potential to overcome the challenges of current cerebral perfusion imaging and become a powerful tool for early-stage diagnosis of perfusion related neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases. This will allow for better treatment planning, which will be beneficial for modern clinical practice. Furthermore, HP 129Xe TOF imaging can significantly improve the understanding of the mechanism of perfusion-related diseases, which will allow for the development of highly efficient treatments for further translation into clinics.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mitchell Albert

Student:

Partner:

Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Lakehead University

Program:

Elevate

Hyperpolarized 129Xe Cerebral Perfusion MRI Imaging Development

Imaging of cerebral perfusion (the delivery of blood to a capillary bed in the brain tissue) is significant for diagnosing a variety of diseases. There are multiple challenges associated with perfusion imaging which significantly limits the quality of cerebral perfusion images. I am planning to develop a novel approach of cerebral perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using hyperpolarized (HP) xenon-129 (129Xe).
To conduct HP 129Xe perfusion imaging, I am developing a novel HP MRI Time-of-Flight (TOF) pulse sequence. This imaging technique allows for the acquisition of perfusion images with a high signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio. Furthermore, this imaging methodology allows for the acquisition of quantitative perfusion images in less than 20 s.
HP 129Xe TOF imaging has the potential to overcome the challenges of current cerebral perfusion imaging and become a powerful tool for early-stage diagnosis of perfusion related neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases. This will allow for better treatment planning, which will be beneficial for modern clinical practice. Furthermore, HP 129Xe TOF imaging can significantly improve the understanding of the mechanism of perfusion-related diseases, which will allow for the development of highly efficient treatments for further translation into clinics.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Mitchell Albert

Student:

Partner:

Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Lakehead University

Program:

Elevate

Understanding the neural underpinnings of a novel PTSD therapy: Goal Management Therapy

A wide range of cognitive faculties are commonly compromised in numerous trauma-exposed populations, leading to impaired functioning, and reduced treatment response rates. There is a dire need for novel therapies that can directly target such deficits in top-down cognitive control. Goal management training (GMT) is one such cognitive remediation therapy found to be effective for some other psychopathologies. Despite its success, the neural underpinnings of GMT-linked cognitive improvements remain shrouded in mystery. This proposal aims to study the impact of a 9-week GMT randomized control trial on the structure and function of neural systems known to be dysregulated in PTSD. This study will utilize a trauma-relevant emotional working memory task to test the participant’s executive processes in the context of their trauma, while also collecting structural and functional neuroimaging data using Canada’s only operational 7T MRI. The functional MRI (fMRI) data will probe therapy-linked changes in three cognitively relevant brain networks, while the structural MRI data will investigate therapy-linked changes in patterns of myelination. Taken together, these results will be the first characterization of the neural changes associated with GMT therapy-driven resolution of PTSD symptoms, and can position the Homewood Research Institute as a pioneer of novel psychiatric treatments.

View Full Project Description
Faculty Supervisor:

Ruth Lanius

Student:

Partner:

Homewood Research Institute

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of Western Ontario

Program:

Elevate

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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.