Innovative Projects Realized

Design and Development of a Home Safe Living Systemfor Aging, Rehabilitation, and Geriatrics

The main objective of the project is to develop a software system to expertly capture an electronic health profile of a client with physical and/or cognitive disabilities to determine their level of functional ability, mobility and cognitive ability. Using the profile, the system will expertly assess the client’s ability to live either independently or with the assistance of a caregiver, and recommend the necessary changes. The proposed system requires integration of multiple software modules, such as from Functional Independence Measure (FIM), DGIClinical, VIDex, Invacare, etc. This project will be a fullfledged design, implementation, and extension of our current NSERC Engage project with Home Safe Living Inc. The implementation of the “Home Safe Living System” is applications and innovation oriented. It is planned that new technology with new products and services, possibly patentable, will be developed. If successful, this project will have commercial innovative marketable products and solutions leading from research.

Design Automation and Optimization Using Artificial Intelligence

The goal of our proposal is to develop three automated processes in the field of construction using artificial intelligence. The first process is to develop a method that can convert two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional models that can be further manipulated on a computer. The second process is to optimize the cutting of raw materials– such as panels and stiffeners– to reduce the overall wastage, as well as optimize the transportation process of these materials to the resulting construction site. The third process is to design a method that can ensure objective and accurate calculation of costs for construction projects based on the multiple parameters included in the design. This project is situated at a Manitoba-based construction firm, Greenstone Solutions. The benefits to the company will include reductions in manufacturing time, costs, and wastage, which will result in increased productivity, efficiency, and reputation.

Mapping Alpine vegetation trait change in the Canadian Rockies

This project investigates the vegetation of the Canadian Rockies, focusing on roots and other belowground characteristics which significantly influence ecosystem structure and function. The project will compare vegetation change over time and space using historical and recent photos from the Mountain Legacy Project. The findings will provide increased understanding of spatial and temporal variation of belowground traits at regional and global scales. This will also shed light on past and future responses to warming and other environmental change including fire. New analytical techniques we aim to develop during this project may be used to investigate environmental change using remote methods across Arctic and Alpine systems. These findings may contribute to our ability to predict future climate change scenarios in these ecosystems. Increased understanding of belowground ecosystem responses, and skills shared throughout the placement, will also contribute to future study in the Canadian Rockies at the University of Victoria.

Cortree Business Strategy Internship Application

The goal of this project is for our intern to come up with a Business strategy for two newly introduced programs by conducting a business analysis, environmental scan and a competitor analysis. Cortree will use these plans to refresh the current business plan for our Mediation and PSW training services. Neither services existed at the initial introduction of Cortree’s business plan. Our intern will work alongside the Managing Director of Cortree, Product Manager of cortree, an academic advisor and on occasion the CEO of SCIO on this project.

By the end of this project we hope to have established a comprehensive plan that is feasible and compliments the nature of Cortee and its 2020/2021 strategic goals of:
expanding our impact, amplifying the voice of our community and sharing more knowledge.

Liam Byrne- INEO Solutions Inc

INEO is a technology company providing services to retailers, including liquor retailers who have been deemed essential services in the pandemic. As a group, retailers were struggling for sometime with a changing consumer landscape and have now been getting crushed by the pandemic. INEO’s technology gives retailers access to data which until now only online companies have had. We have developed patented technology to give the retailers cutting edge loss prevention solutions combined with digital signage and data analytics. Using computer vision and neural net technology, along with powerful edge processing, we detect and analyze customer traffic as it enters a retail store. We develop insights from this traffic to give the retailer and the brands in their stores better decision making data. This ranges from things as simple as when to assign staff to certain roles (cashier, stocking, sales etc) to more relational items such as understanding time of day or weather on changes in the % male to female shoppers.

Land Trust Alliance-Michael Stark

The Land Trust Alliance of BC represents 36 land trusts across BC. Several factors have complicated our work since March 2020.
First, our ability to message and communicate the need to conserve private land as individual members and as a collective. Focus has moved towards health care, social services and other pressing causes. Yet the environment and climate change remain one of BC’s top priorities. How to refocus and regain a market share is critical to reach land owners, donors and volunteers.
Second, fundraising. Again, other issues such as shelter, food, health care, employment have attracted donor attention. This combined with the ability to hold fundraising and outreach events have impacted the financial foothold of land trusts.

Lex Start

Le projet se compose de 2 grands objectifs : (1) la mise en place de l’automatisation d’envoi de courriers électroniques et (2) la gestion de l’équipe de rédacteurs juridiques pour assurer la publication constante de nouveaux contenus sur le site.

CertifiedStack Inc – Business Strategy Internship

The onset of COVID 19 has created disruption in many business sectors and it is strongly believed that the changes brought forth by the Pandemic are here to stay well after the situation is under control. The education and learning industry is one that has seen considerable changes in the fashion in which it operates; Online tools and platforms have become inevitable in the education and skill development space. This situation is seen to be a stimulus to the already fast growing online learning platforms. However, as there is more focus on online platforms than ever before, it is important to grasp the customer needs and changes in the business environment at a time of such formidable change. Hence, the main focus of the project would be 1. to identify and create new markets for the client organisation 2. understand the on going disruption/changing customer needs and what it means to the company’s growth 3. identifying partnerships and forging relationships that align with the strategic goals of the company. These initiatives and the feed back from the efforts are considered central to help steer the organisation’s strategy and growth plans.

Business Development Intern – Bonsai

This role will encapsulate a number of ongoing project activities and tasks. Research and prospecting potential new partners for the company will be crucial in developing and expanding the Bonsai company further, through using internal parameters that are tailored to the needs of the organization. This will also include product research, such as new releases and/or ensuring availability of products. As a business development intern, the research and outreach aspect will include developing criteria for identifying new partners to continually grow the reach of Bonsai, working with merchants to manage payment disputes, supporting the customer experience team, and other currency issues, which will allow for an in-depth and comprehensive learning opportunity. All of this will tie into the ethos of Bonsai at the consumer and merchant level, to provide value across all levels. This role will be exposed to a number of new processes, namely working with merchants to solve any issues, product research of the fashion, lifestyle, and digital media landscape, and creating merchant reports to glean further insights and data.

Initiatives locales en environnement et en aménagement urbain (ILEAU) : des innovations sociales et techniques pour des villes résilientes et en santé

ILEAU (Interventions locales en environnement et aménagement urbain) est une campagne portée par le Conseil régional en environnement de Montréal ayant pour objectif d’améliorer la qualité des milieux de vie, en réduisant les ICU et en créant une trame verte et bleue active qui augmentera la biodiversité locale et favorisera les déplacements actifs sécuritaires dans l’est de Montréal. Différents partenariats ont été mis en place avec une cinquantaine d’organisations publiques, privées et communautaires. Le but de ce stage de recherche est d’identifier les interventions sur le territoire et les procédés de collaboration qui se démarquent et de systématiser le tout en constituant une boite à outils de référence permettant de transposer «le modèle ILEAU» à d’autres projets de réduction des ICU et de quartier en santé sur de nouveaux territoires.

The impact of human disturbance on habitat selection and social behaviour in Manitoba elk

We live in a world that is increasingly dominated by humans which places wildlife under extra pressure to cope with changes to their landscape. One of the most important ways that animals can cope with these changes is to show plasticity in their behaviour. Altering their social behaviour to allow them to reduce the risks of using human-modified areas while utilising energy-rich food sources improves their ability to cope. This project will use a new combination of techniques to investigate whether elk in Manitoba alter their movement patterns and social behaviour in response to agricultural land use. This will allow us to provide local stakeholders with information on how best to conserve these declining elk populations in terms of their land-use decisions.

Mentorship Needs in the Ontario Manufacturing Industry

This project will identify the necessary components for a high-quality mentorship program for workers in the Ontario manufacturing industry. Through review of existing mentorship programs, interviews with mentors and mentees, and a job analysis procedure for the mentor role, this research will assess the mentoring needs of manufacturing workers. The project will produce a task-based training guide for mentors so that they can most effectively engage with mentees in order to maximize recruitment and retention. The project will focus specifically on creating a mentorship program to best support underrepresented groups in the industry such as women, young workers and members of racialized groups. This work will contribute to Trillium core program of work that
manufacturing workforce.