Innovative Projects Realized

Dense gas in the galaxy merger NGC3256

Any physical processes that we aim to study in space have probably been influenced at some point by the process of star formation. Whether it be the interstellar gas and dust, the formation of clusters of stars, or galaxy evolution, star formation plays a role as a strong driving force for the physics behind these fields of research. In this project, we will use observational data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to study and compare the properties of two molecules, HCN and CN, in three nearby galaxies. HCN has been shown to trace the dense gas in which stars are forming, while CN is less understood but connected to HCN through chemical evolution. The goals of this project are to identify physical properties, such as temperatures and densities, of HCN and CN using multiple transition lines, compare the spatial distributions of the abundance ratios of the two molecules throughout the galaxies, and compare the results to the literature to offer support for or against existing ideas about where these molecules are dominant and the physical mechanisms producing the observed abundance ratios.

Paramétrisation des modèles climatiques de surface continentale à l’aide du code hydrologique intégré HydroGeoSphere. Application à différents bassins d’Amérique du Nord et d’Afrique de l’Ouest.

Les modèles climatiques de surface continentale utilisent une discrétisation spatiale de l’ordre de la centaine de kilomètres et reposent sur l’hypothèse de flux hydrologiques essentiellement verticaux. Ce choix, guidé par des raisons de temps de calcul, conduit à négliger la variabilité hydrologique sous maille et, de ce fait, à proposer des lois et paramètres effectifs pour la maille de surface continentale difficilement justifiables, car éloignés de ce qui est observé et mesuré localement. Pour remédier à ce problème, nous avons mis au point une stratégie de changement d’échelle qui permet, a priori, d’améliorer ces paramétrisations. Cette stratégie doit être validée à l’aide de simulations fines de bassins versants effectuées avec le code numérique HydroGeoSphere développé à l’Université Laval. Les bassins proposés se situent sur le continent Nord-Américain et en Afrique de l’ouest.

Workplace Resilience Training: Evaluating the impact of the Be Fit at Work program on individual and organizational outcomes

This research has two main foci: (1) resilience and resilience intervention and (2) workplace dignity. The first main focus of this project is to evaluate Air Institute’s current evidence-informed Pathway to Resilience program, specifically their effectiveness in impacting the key resilience factors targeted in each workshop. This research will also examine data in order to identify certain resiliency factor correlations and/or profiles in order to provide more value to current organizational reports and key insights. Furthermore, this project will develop and deliver online resilience resources (designed in an online course format) based on Air Institutes’ Be Fit at Work program and examine whether this alternative program delivery method can impact the same outcomes as the original in-person workshop intervention model. The second main focus of this project is to validate a newly developed measure of workplace dignity that can eventually be used for additional research and organizational assessment purposes. This project will examine the relationships (both cross-sectionally and longitudinally) between workplace dignity and other important workplace constructs such as mental well-being. All data will come from a mix of cross-sectional and longitudinal self-report surveys.

Supporting Scientific Computing with Parallel Architectures

Our long-term agenda associated with this two year proposal is to address the needs of researchers

working with large-scale scientific applications through our contributions to highly parallelized system

infrastructure software. At the application level, we are targeting real-world projects such as the

computational demands associated with the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions and NEPTUNE

Canada. Additionally, emerging needs that deeply integrate privacy with these solutions, such as

electronic health care records and Aboriginal natural resource management, are also part of our

longer-term research agenda. At the infrastructure level, we have established partnerships with three

key experienced system developers using Cell BE architecture—Electronic Arts (EA), Los Almos

Research Center and Yellow Dog Linux. Working with these experts, we will incorporate their

feedback into tool support and application development for the 20 node Cell BE cluster we have at

UVic. Our research will establish tradeoffs with our approaches versus commodity systems in terms

of terms of performance, quality of….TOBECONTINUED

Decolonization, engagement and multi-sectoral collaboration from an urban Indigenous perspective.

The research project will look at how EndPoverty Edmonton has engaged with the diverse Indigenous population that lives in Edmonton on their interests and perspectives on eliminating poverty. Indigenous peoples and communities continue to experience social and economic inequality as compared to other Canadians. Their social and economic inequality can be linked to the impacts colonization which has marginalized Indigenous peoples and require them to conform to the cultural values of mainstream society. Increasingly, Indigenous peoples are calling for increased control and influence over those issues that affect them. Potential benefits to EndPoverty Edmonton include understanding ways to incorporate Indigenous interests and perspectives in the development and implementation of their engagement strategies and in their collaboration with Indigenous peoples.

Developing Gaze and Movement Key Performance Indicators for User Experience Assessment

There’s nothing quite as delightful as using a well-designed product, especially a piece of software. A field of research known as User eXperience (UX) tries to define measures that describe what a good design feels like. While conventional measures of UX for software work well (how long things take, whether or not you complete your task successfully), we suggest that tracking your eye and hand will reveal other useful information. These easy-to-get measures, which we call Gaze and Movement Assessment Key Performance Indicators (GaMA KPI), are calculated from where the eyes look, how the hand moves and their coordination, to tell us how the user’s experience is going. The videogame Anthem will be used as a tool to assess the feasibility and usefulness of these GaMA KPI. We hope to demonstrate that GaMA KPI are useful measures to collect during the design process in the development of a software product.

Gitga’at Development Corporation Feasibility Study Research

The Gitga’at Development Corporation (GDC) is creating a strategy for economic development activities within the Nation and requires innovative business research to facilitate this initiative. As such, this research cluster is comprised of six projects:

• Project 1: Shellfish Aquaculture Opportunity Investigation

• Project 2: Alternative Energy Feasibility Study

• Project 3: Forestry Feasibility Study

• Project 4: Real Estate Opportunity Assessment

• Project 5: Commercial Fish Processing Investigation

• Project 6: Tourism Product Feasibility Study

With GDC moving forward to deliver on its mandate and development objectives, its involvement with this innovative research would examine how strategic assets could be leveraged to provide returns to the enterprise and the Nation overall. Graduate students will utilize innovative business research methodologies to create new solutions for GDC – gained through interaction with community members, decision makers and stakeholders as well as thorough investigation of applicable secondary literature

Genetic susceptibility to renal cancer

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the most common type of kidney cancer, is characterized by heterogeneous tumor biology and clinical outcomes. Due to the indeterminate behavior of RCC and the absence of routine biomarkers, it is difficult to identify individuals at risk to develop RCC, and patients who are at high-risk of relapse. There are also unexplained large variations in incidence of RCC worldwide. Genetic factors play an important role in susceptibility to and progression of cancer. Identifying actionable genetic variants has greatly helped with the prevention and surveillance of some cancers, including breast cancer. Similarly, genetic analysis has potentials for identifying individuals who may be at risk for RCC, however our knowledge about genetic background of RCC is limited. We aim to interrogate known cancer susceptibility genes and examine patterns that contribute to susceptibility in RCC. This research study serves as a path toward methods of risk-assessment for RCC, its progression and therapy selection.

COOL WORLD:Researching the intersections of community collaboration, technology, and social justice

This research project will examine the how digital networking technologies that use geo-targeted data can be used for social movement building. The project will analyze how grassroots community engagement can be optimized for online networks and digital technologies, and will engage with artists and activists who do this work, in a participatory relationship, in order to assess the viability of the technology, for social transformations.

Project #160018b: Automated and Connected Electric Vehicle Integration- Detection of Trojan Hardware by Using Machine Learning

Electronic systems have advanced to the point that our daily activities depend on them and we trust the Integrated Circuits (IC) within the electronic devices to perform their required operation. Due to current manufacturing trends, ICs are outsourced to third parties, and may cause the integrity of the IC to be compromised. Systems that rely on ICs are then open to attacks; hardware and internal structure of the ICs can be modified, without the knowledge of the designer. The malicious, undesired, intentional modification of an electronic circuit or design, resulting in incorrect operation of the electronic device is called, “Trojan Hardware.” These are considered as a back-door that, when inserted into hardware, can bypass security measures within the system, either software- or hardware-based. This research investigates a machine learning method that relies on the side-channel signature of the IC to detect Trojan Hardware.

Numerical investigation of the seismic performance of various types of bridge configuration using advanced analysis tools

Bridge infrastructure constitutes a substantial portion of national wealth of Canada, whose performance during earthquake events has a significant impact on the public safety. This study focuses on investigating the force-based and performance-based seismic design of bridges specified in the latest versions of Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code 2014/2019. Numerical studies will be conducted, and design guidelines will be recommended. The project will provide valuable insight into performance-based seismic design of bridges, which is helpful for its mass scale application in Canada. Spannovation Consulting Limited. is a new and forward-thinking organization started by principals with a combined experience of more than 40 years. In particular, Saqib Khan has over 20 years of seismic analysis and design experience and is also a member of the CAN/CSA-S6-19 subcommittee for Chapter 4 – Seismic Design. The principles are setting up a uniquely integrated practice comprising research and development, teaching bridge engineering, and consulting. This collaboration will help Spannovation solve some of the industry’s leading challenges in the seismic analysis and performance demonstration of bridges thereby helping the firm become a major player in the bridge research and development and consultancy arenas.

Feasibility studies and research of business units for the Haida EnterpriseCorporation (HaiCo).

Through the development of feasibility studies and business models, this cluster will be focused on

providing HaiCo with specific information and toolkit(s) to make business decisions. The investigation

into economic and business issues within the region will allow HaiCo to better optimize corporate

assets and create better returns on capital investment. This cluster is comprised of six projects, which

are listed and detailed below.

• Project 1: Tlell River House Feasibility Study

• Project 2: Taan Information Technology (IT) Investigation

• Project 3: Tlell River House Marketing Study

• Project 4: Haida Gwaii Market Research and Tourism Marketing Investigation

• Project 5: CHN Seafood Investigation

• Project 6: Political and Business Strategy Research

These projects will take place sequentially, where interns will visit the Haida Gwaii to conduct

research and work with people of the Haida Nation. Information collected from the first research

study will feed into other research internships that follow to produce the highest quality applicable

research for HaiCo’s business issues.