Innovative Projects Realized

Presence and Skill Acquisition through Virtual Environments

The MITACS Internship with Virtual Marine Technology in partnership with Chalmers

University and Memorial University will focus on improving the safety of crew who work at

marine and offshore environments. The intern will work with researchers at Chalmers

University to identify safety and risks concerns relating to operations in marine vessels (Le.

preliminary engine room design or evacuation training) and will work with Virtual Marine

Technology to define the technical requirements for using virtual environment training to

address these concerns.

Working with Virtual Marine Technology and Chalmers University, the intern will research

factors influencing the user’s training performance using virtual environments and identify

design aides and training tools. This will involve researching ways to improve a user’s sense

of immersion and learning when training with virtual environments. Based on this

assessment, a methodology to evaluate virtual environment training will be developed along

with realistic virtual environment scenarios relevant to marine operation and safety

An embedded neurobiological theory of dance, why it matters, and how it heals

Dance is used with increasing frequency as a health intervention and in research designs; despite this increased use, the techniques and mechanisms involved remain poorly understood. Through the use of novel neuroimaging methods that allow for recording of data while subjects are freely moving through space, I aim to elaborate a neurobiological model of dance that clearly articulates specific techniques and their effects on the nervous system. I hypothesize that elements of dance such as spatial awareness, changes in tempo, motor control/motor learning and increased body awareness recruit neural networks in specific and measurable ways, contributing to the benefits of dance reported by participants in dance interventions and/or dance therapy. My goal is to improve our understanding of the ways in which participating in dance can produce benefits for various populations, contributing to better research and intervention design and models of best practices. I hope this research will both broaden and clarify understandings of dance, increase the effective use of dance in health care and clinical settings, and improve access to programs using dance to improve of quality of life and function.

Reliability-based finite element analysis of pipeline dents interacting with corrosion features

Corrosion, mechanical damage and cracking are the primary causes of pipeline incidents in Canada. Major incidents can significant impact the public, wildlife, and environment. Over the past ten years, the length of pipelines has increased 11 per cent, but the number of pipeline incidents has decreased 48 per cent. This is largely due to continuous improvements in pipeline safety programs across the energy industry. To make pipelines safer, the intern is dedicated to contributing to the development of the existing pipeline integrity evaluation method. The proposed project can benefit the partner organization by improving its safety evaluation method applied pipelines.

Implémentation et validation d’une approche multi-échelle pour la réponse matérielle en phase de rentrée atmosphérique

Les boucliers thermiques servent à protéger les véhicules spatiaux des fortes contraintes thermiques auxquels ils sont soumis lors de la phase de rentrée atmosphérique. En dissipant cette énergie par plusieurs mécanismes physiques, ils garantissent l’intégrité du véhicule. Afin de mieux les comprendre, on se propose ici de réaliser une étude numérique en simulant ces différents effets plutôt que de réaliser des tests expérimentaux coûteux et difficiles à reproduire.
Une fois modélisé, le code de calcul doit cependant être validé pour s’assurer que l’on simule correctement ce qui est observé dans le monde réel. Dans ce projet, des mesures expérimentales en atmosphère contrôlée vont être effectuées à travers des échantillons réels de boucliers thermiques poreux pour calculer la perméabilité, qui traduit la capacité d’un fluide à s’écouler à travers un milieu poreux. La comparaison des résultats obtenus avec le code développé nous dira alors si le modèle numérique simule correctement le phénomène réel ou alors si d’autres hypothèses sont à prendre en compte.

Determination and characterization of plant fungi in greenhouse bell peppers

Bell pepper (Capsicum annum L.) is one of the most profitable greenhouse vegetable crops in Canada. Over 12 million square feet of greenhouse has been established to cultivate bell peppers in British Columbia alone. In this project, Randhawa Farms Ltd. and University of British Columbia aim to collectively determine and characterization of fungal species in greenhouse bell peppers harvested in different places in Canada. Specifically, the fungal communities of bell peppers will be determined using amplicon-metagenomic analysis. In addition, a rapid and sensitive method for the detection of fungal species in bell peppers will be developed. This project can benefit in controlling fungal quality, increasing the yield and shelf life of produce, as well as improving the overall sustainability of greenhouses in BC and other provinces in Canada.

Urban storm sewer systems management and life-cycle costing

Urban stormwater infrastructures are the first line of defense from pluvial flooding and play a key role in protecting the environment. These systems are costly to construct and would be even more expensive to replace. Therefore, high priority must be given to maintaining the physical integrity of the assets and preserve the hydraulic capacity of the system. Lack of preventive maintenance usually results in a faster decline in condition, which requires a higher replacement and emergency response costs. Infrastructure management provides a structured approach to the construction, use, and decommissioning of infrastructure assets to optimize service delivery and minimize life-cycle costs. This involves optimizing resource allocation and minimizing total life-cycle cost in different time domains. Furthermore, stormwater systems are geographically distributed, and their performance requirement and deterioration profile are strongly related to their local conditions. In order to find the optimal intervention program, a methodology is necessary that takes into account the costs of intervention, potential risk reduction and improvement in service delivery. Moreover, a methodological framework is required to consider both space and time in the analysis. TO BE CON’T

Uptime Energy Control Procedure Using Machine Learning

In a time where energy use awareness is more and more prevalent due to its significance in global warming, all sectors of society are putting effort to participate in finding new ways to reduce energy consumption. The industrial sector in Canada consumes nearly 1/3 of total energy. A challenge for industrial organizations is to define improvement actions that will significantly reduce the energy consumption of their production facilities, resulting in significant energy savings, while maintaining an adequate level of production for its customers. However, in industrial processes, there are complex dynamics between energy and a large number of process variables that affect energy consumption. Recent advances in machine learning combined with the vast availability of process data thus make process industries ideal candidates for energy performance optimization. TO BE CONT’D

Quantification and characterization of food waste in Canadian households: case of Waterloo region

This research project is aimed at developing a food waste inventory at household level for the Region of Waterloo to assess the associated environmental impacts and to identify the potential for future reduction. Due to lack of similar research in Canada, there is only a limited knowledge on the methodological approaches for food waste audits at household level. Thus, the knowledge and experience from prior and ongoing food waste research in Denmark is used to enhance the strength of the above food waste inventory by working with the Danish experts. This research will provide the much needed primary data for food waste generation at households in Canada, enabling the local and provincial governments to design, implement and monitor the progress of food waste reduction programs.

Probiotics for improved carotenoid bioavailability: A double-blind, randomized, controlled trial

There is a simple way to have great skin, be more attractive, and improve one’s health, but most of the global population refuses to do it. Worldwide fruit and vegetable (FV) intake is below recommendations reducing the intake of yellow-red plant pigments that have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-obesity properties. These plant pigments are called carotenoids and are largely stored in the skin. In fact, a yellow-red glow in the skin indicates FV intake, independent of race or tanning, and is correlated with improved attractiveness. Not everyone absorbs carotenoids in the same way, however, and the health and types of bacteria in the gut might account for a large portion of the differences in carotenoid absorption. This study was designed to determine whether the health of bacteria in the gut might have an influence on the absorption of carotenoids.

Manualization of occupational performance coaching for stroke survivors

Approximately 300,000 Canadians live with the effects of stroke. These effects include problems with mobility, cognition, speech and mood. Returning to personally valued activities following stroke can be quite difficult. In fact, the majority of stroke survivors, across all disability levels, report problems occupying their time in meaningful ways. This is particularly troubling as, while health providers tend to view stroke recovery in terms of changes in discreet aspects of disability, stroke survivors define recovery largely in terms of how well they have been able to return to their valued activities. Researchers have not yet developed an effective, efficient intervention for problems in this area that has long-lasting benefits. In our lab, we have begun to test a promising intervention called Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC). The goal of this project is to analyze pilot data from a first application of OPC with 5 patients and develop a manual for this……TBC

Develop a reliability-based robust shoring design system using Excel

The project is to develop a robust shoring design system using Excel software. A shoring system is a group of structural elements used to support/retain earth pressure during the construction of underground structures. Its design is influenced by many variables, such as the intended use of systems, earth pressure selection, performance of different systems, ground conditions, soil strength, and loading effects. Many of these variables cannot be easily interpreted, for example, accurate characterization of the highly variable glacial deposits covering the GTA. The risks are also extremely high for safe construction of a shoring system due to adjacent properties in densely populated urban settings. Due to these uncertainties and risks, it can easily lead to an inconsistent and unsafe design. This research is to develop an Excel-based design software by integrating the reliability-design concept for achieving cost-effective infrastructure development in Canada.

Apprentissage profond semi-supervisé pour la segmentation et l’analyse d’images d’équipements de réseau électrique

La maintenance du réseau de distribution d’électricité d’Hydro-Québec exige d’exploiter une quantité astronomique d’information concernant la localisation et l’état des actifs. Ce projet propose de développer des approches efficaces à base d’intelligence artificielle pour l’inventaire et le diagnostic automatisé et en continu des équipements du réseau de distribution. De nouveaux algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique, utilisant peu de données d’entraînement, seront développés pour la détection et la segmentation d’objets d’intérêt dans les images. Ces algorithmes seront ensuite appliqués pour identifier et géo-localiser les poteaux électriques à partir d’images prises avec un appareil mobile, segmenter ces poteaux et leur transformateur dans les images, et prédire l’état de ces équipements afin de déterminer s’ils nécessitent de l’entretien ou un remplacement éventuel. TO BE CONT’D