Innovative Projects Realized

Oi Marketing

Oi Marketing is a dynamic digital marketing agency supporting small and medium-sized businesses in achieving their growth goals through tailored marketing strategies. The organization faces a critical innovation challenge: staying ahead of rapid changes in digital marketing technologies and consumer behaviors while scaling its capacity to serve diverse clients efficiently. To address this, Oi Marketing requires a project that goes beyond its routine operations and focuses on designing new processes, tools, and content strategies that enhance client engagement and operational efficiency. This intern will contribute by researching innovative approaches to local SEO, transitioning client websites to Google Analytics 4 for advanced data tracking, and developing structured workflows for content creation. These activities demand expertise in digital marketing concepts, SEO practices, website analytics, and a strong ability to synthesize information into actionable strategies. Their work will enable Oi Marketing to streamline services and provide higher-impact marketing solutions for clients.

Real-Time Monitoring of Antioxidant Degradation in Lubricants

This project aims to improve how we monitor the condition of lubricating oils used in engines, turbines, and other critical industrial systems. These oils rely on antioxidants to prevent chemical breakdown. When the antioxidants degrade, it can cause equipment damage, costly downtime, and environmental harm.
To address this challenge, researchers at Carleton University, in collaboration with international academic partners, including V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, are developing a next-generation optical sensor. This device uses Raman spectroscopy, enhanced by nanomaterials, to detect early molecular changes in oil that are invisible to conventional methods.
The innovation will support Canadian industries, such as energy, aerospace, and defense, by improving maintenance strategies, reducing waste, and enhancing system reliability. At the same time, the project fosters global research collaboration by bringing students from Ukraine and potentially other European countries to Canada, promoting shared expertise in clean technology, sensing, and advanced materials.

Smash and Tess Dreamwear Inc.

Smash + Tess Dreamwear Inc. is a Vancouver-designed, North American-made apparel company that has gained a cult-like following for its signature Rompers and commitment to sustainability. As a brand that prioritizes slow fashion and community connection, Smash + Tess has successfully built a loyal customer base; however, it now faces the innovation challenge of scaling its digital presence to reach new audiences and remain competitive in an ever-changing e-commerce landscape. With the rapid evolution of digital platforms and consumer behaviors, traditional marketing tactics are no longer sufficient to drive growth. This project seeks to explore and implement innovative digital marketing strategies that go beyond day-to-day operations by designing data-informed campaigns, testing emerging content channels, and refining customer acquisition approaches.

L2M Lensx AI wearable glass for the visually impaired

LensX: Empowering Independence for the Blind through AI Wearable Smart Glasses

LensX is an AI-powered assistive technology designed to support blind and low-vision individuals in navigating the world more independently. The project uses a combination of real-time computer vision and voice-based AI to help users identify their surroundings, read text, recognize objects, and receive auditory guidance all hands-free.

This project aims to develop and test a mobile-based MVP that will later integrate with wearable hardware. By collaborating with the visually impaired community, we hope to create a solution that is not only technically advanced, but also practical, respectful, and truly useful.

LensX is built with the belief that vision loss shouldn’t limit independence and this project is a step toward making that belief a reality.

Bridging the Gap Between High and Low Pressure Pyrolysis of Fluorinated Pollutants

Considerable scientific research is oriented towards providing answers to the disturbing effects of the impacts of global change. There is a growing need to introduce new methodologies to explore the often very complex and interconnected chemistry of the atmosphere. This research program aims to advance our current mass spectrometry-based studies on halogenated atmospheric pollutants with the spectroscopic tools employed in Cordoba to better understand the fate of these species at higher pressure.

Commande flexible de convertisseurs statiques pour applications en mobilité électrique

L’objectif de ce projet de stage de recherche est de réaliser une étude de méthodes de commande flexible des convertisseurs statiques en technologie de semiconducteur GaN pour la mobilité électrique. Le projet vise spécifiquement la proposition d’une stratégie de génération des signaux de commande flexible pour permettre l’optimisation simultanée du contenu harmonique de courant fourni par les convertisseurs statiques multiniveaux, l’optimisation du rendement global et l’application pour un système de traction; Il vise également, la proposition d’une architecture d’implémentation en FPGA la stratégie de commande proposée en vue de la valider expérimentalement sur un convertisseur multiniveau en technologie GaN; et enfin, il vise la proposition et la validation par simulation des algorithmes pour technologies de calcul quantique permettant la génération des signaux de commande optimisés. Le projet, en partenariat entre l’UQTR et les universités de Pamplona (Unipamplona) et Industrielle de Santander (UIS) en Colombie, permettra la formation de deux stagiaires, le premier de niveau doctorat d’Unipamplona, et le deuxième de niveau maîtrise de l’UIS en Colombie.

Deciphering the role of plant mitochondrial alternative oxidase (mtAOX) isoforms by protein carbonylation profiling

Plant cells naturally express enzymes that remove the reactive oxygen species (ROS) or prevent their production to a detrimental level under stress conditions. One such protective enzyme is the alternative oxidase enzyme (AOX) that is unique to plants among all other eukaryotes. There exist five AOX enzyme isoforms, AOX1a, AOX1b, AOX1c, AOX1d and AOX2, in the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana. While AOX1a was found to be the most abundant and stress-responsive isoform, redundancy in the expression of the AOX isoforms has so far made it difficult to understand the biological function of the other isoforms and to disentangle the functional specificity of each isoform. The proposed research for the internship will leverage the profiling of proteins modified by ROS (by carbonylation) to investigate the function of individual AOX isoforms of A. thaliana. New protein targets could thus be found for breeding crops of high economic importance to Canada, including canola, maize, and wheat, with a focus on enhancing stress tolerance. The internship will also enable the training of a student from India and advance research in the two laboratories, thereby contributing to the research partnerships between India and Canada.

Integration of traditional and telematics data via mass imputation

While telematics data with measurements of specific driving behaviors such as speeding, breaking, and turning, have shown significant predictive power in modeling accident risk, its usability has been challenged due to the low proportion of auto insurance policyholders that agree to provide their telematics data to the insurance companies. In this regard, we propose a novel method to create the unobserved telematics features out of the observed traditional features and insurance claim experience based on the so-called mass-imputation method for handling both telematics data scarcity and selection bias. It is also expected that by blending methodological expertise from the home institution with the host’s access to Canadian insurance applications, this partnership will set the stage for joint student supervision, co-authored publications, and mutual visiting scholar opportunities.

Understanding Counsellors’ Perspectives on the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Farmers: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

SaskAgMatters (SAM) Mental Health Network Inc. is a support network created to offer a farm-culture friendly mental health support system for Saskatchewan (SK) Agricultural Producers (hereafter collectively called ‘farmers’). SAM offers six free counselling sessions with registered mental health professionals who have backgrounds in agriculture. SAM’s counsellors will be invited to semi-structured interviews focusing on assessing and improving SAM’s service model. This project aims to define the strengths and limitations of SAM’s services, along with recommendations for future actions, for the next iteration of SAM’s 5-year strategy. The reason for this investigation is to enhance and expand SAM’s services and support for SK farmers and reduce suicide.

Wearable ultrasound with machine learning for automated assessment of pneumothorax

The proposed research project will develop and validate a novel automated system that can continuously monitor for PTX (collapsed lungs). This system will integrate inexpensive, flexible, thin, and wearable ultrasonic sensors with machine learning. A hands-free and automated approach to assessing for PTX allows clinicians, or even personnel with less specialized training, to detect PTX earlier, make timely medical interventions, and manage multiple patients simultaneously. This project will help Deep Breathe Inc. develop and advance a new category of hands-free ultrasound technology that has the potential to revolutionize respiratory care, reduce the strain on healthcare resources, and improve the accessibility of lung ultrasound.

Towards Trustworthy AI in Dementia Care: Enhancing Anomaly Detection with Uncertainty-Aware Modeling for Aging in Place

This project aims to improve a home-based reminder system that supports people living with dementia and their caregivers. The system, called Remindful, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to detect unusual changes in daily routines that may signal health concerns. This research will make the system more trustworthy by adding features that show how confident the AI is in its alerts and by designing clearer ways to share that information with caregivers. The work will provide valuable learning opportunities and technical training for the student, while strengthening knowledge exchange between the University of Toronto and the University of Oxford in the areas of dementia support and interpretable AI.

Enhancing Competitive Rowing Performance through Real-Time Telemetry and Analytics

Rowing Precision, a Canadian sports technology startup, in collaboration with Brock University, seeks to design and test a versatile, on-boat performance monitoring platform that integrates advanced sensor modules, energy-efficient wireless communication, and an intuitive analytics interface. The system will deliver real-time performance feedback to support informed training decisions and enhance competitive performance.