Innovative Projects Realized

In-situ evaluation of ground heat exchanger performances

Geothermal systems are an efficient and environmentally friendly technology to cool and heat buildings. However, the system installation remains expensive making its expansion difficult. Versaprofiles, a Canadian enterprise, has developed a thermal enhanced pipe especially designed to geothermal applications. This pipe allows to reduce the system cost, improving its performance. Experimental tests in systems using standard and enhanced pipes will allow to compare the two systems performance, searching to assess the advantages of the thermal enhanced pipes. The project will allow to demonstrate the benefits of the improved geothermal system, to foster their utilization as a clean energy, and contribute to the development of the Canadian geothermal industry.

Development of a leadership development impact assessment toolkit

CHLNet identified the need for valid, reliable tools to determine the impact of these health leadership development programs. This project will develop a practical, easy to use toolkit to facilitate the measurement of program outcomes and impacts. The toolkit will be pilot tested and evaluated across the country according to defined selection criteria. The finalized toolkit will be electronic and other knowledge produced during the project will be broadly disseminated. The immediate outcome of this research will be a collection of usable tools to determine impact of leadership development programs on key organizational measures.

Evaluating offline functionality of progressive web applications in e-commerce business: A/B testing and causal models

The project is to understand the potential impact of enabling the offline functionalities on progressive web application utilized as e-commerce platforms. For instance, will enabling offline functionalities help increase revenue by providing a more engaging environment when the connection is poor? Traditional evaluation method is to run online controlled experiments by randomly assigning users into two groups: with and without the feature. However, to accurate assess the impact, one needs to identify appropriate key metrics to quantify the performance. There is no universal guideline for the choice of key metrics and it might not be economically-feasible and slow to run experiments. This research tries to explore a class of emerging methods for causal inferences and counterfactual analysis to establish causation by asking what would have happened in the absence of the intervention, namely the introduction of the offline functionalities in our setting. TO BE CONT’D

Determination of Genomic Markers to Conduct Parentage, Differentiate Wood and Plains Bison Sub-species, and Measure Cattle Introgression in Canadian Bison

The Canadian bison industry is currently facing the issue of increasing production to meet increasing demand for bison products in a sustainable manner that improves the competitiveness and profitability of the industry. Bison retailers are currently being shorted product orders in excess of 25% on a regular basis, and demand for bison meat will only grow with the implementation of CETA and removal of the existing 20% tariff. This project will use whole genome sequence data to identify the genetic markers (SNPs, indels, variants) that will allow the Canadian bison industry to accurately and cost effectively verify parentage, differentiate wood and plains bison sub-species, and measure cattle introgression. TO BE CONT’D

Macroeconomic Models for Performance and Investigation Prediction

Corporations are under a lot of scrutiny, especially when they annually release their financial reports to the government. If a corporation makes a mistake, or if an employee submits fraudulent information, or if it appears that either is the case, then they risk being asked to amend the filing by the government, which will cause their share price to suffer and force them to painstakingly redo the report at great expense. Caseware will sell software that can analyze these reports and determine if an amendment request is likely. The software can also make predictions about the future value of a company’s assets, which can help companies make informed decisions. This project’s goal is to increase the accuracy of this software by allowing it to look at big-picture information, such as the value of the stock market or the unemployment rate, when making its judgements.

Evaluating enzyme activities in sprouted wheat and their functional properties in baked products.

Preharvest sprouting (PHS) has been looked at as negative and grains showing signs of PHS, is

rejected by food companies. But as consumers seek more nutritious foods, it has been shown that

sprouted seeds have increased amounts of important nutrients such as soluble dietary fiber, vitamins,

minerals, and phytochemicals compared to their fresh products. Therefore, in this project, we are

proposing to develop a strategy to germinate wheat in a controlled manner to deliver nutrients while

minimizing the negative impacts on product quality. Furthermore, staling is a significant problem in

baked products and the baking industry deals with the problem of staling by using a variety of anti

staling ingredients including alpha-amylases and different lipids. Since during germination process,

alpha amylase activity is increased, it is proposed that baked products made with sprouted wheat flour

would be less prone to staling. Furthermore, during germination more antioxidants are produced

which prevent oxidation of fatty acids in the grains minimizing rancidity…

Development, Implementation and Evaluation of PRISM-ACCESS Open Minds: Pathway for Rapid, Internet-based, Self-referral to Mental health services for youth

PRISM-ACCESS Open Minds is a health services research project that leverages online technologies. “PRISM” stands for: Pathway for Rapid, Internet-based, Self-referral to Mental health services for youth. The objective of PRISM-AOM is to develop, implement, and evaluate an online self-referral pathway to facilitate rapid and direct access to mental health services for youth. The pathway consists of an online self-referral tool, a referral management system, and a secure communication platform. Through this pathway, youth with mental health concerns will be able to connect with, and refer themselves directly to, a local team specializing in youth mental health care without a referral from their doctor, at a time that is convenient for them, using their phone, computer or tablet. PRISM-AOM will be customized, launched and tested in 6 Canadian health care settings participating in the ACCESS Open Minds network.

Purification du graphite naturel pour son application dans les piles lithium ion

Le graphite naturel est un ingrédient essentiel pour la fabrication des piles Li-ion. Une pureté supérieure à 99,95 % est fortement souhaitée afin d’assurer l’efficacité à long terme des piles. Le graphite extrait des sites miniers contient des impuretés qui doivent être retirées avant de pouvoir être utilisé. Cependant, les techniques de purification actuelles nécessitent l’utilisation d’acide concentrée ou de température très élevée. Le but de ce projet est d’optimiser les conditions de purification du graphite naturel afin d’atteindre les niveaux de pureté exigés tout en respectant les objectifs de protection de l’environnement, d’efficacité énergétique et de développement durable. Les travaux effectués permettront à Nouveau Monde Graphite de mettre en place un procédé économiquement concurrentiel et respectant les plus hauts standards de qualité.

STEAM Robotics for Teachers: How Educators Learn

Teachers are being challenged to integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) across the curriculum more frequently and effectively. Many teachers are challenged with these aspects for several reasons. In particular, subject areas are still isolated in British Columbia (BC), and only a few schools truly have STEM/STEAM programs. Secondly, STEM is more often accepted than the “A”. Thirdly, many of the “technology” or “engineering” elements lie outside of the comfort zone of some teachers. This proposed research project will work with educators from the Lower Mainland of BC and understand their perspectives of STEAM vs. STEM, the challenges or concerns with STEM/STEAM, and their thoughts about training and resources. Select teachers will be chosen for case study phenomenological research with resources created by a Vancouver-based company (Marginally Clever Robots). This case study will be grounded in situated cognition theory within constructivism. It will explore the integration of STEAM in the classroom. This research project will provide important insights from BC teachers on the role of effective STEAM resources.

Watershed-scale connectivity analysis: An applied GIS model towards the strategic management of barriers to Atlantic salmon migration

Barriers to connectivity are often associated with roads, culverts, and even beaver dams. An M.Sc. student with the CRI at UNB working in collaboration with the Restigouche River Watershed Management Council will develop a watershed-scale connectivity analysis using a GIS model to best inform the management of connectivity to reproductive habitats for Atlantic salmon in the Restigouche River watershed. The project will evaluate the current and potential available habitats for egg deposition, juveniles, and conservation requirements needed for an adaptive and integrated management plan. The student will have a background and experience with ArcGIS and a desire to participate in the field assessment program.

Transmission hydraulique pour interaction homme-machine

Exonetik est une compagnie en démarrage qui développe une nouvelle technologie d’orthèse active qui permettra, entre autres choses, la réduction du coût métabolique lors de la marche. Cette nouvelle technologie sera bientôt testée sur des sujets humains, mais requiert encore du développement. En collaboration avec les ingénieur d’Exonetik, le stagiaire participera au développement de la transmission hydraulique du système ainsi qu’à sa caractérisation expérimentale. Les gains attendus du projet sont une orthèse légère, un contrôle fin de la force appliquée par l’orthèse ainsi qu’une diminution du coût métabolique lors de la marche.

Creating shared value with communities in the early Mine life-cycle: The case of Erdene Resource Development Corporation in Mongolia

There is a significant body of research on Corporate Social Responsibility in the mining sector. However, little empirical data exists about what works well across stages of the mine life cycle, particularly during early exploration. This research explores how mining companies could maximize the benefits of resource extraction for host nations and participating communities by: (1) applying the concept of “creating shared value” to consider how mining companies can address social problems that intersect with business goals and operations, and (2) integrating the UN Sustainable Development Goals into business strategies.
The project involves a longitudinal single case study of a Canadian mining company operating in Mongolia, and employs a mixed method approach comprising of media analysis, interviews and observational research. Canada is one of the top foreign investors in Mongolia, and Mongolia is a priority country for Canada’s international assistance program.