Innovative Projects Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

13270 Completed Projects

1072
AB
2795
BC
430
MB
106
NF
348
SK
4184
ON
2671
QC
43
PE
209
NB
474
NS

Projects by Category

10%
Computer science
9%
Engineering
1%
Engineering - biomedical
4%
Engineering - chemical / biological

Development of a New Family of Agri-based Flocculent for Optimized Water & Nutrient Recovery from Anaerobic Digestate

Anaerobic Digesters are used in farm-based, municipal and industrial settings to convert wastes (manure and crop residues) as well as other feedstock material (fat, grease, oil and food wastes) to biogas. Produced digestate is rich in nutrients such as phosphate, nitrogen, (and other minor nutrients) and is mixed with water that makes the transportation costly and can’t be land applied due to excess of phosphate, nitrate and ammonia. The majority of current flocculants contain petroleum solvents ?that remain in the organic solids after separation; rendering it unsuitable for subsequent use in farm fields. Some others are not efficient in removal of solid and nutrients. Developing an green and environmentally friendly solution to convert digestate into more concentrated and/or higher value product improves the economics of Anaerobic Digestion facilities. The present proposed project has been planned to develop an innovative technology for enhanced nutrient recovery. Developed agri-based polymer removes water and nutrients from digestate efficiently and cost-effectively, producing a nutrient-rich product that can be transported off-site and/or used as higher value product such as organic fertilizer. Using the proposed technique, anaerobic digestate can processed to generate a concentrated and higher value nutrient product while its recovered water can be land applied.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ali Lohi

Student:

Maryam Rezadehbashi

Partner:

Biopolynet Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Other

University:

Ryerson University

Program:

Accelerate

Evaluation, optimization and modeling of sequencing batch reactors (SBR) operation for treatment of municipal wastewater

Sequencing batch reactor (SBR) is an activated sludge process that has been used successfully in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment. SBR process is operated in a batch mode where different batch phases run successively in a single tank or several tanks operating in parallel. Many studies on real-time control strategies have been employed to check the effects of parameters on SBR operation. However, due to highly nonlinear nature and time variations, fluctuations in hydraulics and components and possible equipment unreliability, a single control strategy based on multiple indirect parameters may not be successful. Therefore, using model-based approaches represents an advantage when defining and evaluating the control strategies and consequently saving time and money. Intelligent control strategy (ICS) such as fuzzy logic, artificial neural network (ANN) and also Gaussian process (GP) model can be used as an advanced form of real-time control strategy to optimize the SBR process. Besides, mathematical models and model based optimization can be developed for an effective control of nutrient and other contaminants in combined biological processes like SBRs. This project will examine different modeling approaches to optimize different SBR systems. Effects of operational parameters, climate and other environmental changes will also be considered in the modeling.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Madjid Mohseni

Student:

Morteza Jafarikojour

Partner:

Pani Energy

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Energy

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Elevate

The Power of Peer Support: The Development and Evaluation of JAVAGROUPS-digital

Social isolation and loneliness have become a global public health concern affecting the majority of seniors living in care settings and seniors living in the community. Due to COVID-19 and physical distancing these numbers are dramatically increasing. Java Group Programs have developed three evidence-based peer support and mentoring programs that offer emotional support through structured weekly programs. The Java programs are already implemented in over 1100 communities in Canada and the US. The problem is thousands of vulnerable seniors who have benefited from these programs are now being deprived, and the burden this places on staff to fill this gap cannot be overstated. Therefore, this research project will develop and evaluate a digital adaptation of one of the Java programs, called the Java Music Club, to support socially isolated seniors during this pandemic and beyond. This research may bring tangible economic benefits to Canadians through facilitating emotional wellness among seniors.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Albert Danison;Alexandra J Fiocco

Student:

Alec Bellinghausen Pagliarussi;Alexander Koumarianos;Su Ho Kang;Geneva Millett

Partner:

Java Group Programs

Discipline:

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Artificial Intelligence-based COVID-19 Radiology Image Analytics and Beyond

The excessive daily requirement for COVID-19 tests has put the healthcare providers in an overwhelming circumstance, especially in rural communities, with a limited number of resources. Moreover, the existing COVID-19 screening technique is time-consuming and expensive, which can be a luxury for many communities. Thus, in this research project, in collaboration with the TBRHRI, we press the necessity of an automated AI-aided solution for efficient and faster COVID-19 diagnostic. The main challenges during this pandemic time undertaken by this project are 1) facilitate the COVID-19 screening process by employing AI-based automated techniques, and 2) deploy the AI module in a web or mobile application by ensuring data privacy. This research project can benefit the TBRHRI to deal with uncertainties and excessive time-delay in terms of the COVID-19 screening process by utilizing artificial intelligence with automatic radiology image analysis to detect COVID-19.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Zubair Fadlullah

Student:

Sadman Sakib

Partner:

Thunder Bay Regional Research Institute

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

University:

Lakehead University

Program:

Accelerate

Development of polymer bonded / sintered permanent magnets for a wearable NMR sensor

SYNEX Medical, a Toronto based biotechnology startup has developed a non-invasive biomarker technology that comes in the form of a wearable ring enabling users to track concentration of different biomarkers in their blood. The device employs Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) technology to determine the concentration of different biomarkers. One fundamental instrumentation for this NMR based wearable device is a permanent magnet. This research project shall focus on the development of novel materials and manufacturing methods to fabricate polymer bonded / sintered permanent magnets using Additive Manufacturing (AM). The developed magnets shall be utilized to construct a magnetic array to generate a uniform magnetic field. Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology enables fabricating geometrically complex structures without tooling and minimum material utilization. AM processes like material jetting, fused deposition modelling and stereolithography are expected to be utilized. In this context, formulation of new materials, process design and manufacture of suitable permanent magnets shall be undertaken. The project further progresses to identifying the best suitable materials and processes to develop permanent magnets with desired dimensional and magnetic properties suitable for the wearable NMR device.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Pierre Mertiny

Student:

Balakrishnan Nagarajan

Partner:

Synex Medical Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Investigating the effect of the Virtual Meditative Walk on brain in chronic pain conditions: A longitudinal fMRI study

The Virtual Meditative Walk (VMW) (1) is a well-developed therapeutic protocol that can be used alone or in combination with the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction techniques in an Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) environment. It has been shown to be effective in reducing pain levels in patients with chronic pain (CP); however, little is known about how IVRs such as VMW may affect pain processing networks in the brain. During this post-doctorate position, a longitudinal neuroimaging clinical trial will be designed and implemented to explore alterations in the brain after a course of the VMW in CP patients. Methods. Patients with CP will be recruited and randomly assigned to one of the VMW or MBSR based WMV groups. Initially, pain levels and resting-state and task-based functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging data will be acquired. Participants will then receive twelve 20-minute therapeutic sessions, three per week; post-scans and pain levels will thereafter be acquired. Following a three-month post-study period, patients’ pain levels will be acquired again.Benefits the partner. These findings may provide a neuroscientific explanation for analgesic effects of IVR therapy and support the Easa Therapeutics to provide better services to patients and develop more specialized VR protocols for chronic pain conditions.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Diane Gromala;Halil Erhan

Student:

Zahra Ofoghi

Partner:

Easa Therapeutics

Discipline:

Interactive arts and technology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Program:

Elevate

Integrating state-of-the-art sustainable design with heritage conservation through an online information system

Although ambitious climate change laws are encouraging the sustainable retrofits required to meet carbon emissions reductions targets, a lack of understanding of the synergies between sustainability and preservation often results in interventions which adversely impact heritage values or are less effective than they could have been. Interns will work with MTBA Associates, Inc. to gather, analyze, distill information on industry best practices in sustainable rehabilitation and disseminate this via the “Online Sustainable Conservation Assistance Resource” (OSCAR) -an innovative information system to improve the sustainable performance and resilience of heritage buildings in a way which is appropriate for its heritage values, construction and climate. Interns will conduct applied research with MTBA to test the effectiveness of OSCAR on real-world architecture and engineering projects while contributing to the work of the firms. Topics of investigation include repair and sustainability upgrades to concrete building components.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mariana Esponda Cascajares;Mario Santana-Quintero

Student:

Catherine McBain

Partner:

Mark Thompson Brandt Architect & Associates Inc

Discipline:

Architecture and design

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Carleton University

Program:

Accelerate

Medicinal Chemistry Studies on Small Molecule Glucocerebrosidase Inhibitors

The objective of this internship is to create new chemical compounds that can be used to further our research and understanding of a human enzyme known as GBA2 – implicated in several debilitating diseases and signalling pathways in the body. These compounds would not only serve as tools to probe GBA2 for additional information but could also function as potential downstream therapeutics or pre-cursors to future medications to treat GBA2 malfunction. By synthesizing these probes, the intern will not only gain exposure to a branch of medicinal chemistry at the crossroads of organic synthesis and pharmaceutical sciences but will also have the opportunity to work and learn in an industrial science environment. In return, the intern will provide the partner organization with these valuable compounds and potential therapeutics which may serve the greater Canadian community as a resource for continued research, publication, and application.

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Faculty Supervisor:

David Vocadlo;Vance Williams

Student:

Viktor Holicek

Partner:

Alectos Therapeutics Inc.

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Intelligent Piezoelectric Transduction System for In-situ Health Monitoring of Concrete Elements

Concrete elements are extensively used in urban structures including high-rises, bridges, dams and tunnels, and testing their quality and monitoring their health is of extremely high importance in the industry.
In this project, use of piezoelectric transducers along with wireless communication and memory elements is suggested to overcome the limitations with the current methods. Piezoelectric elements are embedded in a concrete element at the time of construction. They will later generate alternating forces in the concrete and sense the reaction of the elements. This reaction will be used to make conclusions about the health conditions of the concrete elements.
Advanced computer modelling and computational techniques will be adopted to find a correlation between the concrete health conditions and its reaction to force disturbances. The final product will be able to communicate the results with the outside and help the engineers and inspectors know about the quality and lifetime of the structure.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mehrdad Moallem

Student:

Seyed Hossein Kamali

Partner:

Concrete MRI

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

Program:

Accelerate

De-risking A Vitreous Substitute Hydrogel for Retinal Detachment

In order to prevent vision loss for many diseases affecting the light-sensing tissue of the eye known as the retina, materials are injected into the eye to replace the jelly-like material known as the vitreous which is removed to treat the disease. Synakis is focused on developing a superior vitreous substitute which will avoid blurry vision, avoid the need for patients to lay face-down or have a second surgery to remove the substitute overall improving patient care. This project will involve characterizing the material properties for optimized methods to prepare, sterilize, mix and deliver the vitreous substitute. Completing this project will ensure Synakis can manufacture this material and progress towards regulatory approval.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Molly Shoichet;Michael Sefton;David Grant Allen

Student:

Alexander Baker

Partner:

Synakis

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Accelerate

Developing a facility-level energy load shape simulation method for utility planning

Utility planners require an understanding of how and when energy is used among their customers. Hourly “load shapes”, that represent facility electricity of natural gas use for each hour of the year, often disaggregated into individual “end-uses” such as space heating, lighting or water heating are the most detailed information of this type typically available to planners.
These load shapes allow planners to make bottom-up estimates of aggregate loads over their electricity or gas distribution system over various geographies, allowing them to ensure transmission/distribution infrastructure and generation/commodity supply will meet demand, integrate intermittent renewable resources, and estimate the effects of efficiency, demand-response and distributed generation measures.
This research will build on previous work by the partner to estimate annual hourly energy use by facility type and energy end-use in utility service territories. The methodology is expected to be based on energy load research for similar facilities (i.e. office buildings), equipment (i.e. chillers), or actions (i.e. application of energy conservation or demand response measures), and adjusted based on climate data, known annual energy use at the system level, and qualitative/quantitative survey data.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Burak Gunay;Liam O'Brien

Student:

Daniel Lowcay

Partner:

Posterity Group Consulting

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Carleton University

Program:

Accelerate

Empowering a Collaborative Service Robot Prototype for Long-term Care Facilities

COVID-19 has introduced significant challenges to healthcare systems and caregivers to provide quality care to older adults and adults with developmental disabilities (DD) living in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). As a result, regular doctor visits are limited, family visits are banned, and demand for caregivers is on the rise. Utilizing a Collaborative Service Robot (CSR) technology within a LTCF can improve safety and reduce loneliness by providing a medium for the residents to connect to the outside world and simultaneously reduce the risk of transferring infection. The ultimate goal of this project is to develop a CSR that assists seniors or adults with DD and their caregivers in LTCFs. The premise of this project is to improve safety inspection and to design and develop user-friendly human robot interactions (HRIs) for both remote users as well as LTCF residents and their caregivers to provide a seamless and secure communication medium.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Alvaro Joffre Uribe Quevedo

Student:

Brent Cowan;Silas Franco dos Reis Alves

Partner:

Discipline:

Other

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Ontario Tech University

Program:

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