Innovative Projects Realized

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

30508 Completed Projects

2882
AB
5105
BC
825
MB
681
NL
860
SK
9051
ON
9491
QC
97
PE
586
NB
1141
NS

Projects by Category

A Mechanistic Approach to Quantify the Impact of Invasive Lionfish

Lionfish have become the poster child for marine invasive species since their introduction to Floridian waters in the 1980s. While considerable efforts have attempted to quantify their impacts on native communities, research on lionfish and their feeding ecology remains in its infancy, as does knowledge about their competition with and impact on native predators. This provides the impetus for my research. I will attempt to disentangle the impacts of lionfish by studying their learning efficiency and foraging behaviour relative to ecologically analogous native grouper. In doing so, my research will offer novel ways by which to study lionfish and the drivers of their ecological impact. By better understanding why lionfish have such profound impacts, managers and researchers alike will be better equipped to effectively control this and other invasive species across marine, freshwater, and terrestrial realms.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Hugh MacIsaac;Nigel Hussey

Student:

Partner:

Florida Gulf Coast University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Environmental Science and Technology; Sustainability & the Environment

University:

University of Windsor

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Incorporating Natech Hazards in Resilience and Recovery Modeling

Natural hazards, such as floods and earthquakes, threaten communities and infrastructure systems throughout the world. In some cases, these natural hazards may trigger the release of hazardous materials, cause damage to critical lifeline systems, or result in other technological disasters. Assessment of so-called Natech (NAtural disaster-triggered TECHnological disaster) disasters is an area of expertise at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) at Kyoto University. Natech assessment provides valuable insight into vulnerable facilities and their individual risks. This project concerns adopting this skillset for the Canadian context and collaborating to extend Natech assessment to include modeling of facility interdependency with critical infrastructure systems and pathways to recovery in the event of a disaster. The goal of this project is to integrate Natech assessment with recovery and resilience modeling to better prepare facilities and communities in Canada and abroad before disaster strikes.

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Faculty Supervisor:

David Bristow

Student:

Partner:

Kyoto University

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Globalink Research Award

2D Nanomaterial Functionalized Nanomechanical Stress Sensor

Nanoscale gas sensors have a many potential applications such as toxic gas sensing, air quality monitoring, early disease detection and point of care diagnostics. Recently a novel gas sensing design based on a nano-mechanical membrane has been developed, known as the membrane-type surface stress sensor (MSS). The membrane is coated with a gas sensing material known as the receptor layer, which promotes the adsorption of the target gaseous analytes. The adsorption of the gas on the receptor imparts a physical stress onto the membrane which is subsequently measured by a stress sensitive material known as a piezoresistor placed at the fixed ends of the membrane. The measured stress indicates detection of the target gas. Thus far the receptor layer has been a polymer based material that has been able to sense water vapors, alcohols and various aromatics. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mustafa Yavuz

Student:

Partner:

National Institute for Materials Science

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Drug delivery technology to increase the water solubility of gambogic acid and its interaction with activated macrophages

My project focuses on using a chemistry-based approach to improve the delivery of an insoluble compound, gambogic acid (GA). GA is a natural product that has great potential as an anti-inflammatory drug. However, its clinical application has been limited due to the poor aqueous solubility and significant toxicity against red blood cells. I am currently working on developing a nanoparticle delivery system for GA with the aims of increasing its solubility and interaction with activated macrophages, the major player in many inflammatory diseases. Once I develop a nanoparticle delivery system for GA, I will then study the interaction between GA and macrophages and determine the effects that GA has on overactivated macrophages.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Shyh-Dar Li

Student:

Partner:

Tokushima University

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program:

Globalink Research Award

The moderating role of culture on offenders’ power and motivation to apologize

After hurting someone, an effective way to reconcile relationships and repair harm is to apologize. Apologizing is a process that involves expressing regret, and acknowledging wrongdoing and responsibility. For individuals from Western cultures that value independence, apologies are often resisted as one must give up their power. Conversely, individuals from Eastern cultures that value interdependence readily offer apologies.
One factor that may uniquely influence both Canadian and Japanese offenders’ willingness to apologize is social power. Power is associated with greater rewards as powerful individuals depend less on others and have the freedom to act in ways consistent with their goals.
My work has shown powerful compared to powerless individuals from Canada are less likely to apologize. I predict powerful compared to powerless offenders from a Japan will be more willing to offer an apology. The proposed research will test this effect and explore theoretical mechanisms that explain why.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ward Struthers

Student:

Partner:

Kobe University

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

University:

York University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Sex pheromone of Drosophila suzukii, an invasive fruit pest

Among Drosophila species, volatile organic compounds are key for host- and mate-finding behaviour. Recently, it was discovered that a single olfactory receptor channel (Or69a) in D. melanogaster that is tuned to both host odours and sex pheromones (Lebreton et al. 2017). Phylogenic analysis suggests this receptor is conserved across all Drosophila species; however, Or69a is believed to encode different pheromones in different species (Lebreton et al. 2017). Researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) have produced “empty neuron” transgenic D. suzukii to allow us to verify its role in pheromone reception and specificity by effectively silencing Or69a receptors.
The sex pheromone of a related species, D. melanogaster, is derived from a precursor cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) (Lebreton et al. 2017). Researchers at SLU have isolated and identified all comparable CHCs on D. suzukii and have synthesized candidate pheromones. I have been invited to collaborate at SLU beginning February until August 2018 to conduct physiological and behavioural research to identify the pheromone specific to D. suzukii, and determine its efficacy as a chemical attractant.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Thomas W Chapman;Kirk Hillier

Student:

Partner:

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Alnarp campus)

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Agriculture and Food; Life Sciences (not health); Sustainability & the Environment

University:

Memorial University of Newfoundland

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Okinawa: Biomedicine Situated in Local Contexts

The purpose of this proposed research is to obtain a nuanced understanding of the potential differences in how symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are manifested and reported by both Japanese and American families living in Okinawa, and how such differences are interpreted by ADHD researchers. This project situates itself at the front-line of social studies of biomedicine and mental health. Interactions that take place between families and researchers at the Children’s Research Center at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology will be observed and recorded in writing. Of particular interest is how the cultural contexts of Okinawa and Japan might influence the supposedly universal biomedicine perspective of the disorder. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Aryn Martin

Student:

Partner:

Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

York University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Characterization of mitochondria dynamics and metabolism in Group 2 pulmonary hypertension rat left atrial stenosis model

Pulmonary hypertension or elevated blood pressure in the lung caused by left heart diseases such as mitral valve stenosis is classified as Group 2 under the World Health Organization pulmonary hypertension classification system. Group 2 pulmonary hypertension is the most common type of pulmonary hypertension, but currently there is no approved therapies for this disease. To develop effective therapies for Group 2 pulmonary hypertension, an animal model is required. Fujimoto et al. recently developed a novel Group 2 pulmonary hypertension rat model by partially banding the left atrium with a metal clip to increase the left atrial and pulmonary venous pressure, which mimic mitral valve stenosis in human. Mitochondria, the power house of the cell, are found to be disordered in many diseases such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, and cancer. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Stephen Archer

Student:

Partner:

The Jikei University School of Medicine

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

University:

Queen's University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Development of a haptic feedback interface for a simulator for manual propulsion of standard and sport wheelchairs

There are about 10 millions manual wheelchair users in developed countries. This has given rise to several problems. Many users suffer from upper-body injuries sustained during propulsion of their wheelchairs. Research needs to be undertaken to suggest ways of reducing those injuries. Wheelchairs can be used in many difficult-to-navigate environments but their users need to have the necessary skills to do. Legislation has been enacted to ensure new buildings are accessible; therefore, architects need tools to evaluate their designs. This research proposes the development of a full-motion manual wheelchair simulator as a way to conduct research which addresses all three of those problems. This simulator will include a visual and sound system, a motion and incline platform, touch feedback at the wheel pushrims, a mathematical model and a control system. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Félix Chénier

Student:

Partner:

Gifu University

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

University:

Université du Québec à Montréal

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Synthesis of N-Heterocyclic Carbene-Modified Gold Nanoclusters and their Use in the Aerobic C-H Oxidation of Cyclohexane

For over than thirty years, chemists have applied sulfur-based organic molecules to gold sheets to form coatings with a single molecule thickness. Although these coatings have potential applications in sensors and microelectronics, they gradually decompose under moderate heat and in air, limiting their applications. In 2014, the Crudden group demonstrated that N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs), which are carbon-based organic molecules, could form ultrastable coatings on gold surfaces. The NHC-based coatings could withstand much harsher conditions than their sulfur-based analogs because of the stronger carbon-gold bond than that of the sulfur-gold one. In this work, we want to extend the use of NHCs to protect other highly applicable materials; namely gold nanoclusters. Nanoclusters are perfect entities, often smaller than 2 nm, composed of a specific number of metal atoms and surface-protected by organic ligands; most commonly by sulfur-based ones. They have potential applications in chemical synthesis, sensors, and microelectronics. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Cathy Crudden

Student:

Partner:

The University of Tokyo

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Education

University:

Queen's University

Program:

Globalink Research Award

Scalable Analytics of Massive Graphs

Massive, complex, interlinked information is collected by scientific research in different spheres of natural and social sciences. Graphs are commonly selected as a model of such information: graphs can successfully represent imprecise, uncertain, noisy data; graphs are well suited for the data structure analysis; graph theory has a well-developed mathematical apparatus forming a solid and sound foundation for graph research. Central to the proposed research are community-based analytics of graphs and diffusion of information through graphs. Research project will investigate which community definitions are best correlated with the existence of influential spreaders among the members of the community, and whether the status (relative importance) of an individual in a community allows him/her become an influential spreader in the larger network. Research into the diffusion of information involves developing the Influence Maximization algorithms that calculate the most influential nodes and/or communities in the graph. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Alex Thomo

Student:

Partner:

National Institute of Informatics

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Globalink Research Award

The Effects of Exercise on Grey Matter Volume in the Prefrontal Cortex and the Relation to Cognitive and Social Functioning in Schizophrenia

Decreased brain volume in frontal regions is a prominent feature of schizophrenia and has been linked to impairments in psychological and social functioning. These impairments persist over the lifespan, with approximately 64% of individuals experiencing severe social disability 15-years after illness onset. Finding ways to overcome barriers to better functioning is of utmost importance to patient quality of life. Recent evidence suggests that physical exercise can lead to increased brain volume, with implications for psychological and social functioning. The current study will investigate the efficacy of a 12-week aerobic exercise program for improving brain volume, and psychological and social functioning in chronic schizophrenia. Neuroimaging methods and standard neuropsychological tests will be used to evaluate changes from study entry to 12-week follow-up. This research aligns with the visions of BC Mental Health and Addiction Services in that it aims to advance best practices in mental health.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Allen Thornton

Student:

Partner:

BC Mental Health and Addiction Services

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Accelerate

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