Innovative Projects Realized

Sound localization for acoustic monitoring of bird populations in response to fire and oil extraction in Alberta’s oil sands region

Sound localization involves the triangulation of the location of a sound source by recording it on multiple microphones. One potential application of sound localization technology is to monitor the movements of vocalizing animals passively, without the need for a human observer. This project aims to further develop and test sound localization technology, then to apply the technology to monitor the movements and behaviours of birds in Alberta’s oilsands region in the vicinity of inactive well pads in burned and unburned areas. The resulting data will provide insights into the effects of industrial activities and forest fires on the behaviour and habitat use of birds, including several species of conservation concern. The project will also help identify effective well pad remediation techniques, to mitigate future effects on bird populations and accelerate recovery efforts.

Refoulé.e.s de la naturalisation. Analyse des frontières de la communauté nationale (Canada, France, Royaume-Uni)

Depuis le début des années 2000, les conditions d’accès aux droits dans la société d’installation des résidents étrangers ont été reconfigurées dans l’objectif affiché de s’assurer de leur « bonne » intégration comme préalable indispensable à l’acquisition du statut de citoyen. Dans le but de comprendre ce que ces reconfigurations font aux frontières de la communauté nationale (comment elles justifient leur franchissement), le projet présenté ici propose de
s’intéresser aux situations dans lesquelles des États dont les héritages diffèrent en matière de politiques d’immigration et d’intégration (le Canada, la France, le Royaume-Uni), refusent la nationalité ou décident de la retirer. Cette perspective de recherche implique de s’intéresser aux usages que font les bureaucraties de l’immigration des conditions d’acquisition et de retrait de nationalité, et s’appuie sur une enquête de terrain procédant par entretiens et observations auprès des acteurs administratifs et judiciaires (avocats, magistrats) dans les trois cas d’étude.

The Praxis of Agroecology: Sharing Knowledge and Engaging Policy

This research represents the evolution of an existing partnership between USC Canada and Food: Globally Embedded, Locally Engaged (FLEdGE), a SSHRC Partnership Grant project conducting community-based research on sustainable
food systems. The intern will work with these partners to explore the theory and action of agroecology and food sovereignty at the global level and the implications this may have for the future of food systems in Canada. Through primary and secondary research, this project aims to explore the successes and limitations of agroecology in order to expand this work in Canada. The outcomes will benefit USC Canada by increasing their research capacity, assisting in data analysis and knowledge dissemination while also building connections to researcher and policy-maker partners through FLEdGE. Agroecology has the potential to transform Canada’s food system to be more healthy, equitable, and sustainable,
qualities which are increasingly important for the longevity and success of Canadian agriculture.

Mix-and-Match Pipeline to Ease the Creation of New Facial Models for Video Game Applications

Ubisoft has an extensive database of character’s heads represented as polygonal meshes. Those come from two primary sources: processed 3D scans and models made by artists. It would be convenient to use this database to mix-and-match parts of characters to create new human-like character heads. Let’s say we wish to replace the nose of one character with another nose. We want the junction between the nose and the surrounding areas to be as seamless as possible while accommodating for the new nose, which could have a different size. We will rely on geometric methods such as Laplacian surface editing [Sorkine 2004] to extract vertex positions that fit the new nose in the other facial mesh. The vertex positions will result from an energy minimization to reduce surface curvature discontinuities at the junction while maintaining the surface curvature of both the original face and the new nose. Furthermore, a global optimization will allow the deformation of the new nose so that it fits in the related region of the target head, thus resulting in a realistic head.

Removal of THMs by Aeration in a Conventional Lime/Soda Softening Plant With High DOC Water

Surface waters, such as lakes and rivers, often have high amounts of natural organic matter formed from decaying plants and animals. Drinking water treatment plants that use these water sources often face with high levels of carcinogenic chlorine disinfection by-products (DBPs) which are result of reaction between natural organic matters and chlorine that is added to water for disinfection. Canadian water quality guidelines set maximum acceptable levels for these harmful DBPs and hence water treatment plants are obliged to come up with appropriate solutions to meet the guidelines. There are different strategies to reduce DBPs including: enhance removal of organic matters, application disinfectants alternative to chlorine, or removal of DBPs after they have been formed. This project aims to study aeration of potable water as a strategy for removal of DBPs specially trihalomethanes (THMs). TO BE CONT’D

Détection de compromission dans un réseau IoT

L’entreprise StreamScan Inc. produit un « système de détection de compromission » ou (compromize detection system ou CDS), une solution de sécurité innovante, de nouvelle génération qui permet d’identifier l’ensemble des systèmes informatiques (serveurs, équipements réseau, etc.) piratés dans une infrastructure TIC. Ce projet a pour objectif d’adapter le produit CDS au contexte de l’Internet des objets (IoT). Le Framework que nous allons développer permettra une sélection des algorithmes de détection les plus appropriés au contexte d’un réseau IoT et leur déploiement rapide sous la forme d’unités logicielles légères capables de s’adapter aux ressources disponibles. La réussite du projet contribuera à (1) renforcer le leadership de StreamScan Inc. dans le domaine de la détection d’équipements piratés dans les infrastructures TIC et à (2) mieux protéger les infrastructures IoT canadiennes contre les cyber-attaques et du fait, mieux protéger les données privées des citoyens canadiens collectées et transmises par les réseaux IoT.

Exploring home range and habitat use during the breeding season of the Bicknell’s thrush (Catharus bicknelli) in New Brunswick Clear-cuts

The Bicknell’s thrush (Cathurs bicknelli) is a rare songbird with the most restrictive breeding range in North America. The Bicknell’s thrush spends its summer months breeding in high elevation, stunted growth forests – a habitat that the species specializes in. In New Brunswick, there has been a documented population decline of 11.5% per year since 2001. After having identified specific geographic areas where Bicknell’s thrush present, this project proposes using radio-tracking to describe individual’s breeding home ranges and extrapolate population size and densities. Contributing to the research knowledge of the Bicknell’s thrush, a federal species at risk, supports Bird Studies Canada’s mandate in using sound research to advise conservation authorities and managers.

User-Side Analyses of the Effect of Laser Data Uncertainties onMapping Applications

Manufacturers’ specifications for laser data acquisition have been used since

the inception of the technology over a decade ago [Habib et. al., 2008; Ussyshkin et. al, 2006].

However, unbiased geostatistical analysis would be valuable in determining – in a pre-analysis stage –

whether or not user-demanded specifications for project-specific mapping applications can be met or

exceeded by the manufacturer’s standards. The partnering organization’s knowledge of false

accuracies, if any, can assess the uncertainty of marrying airborne laser data budgets with the total

uncertainty propagation model [Hare, 2001] – used for hydrographic data error budgeting – in CARIS

HIPS as of now. Ultimately, CARIS seeks to integrate these two error sources and provide a total

uncertainty budget model suitable for both terrain and hydrographic objects.

Finally, assessing the accuracy of LiDAR measurements within a controlled test field will determine

whether or not the actual uncertainties lie within predicted tolerances.

Electrical characterization of graphene-based composites

Blending carbonaceous materials with thermoplastic materials can lead to a significant improvement of the resulting electrical, mechanical, thermal, and gas barrier properties compared with the unfilled polymer. Graphene, the name given to a material consisting of two-dimension layers of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice, has extraordinary properties which make possible to produce a new class of polymer nanocomposites with significantly improved properties. The objective of this project is to characterize the properties of nanocomposites obtained at by incorporating NanoXplore’s various grades of graphene into different thermoplastic matrixes and to find the suitable graphene concentration range for each thermoplastic for numbers of industrial applications.

Puissance Dys : projet-pilote préventif pré-scolaire utilisant des interventions éducatives intermodalitaires

Le présent projet de recherche au service de l’organisme Dysphasie-Estrie vise à encadrer la mise-en-place d’un tout nouveau projet-pilote pré-scolaire s’adressant aux familles de l’Estrie. L’Académie Puissance Dys est un service spécialisé en langage et apprentissage afin que les enfants développent le nécessaire pour réduire leurs écarts de développement et puissent assurer une transition réussie vers le milieu scolaire. Notre recherche est supervisée par des chercheurs de l’Université de Sherbrooke et est en relation avec notre thèse de doctorat en éducation. La première année du projet permettra d’évaluer les effets sur le développement des fonctions neuropsychologiques et langagières chez les enfants, tout comme établir les meilleures pratiques enseignantes pour développer les compétences nécessaires au pré-scolaire. Les parents seront impliqués tout au long de la recherche, entre autres, en donnant leur point de vue sur l’évolution de leur enfant et des pratiques enseignantes.

An Integrated model of Geomechanics and a Multiporosity Reservoir Simulator to Investigate Improved Recovery Techniques in Shale Reservoirs

Shale reservoirs have become a very important source of hydrocarbons, especially in North America. Shales are rocks with very low permeability and therefore, produce the hydrocarbons stored in them is difficult. In order to do it, oil companies have to inject high pressurized fluids to break the rock. But, by using this unique strategy, most hydrocarbons are being left in the subsurface. This work aims to use mathematical and numerical models to investigate different methods that can lead to recover a bigger portion of the hydrocarbons stored in shale reservoirs. The study will be focused on fields operated by Nexen Energy, but the methodology can be applied to other fields in Canada.

On a characterization of thin-film silicon

The conventional form of hydrogenated amorphous silicon, prepared through plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, has proven itself to be a useful material for a wide range of device applications. It has been shown that the hydrogen atoms that reside within hydrogenated amorphous silicon are responsible for its favorable electronic properties, these hydrogen atoms passivating the dangling bonds that are present within this material. Unfortunately, these hydrogen atoms are also believed to be responsible for a reversible instability, known as the Staebler-Wronski effect, which occurs within this material upon exposure to light. Given that the concentration of hydrogen atoms within device-quality hydrogenated amorphous silicon is about 50 times greater than the concentration of dangling bonds, one can conclude that there is a great excess of hydrogen atoms within hydrogenated amorphous silicon. TO BE CONT’D