Innovative Projects Realized

Cost-Effective Computer Simulation for the Offshore and Marine Industry

Computer simulations have been widely used by the offshore and marine industry, but they typically use different software to simulate different components of a single operational scenario. For example, the tool can be used for the analysis of wave loads of a moored structure in ice infested areas, eliminating the need for analyzing wave load, mooring tension, and ice loads, separately. This project looks to examine how multi-physics, multi-phase simulation software can improve the safety of personnel and assets by simulating complex marine scenarios in an integrated approach that is currently not available.

Methodology development and implementation of a platform for non-destructive evaluation of both butt-fused and electrofused polyethylene pipe joints using ultrasound and deep learning

The infrastructure industry needs a way to non-destructively assess plastic pipe joints. We aim to research, design, and develop methodologies and a prototype device that allow automated inspection of these joints (made with the two most common joining methods) using ultrasound and artificial intelligence (AI). We propose a novel method that uses a two-element ultrasonic transducer (inexpensive but sensitive enough compared to previous methods). Ultrasonic signals produced by this transducer will be read by the AI, which will assess the joint (determine whether it contains a defect, and if so, characterize it in terms of type, size, and location), and display the results on a screen. Our proposed solution is inexpensive (so industry will adopt it), portable (as these joints are made usually in ditches as pipes are being inserted into the ground), and easy-to-use (hence, the AI component). The prototype will become a marketable product for our partner.

Creating and testing effective teacher curriculum guides for the educational versions of Ubisoft’s Assassins Creed games

Caring for the caregiver: Exploring the “lived” caregiving and self-care experiences of family caregivers of persons with scleroderma during COVID-19

Scleroderma is a rare autoimmune connective tissue disease that damages skin and internal organs. Although many Canadians with scleroderma live at home with supported care from family, seeing their loved ones struggle with reduced participation in activities of daily living caused by disease symptoms often causes caregivers emotional distress in their caregiving role. Given the need for physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, family caregivers are experiencing increased social isolation (to prevent contracting and spreading COVID-19) and emotional distress with fewer community care resources available. To direct the development of socially inclusive caregiving, self-care, and social support resources for family caregivers of persons with scleroderma, this research will provide an in-depth understanding of family caregivers “lived” experiences with caregiving and self-care during COVID-19. It will also provide evidence of how co-participation in an online scleroderma support group program influences caregiver burden, loneliness, social connection, social support, and self-care behaviour.

Perennial grains for fall grazing of beef cattle

Perennial grains, especially domesticated intermediate wheatgrass (IWG), are approaching commercialization as food crops. Due to the perennial nature of this crop i.e. multiple seed harvest (years) off of a single planting, grazing of post-harvest regrowth in the late fall would provide added value to beef producers, helping to sustain Canada’s beef industry. This project aims to evaluate the agronomic benefits of producing perennial grains, both on its own and in conjunction with a perennial legume, and the added benefits of grazing the post-harvest regrowth to both beef producer and grain producers. This project aligns with the objective of Manitoba Beef Producers to improve the competitiveness of beef producers in an economically and environmentally sustainable way and will provide valuable information that will be disseminated through a variety of technology transfer activities.

Biphasic CO2 extraction/stripping of bioactive compounds from fermentation overlays

Recent studies have shown that cannabinoids can control chronic pain and muscle spasms as well as other diseases related to chemotherapy, AIDS and epilepsy, therefore it is very important to investigate about cannabinoids. However, it is very difficult to strip it out cheaply from the triglyceride oil while securing high purity and high concentration level; and this challenge may limit its use for medical purposes. The proposed solution to tackle the problem is to develop a liquid (CO2)-liquid or (scCO2)-liquid extraction process using unique counter-current extraction column. This can be achieved by passing a high oleic sunflower stream containing the compound of interest (free fatty acid) counter-currently to a solvent stream containing liquid or supercritical CO2. Accordingly, improving the quality of products can lead to an increase in sales and profits for the partner organization.

Efficacy and feasibility of online cognitive training platforms for older adults with subjective cognitive complaints: A randomized controlled trial

With an aging population on the rise, the prevalence of cognitive decline is expected to increase substantially. Goal Management Training® (GMT) and the Memory and Aging Program® (MAP) are cognitive interventions that have been studied extensively and applied clinically to address these needs. Although previous research has demonstrated efficacy of the in-person versions of both MAP and GMT, significant barriers exist in the utilization of these programs. In light of these challenges, online versions of MAP and GMT have recently been developed. The current project aims to evaluate if online versions of MAP and GMT are successful at improving cognitive functioning, cognitive complaints, and the impact of cognitive concerns on daily functioning. Findings will be used for knowledge dissemination and will aid in the commercialization of these evidence-based online cognitive interventions.

Bioprocessing strategies for enhanced production of heme in Escherichia coli

Ardra Inc. has sustainably produced many high-purity chemicals that are used for various flavor, perfume, and cosmetic applications. Combining industrial/business expertise provided by Ardra with academic/research skills provided by Dr. C. Perry Chou’s lab, we are aiming to effectively produce high-value heme compound using engineered E. coli host organism. Major efforts will be dedicated toward engineering of this bacterium by adopting synthetic biology, metabolic engineering, and bioprocessing strategies to facilitate large-scale bio-based production of heme. As a long-term goal, it will provide innovative strategies for the production of heme in a clean, sustainable, and cheap way. Lastly, it will enhance world biomass economy and biomanufacturing capacity, leading to the improvement in the quality of life.

Developing genomic and transcriptomic tools for analysis of cannabinoid producing yeast strains

The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids is well established. The study of these molecules is primarily based on their availability from the cannabis plant (Cannabis sativa). In addition to common cannabinoids, there are dozens of rare cannabinoids produced in C. sativa with potential therapeutic benefits that cannot be fully evaluated because of their scarcity. Thus, there is a need for alternative production methods for these molecules. Willow Analytics is developing yeast strains that are capable of producing two rare cannabinoids that cannot be practically sourced from cannabis plants. Part of our development cycle is the analysis of the biological sequences of successive yeast strains. We currently have a bottleneck in building the computational pipelines for the analysis of our yeast strains and cannabis plants. This project will focus on building fully-automated pipelines for yeast data processing, designed specifically for development of strain engineering.

Community Energy Profiles and the CASES Toolkit

The Community Energy Profiles and the CASES Toolkit project is part of a larger partnership involving 15 communities and 16+ private and public sector partner organizations in 4 countries. Co-led by Drs. Greg Poelzer and Bram Noble, the project includes 7 interns with interest in the areas of energy policy, impact assessment, economics, energy systems modeling, social innovation, and capacity building with Indigenous communities, industries, and governments. The benefits of the internships to our Canadian partner organizations are multiple and extend beyond the internships. Our partner organizations are the drivers behind the CASES initiative, are interested in helping train the next generation of energy planners and analysis to expand renewable energy networks across the North. Partner organizations will especially benefit from community energy profiles and assessment toolkits to support local renewables transition planning and management; access to and participation in the project’s data sharing and knowledge exchange platform; and learning from the collaborative approach of both CASES and internship opportunities, ensuring opportunities to learn from other utilities, industry partners, and communities about energy innovation solutions, governance, and ownership models.

Chemically upgradation and hybrid biocatalytic valorization of lignin into green aviation ligno-jet fuel and paraffinic hydrocarbons

‘Low-Carbon Fuels’ refer to fuels produced from biological and waste resources with lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels. This project, supported by Suncor and performed at Ryerson University, aims to explore the use of innovative biocatalytic and catalytic processes to produce drop-in ligno-biojet fuel from lignin. A single biochemical step will be utilized to convert degraded lignins into hydrocarbons, and after subsequent catalytic hydrodeoxygenation using novel catalysts, into aviation fuels. The use of second-generation feedstocks (e.g. forestry biomass and pulp mill waste) is the most attractive pathway to support the large-scale deployment of sustainable and economically attractive low-carbon biojet fuels in the near future. This project is well aligned with Suncor’s GHG performance goal of reducing the emissions intensity of their products by 30% by 2030, and is aligned with Canada’s plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Intelligent Systems Data Ingestion and Analytics

This project will support the development of comprehensive, multidisciplinary Smart Building, Smart Transportation, and Smart City management systems in order to improve energy performance, operations cost, safety and reliability for large infrastructures in the private and public sector.
The research problem to be addressed is to develop effective methods to ingest and analyze massive amounts of streaming data from large numbers of WiFi-connected IoT devices monitoring buildings, vehicles, and transportation corridors within a Smart Campus or Smart City. This heterogeneous data comes in a wide variety of formats, at different sampling rates, in a variety of quantities. It must then be classified according to a strict ontology, stored in cloud-based databases, and recovered on demand for analysis and the computation of comprehensive key performance indicates for use by human operators and machine learning systems.
Our team has access to live streaming data both from real installations in labs and buildings and from Digital Twin simulators, with both IoT devices and Edge servers in the data mix, developed in partnership with academic researchers at partner institutions. FuseForward is working with Ryerson and other local partners to develop an IoT monitoring network on a college campus.