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 Dynamics models for Turbo machinery Squeeze Film Dampers

Vibration of aircraft engine is the major contribution to the structure vibration in an aircraft. To reduce the cabin noise and improve the comfortability for air passenger, research design and analysis are desired in the engine technology. A critical component in eliminating the vibration in an aero engine is the squeeze film damper (SFD). Current SFD models are oversimplified to describe the practical issues related to the phenomenon of air entrainment and turbulence flows. This project will collaborate with research resources from the University of Toronto and Pratt & Whitney Canada to develop dynamic models of SFD to address the above problem. The new technology will be applied in aircraft engine design to reduce the noise and vibration, aiming to keep the Canadian aerospace industry competitive in the global market.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Kamran Behdinan

Student:

Tieshu Fan

Partner:

Pratt & Whitney Canada

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Evaluation of Dimensional Stability and Mechanical Properties of Hybrid Mass Timber Panel

Norbord Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of wood-based panels supplying primarily to the low-rise residential and industrial market in United States, Europe, and Canada. It seeks to improve market diversification and increase its market penetration in the mid-to-high rise construction market. The objective of this project is to evaluate the dimensional stability and mechanical properties of this hybrid MTP as well as to investigate cost-effective manufacturing process. The project aims to generate technical and economic information that will enable Norbord Inc to evaluate the economic viability of manufacturing hybrid mass timber panels.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ying-Hei Chui

Student:

Md Abdul Hamid Mirdad

Partner:

Norbord Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Engineering the marine microalga Phaeodactylum tricornutum for production of diagnostic and therapeutic proteins

The current COVID-19 pandemic has burdened the healthcare system and disrupted economies worldwide. One method of combating this pandemic is through serological testing, which can determine who has been exposed to the virus and developed an immune response. This is particularly important for front-line healthcare workers as the test would identify individuals who are potentially immune to reinfection and can return to work. These tests can also identify individuals who are immune to the virus due to vaccination. The goal of this project is to produce the viral antigens needed to manufacture these tests using a microalga called Phaeodactylum tricornutum. A reliable, cheap, and accurate serological test will be critical in helping Suncor employees, and many other Canadians, return to work safely.

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Faculty Supervisor:

David Edgell

Student:

Sam Slattery

Partner:

Suncor Energy Inc

Discipline:

Biochemistry / Molecular biology

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Western University

Program:

Dynamic multi-type multi-priority emergency surgery scheduling with accurate service duration estimation

The process of setting surgical schedules in a modern hospital operating room suite is complicated. Scheduling surgery involves coordinating two separate but inter-related service distribution channels, namely, elective surgery operations and emergency surgery operations. Elective surgical cases are selected from a broad range of diagnostic categories and are scheduled in advance into surgical time that usually runs during regular business hours. In contrast, emergency surgery, often referred to as “unscheduled” surgery randomly emerges from a much narrower range of higher urgency indications and is scheduled by allocation onto available operating room time-based on relative priority. The emergency surgery waitlist is particularly challenging to manage as the operating room manager must simultaneously consider multiple patients from multiple priority levels and balance available resources against many uncertainties including demand variability and surgery duration. There is an agreement in medical society that a delay in receiving emergency surgery care can result in adverse patient outcomes. Therefore, based on the urgency of the case, operations are categorized into several priority groups so that each group has its own wait time target within which surgeries should be scheduled.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Hossein Abouee Mehrizi

Student:

Mohammad Hossein Eshraghi

Partner:

On Time OR Scheduling

Discipline:

Other

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Accelerate

Developing low-intensity pulsed ultrasound circuits to enhance cellulosic bioethanol yield for renewable energy

As the world finite supply of fossil fuels diminishes, viable alternatives are needed to empower the transportation, heating, and industrial needs of modern civilization. Lignocellulosic ethanol promises a means to transform abundant plant wastes into an energy-dense, carbon-neutral liquid combustible, compatible with current infrastructure. Unlike the first-generation biofuels derived from corn or sugarcane, lignocellulosic ethanol does not infringe on food production, although extra steps are needed to convert bulk cellulose into simple sugars suitable for fermentation. In order for lignocellulosic bioethanol production to become economically viable, a number of breakthroughs are needed at each individual step. A major constraint for cellulose hydrolysis is the cost of cellulase enzymes, which can account for 30–50% of total production costs. With this problem in mind, we propose to enhance the production and function of cellulase enzymes through the application of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), making the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into bio-ethanol a more economical process. Our bench studies have shown that LIPUS could enhance enzyme production in liquid cultures of Trichoderma Reesei, a cellulase enzyme producing fungi, by 50%. Further studies have shown that LIPUS applied to cultures of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae can increase the conversion rate of glucose to ethanol.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jie Chen

Student:

Oleksandra Savchenko

Partner:

Hidaca Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Accelerate

Self-powered nasal wearable sensor for diagnosis of Coronavirus 2019

Corona Virus 19 creates adverse effects on the global health system leading to economic crisis. Although trials to develop vaccines are underway, it would take a while for the general public. Wearable sensors have been receiving increased attention toward monitoring the wearer’s well-being and playing a significant role in the healthcare industry. The upper respiratory tract is the first site for hosting and transmission of COVID infection. Therefore, developing a wearable nasal sensor will achieve in-home continuous monitoring of virus in the nasal cavity. The recognition site on the sensor will be a specific aptamer. Self-powering wearable sensors can be achieved through using glucose in a nasal cavity for harvesting energy required for powering the wearable sensor for detecting the COVID-19. The produced signal will send a wireless signal through Bluetooth board to the smartphone, which indicates the infection.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jie Chen

Student:

Ahmed Khorshed

Partner:

Hidaca Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Optimizing crop production while minimizing environmental nutrient losses using struvite: An assessment of different mixtures of readily soluble fertilizers and less soluble struvite phosphorus recovered from wastewater

Agricultural runoff transports nutrients such as phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) that act as environmental pollutants in fresh and coastal marine ecosystems. Both chemical fertilizers and animal manure release substantial P and N to runoff and leaching despite current conservation efforts. While recent research has shown that struvite could be a viable P supplement for inorganic fertilizers, it is unclear if and how this may impact environmental losses. The proposed study will determine appropriate combinations of struvite and chemical fertilizer required to maintain optimal crop yields and quality with minimal nutrient leaching. For this study, the intern will partner with Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies. Ostara commercially produces a struvite-based fertilizer, Crystal Green®. Crystal Green® is registered as a fertilizer in the USA and Canada. This study’s findings will benefit Ostara by elevating their understanding of struvite and soil and water chemistry interaction, which have implications on crop yields and fertilizer economic efficiency. By understanding how struvite fertilizers alter phosphate runoff and leaching from crop fields, Ostara, government, and the researchers can continue to advise growers on how to continue reducing edge-of-field P losses.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Kimberley Schneider;Merrin Macrae

Student:

Kokulan Vivekananthan

Partner:

Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies

Discipline:

Agriculture

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Program:

Environmentally friendly adhesion promoter compositions for multilayer coating applications

In the first year of the proposed project, we will explore and optimize the application of environmentally friendly solvents for organosilane adhesion promoters that are used in the production of HSS by Canusa-CPS. In the second year, the shelf-life and lifetime of such products will be investigated using accelerated testing procedures. The results of the proposed research project will be beneficial to Canusa-CPS for the development of environmentally friendly adhesion promoters and lay the groundwork for new testing methods that predict the lifetime of HSS products. The proposed research will also create unique opportunities for the training of highly qualified personnel by exposing them to real-world technical and industrial challenges.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Hamed Shahsavan

Student:

Rasool Nasseri Pourtakalo

Partner:

Canusa-CPS

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Accelerate

Integration of Hybrid Distributed Resources in Three Different Systems With and Without Global Adjustment

The use of hybrid distributed energy resources (HDERs) has grown rapidly during the last decade as a way to reduce the stress placed on the utility grid by society’s ever-expanding power consumption. They consist of fossil fuel generators, battery energy storage systems, and renewable energy systems and can be designed to interact with the grid in various system architectures to supply end-user loads. It is important to size and integrate HDERs appropriately so that they can meet load demands, while still being cost-effective. The proposed project, which will be a collaboration between researchers from Western University and AVL Manufacturing in Hamilton ON, will be concerned with the design of new HDERs and will focus on three HDER architectures. These new HDERs will be commercialized by AVL and promise to make AVL an industry leader in HDER system technology.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Gerry Moschopoulos

Student:

Ramtin Rasoulinezhad

Partner:

AVL Manufacturing Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Western University

Program:

Accelerate

Evaluation of value-added lignin-based bioproducts for commercial applications

During the production of pulp, in the pulp and paper manufacturing process, one component of the tree is extracted into the pulping liquid. This component, called lignin, has potential value as an important renewable material for adhesives, fibre, and coatings. The proposed research has the focus on evaluating the pulping liquid for all of its components and transforming the lignin material into prototype materials for forest industries in British Columbia. Namely, lignin will be converted into 1) nonwoven fibre for the production of filtration media, suitable for personal protection equipment, and 2) a key ingredient in polyurethane foams, a key material in rigid building insulation foams. Key to the proposed materials is developing proper formulations for the insulation foams with the industrial lignins along with moving the lab scale spinning to the next production scale to derisk the technology. We hope to substitute fossil based chemicals using these renewable materials in potential new markets.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Scott Renneckar;Shawn Mansfield

Student:

Adil Mazar;MiJung Cho;Soo-Kyeong Jang

Partner:

West Fraser Mills Ltd.

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Betulinic acid derivatives as a new agents for pediatric cancers

The aim of the project is to design and test different chemical derivatives of betulinic acid as a treatment for cancer. It is well known that betulinic acid is able to specifically kill cancer cells, and so we have developed several derivatives to improve biochemical properties such as solubility or biodistribution but maintaining the toxicity for cancer cells. We will test these different chemical structures on different cell lines (normal and cancerous) and try to elucidate the mechanism of action of those compounds. Once we will get promising results in vitro, we will determine the most powerful compound and we could continue with in vivo studies, which could lead to the development and commercialization of a new treatment for pediatric cancers.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Poul Sorensen

Student:

Anne-Chloe Dhez

Partner:

Derm-Biome Pharmaceuticals

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Long-term effects of the administration of botulinum toxin BoNT-A, in a pre-clinical model of Parkinson’s disease

In the present project, we aim to contribute to the investigation of the potential use of botulinum toxin (BoNT-A) injections in the brain for the treatment of PD symptoms in the long-term. Particularly, we pretend provide evidence that allow optimize the use of BoNT-A, defining optimal concentrations and periodicity of treatment, as well as the description of the mechanisms involved.
The results obtained from this study are of great interest for MERZ, because this will permit continue with the evaluation of Botulinum toxin as a treatment for motor symptoms of PD, expanding the scope of application of this product that is already established in the in the industry, with delivery technologies available to humans.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mandar Jog

Student:

Alejandra Veronica Parra Pena

Partner:

Merz Pharma Canada Ltd

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

University:

University of Western Ontario

Program:

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