Innovative Projects Realized

L2M – Clean Hydrogen and Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement through Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis

This project aims to advance a clean technology that uses an electrodialysis process to remove acidity from seawater while producing green hydrogen. Using seawater and renewable electricity, the system removes excess acidity, encouraging ocean carbon uptake. The result is de-acidified seawater capable of absorbing more carbon dioxide, while simultaneously producing green hydrogen as a valuable co-product. This approach addresses ocean acidification, accelerates the natural carbon cycle, and generates a carbon-free fuel. Our modular, cost-effective system can integrate with existing ocean infrastructure for scalable climate and energy impact. It has potential applications in hydrogen-intensive industries such as coastal refineries, desalination plants, green steel, and shipping. With Canada’s vast coastline, renewable energy potential, and leadership in clean technology, this project aligns with national priorities by combining climate restoration with clean energy production, supporting Canada’s net-zero ambitions.

L2M-COASTAIR

Coastal and marine pollution is draining ecosystems and budgets across Canada and beyond, yet we still check shorelines with clipboards or wait for low-resolution satellite passes. The result: blind spots, slow responses, and costly cleanups. COASTAIR flips that script. Our AI-enabled aerial platform pairs agile drones with RGB and hyperspectral cameras to spot, classify, and measure pollution, i.e. floating plastics, oil sheens, and even harmful algal blooms, in real time. Each flight streams geo-tagged imagery to an onboard/edge model that flags anomalies, while a cloud dashboard turns detections into clear maps, trends, and alerts the inspection team immediately. Built as a simple subscription, COASTAIR gives coastal municipalities, port authorities, and environmental agencies continuous, decision-ready intelligence at a fraction of traditional costs. Schedule automated routes, track hotspots over time, and export reports for compliance. For partners, the payoff is direct: faster, safer monitoring and earlier interventions that prevent small spills from becoming headlines. Furthermore, a validated rollout plan for pilots and partnerships, including training, regulatory guidance, and shared metrics for success. In short, COASTAIR transforms the coastal monitoring of the coastal region. One can protect water, wildlife, and communities with speed and confidence.

Design and Implementation of a Generalized, Secure, and Scalable API

DiamondAI and McMaster University are working together to create a secure and scalable software interface, called an API, that connects DiamondAI’s career guidance platform with the online systems used by schools and colleges. DiamondAI helps students and newcomers understand their strengths and interests through personalized assessments powered by artificial intelligence. Right now, most schools use platforms such as Moodle, Brightspace, or Google Classroom. Because DiamondAI operates separately, students need to leave their school systems to use it, which reduces engagement and raises privacy concerns. This project will build a solution that allows schools to offer DiamondAI’s assessments directly inside their existing systems. It will support safe data sharing, single sign-on, and compliance with Canadian privacy rules. Ultimately, the project demonstrates how applied AI and software engineering can combine to strengthen Canada’s digital innovation ecosystem, bridge the gap between education and employment, and create meaningful social and economic impact. The new integration will make DiamondAI easier for schools to adopt, improve student access, and protect personal data. For DiamondAI, this project will create a strong foundation for scaling its services across Canada and help build partnerships with educational institutions, advancing both innovation and social impact.

Maggie’s Place Cumberland Evaluation

This project aims to evaluate the food security programs delivered by Maggie’s Place Cumberland as part of the Cumberland County Collaborative Food Network (CFN) initiative. Maggie’s Place, a trusted family resource centre serving communities across the region, is the backbone organization for the CFN in Cumberland County. Building on two years of CFN-funded activities, this evaluation will assess programming outcomes from April 2025 to March 2026, focusing on how these initiatives address food insecurity, support social inclusion, and promote dignity and choice for participants.
Since launching the CFN in 2023, Maggie’s Place has supported and facilitated a wide array of initiatives including the Maggie’s Place Free Store and Social Food Pantry, community cooking workshops, seasonal food kits, Seedy Saturdays, youth meal programs, community gardens, and monthly community suppers in Amherst and Wentworth. These programs are delivered in collaboration with numerous community organizations and partners across a geographically large and rural county.

The evaluation will assess both the reach and impact of CFN-funded programming by collecting quantitative data (e.g., number of meals served, food kits distributed, demographics reached) and qualitative insights (e.g., participant experiences, barriers encountered, and community perceptions). It will also explore how CFN activities help reduce stigma, build social connections, and respond to community-identified needs, especially among rural residents, families with young children, and populations experiencing systemic barriers.

A key objective of this project is to strengthen Maggie’s Place’s capacity for ongoing monitoring and learning. The intern will work closely with the CFN Coordinator and program staff to improve data collection and feedback tools—such as post-activity surveys, tracking templates, and interview guides—ensuring they are practical, inclusive, and responsive to community needs. These tools will support routine evaluation and inform real-time program adjustments while improving reporting to the province and community partners.

Towards Sustainable Hydrovoltaic Energy: Self-Healing, Recycling, and Wettability Engineering Approaches

This project aims to create new types of hydrovoltaic generators, which are devices that produce electricity from small amounts of moisture in the air or water. While these generators are promising for clean energy and water treatment, current versions are not durable enough and cannot adapt well to changing environments. By combining my expertise in cost-effective, cellulose-based hydrovoltaic systems with Professor Ning Yan’s research on recyclable polymers, surface design for water control, and bio-based functional gels, we will develop generators that are stronger, longer-lasting, and able to perform additional functions such as sensing humidity or water flow. The expected benefits include advancing clean water and energy solutions, opening new opportunities for eco-friendly materials and energy technologies in Canada, and strengthening long-term research collaboration between Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) in Korea and the University of Toronto in Canada.

Hybrid PAN–Tannin Fibers as Precursors for Eco-Friendly Carbon Fibers

This project aims to develop sustainable precursors for carbon fibers by combining polyacrylonitrile (PAN), the main industrial raw material, with natural tannin derivatives. Fibers will be produced using solution blow spinning (SBS), a simple and scalable technique compared to electrospinning. Tannins, renewable plant-based polyphenols, can improve fiber stability and performance while reducing reliance on fossil-derived inputs, creating hybrid precursors with a lower environmental footprint. The research will focus on four steps: (1) preparing and optimizing PAN/tannin solutions to obtain uniform fibers by SBS, (2) characterizing morphology, size, and thermal stability, (3) testing stabilization and carbonization to assess feasibility of conversion into carbon fibers, and (4) evaluating mechanical properties and structural integrity. These results will provide insights into integrating renewable compounds into advanced carbon materials for lightweight composites, energy storage, and environmental technologies. The collaboration between Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) and Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) combines expertise in biomass valorization, polymer processing, and nanostructured systems. UQAT contributes knowledge and infrastructure for carbon-based materials, while UFF adds experience in fiber fabrication. This partnership will foster international cooperation, train students in advanced techniques, and support Canada’s and Brazil’s shared goals of sustainable innovation and low-carbon technologies.

Interaction des superplastifiants et des entraîneurs d’air sur les mortiers avec agents compensateurs de retrait

L’enjeu de cette recherche est double : approfondir la compréhension scientifique des mortiers intégrant des sables recyclés et identifier les conditions (type et dosage d’adjuvants) permettant d’obtenir des performances comparables aux mortiers traditionnels. Le manque actuel de connaissances, combiné à la sévérité des normes en vigueur, freine encore la commercialisation de tels matériaux. Une des retombées attendues de ce projet serait de contribuer à l’intégration progressive des sables recyclés dans les référentiels normatifs, au Canada, en Europe et ailleurs dans le monde.

Development of fairness-aware training and fine-tuning methods for tabular foundation models

In today’s world, organizations such as banks, schools, and hospitals rely on artificial intelligence (AI) to help make important decisions, from assessing credit risk to detecting fraud. A new type of AI, called Tabular Foundation Models (TFMs), shows great promise for these kinds of tasks. Unlike traditional systems that require heavy retraining, TFMs can quickly adapt to new situations using only a small amount of data, making them faster and more flexible. However, before these models can be trusted in high-stakes settings, it is essential to ensure they make fair and unbiased predictions. Biased AI systems can unintentionally discriminate against certain groups of people, leading to unfair or harmful outcomes.

This project will focus on building fairness directly into TFMs so they remain accurate while also treating all groups fairly. For Layer 6 AI at TD Bank, this research will provide practical methods and tools to build more responsible AI systems. More broadly, the results will contribute to advancing fair and trustworthy AI in Canada.

Characterizing the three-dimensional architecture of the tumor microenvironment in prostate cancer bone metastasis

Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in Canada. While many patients live long lives with treatment, some develop incurable disease that spreads to the bones. When this happens, survival drops sharply and patients often face severe pain, broken bones, and serious complications such as spinal cord damage. Bone changes caused by prostate cancer can look very different: sometimes the bone is eaten away, and other times it becomes overly dense but weak and fragile. Current treatments help slow bone loss and manage pain, but they do not stop the abnormal bone growth or the processes that drive pain. Research shows that prostate cancer cells change their surroundings in bone. They encourage the growth of new blood vessels to feed the tumour and new nerves that both fuel cancer growth and make bones more sensitive to pain. So far, drugs aimed at stopping these changes have not worked well in patients. Our project will use advanced 3D imaging on donated patient bone samples to see exactly how cancer cells, bone cells, blood vessels, and nerves interact. This new understanding could point to better treatments that reduce pain and improve life for patients with advanced prostate cancer.

The Business Case for Sustainability

This project explores how the sustainability efforts of select Atlantic Canadian businesses are enhancing their competitiveness and profitability, as well as positively affecting the communities and systems they operate within. We will develop 10-12 mini case studies, highlighting how organizations’ actions have strengthened their business model and competitive advantage while simultaneously creating social and/or environmental benefits. Our purpose is to raise awareness of the positive effects of businesses committed to sustainability and to offer clear, tangible and feasible steps for others to take in this direction.

Évaluation rétrospective de l’impact du positionnement sur le sommeil des grands prématurés

Après la naissance d’un grand prématuré, le développement de son cerveau se poursuit à l’intérieur de l’incubateur. Favoriser ce développement de façon optimale est une priorité des soins, en particulier pour les infirmières néonatales. L’une des stratégies pour y parvenir est de promouvoir un sommeil de qualité, avec le moins d’éveils possible. Le sommeil est une période essentielle pour créer de nouvelles connexions neuronales et renforcer celles déjà présentes. Le positionnement des nouveau-nés dans les incubateurs semble avoir un effet important sur la qualité du sommeil. Aujourd’hui, trois positions standards sont utilisées en néonatalogie : dorsale, latérale et ventrale. Toutefois, la complexité des mesures du sommeil empêche de formuler des protocoles de soins précis quant à la fréquence d’utilisation de ces positionnements. Ce projet de stage à la Stanford University, vise à tester un nouvel outil : un algorithme de détection automatique du sommeil pour obtenir des données précises sur l’influence de chaque positionnement sur la qualité du sommeil des nouveau-nés prématurés. L’objectif de ce stage est d’obtenir des données rigoureuses, auprès d’une large cohorte de grands prématurés, pour mieux comprendre comment le positionnement dans l’incubateur influence le sommeil, afin d’orienter les soins et faire progresser la recherche néonatale.

Evaluating Mushroom-Derived Chitosan for Biocompatibility and Printability in 3D-Printed Medical Implants

Current implantable biomaterials often rely on synthetic or animal-derived polymers, which can be costly, poorly biocompatible, or environmentally unsustainable. There is growing interest in finding plant-based or fungal alternatives that meet the demanding requirements of medical-grade applications. Chinova Bioworks, a Canadian biotechnology company, specializes in producing chitosan from mushrooms for use in preservative applications. The company looks to expand into the medical sector by evaluating the potential for their chitosan as a base material for 3D-manufactured implants. MaterializeBio, a U.S.-based biomedical firm, focuses on developing and testing bio-compatible scaffolds for medical use, their challenge is to find new, safe, and effective biomaterials that can be integrated into their biomanufacturing platforms. This four-month project addresses both partners goals by assessing the physical, chemical, and biological properties of mushroom derived chitosan. The student researcher will conduct a literature review, lab testing (e.g. molecular weight, viscosity, printability), and basic biocompatibility assessments in collaboration with both organizations. This project enables Chinova to explore the medical-grade application of their mushroom-derived chitosan, potentially opening new markets in medical devices. Furthermore, the project provides Materialize Bio with data and insight on a potentially new, bio-compatible material that could be incorporated into their existing or future biomedical platforms.