Innovative Projects Realized

Mechanistic-empirical design method for unpaved roads in cold climates based on risk assessment

Canada’s extensive network of unpaved roads plays a key role in the country’s economy and is vital to industries such as mining, agriculture, forestry, and energy. These essential transportation infrastructures do not receive significant research interest and have experienced accelerated deterioration in the past decades, resulting in an increased need for frequent maintenance and costs. Existing management systems do not integrate all risk and uncertainty due to a lack of understanding, hindering resource optimization. In addition, empirical design methods for unpaved roads have limitations concerning evolving load effects and climatic conditions. The standard implementation process risk assessment follows a normative process. It begins with hazard identification and continues with risk assessment. This allows for recognizing and anticipating hazards and impacts, enabling better decisions. Knowing which risks have the most significant impact will support management for resilient structures, resource use, and solutions, such as the distance between resources. This research project proposes a risk assessment tool and integrates it into an unpaved road design method using a mechanistic-empirical approach. This approach considers materials’ response and behavior under different load characteristics and climate. The tools are intended to support decision-making for designers and managers responsible for unpaved road networks.

Origin Product Demand Analysis and Manufacturing Capacity Optimization

The primary objective of this project is to assess the demand forecast and optimize FluidAI’s manufacturing processes for Stream Platform, FluidAI’s first commercial offering, based on the recent commercial successes in Canada and the Middle East as well as a planned entry into the US, European, and Asia Pacific markets. The first phase of the project will involve reassessing and updating the demand forecast for Stream Platform and evaluating the gap in the current manufacturing capacity. The second phase will enhance and optimize FluidAI’s manufacturing tools and processes. It will use innovative techniques to bridge the gap between increasing demand and current manufacturing capacity.

Assessing the behavioural responses and the energetic consequences of ship noise disturbance and commercial fishing on cetaceans in the Canadian Arctic

Whales can be sensitive to underwater noise produced from vessels and are at risk of harm through ship strikes and entanglement in fishing gear. Commercial shipping and fishing activity is increasing in the Arctic as the receding sea ice opens new areas to human activities. However, we don’t know how whales in the Arctic will respond to these activities. In this project we plan to undertake a series of research programs to explore interactions of whales with shipping and fishing vessels, and measure their responses to underwater noise. We will use tags to track the movements and dive behaviour of three species of whales in the Canadian Arctic: bowhead whales, sperm whales, and northern bottlenose whales. We plan to undertake controlled ship noise playback experiments on bowhead whales to monitor whether they respond by altering their vocalizations, movements, and dive behaviour. Sperm whales and northern bottlenose whales are frequently seen near fishing boats during summer in Baffin Bay. We will deploy tags on these species to measure differences in behaviour between natural foraging and foraging around fishing vessels, to explore whether these interactions are positive or negative. This data will be used to help inform conservation measures for whales in the Arctic.

TANDEM – Validation des requis d’interfaces pour les opérateurs de station de contrôle au sol pour les drones

Les normes de certification pour les aéronefs pilotés à distance (RPAS) ayant un poids supérieur à 25 kg et étant opérés hors du champ visuel ne sont pas encore définis par Transports Canada. Le marché des RPAS est en plein essor et le développement de systèmes avioniques et d’interfaces usagers optimisés, sûrs et certifiables sera un véritable enjeu. Dans ce contexte, le Centre technologique en aérospatial (CTA), CMC Électronique, Marinvent Corporation, KEPLR Intelligence et Polytechnique Montréal s’unissent pour développer une station de contrôle au sol et une plateforme de test en vol toutes deux équipées d’instruments de mesure biométriques pour comparer simultanément les comportements, l’état cognitif, la charge mentale et l’état physiologique entre un pilote conventionnel d’aéronef et un opérateur de RPAS au sol lors des mêmes situations de vol.

Développement et optimisation d’un procédé de concentration des MCS provenant de sols riches en métaux

Northex Environnement (Northex) est une entreprise québécoise spécialisée dans le traitement des sols affectés par des polluants organiques et inorganiques. La mission de l’entreprise est la réutilisation et le recyclage des sols traités dans la fabrication de nouveaux produits. Certains des sols récupérés et traités par Northex contiennent des concentrations importantes en métaux critiques et stratégiques (MCS), incluant le cuivre, le nickel et le zinc. Ce projet cherche l’optimisation d’un procédé permettant de concentrer et valoriser les métaux critiques et stratégiques (MCS) contenus dans des sols. A partir de sols contaminés, concentrer les MCS afin de les extraires en vue d’une valorisation élément par élément. Ce projet permettra à Northex d’optimiser son procédé de traitement breveté pour retourner les MCS dans la chaine d’approvisionnement.

A decision support tool for patient follow-up in a multiservice center at the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal

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“Fait au Québec” plateforme numérique pour stimuler les collaborations entre l’entrepreneuriat innovant, le milieu scientifique et le secteur manufacturier

Les startups québécoises dédiées à la conception et la fabrication de produits physiques ont de la difficulté à produire des prototypes ou microséries localement. Cela les pousse à chercher à l’étranger l’expertise en production et l’aide technique qui leur font défaut ici. Ce projet vise à développer et à déployer une plateforme numérique dans le but d’aider les incubateurs d’entreprises à identifier des leviers stratégiques qui permettront de surmonter ces obstacles et de créer un environnement favorable à l’innovation collaborative par le biais de la fabrication sociale. Ce projet repose sur la fabrication sociale « social manufacturing », en s’appuyant sur le concept des affaires plateforme. Les résultats permettront de comprendre le rôle des plateformes numériques dans l’innovation collaborative pour la fabrication sociale. Aussi, de soutenir les différents stades de l’entrepreneuriat et les spin-offs, en favorisant le développement de modèles d’affaires basés sur l’innovation collaborative dans le secteur manufacturier local.

Development of Advanced Mass Spectrometry Methods for Targeted Metabolome Analysis

Metabolomics, with a focus on the analysis of all small molecules or the metabolome, has become an important tool for biological studies and biomarker discovery. It has a wide range of applications, including the improvement of disease diagnosis and prognosis in the clinic, the development of superior agriculture and agri-food products with enhanced production and nutritional values, and the understanding of the health effects of chemical exposures in the industry. Metabolomics requires sophisticated analytical tools to profile metabolites with high quantification accuracy and precision. The objective of this project is to develop advanced mass spectrometry methods to overcome the current challenges associated with analyzing a wide range of metabolites and lipids that are difficult to analyze using existing technologies. The developed methods will be implemented in the Metabolomics Innovation Centre to enhance analytical services offered to researchers in Canada and elsewhere for metabolomics studies. This will also benefit the industry partner, Nova Medical Testing Inc., by expanding its metabolomics product offerings.

Prévision et caractérisation des précipitations mixtes pouvant impacter le réseau de distribution d’électricité

Les intempéries hivernales sont souvent associées à un mélange de types de précipitations tels que de la pluie verglaçante, du grésil et de la neige mouillée. Leur prévision est un enjeu majeur pour plusieurs infrastructures d’Hydro-Québec et donc pour les populations et les activités socio-économiques. La recherche proposée vise à mieux prévoir ces différents types de précipitations, particulièrement les évènements pouvant avoir un impact sur le réseau de distribution d’électricité. Elle étudiera les épisodes de pluie verglaçante, de neige mouillée, et de mélange de types de précipitation à l’aide d’observations disponibles et de simulations hautes résolutions ciblées pour construire des couches prédictives fiables de ce type d’évènements.

Cartilage Prevention and recovery: A Smart Orthotic to Offload the Ankle After Injury

The intern will be working towards the design of an ankle orthotic that can regulate the weight and walking pattern of patients suffering from a major ankle injury. The device intends to allow the amount of weight taken on by the patient at the ankle to be adjustable. In turn, the patient may partake in, highly beneficial, rehabilitative treatments that prioritize mobilizing and loading the joint. All the while, reducing the risk of worsening the condition of the ankle. The partner organization, which provides care through customized prosthetic and orthotic treatment to patients in the greater Vancouver area, will be able to provide patients with better alternatives to treat these types of injuries.

Electrolyte optimization and performance evaluation of Sn-based anode materials for Na-ion batteries

Battery technology plays a central role in driving significant advancements across various industries, ranging from electric vehicles to the Internet of Things. Among the various types of batteries, Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) exhibit potential advantages and are on the verge of commercialization due to their lower cost, enhanced safety, and greater availability compared to Li-ion batteries. However, they currently face challenges such as low energy density, a narrower potential window, and stability issues, hindering their widespread commercial adoption. Addressing these issues requires a focus on the electrolyte, a critical component in the battery system. In this proposal, a novel electrolyte will be developed using an additive strategy, aiming to overcome the existing challenges associated with SIBs. This innovative approach is expected to result in improved performance, laying the foundation for sustainable energy solutions. Furthermore, the successful implementation of this proposal stands to benefit our industrial partner by enabling the development and commercialization of the next generation of safer and highly efficient Sodium-ion batteries.

Exploring the science identities and science capital of Let’s Talk Science outreach volunteers in the context of science teacher shortages

This study will consider the extent to which Let’s Talk Science outreach volunteers see themselves, and are seen by others, as science teachers. It will use mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods to examine science majors’ identities, life histories, their experiences of outreach facilitation with Let’s Talk Science, and their interpretations of these experiences.

Most students in Canada disengage from STEM courses before graduating high school. Let’s Talk Science has now been running for 30 years to change these outcomes; it aims to help prepare youth in Canada for future careers and citizenship demands in a rapidly changing world which is increasingly driven by innovation and STEM related skills. It does this through a number of projects and programs, including an outreach volunteer program lead by STEM majors at universities across Canada. Using this network of more than 3,500 volunteers, the proposed study will use both quantitative and qualitative methods to explore the role of outreach volunteering on the science capital and teacher identities of STEM majors from a variety of backgrounds, institutions and specialisms. These methods will benefit from Let’s Talk Science’s vast network volunteers, and their expertise in conducting surveys for evaluation purposes. At a time of growing science teacher shortages, this project will also extend the potential impact of Let’s Talk Science’s work by developing an understanding of the role of outreach volunteering upon perceptions of, and plans to pursue, science teaching.