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

Building Healthy, Disaster-Resilient Communities in the face of Earthquake Hazards in Coastal British Columbia

This research project aims to use a multi-methods approach to better understand what makes the health of a community and it's individual members vulnerable to earthquake hazards. Further, this project seeks to investigate how to best mitigate this vulnerability in rural and urban populations in coastal regions of Vancouver Island. The research question to be addressed is: How can the health system support the creation of healthy, disaster-resilient communities in coastal areas of British Columbia under the threat of an earthquake? This research will help to address some of the gaps identified by the Emergency Management Branch in a 2007 report on earthquakes and Ministry of Health operations. By increasing community resilience through working to strengthen social resources, raise awareness and educate, individuals are likely to not be as reliant on local and provincial health services in immediate and prolonged recovery after an earthquake event.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Denis Cloutier FIsher

Student:

Sarah Stoner

Partner:

BC Ministry of Health

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Accelerate

The preindustrial forest of the Mauricie, Quebec: what did it look like and how does the current forest differ? Providing guidance for ecosystem management

In light of the current crisis in our forests, there has been a general push towards ecosystem management, in which forests are managed for ecological as well as social and economic values. One way to accomplish this may be for management to emulate natural disturbance patterns, thus creating a forest similar to the natural forest. Unfortunately, industrial exploitation has been so extensive that it is often impossible to tell what the natural forest should look like without extensive research on natural disturbance patterns and historical forest composition. The internship proposes to build a portrait of the natural, preindustrial forest of the Mauricie in Quebec and compare it with the current state of the forest to facilitate the development of ecosystem management in the area.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Christian Messier

Student:

Rebecca Tittler

Partner:

AbitibiBowater

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Forestry

University:

Université du Québec à Montréal

Program:

Accelerate

Structural and petrographic examination of volcanic breccia veins of the Rogers Creek porphyry system

The internship with Wallbridge Mining Company Limited is directed toward unravelling the formation of copper]gold]molybdenum vein mineralization of the Rogers Creek Pluton in British Columbia. This will be achieved by measuring geological and structural information in the field to 1) identify the geometry of mineralized vein systems; 2) identify the mechanism of vein formation and; most importantly 3) help locate new mineralization. Structural field work will be complemented by inspection of selected rock samples using a microscope in the laboratory and comparison of geological observations with geophysical information. The partner institution will benefit directly from this study in several ways: The study will 1) contribute to finding of new mineralization; (2) contribute to a more efficient process]oriented mineral exploration strategy; and 3) decrease exploration costs, for example by decreasing the number of exploratory drill holes.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Ulrich Riller

Student:

Laura Wright

Partner:

Wallbridge Mining Company Limited

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Mining and quarrying

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Accelerate

Optimizing Farm Business Planning with Multiple Objective Goal Programming

The proposed project entails the intern working with Mark Betteridge & Associates to develop an innovative business plan for the company's recently acquired farm near Comox, British Columbia. The business plan will emphasize the development of a set of business activities which utilize highly innovative technologies, are economically sound, result in a low environmental and carbon footprint and fit well into the surrounding community. Over the four month internship, the intern will collect detailed information relevant for the farm in order to calibrate a multiple objective goal programming model. The model will allow the farm to achieve an optimized balance between profitability, sustainability and community integration subject to various technical, financial and environmental constraints. The intern's research will form the basis for his M.Sc. (Agricultural Economics) thesis at UBC. The partner will obtain a set of specific recommendations regarding the types of crops to produce and the specific reasons why the proposed crop mix was recommended.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Jim Vercammen

Student:

Jinbin Yang

Partner:

Mark Betteridge & Associates Inc.

Discipline:

Food science

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Nanoscale Antenna Design and Fabrication

Environment-friendly, renewable energy sources are required to meet the world's ever increasing energy demands. While conventional silicon-based photovoltaic solar cells provide an attractive alternative to fossil fuel based energy sources, their inherent high cost has limited their use. The optical rectenna solar cell (ORSC) represents a potential high efficiency, non-silicon based, economic alternative. This internship aims to investigate the design and fabrication of ORSC devices. These studies will involve the optimization of nanoscale materials and structures for the efficient capture of solar radiation and conversion to useful electrical power. The studies will make the use of state-of-the-art modeling methods and the fabrication and characterization of test structures based on these designs.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Gary W. Leach

Student:

Murat Cetinbas

Partner:

Canadian Integrated Optics Ltd.

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Accelerate

Modeling Mortality Risk in an Economic Capital Framework

Munich Reinsurance Company (Munich Re) is the largest life reinsurer in the Canadian marketplace. Proper risk assessment at Munich Re is vital in order to assure that Canadian policyholders receive their promised coverage. This assessment includes measuring and monitoring the mortality risk of its life related business. The goal of this project is to improve the models Munich Re uses to model mortality risk. Measuring mortality risk assists Munich Re in determining the capital it should hold for its life related business. Determining the appropriate amount of capital to hold is a challenging problem. Holding too much capital leads to an excessive cost of insurance but holding too little can lead to an unacceptable risk of insolvency. The intern will review the existing models that Munich Re uses for modeling its mortality risk, assess where improvements can be made, and help to develop improved models. Successful completion of this research project will lead to significant enhancements of Munich Re’s internal Economic Risk Capital model.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Mary Hardy

Student:

Claymore Marshall

Partner:

Munich Reinsurance Company

Discipline:

Statistics / Actuarial sciences

Sector:

Finance, insurance and business

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Accelerate

Functionality of a Zero-trans, Low Saturate Shortening Alternative

This project is in partnership with AFMNet. Coasun is a monoglyceride-stabilized oil in water emulsion (MAG gel) that is trans fat free and low in saturated fat and can be a substitute for standard fats in a range of bakery products. Specific focus of the intern's research will be on the interaction of this MAG gel with starch, gluten and flour at room temperature and during heating. These results will be compared to industry standard fats to see the advantages of the structure of the MAG gel in relation to its competition. This will provide the organization with information on how to improve baked product quality and its performance in industrial settings. The partner will benefit from the interns application of this knowledge to optimize a cookie for a specific project of the partner organization. Also the intern will be presenting her research data at numerous conferences through the internship period to expose the knowledge of the research on the MAG gel to existing and potential customers of Coasun Inc.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Koushik Seetharaman

Student:

Brittany Huschka

Partner:

Coasun Inc.

Discipline:

Food science

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Guelph

Program:

Accelerate

Diabetes Tele-Monitoring for Older People via the Use of BlackBerries and Tablet PCs

In this project, 10 older patients who have uncontrolled diabetes will use wireless technology including a blood glucose monitor and a Blackberry or a Tablet PC to transmit their blood glucose readings from home to two nurses working at a private homecare company. These patients will transmit their blood glucose readings approximately three times a day during two 3]month phases, the total duration of the study period being 6 months. Throughout, patientsf blood glucose levels will be monitored by the two nurses. The intern will coordinate the project including the communication between the nurses, the family physician involved, the partner organizations and the academic supervisors. The intern will track all the processes and troubleshooting involved in the set]up and execution of this project. All the necessary documentation for the project will be provided by the student. At the end of the two phases, the student will analyze all the data produced by the study.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Brad Loewen

Student:

Theresa Gabos

Partner:

Bell Mobility Inc.

Discipline:

Anthropology

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Université de Montréal

Program:

Accelerate

Canadian Diaspora Project Year II

The first year study of the Canadian Diaspora Project (2008-2010) finds that overseas Canadians are important assets for global Canada, specifically in their contribution to Canada's foreign relations with their country of residence. This research continues the Canadian Diaspora Project and further explores ways to foster the political, economic and cultural links of these overseas Canadians to their homeland, especially through the Canadian diasporic media available in their country of residence.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Catherine A. Murray

Student:

Sherry S. Yu

Partner:

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Discipline:

Journalism / Media studies and communication

Sector:

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Accelerate

An individual-based model of the Cape Breton Island American marten (Martes mericana) population and habitat usage of released individuals

The American marten is a mink sized member of the weasel family. The Cape Breton Island population is believed to consist of fewer than 50 individuals. The Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (NSDNR; partner organization) have already begun efforts to augment the population in association with other partners. Individual based models (IBMs) are used to simulate population level processes (e.g. persistence, distribution) through cumulative individual life histories (e.g. reproduction, dispersal, mortality) in a virtual habitat. The intern aims to develop an IBM of the Cape Breton marten, using habitat maps designed during a previous MITACS ACCELERATE internship, to assess various augmentation scenarios and to identify factors critical to species recovery (i.e. though estimating how many individuals should be released, in what locations, over what time frame). In addition, the intern will conduct radio telemetry tracking of released individuals and a preliminary analysis of habitat usage. This research will benefit NSDNR by allowing them to maximize available resources, providing invaluable data concerning post]release movements and habitat usage, and will help ensure the persistence of the population.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Phil Taylor

Student:

Rebecca Jeppesen

Partner:

Government of Nova Scotia

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

Acadia University

Program:

Accelerate

Vehicle Communications and Applications Knowledge and Technology Transfer

This project is in partnership with AUTO21. This proposal is to help perform knowledge and technology transfer activities to implement the proposed techniques for vehicular communications on real systems and demonstrate their capabilities to our industrial partner. The techniques regard first a scalable solution for authentication and authorization of communicating entities in vehicular networks to secure exchanges of information while preserving the privacy of parties; and second an interference management medium access control for safety message transmission in vehicular networks. The technique reduces interference and increases the probability of delivery of safety messages. Two students, Etienne Coronado a Ph.D candidate at Université de Sherbrooke, and Behnam Hassanabadi at University of Toronto will have an internship with the industrial partner during 4 months to perform the knowledge and technology transfer activities.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Drs. Soumaya Cherkaoui and Dr. Shahrokh Vlalee

Student:

Etienne Coronado and Behnam Hassanabadi

Partner:

Nexus Communications Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Automotive and transportation

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Accelerate

Technologies for the Elimination of Used Diapers

The City of Hamilton and McMaster University School of Engineering Practice are developing a proposal for environmentally friendly technologies that will eliminate the need to send the soiled diapers to a landfill. The project will recommend the most effective technologies and estimate the costs of building such a facility. The City has set a goal of diverting 65% of the waste from a landfill to other uses. The residential diversion rate has increased from 20% in 2002 to 40% in 2006. It is noted that the overall diversion rate is 35.7% reflecting waste from industrial, commercial, institutional and municipal sources which is used for the purpose of calculating landfill capacity. In 2007 the diversion rate from landfill reach 40%. Eliminating diaper disposal in a landfill is an important step on the City’s road to sustainable management of waste.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. V. Mahalec

Student:

Laura Jewell

Partner:

City of Hamilton

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

McMaster University

Program:

Accelerate

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