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

Developing an on-line fluidization analysis probe

The main objective of this research is to develop an on-line fluidization analysis probe to be applied on a commercial fluidized bed. This project will focus on a combination of pressure differential and fiber optic reflection probes. Key objectives will be to establish a lab probe with dual fiberoptic and high frequency pressure readings.  Emphasis will be on establishing signal analysis for both fiber optics and pressure and then use the combined probe in a lab environment. The Chemical Reactor Engineering Centre-University of Western Ontario is selected as most suitable for this development given its fluidized bed facilities and highly performing CREC Optiprobes.  This project is highly relevant to the industrial partner, Reactech Process Development Inc. who provides development guidance and process improvement assistance to chemical companies in the clean technology area, specifically in the technologies of fluidization and reaction engineering. They have confirmed a strong interest for such a probe to be used as part of their process improvement services and eventually to become a product in their own right to be incorporated as standard control instrumentation for fluid bed gasification and combustion units to improve their controllability, efficiency and reduce emissions.

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Faculty Supervisor:

D.r Hugo de Lasa

Student:

Alireza Abbasi

Partner:

Reatech Process Development Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Chemicals

University:

Western University

Program:

Elevate

Monolithic Integration of Sheath-less Piezo-resistive Pressure Sensor with Volume Conductance Catheter

Scisense is a medical device company focused on Micro Sensor technology used to monitor cardio dynamics in animals as small as mice. Scisense's existing production process l-Or building the micro sensor probes is a tedious process that requires a high degree of skilled labour and ultimately results in a low yield of marketable devices. The company's growth is limited by this yield potential.
This research proposal is to develop a novel fabrication technique that not only replaces the current assembling process but also result in a smaller less invasive device. The savings to the company in scrap, labour and assembly time will be substantial. Further improvements will be realized in the areas of probe life time. performance and reliability. The new technology will allow Scisense to increase its market lead in this segment. This research will also act as a foundation for sustainable research and commercialization of high tech miniaturized medical devices in the London Ontario region.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Jayshri Sabarinathan

Student:

Aref Bakhtazad

Partner:

Scisense Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Western University

Program:

Elevate

Dry powder coating of solid pharmaceutical dosages

Solid pharmaceutical dosage forms such as tablets and beads used in capsules are currently coated by liquid coating technology, which incurs high environmental risk and high capital and operation costs. Prof. Zhu's research group has developed an ultratine powder coating technology for the auto industry. Our previous studies have shown that the same technology can also be extended for pharmaceutical solid dosage forms. So far, first success in the new coating technology has been achieved and several coating systems have been developed using acceptable formulations. Before this technology is ready for actual application, we need to carry out some more detailed studies on formulation, characterization, optimization, and scale-up, aiming to build a large pre-commercialization proto-type pan coater to demonstrate this technology for future commercialization. Patheon, as a partner of this project, will be the receptor and the first licensee of this technology. The expected 60-80% energy savings on capital cost and 80-90% savings on operation cost will benefit Patheon and many other pharmaceutical companies in Ontario when it is fully commercialized.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Jingxu (Jesse) Zhu

Student:

Jing Xu

Partner:

Patheon Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals

University:

Western University

Program:

Elevate

Optimizing adjacent technologies for physical and/or functional integration with UV-based technologies

This research project is directed towards the assessment and development of technologies that will complement the UV technologies provided by Trojan Technologies for water/wastewater treatment.  A novel liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed bioreactor (CFBBR) developed at the University of Western Ontario in collaboration with Trojan Technologies has generated a wide interest for commercial application for biological nutrient removal (BNR) from wastewater.  A generic high solids retention time in the CFBBR primarily due to the attached biomass would enhance degradation/removal of the emerging contaminants (ECs) during biological treatment of wastewaters.  Carbamazepine, biphenol A, and estradiol have been selected to study potential removal of the ECs in the CFBBR during nutrient removal from municipal wastewater.  A process modeling software, CPSX 6.0, is being used to validate process configuration and unit operation in generating the desired effluent quality.  Cost modules have been developed for an average daily flow of 2/6 MGD for different BNR processes employing designed reactor sizes in CapDet Works 2.5.  Initially, the economic evaluation has been focused to meet secondary effluent criteria coupled with stringent nutrient limits.  Further economic evaluation will be conducted for tertiary effluent quality considering additional costs for filtration and disinfection units.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. George Nakhla

Student:

Nabin Chowhury

Partner:

Trojan Technologies

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

Western University

Program:

Elevate

Flow velocity measurements in a gas turbine engine

The proposed project aims to reduce emissions and fuel consumption in the next generation of aircraft engines.  Better aerodynamics, higher efficiency and reduced weight are possible by improving the performance of the core engine components (ie. Compressor, combustor and turbine).  Advances in the understanding of the flow field are needed to achieve this goal.  Velocity measurements will be conducted in a Pratt and Whitney Canada (P&WC) test facility using the Laser Doppler Velocimetry technique to map velocity and turbulence distributions at various locations and engire operating conditions.  The accuracy of computational predictions will be assessed against these measurements.  Various approaches to improve the stall margin will be proposed and evaluated.  The aerospace industry is a key sector of the Canadian economy, in terms of dollar value, engineering innovation and the employment of many highly-skilled workers.  The proposed project will help maintain the competitiveness of P & WC’s products, by enabling their designs to meet or exceed performance and environmental targets.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Eric Savory

Student:

William Lin

Partner:

Pratt & Whitney Canada

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Aerospace and defense

University:

Western University

Program:

Elevate

Coprocessing of Biomass and Heavy Oils (Bio-Economy and Clean Technologies)

Pyrolysis uses high temperatures, in the absence of oxygen, to crack long and complex molecures into smaller molecules.  It has been successfully and separately applied to both (a) heavy oils, to produce lighter liquid fractions and solid coke byproduct in conventional oil refineries, and to (b) biomass, to convert solid residues into liquid bio-oils.  Pyrolytic cracking generates highly reactive radical fragments, which then recombine into different chemical species.  The proposed research consists in the development of a new technology for the simultaneous co-processing of biomass and heavy oils in the same reaction vessel, leading to the upstream integration of renewable resources into conventional petroleum streams.  This research will be conducted at the Institute for Chemicals and Fuels for Alternative Resources under the supervision of Professor Franco Berruti and Professor Cedric Briens and in partnership with Imperial Oil Limited and the Ontario Centres of Excellence.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Franco Berruti

Student:

Ran Xu

Partner:

Imperial Oil Ltd.

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Oil and gas

University:

Western University

Program:

Elevate

eHealth and hearing loss: Effect of remote programming of hearing aids and rehabilitation support on device usage

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are poised to have increasingly larger roles in health care systems globally and one possible scenario is that Ontario emerges as a leader in providing eHealth innovation and service delivery.  Although ICT-based methods of service delivery are well established in particular areas of health care, the potential benefits for hearing health care have not been fully realized due to a number of technological and non-technological barriers.  Foremost among them, successful aural rehabilitation requires face-to-face consultations where practitioners can program hearing aids and provide follow-up support and care (eg. device adjustments).  Recently, our industrial partner (Unitron Hearing/Sonova Holding AG) has addressed the critical challenge of remote detection of a hearing aid; however, several technical and non-technological challenges remain.  The proposed program of research is designed to address this gap, with a particularly emphasis placed on understanding clinical outcomes and patient-practitioner experiences through the interface of technology.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. M. Kathy Pichora-Fuller

Student:

Gurjit Singh

Partner:

Unitron Hearing Ltd.

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Managing Collections of Models in Software Development

The proposal research concerns the creation of innovative tools to improve the quality and effectiveness of modeling in software development.  Specifically, the research will focus on three areas: how to express the relationships between models to make sure that models are properly synchronized with each other; how to express different variations within the model so that the same model can be used to produce software for different situations and how to express the intent (purpose) of a model so that it can be more easily understood and checked to make sure that it correctly satisfies its purpose.  Although the techniques and tools that will be developed are applicable to any software development environment, special emphasis will be placed on the modeling issues that arise in the automotive industry and specifically, General Motors Canada Ltd.  These include: the complexities of collaborative modeling with large and distributed development teams, the use of specialized model types and relationships within automobile design and the reuse of models for multiple vehicle product lines.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Marsha Chechik

Student:

Rick Salay

Partner:

General Motors Canada Ltd.

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Automotive and transportation

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

PeerScholar in the K-12 Educational System

This project explored the effectiveness of an educational technology called peerScholar, which is an online peer-assessment tool used to enhance student learning. To date, all of the findings on peerScholar have focused on the development of critical thinking skills at the University level. However, given that learning begins earlier, the proposed research will examine the effectiveness of peer-assessment, via peerScholar, throughout Grades 9 to 12. The goal Is to replicate, and to extend, the peer-assessment findings with younger students. This research provides Pearson Canada with a pilot project that would offer valuable market research about what educators of younger students need, and want, from this tool. This project also has the opportunity to provide school boards across Ontario with scientific research on the effectiveness of online educational technologies, which can justify their growing use in our educational system.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Steve Joordens

Student:

Lisa-Marie Collimore

Partner:

Pearson Canada Inc.

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Ontario Forest Resource Inventory Enhancement using ADS40 Aerial Imagery and LiDar data

Ontario is investing $100 Million over 10 years in the process of updating the Provincial Forest Resource Inventory (FRI), which involves the province-wide acquisition of new digital ADS40 aerial imagery to serve as a consistent platform for the photo-interpretation and mapping of forest attributes. Because it is coupled with advanced geographic positioning data, ADS40 imagery may provide a cost effective means to simultaneously generate digital elevation models and quantify stand-level structural features in addition to traditional FRI attributes; and some of these processes may be automated. However, these additional capacities remain largely untested in Ontario, an essential precursor to using ADS40 technology to improve upon Ontario's traditional FRI. Using a combination of ADS40 imagery, manual photo-interpretation techniques, and airborne laser scanner (ALS) light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data that provide precise coordinate data for both terrain surfaces and objects above the ground, this project aims to explore multiple avenues to enhance the information content, and value of, Ontario's FRI.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Jay Malcolm

Student:

Ben Kuttner

Partner:

KBM Forestry Consultants Inc.

Discipline:

Forestry

Sector:

Forestry

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Development and optimization of a polymer-lipiu urug ueiivCi y formulation for the peri-operative treatment of ovarian cancer

The goal of the current research is to design an injectable polymer-lipid (Pol.i) formulation to treat ovarian cancer. The PoLi drug delivery system is a hiocompatible and biodegradable, physically cross-linked gel that has the potential to provide dramatic improvements in the treatment of ovarian cancer. It is formulated as an injectable gel (all components are safe for humans) which is then loaaded with active chemotherapy drugs such as the commercially available paclitaxel. The PoLi gel can he either injected into the peritoneal cavity or applied perioperatively by a surgeon during cytoreductive surgery (surgical removal of all visible tumour tissue). The PoLi drug delivery system is a potentially significant advance in the treatment of a disease that has traditionally had a poor prognosis. The success of this research and project will lead to the development of more pharmaceutical products for Oncotek, as well as attract additional funds to this Ontario-based company leading to the creation of full-time scientists.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Christine Allen

Student:

Roshan Yoganathan

Partner:

Oncotek Drug Delivery Inc.

Discipline:

Pharmacy / Pharmacology

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

Identification of a biomarker panel of life-threatening infectious disease

Many individuals acquire infections each year, yet few progress to critical illness. The current inability to identify the proportion of individuals who will progress to life-threatening illness is a major impediment to effective management of infectious disease. Using malaria as a model, the aim of the project is to identify and validate a panel of biomarkers in blood that reliably detects individuals at risk of lifethreatening  disease. Following validation, the biomarker panel will be incorporated into a pointofcare diagnostic device being designed by Ontario-based Fio Corporation to aid efficient treatment allocation by healthcare providers in developing and developed countries. As the body's response to infectious disease determines the severity, and this response appears to be shared between several infectious diseases, the accuracy of this biomarker panel will also be extended to other life-threatening infections. The commercial potential of a point-of-care device that can determine the risk of critical illness and effectively guide management and resource allocation is substantial.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Kevin Kain

Student:

Karlee Silver

Partner:

Fio

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Elevate

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