Innovative Projects Realized

Electrochemical Synthesis and Photophysical Investigation of One and Two Electron Reduced Organic Photoredox Precatalysts

Organic photoredox catalysis is a profitable, emerging methodology in synthetic chemistry, making countless challenging chemical transformations easily accessible. For organic photocatalysts, the active catalyst responsible for single electron transfer to substrates was initially proposed to be the excited state of the radical anion of the photocatalyst, formed in-situ. Recently, the Nocera group has shown that for naphthalene monoimide, the species responsible for its super-reducing nature is actually the singlet excited state of its two electron reduced and singly protonated counterpart. This indicated that for radical organic anions thought to facilitate PRC, it might actually be the two electron reduced species that is formed in situ that is responsible for the observed reactivity. In order to gain more insight on the mechanism of photoredox catalysis mediated by known super-reducing species, the singly and doubly reduced counterparts of these organic molecules need to be isolated, which is typically challenging because of the air and moisture sensitivity, and instability of these intermediates. The objectives of this project are to develop an electrochemical protocol to generate and isolate one-electron and two-electron reduced products of some known organic photocatalysts, following which their photophysics and photochemistry relevant to reductive organic transformations can be studied.

Enhancing the Security of DeFi Ecosystem via Smart Contracts Analysis (2)

This project will build on the results achieved in MITACS Accelerate Project IT36824 on enhancing the security of the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem through smart contracts analysis. In particular, we plan to work on refining and extending the algorithm we developed to find and repair oracle related vulnerabilities in smart contracts with new techniques to allow it to find and repair other types of vulnerabilities in smart contracts. We plan to write an academic paper on those new improvements. Also, we plan during this project to write a technical report for the Bank of Canada to document lessons we learned in the past two years in the area of securing Blockchain and smart contracts. This report will help inform researchers and decision makers at the Bank of Canada of the possible design choices for digital currencies to provide a good balance of security and usability for all participants in the ecosystem.

Enhancing the Security of DeFi Ecosystem via Smart Contracts Analysis

This project will build on the results achieved in MITACS Accelerate Project IT36824 on enhancing the security of the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem through smart contracts analysis. In particular, we plan to work on refining and extending the algorithm we developed to find and repair oracle related vulnerabilities in smart contracts with new techniques to allow it to find and repair other types of vulnerabilities in smart contracts. We plan to write an academic paper on those new improvements. Also, we plan during this project to write a technical report for the Bank of Canada to document lessons we learned in the past two years in the area of securing Blockchain and smart contracts. This report will help inform researchers and decision makers at the Bank of Canada of the possible design choices for digital currencies to provide a good balance of security and usability for all participants in the ecosystem.

Norsat International Inc.

Norsat International Inc., based in Richmond, BC, is a globally recognized high-tech company that designs and manufactures innovative communication solutions for challenging applications and environments. The organization specializes in satellite communication systems, wireless network products, and electronic systems for complex environments. Norsat’s core activities include developing cutting-edge technology, providing technical support, and ensuring seamless integration of their products into various markets. The company prides itself on its ability to stay at the forefront of technological advancements, ensuring their products meet the highest standards of quality and reliability.

Enhancing Technical Support, Operational Efficiency, and Innovation in the Energy Sector

The aims of this proposal are to enhance technical support through design processes, internal management, and quality assurance of TROES. The objective is to optimize the design process to improve customer support, strengthen collaboration between the technical support and business development teams, and implement quality assurance protocols. Additionally, the project seeks to enhance operational efficiency and service delivery through an innovative project management improvement initiative. By refining collaboration with the foreign manufacturing team of TROES, the project will streamline workflows, mitigate communication hurdles, and improve timely project completions, including a detailed analysis of existing projects to identify inefficiencies and the integration of advanced project management tools and techniques. Furthermore, the project aims to empower adoption and drive innovation in the energy sector by improving TROES Corp’s business development processes and business model, particularly in the battery energy storage sector.

Impact Investing Solutions for Foundations – University of Victoria

This project will support Propel Impact in advancing impact investing activities across charitable foundations.

Using AI for Chronic Pain Assessment and Malingering Detection

Pain is an unpleasant feeling and a significant health issue. A 2021 report by the Canadian Pain Task Force indicates that one in five people in Canada live with chronic pain, many of whom report it adversely affecting some or most daily activities. Chronic pain also has a tremendous impact on the Canadian economy. Additionally, the lack of effective and specialized pain services, long waiting times, and the scarcity of trained pain management professionals exacerbates the hopelessness for people who live with pain. This reduces productivity due to unemployment and absenteeism among individuals living with activity-limiting chronic pain. Hence, pain assessment is essential to providing proper patient care and assessing its efficacy under clinical settings. To assess pain, physicians typically rely on patients’ statements, which are subjective, or imaging technologies, which are unreliable as detected abnormalities do not always indicate pain and are not always present in cases of chronic pain. The Karmy Clinic specializes in assessing and managing patients with chronic non-malignant pain. For nearly two decades, Karmy Clinics have performed medicolegal assessments for several clients including lawyers and medicolegal assessment centres. Karmy Clinics currently process about 40 of such assessments per month representing over $100M in assessments, legal processing fees, and claim payments each year. Leveraging AI could improve the accuracy and efficiency of pain assessment and detection of malingering. This is the central focus of this project.

Find My Bed: An AI Navigator for Babies Requiring Immediate Hospital Transfers

Every year, ~15,000 newborns in Canada who are critically ill are admitted to 31 Level 3 neonatal intensive care units (NICU). These newborns are at a high risk of death and illness. Over 65% of these newborns are not followed before birth in a hospital with a Level 3 NICU and need to be transferred either prior to birth (ie the pregnant mother) or after birth to a hospital with a Level 3 NICU. This transfer process is time-sensitive and requires the doctor to find a bed in the unit. This process can take up to 35 minutes, and there is a chance that the decision made may not be the optimal one.

To improve the process, we propose to develop Artificial Intelligence driven Decision Support Application that will help identify the most appropriate hospital for the transfer. This will be done through collaboration with experts and stakeholders. The project includes experts in neonatal health, nursing, process optimization, and national networks, as well as stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health. The expected outcome is to improve the efficiency of decision-making and better distribute admissions of critically ill newborns, which can have a significant impact on the overall system.

Refonte et élargissement du champ d’application de l’outil «Évaluation des coûts économiques des bris d’infrastructures souterraines»

Les infrastructures souterraines sont essentielles pour les services publics. Toutefois, en 2022, le Canada a enregistré une moyenne de 42,4 bris d’infrastructures souterraines causés par des tiers par jour de travail, posant des risques pour la sécurité et générant des coûts importants. Les coûts directs de réparation sont identifiables, mais les impacts sociaux et environnementaux indirects, tels que les interventions d’urgence, les perturbations de circulation, et les interruptions de service, restent difficiles à évaluer et sont rarement pris en compte dans les décisions de travaux ou de prévention.
Face à cette problématique, le CIRANO a développé en 2015 un outil pour le Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA) permettant l’analyse socio-économique des dommages aux infrastructures pour quatre provinces. Aujourd’hui, une mise à jour s’impose pour tenir compte de l’évolution du contexte économique, rafraîchir les données et hypothèses, et adapter l’outil aux spécificités d’autres provinces.
Cet outil est important et pertinent car il comble un vide en fournissant une évaluation des conséquences socio-économiques des dommages, essentielle pour élaborer des mesures de prévention efficaces et orienter les décideurs dans la mise en place de politiques adéquates. Cela renforce ainsi la gestion globale des infrastructures souterraines.

Perceived impact of Peer Advisory Conversation participation on early career and newly licensed Ontario veterinarians

The College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO) is implementing a new initiative to assist new licensees, including early career veterinarians and newly licensed Ontario veterinarians. This initiative involves peer advisors appointed by the CVO to work collaboratively with new licensees through a program called the Peer Advisory Conversation (PAC). Working with Dr. Gohar, Dr. Brunt will conduct interviews with new licensees and focus groups with the peer advisors who mentor the new licensees. Interviews and focus groups will be facilitated by Dr. Brunt, audio recorded and these recordings will be transcribed verbatim by an external company. Transcripts will be inductively analyzed by applied thematic analysis. This analytical method borrows from numerous traditional qualitative methodologies and was selected as it is in alignment with the applied nature of the project where credibility of findings to an external audience is paramount.

Machine Learning developer and Product interns working within cross-functional teams to develop and commercialize AI-powered solutions in both the Public and Private sectors (1)

The project comprises internships in a variety of technical and business roles within our organization. Within the organization, roles include associate machine learning developer, product management associates, associate business solutions consultants, communications associates, and finance associates. Within GovLab specifically, roles include associate machine learning developer, associate business solutions consultant, and project delivery associate. The difference is mainly that in GovLab, there is a focus on public sector problems, whereas in AltaML overall, we work across all sectors.

From farm to fork: Refining polyhydroxyalkanoate bioplastics from upcycled dairy waste

The attractive physicochemical, thermal, and mechanical properties of PHAs, combined with their biodegradability and biocompatibility, make them exciting materials that can support an environmentally sustainable circular bioeconomy. In this research project, we plan to develop an extraction and purification process for recovering PHAs from bacteria. The recovered PHAs will be further characterized with a focus on developing sustainable bioplastic materials.