Innovative Projects Realized

Retrieval augmented answer generation using M-Files Metadata

Multisource Multi Modal RAG framework: The project will focus on developing a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system that can effectively combine and synthesize information from multiple sources within M-Files, utilizing multiple Large Language Models (LLMs) for enhanced accuracy and context. The research will address challenges related to integrating and harmonizing disparate document formats, sources of information and metadata structures, optimizing cross-model communication, evaluation, and ensuring accurate, contextually relevant answer generation while maintaining information integrity and security.

Evaluation of Hydrological Models and GRACE/GRACE-FO in the South Saskatchewan River Basin

Canada, with 20% of the Earth’s freshwater resources, is experiencing changes to its terrestrial water cycle as the impacts of climate change progress. This can lead to complex water storage changes manifesting as flood risks and droughts on various spatiotemporal scales. This project aims to compare a state-of-the-art physics-based hydrological modelling platform, namely HydroGeoSphere, part of the Canada1Water project, with independent products from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and its follow-on mission. Specifically, the Alberta portion of the South Saskatchewan River Basin will be evaluated over the two decades of monthly snapshots of Earth’s time variable gravity field, used to derive terrestrial water storage anomalies. The analysis will be carried out using the newly developed Aquanty and spherical harmonic solutions of the Canadian Geodetic Survey of Natural Resources Canada. Calibrating the various terrestrial water storage models using satellite gravimetry data will improve the model output and will help fill the gaps in Canada’s hydrologic data to effectively characterize and manage terrestrial water resources, during times of high-risk flooding and droughts. Results will directly impact government and industry efforts designed to improve community access to freshwater necessary for quality of life in the South Saskatchewan River Basin.

Projet de stage en journalisme à CScience Le Lab

Stage en journalisme au sein de notre organisme CScience Le lab. En tant qu’OBNL opérant un média journalistique reconnu par la Fédération professionnel des journalistes du Québec, spécialisé et multiplateforme, et œuvrant pour la réduction de la fracture scientifique et l’information du public quant aux retombées de l’innovation technologique sur la société, nous faisons face à de nombreux défis et obstacles à notre mission : la crise des médias, la montée de la désinformation, le manque de moyens et de ressources pour assurer une couverture de terrain fréquente et étendue sur la scène de l’innovation québécoise, le besoin de recruter malgré tout des talents ayant les compétences et la rigueur journalistique qui s’imposent, et le besoin d’innover sur le plan technologique et multimédia, de sorte à proposer des contenus novateurs et traitant l’information de manière plus engageante. Répondre à ces enjeux requiert d’agrandir l’équipe de journalistes et de mobiliser des talents qui ont déjà une maîtrise des concepts de déontologie et de rigueur journalistique, une formation académique en journalisme, mais qui ont aussi une capacité d’apprentissage et un désir d’évoluer dans l’écosystème de l’innovation, afin de contribuer à vulgariser des sujets scientifiques et technologiques complexes auprès de notre auditoire, en tirant le meilleur du numérique à travers divers reportages et productions journalistiques pour différents supports : magazine électronique, revue interactive et émissions balado. Répondre à ces défis contribue à assurer le canal de diffusion et d’information auprès de notre auditoire, dans l’intérêt du public et de la démocratie, puisque nous estimons que notre média spécialisé et innovant joue un rôle essentiel en matière d’éducation scientifique et numérique.

Life cycle assessment of anaerobic digestion process

Gazifère is focussed on large scale implementation of RNG as fuel as it owns and operates a 1?000 km gas system. It is true that utilization of a waste such as pulp and paper mill sludge is a beneficial approach for the environment as it helps in waste management and related emission to air, water, and soil. In the meantime, the production of RNG is associated with consumption of materials, fuels, energy along with emission to the environment. The various factors such as source of materials, fuels, transportation related emissions, storage related infrastructure, upgradation and utilization of the final product are implicit in the production process. Each stage is accompanied with some impact on the environment. All this need to be considered to estimate the environmental consequences of this bioprocess. Hence, it is essential to know the environmental impacts of the RNG production using pulp and paper mill sludge as substrate. In the large picture, this will help in establishing environmental friendly practices for treatment and management of waste in Canada.

Digital Marketing Implementation

My study in the Master of Management in Innovation and Entrepreneurship program at Queens University has provided me with exposure to various frameworks and theories that can assist organizations in improving their work processes, generating revenue, and acquiring new customers. My goal is to apply these frameworks to assist Canadian organizations. One such organization I have identified is Natliving Inc, an alternative medicine and wellness center in Markham! It faces challenges primarily related to acquiring new customers. The objective is to apply my education, experience and expertise to assist the organization in increasing its revenue.

I have pinpointed several opportunities to achieve this goal. One such opportunity involves leveraging digital marketing techniques, including search engine optimization, social media marketing, email marketing, and landing page optimization. Currently, the organization offers a range of products and services, with additional opportunities for expanding its service offerings. Diversifying its services presents an opportunity for the organization to generate more revenue. This is the value I aim to bring to the organization. Apart from being a digital marketer, I am also a software developer, and I propose developing mobile apps, creating online resources that help the organization reach new customers for its existing services. I will be running business development strategies; this is an aspect I believe will add significant value to the organization. I will be helping the organization streamline processes, creating SOPs and refining its structure to increase organizational effectiveness

Scorched Earth: The impact of increased wildfire activity on soils and associated ecosystems

We will investigate the impacts of wildfires on natural nanoparticles (NPs) in soil and water in two different regions: central Newfoundland, Canada, and the Landes de Gascogne forest, France.
The Landes de Gascogne forest experienced significant wildfires in 2022, particularly impacting two major sites: “La Teste de Buch” and “Landiras.” The Landes region is characterized by its production of “Pin Maritime” and has sandy soil. Fire damage from the 2021 wildfires in Newfoundland are distributed across the three burn areas: Paradise lake, Bay D’Espoir, and Southern Lake. The Newfoundland landscape is a mixture of bogs, barrens, rock outcrops, with shallow, acidic mineral soils. We will gather upper soil samples and soil cores representing the watershed pedology. We will also collect combustion residues from the soil surface, and surface water samples from nearby rivers.
We will use cutting-edge technologies to measure the distribution of trace elements amongst different forms of colloids (AF4-ICPMS), and in individual particles (sp-TOF-ICP-MS) in the sampled soils/sediments and waters to chemically characterize inorganic, organic, and mixed organic-inorganic NPs. To assess impacts on aquatic ecosystem quality, we will also analyze major and trace element compositions using ICP-MS on filtered water samples, as well as dissolved organic carbon concentrations.

Utilisation de la Méthode Kaizen pour améliorer la traçabilité et la conformité des dossiers de production des produits injectables

Ce projet de recherche vise à démontrer comment l’optimisation de l’application des principes de Kaizen peut transformer les pratiques de gestion des dossiers de production, en offrant des bénéfices significatifs en termes de qualité, de conformité et d’efficacité. Commençant par une revue de littérature sur l’application de la méthode kaizen dans différents types d’industries ce qui va m’aider à comprendre les étapes à suivre pour optimiser la méthode et l’appliquer dans une industrie de production des produits pharmaceutiques. En ce qui concerne le plan de financement, la méthode ne coûte pas un budget pour la société, mais elle demande une contribution de personnel pour avoir un système d’amélioration continue qui sert à assurer la qualité de produit fabriqué. C’est une technique japonaise d’amélioration continue de la qualité ou de perfectionnement du processus de fabrication, reposant sur la somme d’aménagements ou d’améliorations de détail que chacun peut proposer de mettre en oeuvre au poste qu’il occupe.

Évaluation du système de fermeture des contenants utilisé pour le réemballage comparativement à ce qui est utilisé par les fabricants afin de comparer l’équivalence de nos systèmes de fermeture avec ceux du fournisseur. Identifier les actions correctives requises pour donner suite à l’étude.

Étudier les systèmes de fermeture des contenants utilisés pour le réemballage afin de les comparer avec ceux des fabricants.

Real-Time Facial Animation Playback with Shader-Embedded Neural Networks

Creating lifelike digital characters is essential for multimedia and video games, with realistic facial animations playing a crucial role. This requires playing high-quality facial animations in real-time. Many existing methods either compromise on quality, require too much computing power, or use excessive memory. Our research aims to develop new techniques that ensure high-quality facial animations can be played back efficiently in real-time without losing detail. This project will research machine learning models that operate on each vertex of facial meshes independently, allowing these animations to be processed quickly using the existing pipeline of graphics cards. This approach leverages the parallel processing capabilities of graphics cards to achieve real-time playback. These methods will be tested on a large set of facial animations, measuring success through technical metrics and feedback from professional animators.

MicroGeoNx, optimisation de la caractérisation des réservoirs géologiques souterrains basée sur l’étude des communautés microbiennes natives

Le projet MicroGeoNx vise l’utilisation des méthodes génomiques pour améliorer la caractérisation et le monitoring des réservoirs géologiques souterrains. Les réservoirs de stockage souterrain sont essentiels aux activités de gestion de réseau de distribution et permettent entre autres d’améliorer la sécurité énergétique des régions où ils sont exploités. Intragaz SEC opère les deux réservoirs de stockage de gaz naturel du Québec. L’étude des réservoirs géologiques situés en profondeur est limitée en raison des importants coûts liés aux forages servant à accéder aux zones réservoirs et au faible niveau d’observation directe offert par le trou de forage. Pour cette raison, plusieurs méthodes d’analyses et d’études de réservoirs ont été développés. L’étude des communautés microbiennes natives est importante pour évaluer les conditions géologiques du réservoir autant que ses conditions physico-chimiques. L’utilisation des méthodes génomiques plus rapides et plus simples permettra à Intragaz de réduire ses coûts de suivi et d’analyse. De plus, une meilleure connaissance des faunes de microorganismes dans les zones réservoirs fournira une meilleure compréhension de l’environnement géologique et une meilleure évaluation des risques associés à l’utilisation de stockages souterrains suite à l’injection de nouveaux gaz tel que l’hydrogène, le gaz carbonique ou même l’hélium.

Fusarium avenaceum as a pathogen of cereals and pulses in Europe and Canada

Fusarium avenaceum causes Fusarium Head Blight, a devastating disease affecting cereal crops, and in Root Rot in pulses; diseases that significantly impact Canadian and European farmers. Different strains of F. avenaceum can harbor strain-specific biosynthetic gene clusters that produce mycotoxins which give rise to particularly virulent strains. In this context, the intent of this Globalink Research proposal is to identify discriminant mycotoxins produced between F. avenaceum strains and to investigate the potential role that these molecules might have upon disease onset of root rot in pulses. The proposed Globalink Research project will involve two scientific research groups with complementary scientific skills in: genomics and microscopy at the Mycology and Food Security (MycSA) research unit of the French Research Institute for Agriculture and Environment (INRAE), and metabolomics and gene-editing at Carleton University and the Ottawa Research and Development Center (Agriculture & AgriFood Canada). The Globalink Research project will provide new information regarding F. avenaceum intraspecific variability, contribute to the enrichment of the PhD candidate’s thesis project, and identify key mycotoxin virulence factors involved in F. avenaceum root rot of pulses – potential targets for disease mitigation.

The use of infrared thermography to measure knee injury biomarkers in professional football players

Overcoming an injury as an athlete is not easy and usually requires the help of professionals to guide the rehabilitation process. Athletic therapists, doctors and other health professionals in sports medicine are interested in better ways to help players get back to the game safely. Instead of following set rehabilitation protocols, we are now focusing on each player’s unique healing pattern.

Infrared thermography is suggested as a new tool to track a person’s individual healing patterns. This technology uses special cameras to measure surface skin temperature and does not require going to a hospital to get the imaging done. Skin surface temperature reveals information about the physiological processes related to inflammation and muscle activity. We believe that a skilled clinician can understand how well the muscles are healing after a muscle strain when paired with clinical rehabilitation and assessment.

This study uses infrared thermography to examine the healing process of lower extremity muscle strains in professional football athletes. By comparing the temperature of the injured muscle to that of the healthy one, we hope to better understand the individual’s healing process. This could improve decisions about when it’s safe to return to competition.