Innovative Projects Realized

Analysis and Optimization of Post-Disaster Temporary Housing Strategies

The proposed project aims to improve temporary housing strategies after disasters by developing a tool that helps decision-makers choose the best types of shelters, their locations, and their capacity over an 18-month period. The project will consider factors such as the type of disaster, how long people will be displaced, the weather, the damaged buildings, and the cultural and social needs of the affected people. The tool will allow for changes in shelter types over time to better meet the changing needs of the displaced population. The project will involve studying different shelter types, creating a mathematical model that considers uncertainties and people’s preferences, and using data from the New Madrid Seismic Zone in the United States to test and improve the tool. The goal is to help governments and aid organizations make better decisions about temporary housing after disasters, benefiting both the participating institutions and the affected communities.

Empowering Globally Competent Professionals through Virtual Work Integrated Learning

Canadian industries face challenges associated with the shortage of specialized professionals in healthcare, education, information technology, finance, engineering, and skilled trades. This shortage presents a threat to the prosperity and collective wellbeing in Canadian society and highlights the need for strategic workforce training and preparation through innovative partnerships and strategies. As a response to this challenge, Canadian governments and higher education institutions have prioritized work-integrated learning (WIL) as a strategic direction to enhance the accessibility and inclusion of quality WIL programs for graduate students’ career preparation. Collaborating with the industry partner Riipen – a Canadian digital WIL platform with the mission “to end graduate underemployment and empower emerging talent to gain relevant skills to find the jobs they love”, this action research aims to enhance the inclusivity and quality of work integrated learning policies and programs for graduate students through a deeper understanding of their needs, their experiences with virtual work integrated learning, and the impact of virtual WIL on their global competence development. This study is timely and significant because it will improve graduate students’ career preparation and employment, close the discrepancy between specialized talents and industries, and prepare globally competent citizens, professionals, and leaders for a sustainable future.

Quality engineering method for certified open source software based on product line practice

The goal of the project is to help the industrial partner with evaluating, customizing and adopting advanced software engineering and quality assurance methods based on the notion of software product line (SPL) engineering practices. The software system considered in this project is an electronic medical record (EMR) system that is used in hundreds of clinics in Canada (OSCAR). EMRs are safety-critical as well as security-sensitive. Therefore, it is important to establish systematic and mature quality assurance practices. A known issue impeding quality assurance efforts with respect to OSCAR is that it is deployed in many different variations throught the country, because different jurisdictions have different requirements. The internship will research best practice software engineering methods and techniques and their adoptability in context of the OSCAR system

Modelling the dry deposition of atmospheric pollutants from an aluminum smelter in the Kitimat Valley, British Columbia

Sulphur dioxide is an important atmospheric pollutant that can negatively impact the surrounding environment through the processes of wet and dry deposition. Although wet deposition can be measured directly in the field, dry deposition must be estimated from air concentrations and modelled dry deposition velocity. The versatile “big-leaf” deposition model is frequently used to estimate sulphur dioxide deposition velocity; however, the process of aggregating input variables for the model is time-consuming and challenges routine, long-term monitoring efforts. The overarching objective of the proposed research is to explore methodologies that could improve the workflow efficiency and long-term monitoring capabilities of the big-leaf deposition model. Long-term modelling analysis will be focused on the Kitimat Valley, a remote region in British Columbia that receives local sulphur dioxide emissions from an aluminum smelter owned and operated by Rio Tinto. The expected deliverables from this work will improve the efficiency and viability of long-term sulphur deposition monitoring across Canada. Moreover, these advancements stand to benefit monitoring programs that utilize the big-leaf model to estimate the dry deposition of other pollutant species.

Hydrogen Storage in Two-Dimensional Layered Nanomaterials

The project will develop a revolutionary, conformable hydrogen storage tank solution for fuel cell electric vehicles. The specific objective of this research collaboration is to develop a hydrogen storage medium that is stable at ambient conditions, has a high gravimetric hydrogen storage capacity and can be packed into a fuel tank for use in vehicles. The research will focus on assessing the feasibility and development of two-dimensional layered nanostructures, such as graphene, as a viable material to store hydrogen. The research agenda brings together proven expertise in nanomaterials, hydrogen, fuel cells at Simon Fraser University, with leading technical expertise at Hydrogen in Motion. Hydrogen in Motion gains access to state-of-the-art equipment such as the new SFU Fuel Cell Research Laboratory at Powertech Labs. Which is ideal for this project due to the corresponding industrial capabilities and expertise on hydrogen storage and refueling systems

Evaluating the impacts of the “Making room for climate emotions in the classroom” program on children’s coping with climate change

The present project aims to train teachers in the UK to conduct the “Making room for climate emotions in the classroom” program as they teach about climate change in their classrooms. The impacts of participating in the program on the mental health of children will be measured to better understand if this program can reduce eco-anxiety in children and increase meaning coping.

Étude de marché pour un nouveau service de bien-être au travail

Dans le cadre du développement d’un nouveau programme de bien-être au travail, un projet d’étude de marché doit être élaborée afin de valider l’intérêt et les besoins spécifiques des organisations ciblées. Ce projet comprend une phase d’analyse qualitative et quantitative, incluant des sondages auprès des employés et des gestionnaires, ainsi que des entretiens approfondis avec des experts en santé organisationnelle. L’objectif est de recueillir des données sur les priorités en matière de bien-être, les défis actuels et les solutions souhaitées. Les résultats permettront d’identifier les segments les plus intéressés, de personnaliser les composantes du programme et d’élaborer une stratégie de mise en œuvre alignée avec les attentes du marché. Cette démarche vise à assurer la pertinence et le succès du programme, tout en maximisant son impact sur la santé et la satisfaction des employés.

Business Analyst Intern

This project will combine an in-depth research phase with AI-driven tools to help companies locate, onboard, and manage top international talent more effectively and at a lower cost. By analyzing global employment trends, labor regulations, and best practices for remote team management, I will gather data and develop clear, evidence-based hiring strategies. At the same time, I will assist in implementing AI components—such as automated candidate screening, predictive analytics for talent retention, and natural language processing for job descriptions—to streamline recruitment and payroll management. Through these contributions, I will help reduce operational overhead, maintain access to highly qualified global candidates, and foster productive collaborations for the partner organization.

An IGF-Trap for cancer therapy

The Brodt laboratory engineered and developed a novel IGF-targeting molecule (the IGF-Trap) with otent anti-cancer effects. The objective of this project is to optimize the use of this potential drug in re-clinical cancer models and develop sensitive biomarkers for assessing and predicting its effect. In addition, the effect of this inhibitor on pancreatic cancer growth and metastasis and its utility in nononcology ndication will be evaluated. Ultimately, the expectation is to identify and engage a pharmaceutical partner for transition of this inhibitor to the clinic for cancer treatment.

Advancing Face Recognition Technology: Exploring 2D and 3D Synthetic Face Image Generation using AI

Applied Recognition Corp. (ARC) a Canadian software company, which develops face recognition technology solutions, which are engineered to be both accurate and practical, allowing your organization to upgrade to biometrics simply and inexpensively. ARC relies on high-quality training data sets of human face images to train their machine learning models and ensure the accuracy of their image detection algorithms. However, they face a significant challenge in terms of the availability of high-quality data for training and testing purposes. To tackle this challenge, ARC is experimenting with state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) image generation tools. ARC is collaborating with WIMTACH CEDA to research and analyze the limitations and challenges associated with generating synthetic face images using various AI image generation tools.

ARC is continuing its collaboration with WIMTACH to address the critical challenge of high-quality training data for its machine learning models. To ensure accuracy and practicality, ARC relies on robust datasets of human face images, but the availability of such data remains a key obstacle.

Building on previous research conducted by ARC, this project focuses on advancing the use of AI image generation tools to create synthetic face images. The project will delve deeper into the limitations, challenges, and opportunities of synthetic data generation, aiming to optimize the performance of ARC’s facial recognition algorithms.

A key outcome will be a comprehensive design document outlining the control features and parameters—such as image diversity, resolution, realism, and bias mitigation—that influence the quality and utility of synthetic images. This project aims to provide actionable insights to enhance the effectiveness of ARC’s biometric solutions while ensuring cost-effective, scalable, and ethical data practices.

Evaluating BIPOC Residencies

This project identifies two areas of interest to the residency. How does Empire of Dirt meet the safety requirements of hosting IB+POC artists. How does Empire of Dirt support the furthering of a network for IB+POC artists. Through this project we seek to more fully understand how safety (particularly cultural safety, social safety, safety of community) is implicated, enacted, and possible in the context of an artist residency. This includes both understanding what artists need on a practical level through safety concerns, but also understanding how notions of safety are defined, buoyed, and understood in community contexts. This research project will engage with IB+POC artists and site-specific research towards these questions, enabling EoD to foster a sense of safety for IB+POC artists at the residency, and build a growing network of IB+POC artists.

Hummingbird

For this application, Solace has developed a hybrid inverter topology which incorporates a half-bridge synchronous buck converter into the inverter. The buck converter is a pain point in the topology — to limit the size of magnetic components, it is desirable to operate the buck at relatively high frequency (>300 kHz). However, switching loss in the half bridge increases proportionally with frequency, resulting in unmanageable waste heat. Looking to the future, the problem will be exacerbated when adapting the design to a supply voltage of 800 VDC, as compared to the existing 400 VDC supply. It is this problem that we aim to address in this research.