Innovative Projects Realized

Traitement et analyse de données industrielles d’une usine de fabrication de papiers anti-glissement dédiés au secteur des transports pour améliorer sa productivité en conditions hivernales québécoises

1) Aperçu du problème de recherche : CGP-Expal exploite à Bromont une usine de fabrication de papiers anti-glissement destinés à l’industrie du transport. En conditions hivernales, l’usine fait face à des difficultés opérationnelles récurrentes qui l’obligent à réduire la vitesse de ligne d’environ 20 %. Cette réduction est attribuable à certains procédés plus lents durant l’hiver, alors que les paramètres d’opération sont maintenus constants. À ce jour, la cause exacte de ces ralentissements demeure inconnue, ce qui empêche CGP-Expal de mettre en place des actions correctives ciblées.

2) Activités et défis : Afin de mieux cerner ce problème, CGP-Expal souhaite s’appuyer sur l’analyse de ses données opérationnelles qu’elle collecte déjà. Les difficultés majeures sont rencontrées aux étapes subséquentes à la collecte, soit l‘agrégation, le stockage et l‘exploitation pour l’analyse. Les principaux défis identifiés sont les suivants :
• Agrégation des données. Les données opérationnelles sont regroupées de manière hétérogène, sans méthodologie structurée. Cette situation complique leur organisation, la documentation et augmente les risques d’erreurs (Wang et al., 2024).
• Stockage des données. CGP-Expal ne dispose pas d’une base de données centralisée. Les données provenant de sources multiples sont organisées manuellement à l’aide de fichiers Excel, ce qui limite leur accessibilité et leur gestion à long terme.
• Utilisabilité des données. La structure actuelle des données ne permet pas de sélectionner, filtrer ou croiser efficacement les informations afin de conduire des analyses ciblées. Les fichiers Excel, qui sont utilisés comme substitut à une base de données, n’offrent aucune fonctionnalité d’analyse spécifique.

3) Avantages sociaux et économiques : En identifiant les facteurs responsables des ralentissements de production en conditions hivernales, CGP-Expal aura la possibilité d’optimiser ses opérations et d’augmenter sa production. Les retombées attendues de ce projet sont un prérequis à l’innovation et à l’adaptation stratégiques d’une entreprise comme CGP-Expal (Eriksson & Heikkilä, 2023).

AI Adoption for Enlacing Market Place Sales

This project will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital marketplace data can be used to improve sales and marketing decisions for Kondor Pharma’s natural health products on platforms like Amazon. Instead of running marketing activities, the project will analyze AI tools, keyword data, product listings, pricing patterns, and customer behavior to understand what factors influence product visibility and sales performance. The goal is to develop a practical, data-driven framework that helps Kondor Pharma choose the right AI tools, interpret marketplace data effectively, and make smarter strategic decisions for future digital growth. As a result, Kondor will gain a clear, evidence-based approach to improving its online presence, increasing conversion rates, and strengthening its competitiveness in digital marketplaces.

Growth Optimization Specialist

The Educator Experience is a Canadian-based professional development platform designed to support new and emerging post-secondary educators through online learning resources, applied training, and a nationally accessible podcast focused on educator experiences and practice.

During Phase 1 (November–March), the project team completed foundational research, needs analysis, and strategic planning to design a private, membership-based podcast community intended to extend professional learning beyond traditional, one-way content delivery. This phase resulted in a clear community model, content strategy, engagement framework, and implementation plan.

Phase 2 focuses on translating this strategy into an operational, revenue-generating digital platform. Key activities include configuring the membership platform, producing a library of exclusive multimedia content, implementing community engagement structures, and executing a coordinated public launch supported by targeted marketing initiatives. The goal of this phase is to establish a strong initial member base, test engagement mechanisms in a live environment, and ensure the platform is sustainable and scalable.

The project requires applied expertise in digital platform implementation, multimedia content development, community-centred engagement design, and launch marketing. The outcomes of Phase 2 will position the organization for Phase 3, which will focus on optimization, growth, and long-term impact across the Canadian post-secondary education sector.

Décharge nanoseconde dans un aérosol

Le projet consiste à amorcer une décharge entre deux électrodes pointues. Pour cela, une impulsion de tension très brève est appliquée à l’aide d’un générateur. La décharge se produit dans un espace confiné dans lequel un aérosol est injecté. Un aérosol est défini comme une suspension de particules dans un gaz. Celui utilisé ici est principalement constitué d’eau contenant un sel métallique ou non, afin d’étudier l’influence de ce sel sur la décharge et de produire des nanoparticules lors du passage de l’aérosol au cœur même de la décharge.

Neural Network Surrogates for Real-Time Optimization of High-Dimensional Neurostimulation

Neurostimulation is a medical and scientific technique that uses small electrical signals to communicate with the brain, spinal cord or nerves. It can help researchers understand how the nervous system controls movement, and it is already used in treatments for conditions like paralysis or Parkinson’s disease. However, one major challenge remains: to work well, stimulation must be carefully adjusted to each person. Today, this tuning is mostly done by trial-and-error, which can take a long time and often needs to be repeated.

This project aims to speed up and improve that process by developing artificial intelligence methods capable of automatically finding the best stimulation settings. Instead of testing thousands of possibilities manually, learning algorithms could quickly explore different options and adapt to each individual. The work focuses on fast optimization tools that can learn from data in real time, which could allow future neurostimulation therapies to become more efficient, personalized, and easier to use clinically.

If successful, this research could help expand access to neurotechnology, reduce the workload for physicians, and offer patients more responsive and reliable stimulation treatments. The goal is to support the next generation of intelligent neurostimulation systems that improve recovery and quality of life.

L’expérience sensible des soldats napoléoniens : étude des perceptions, pratiques quotidiennes et récits personnels à travers les lettres, carnets et journaux de la Grande Armée

Mon projet vise à mieux comprendre ce que vivaient et ressentaient les soldats de la Grande Armée de Napoléon, au-delà des récits officiels centrés sur les batailles. À partir de lettres, carnets de campagne et journaux personnels, je constituerai un corpus de sources manuscrites conservées au Service historique de la Défense (archives militaires à Vincennes, France). J’analyserai ensuite ces documents pour voir comment les soldats se décrivent et racontent leur quotidien : fatigue, peur, faim, maladie, camaraderie, espoir de gloire, rapport aux paysages, ainsi que leurs relations avec les civils et l’autorité militaire. L’objectif est de mettre en lumière leurs façons de se représenter eux-mêmes et de mieux saisir leur monde intérieur.

Les retombées attendues sont concrètes : produire une connaissance plus humaine et nuancée de l’expérience de guerre au début du XIXe siècle, et créer un corpus structuré (références, extraits et notes de contexte) directement réutilisable pour mon mémoire, des présentations, et des contenus pédagogiques accessibles.

Cascadia Climate Resilience Society – Knowledge Mobilization

This Mitacs internship project supports the Cascadia Climate Resilience Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction (DRR) in British Columbia through cross-sector dialogue and collaboration. The Society convenes scientists, policymakers, practitioners, Indigenous leaders, and community organizations through initiatives such as the annual BC Climate Resilience Summit (BCCRS), building on the legacy of Understanding Risk BC and aligning with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

While the BCCRS has been highly effective in bringing together diverse expertise, a key challenge remains: how to systematically capture, synthesize, and mobilize the insights generated during summit sessions so they can inform policy and practice beyond the event itself. This project addresses that gap by transforming the Summit from a primarily knowledge-sharing forum into a structured knowledge-to-action platform.

Working with the Society and academic supervisors at the University of Waterloo, Mitacs intern Katherine Allaby will design and pilot new processes that embed policy and practice intentions directly into summit planning and delivery. These include redesigning session proposal forms to clarify desired impacts, collecting pre-session intentions from presenters and participants, supporting outcome-oriented dialogue during sessions, and producing structured post-summit synthesis materials. Key outputs will include a session-level and event-level synthesis report, actionable recommendations, and a policy brief template to guide future policy-relevant communications.

By strengthening how knowledge is co-developed, synthesized, and mobilized, the project will enhance the Society’s ability to support multi-hazard, whole-of-society resilience in southwest British Columbia. The approach is designed to be reproducible and scalable, offering a model for other Canadian and international convenings seeking to bridge the science–policy–action gap in climate resilience and disaster risk reduction.

Knowledge-Graph Grounded Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Hallucination-Resistant AI Systems in Public-Sector

The partner organization, Solutions B-CITI Inc. (Bciti+), is a Canadian technology company specializing in smart community platforms that connect citizens, cities, and organizations through a universal digital citizen card and an AI concierge called ATNA. Its mission is to enhance citizen & membership engagement and trust while enabling services & data-driven, transparent decision-making for public and private partners.
Through this project, Bciti+ seeks to address a critical challenge: the rising impact of misinformation and lack of trust in digital communications between citizens and institutions. As Bciti+ evolves into an AI-powered platform (ATNA), it must ensure that information shared through its systems is verified, contextualized, and trustworthy. Developing an Intelligent Disinformation Detection using LLMs will help the organization automatically identify misleading or incorrect content, explain its reasoning, and provide confidence scores for transparency.
This innovation will strengthen Bciti+’s role as a trusted digital intermediary for cities, associations, and communities. The anticipated benefits include improved information reliability, higher citizen trust, and enhanced platform adoption and economic value. On a broader scale, this project will position Bciti+ as a pioneer in ethical and explainable AI applications for civic communication and public information integrity.

Premier Lighting Solutions

Premier Lighting is a lighting solutions provider based in Burnaby, BC, specializing in commercial and residential installations, with a commitment to quality, safety, and customer satisfaction. As the company grows, it faces challenges typical of expanding Canadian SMEs: ensuring best practices in workplace safety, modernizing employee hiring and onboarding, and maintaining equitable workplaces through clear policies, especially in areas such as warranties, workplace safety and harassment, hiring standards, and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI).
To address these needs, Premier Lighting is seeking to improve and formalize its internal policies. These improvements go beyond routine operations and will allow the organization to align with industry best practices, federal and provincial regulations, and emerging norms relating to EDI and workplace safety. The intern, with academic training in Policy Studies, will bring specialized expertise in public policy and regulatory analysis, stakeholder engagement, and evidence-based drafting, allowing the company to address these innovation challenges. Modernizing and formalizing policies in key operational areas is not only a compliance exercise but a driver of business innovation. By adopting clear, up-to-date, and customer- or employee-centric policies, Premier Lighting will enhance client trust, improve operational efficiency, and create an inclusive and safe workplace, resulting in a more attractive offering for both customers and talent. This capacity for innovation supports business growth, market differentiation, and long-term profitability.

Vers une plateforme pédagogique intelligente intégrant le microlearning

La transformation numérique de l’enseignement supérieur transforme profondément les modes d’apprentissage et le développement des compétences des étudiants. Face à des parcours d’apprentissage de plus en plus diversifiés et à une forte demande de flexibilité, les universités doivent repenser leurs pratiques pédagogiques. Le microlearning, fondé sur des contenus courts, ciblés et accessibles à la demande, représente une approche innovante adaptée à ces nouveaux besoins. Parallèlement, l’intelligence artificielle (IA) offre des possibilités importantes pour personnaliser les parcours d’apprentissage, fournir un accompagnement en temps réel et renforcer l’engagement des étudiants.

Ce projet vise à concevoir et développer une plateforme pédagogique intelligente intégrant le microlearning et des outils d’IA afin de soutenir l’apprentissage des étudiants en gestion des technologies d’affaires à l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR). Cette plateforme proposera un environnement d’apprentissage flexible, interactif et centré sur l’étudiant, favorisant le développement de compétences techniques, analytiques et managériales essentielles dans un contexte organisationnel de plus en plus numérique.

À terme, le projet contribuera à améliorer l’expérience étudiante, à renforcer l’autonomie des apprenants et à formuler des recommandations concrètes pour une intégration responsable, efficace et durable des plateformes pédagogiques intelligentes dans les programmes universitaires.

Youth Engagement in Gender Transformative Climate Justice in the Caribbean

This project explores how young people in the global South, especially young women and girls, are taking active roles in addressing climate change and gender inequality. It focuses on youth groups and networks in the Caribbean and looks at how they bring gender concerns into climate action in ways that can open new paths for meaningful change and respond to wider social issues. The study reviews existing youth-led projects, gathers young people’s views on the opportunities and challenges they face, and examines the approaches they use in their work.

This research visit is a continuation of a collaboration initiated in June 2025 between researchers at McGill and University of West Indies under the Queen Elizabeth Scholars program, in which I have been deeply engaged through research design,implementation, and preparing the initial research findings. During the research visit in Barbados, I will conduct interviews and focus group discussions with youth leaders, analyze the findings together, and identify messages and potential next steps for strengthening gender-responsive climate action. The work will benefit both institutions by deepening collaboration, expanding shared research, and helping build future partnerships that support youth-led climate and gender justice efforts in the region.

Exploring the Intersection of Folklore and Landscape Concerning Forested Areas in Upland Ireland

This study examines the intersections and overlapping knowledge between Irish folklore, understandings of landscape and lived realities, and historical sources concerning communities in north county Cork. With an eye to contemporary statements that claim a need to build a “Irish Forest-Culture”, this project aims to investigate the historical and cultural roots of what that might mean and to who. This research asks the following questions, is there historical documentation, narratives, and folklore about forests and the environment in north county Cork? And if so, what do they contain? How do these historical narratives and pieces of folklore converge and/or diverge from contemporary narratives around landscape, folklore, and sense of place? The proposed research builds on a broader project, led by Dr. Jodie Asselin at the University of Lethbridge, which focuses on re-storying places that have been impacted by the establishment of Sitka spruce monoculture forest plantations. The research will include three months of fieldwork in Ireland conducting archival research, semi-structured interviewing, and participant observation. This project will help foster a continued relationship between Irish and Canadian studies, creating spaces where people can learn, share, and reflect on what it means to do research at local, national, and international levels.