Innovative Projects Realized

Epigenetic modulators as targets in recurrent glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common brain cancer in adults. Despite undergoing extensive treatment, patients with GBM typically have a dismal survival rate of only 12-16 months. Furthermore, many patients eventually experience tumor relapse. Proteins such as epigenetic modulators function to change how genes are activated in DNA without altering the genetic code. Inhibiting such epigenetic enzymes through chemical compounds has been shown to have anti-cancerous effect. The aim of this project is to find new compounds targeting epigenetic proteins effective against recurrent GBM and to identify how they work using lab-based methods. This project will address the urgent need of new treatment approaches for recurrent glioblastoma.

AI Integration in Immigration Services: Enhancing Public Service with Data Pipelines, Data Lakes, LLMs, and Prompt Engineering

The primary objective of this project is to utilize artificial intelligence to support individuals intending to immigrate to Canada by providing real-time, accurate information, personalized assistance, and comprehensive guidance throughout their immigration journey. The project aims to ensure that prospective immigrants have their questions answered promptly and are well-informed about the necessary steps to meet all immigration requirements, thereby facilitating a smooth and safe transition to their new lives in Canada. This involves creating an AI-driven system that can efficiently manage and process vast amounts of data, offering up-to-date insights and tailored advice to users

Examining outcomes for individual and group based CBT-T for eating disorders

Cognitive behavior therapy ten (CBT-T) is a less resource-intensive, more accessible version of traditional CBT for eating disorders that has been found to be equivalent for improving eating disorder symptoms to traditional treatment. To further improve treatment accessibility, CBT-T can be done in a group format with up to 10 patients. The Nova Scotia Health Central Zone Eating Disorder Program already offers individual CBT-T, and the goal of the present project is to assess how group CBT-T compares to individual CBT-T in terms of acceptability to patients and usefulness for treating eating disorder symptoms. Patients in the NSH Central Zone Eating Disorder Program who are receiving outpatient treatment will be given a choice between individual or group CBT-T. Those who agree to participate in the study will complete questionnaires before, during, and after treatment, and at follow-ups, to assess symptom improvement. One-on-one interviews will also be done at follow-up to better understand patient experiences with both CBT-T formats. If group CBT-T is found to be equivalent to individual CBT-T, the group option could be permanently implemented into the NSH Provincial Eating Disorder Service to further improve treatment accessibility across the province.

The loss of photosynthesis in green algae: a case study for ecological transitions

We propose to investigate the physiological and ecological factors driving the loss of photosynthesis in green algae and their transition to a permanent heterotrophic lifestyle. Autotrophs produce organic molecules (such as carbohydrates) from inorganic compounds (CO2), and photoautotrophs are reliant on sunlight to do this. Photoautotrophs are the primary producers of most ecosystems. Most of all other life forms that rely on primary producers are called heterotrophs. There also exists a third class of organisms called mixotrophs, which switch between photoautotrophy and heterotrophy depending on environmental conditions. Interestingly, mixotrophy may facilitate the loss of photosynthesis in some environmental contexts. Chlamydomonadalean green algae are an exceptional system to study the transition from mixotrophy to heterotrophy, as Chlamydomonadalean algae boast various lineages that have independently transitioned from mixotrophy to free-living heterotrophy. The physiological advantages that facilitate the evolutionary transition from mixotrophy to heterotrophy (in green algae and other groups) are currently unknown. This proposed collaborative project will study the physiological costs and benefits of Chlamydomonadalean green algae with different trophic modes. By studying how previously photosynthetic lineages have eventually adapted to a non-photosynthetic lifestyle, we can provide fundamental knowledge to be mobilized into ecological models of future carbon sequestration.

Development and integration of new module to TROE AI based EMS software

TROES Corp. is a Canadian-based, advanced battery energy storage company, specializing in smart distributed energy storage solutions. Based on the LiFePO4 technology, TROES develops, designs, manufactures and delivers high-performance, rigorously tested, innovative, AI-based IoT and cloud-based energy storage systems. TROES have been developing a complete Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Energy Management System (EMS) software. They would like to add new modules and refine various features for the EMS by implementing creation of responsive web pages, product innovation by collaborating with teams, optimization of performance by system bottlenecks, and integration of data from various backend services. These new creations will improve incident management, enable remote control, and integrate advanced IoT capabilities.

Stage chez Héritage Montréal – programmes et activités

Depuis 1975, Héritage Montréal œuvre à protéger et à promouvoir le patrimoine de la grande région métropolitaine de Montréal. L’OSBL travaille à mettre la population en contact avec ce patrimoine et à la sensibiliser à sa valeur à travers une multitude d’activités et services, dont des tours guidés, des capsules vidéo, des articles de blogue et des expositions.

L’incendie des locaux d’Héritage Montréal en mai 2023 a affecté ses ressources et bouleversé ses infrastructures, nécessitant des efforts considérables pour poursuivre les activités normales de l’organisme tout en gérant cette situation exceptionnelle. Ce projet de stage vise donc à accueillir une personne pouvant appuyer l’équipe afin d’assurer le maintien et la bonification des activités et services pendant cette importante transition. Cela permettra à Héritage Montréal d’accepter un plus grand nombre de projets et contribuer ainsi davantage à la sensibilisation et à la sauvegarde du patrimoine montréalais.

La personne qui sera accueillie contribuera à la recherche, à la vulgarisation, à la rédaction et à la diffusion des contenus éducatifs et de sensibilisation, notamment des capsules vidéo et des articles de blogue. Elle travaillera aussi à la mise à jour de la plateforme numérique « MEMENTO », une carte interactive répertoriant les lieux patrimoniaux de la région de Montréal, et contribuera à la bonification des données du projet « Montréal en quartiers ». Elle appuiera aussi l’organisation des visites guidées et participera aux bilans de fin d’année et à la mise en place des activités de 2025.

Application Specialist

The Port is looking to do a full review of applications to ensure the strategy use of current applications to maximize business value and strategic use of resources for the high quality of data possible. Once the review is complete, a plan will be developed for the applications. This project will include various tasks including:
• Configure and test applications to meet business requirements and ensure core functionality is maintained and no bugs are present.
• Monitor, diagnose, and resolve application issues reported by users.
• Escalate critical issues to the appropriate team or vendor for resolution.
• Communicate effectively with teammates and business users to provide efficient solutions and updates.
• Document and maintain knowledgebase articles, procedures and best practices.
• Collaborate with other support analysts, network analysts, security analysts and database administrators to improve product quality and drive solutions forward.
• Upgrade software or interfaces for better performance and increased security posture.
• Continually review the solutions and make recommendations to improve or maintain them.
• Support the IT Team and PSJ employees as required with various projects and technical issues.
• Provide coaching and training to teammates and end users.

Genetic diversity of Aneura mirabilis and relatives

My project investigates the genetic diversity of Aneura mirabilis, a plant that lost the ability to photosynthesize, and instead depends entirely on fungal networks to meet its energy requirements. This is the sole bryophyte lineage that made this major nutritional transition. The mycoheterotrophic lifestyle is at one end of a spectrum of plant-fungal relationships that also includes ancient, widespread mycorrhizal mutualisms important for survival in most plants, including crop plants. Research into the function, diversity, and close relatives of mycoheterotrophic plants will provide insights into plant-fungal associations in general, and into how mycoheterotrophy evolved in particular. I will additionally infer phylogenetic relationships and species boundaries in Aneura by incorporating a new phylogenomic approach. This aligns with ongoing work and expertise in plant taxonomy, diversity, and applications of new phylogenomic techniques at the University of Edinburgh and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. This work will reveal the closest relatives of Aneura mirabilis and broadly resolve relationships throughout the genus, important information for future genomic comparisons and establishing conservation priorities. My research will expand and accelerate ongoing projects at UoE, RBGE and UBC, facilitate knowledge exchange of lab, field, and bioinformatic techniques, and provide a foundation for future collaborative research between our institutes.

Bunsen Reaction study as a key step of H2S Splitting cycle in Corning Advanced Flow Reactor

Currently, microreaction technology was applied to Bunsen reaction, a key step of H2S splitting cycle, to improve process capability by overcoming mass transfer limitations. This was achieved by using low-flow advanced reactor (LF-AFR) made by Corning Inc., the smallest model, in our research lab at University of Saskatchewan. Compared to normal scale reactors, microreactors provide an increase in surface to volume ratio, fast and reliable process development, lower environmental impact, and increased safety. For the collaborative research it is planned to use Standard Evaluation Reactor (G1-AFR) for which the maximum flow rate of 200 ml/min could be applied. From this work we hope to understand if our current work with Corning’s low-flow reactor can be repeated in a larger flow reactor and the performance of larger scale Corning reactor in some new reaction system. In this way, a deeper understanding of the Bunsen reaction would be obtained in terms of scalability and process design

L2M QC 2024 – «Action contre l’intimidation LGBT.»

Le projet proposé vise à créer une plateforme de soutien spécialisée pour les élèves 2SLGBTQIA+ victimes d’intimidation dans les écoles secondaires du Québec. Cette initiative est cruciale pour répondre aux besoins spécifiques de ces jeunes, souvent confrontés à des formes de harcèlement, d’exclusion, et de violence verbale ou physique en raison de leur identité de genre ou orientation sexuelle.
L’importance de ce projet réside dans sa capacité à offrir une solution innovante et centrée sur la technologie, permettant une intervention rapide et adaptée aux victimes. Contrairement aux méthodes traditionnelles souvent jugées lentes et inefficaces, cette plateforme en ligne permettra aux élèves de signaler les incidents en toute discrétion et d’accéder à un soutien immédiat. Elle proposera également des ressources éducatives, des ateliers, et des activités en présentiel pour promouvoir un environnement scolaire inclusif et respectueux.
L’aspect central de l’étude de marché dans ce projet est crucial pour valider l’idée avant de déterminer les prochaines étapes. En effet, la première étape consistera à mener des entrevues approfondies avec différents acteurs concernés, tels que les élèves, leurs parents, le personnel scolaire, et les organismes partenaires. Ces entretiens permettront de recueillir des données précieuses sur les expériences vécues, les besoins spécifiques, et les services existants. Ces informations seront ensuite analysées pour comprendre le marché, identifier les besoins réels, et orienter le développement de la plateforme et des services proposés.
Cette approche rigoureuse de validation de l’idée par l’étude de marché garantit que le projet répondra efficacement aux attentes des utilisateurs et qu’il disposera d’une base solide pour se développer. Les étapes suivantes incluront la création d’une équipe de conseillers bénévoles 2SLGBTQIA+, la compréhension du fonctionnement d’un organisme à but non lucratif, l’élaboration d’un plan d’affaires robuste, et le développement de la plateforme numérique.

Exploration of early fault-tolerant Quantum Computing simulation through Hamiltonian discretization

The project’s goal is to determine a quantum-computer suitable discretization of a target Hamiltonian. We will research how to efficiently perform the interaction and kinetic energy integrals with explicitly correlated orbitals using quantum computers, and how to efficiently use the result of those computations for the encoding of Hamiltonians. Assuming the result of the relevant integrals are known classically, there is active research in quantum computing for the efficient block encoding of the resulting discrete Hamiltonian

High speed electronics for quantum networking

This project aims to design, prototype, and characterize high-speed electronic circuit boards to enhance quantum photonic networking systems. In particular, it aims to meet the strict, emerging demands of quantum telecommunications with high-speed, low-jitter, low-phase noise electronics working at the performance limits of mass-producible electronics. Ki3 Photonics specializes in developing state-of-the-art systems for quantum networking, as a foundation for next-generation sensing, and computing applications. Prof. Richard Al Hadi from ÉTS brings to the project a world-class expertise in high-speed and custom electronics, at a level that can meet the unique demands of quantum networking. This project has substantial anticipated benefits for Ki3 Photonics and the broader Canadian quantum technology sector. By developing high-speed electronic circuits optimized for quantum applications, the project will enhance the performance and reliability of the company’s quantum systems. This aligns with Canada’s National Quantum Strategy