Innovative Projects Realized

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.

Development and Integration of a Shaft Current Simulation for Toroidal Field Generation in General Fusion’s LM26 Fusion Machine using COMSOL Multiphysics.

This project aims to advance the development of fusion energy, a technology with the potential to provide nearly limitless, clean power for the future. General Fusion’s approach, known as pulsed fusion, differs from traditional methods by releasing energy in short, intense bursts rather than maintaining a continuous reaction. This method makes the process more controllable and practical for power generation.

The primary challenge addressed in this project is optimizing the magnetic fields needed to stabilize the plasma, the superheated fuel used in fusion. These magnetic fields are crucial for ensuring the plasma remains stable long enough to produce significant energy during each pulse. This research focuses on developing detailed computer simulations to model the magnetic fields generated by electric currents in General Fusion’s LM26 machine. By understanding and improving the efficiency of these magnetic fields, the project aims to enhance the overall design of the fusion machine.

This project represents a significant step toward making fusion energy a viable and sustainable energy source. The insights gained could contribute to the broader effort to develop cleaner energy solutions, benefiting society and the environment for generations to come.

The Application of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Technologies to monitor and support Sustainable Tourism in the Thompson-Okanagan Region Municipalities

Achieving sustainability in the tourism industry requires appropriate tools to make decisions and assessments in an “integrated and well-informed way”. In this context, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are tools that could vastly contribute to the assessment of sustainability due to their capabilities to integrate and combine information for the dimensions of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, which can be mapped and geographically located. This can help to find relations, patterns, distribution of relationships, and flexibility in using information on sustainability indicators to inform critical actions by tourism stakeholders via GIS-based applications.
GIS is a form of Information Communication Technology (ICT) that has been demonstrated to be a versatile tool for integration in sustainability monitoring and assessment of other research contexts and industries. However, it has been less explored in the tourism industry, due to limited technical know-how and undiscovered benefits of the technology.
The study aims to use Geographic Information Systems to contribute to the territorial visualization of the actual status of sustainability of some businesses in the tourism industry in the municipalities of the Thompson-Okanagan Region. This information will assist stakeholders to be more strategic in addressing challenges in sustainable development at all three levels of sustainability in the tourism

Global Health Governance in South India

Global Health Governance is a hot topic these days but it seldom reaches the dalitbahujans (low caste and tribal peoples, the majority in India). Pairing industry with global health agendas is the wave of the future and can be more fruitful if culturally sensitive. Eight years ago, India embarked on the National Rural Health Mission for improved health governance in the rural areas and to realize the Millennium Development Goals. Today, a new BJP government has industrial development and high-tech health innovations on the agenda through relationships with North American, European, East-Asian biotech industries. In spite of some gains in recent industry-state partnerships, it is very difficult to develop effective Global Health Governance due to lack of cultural sensitivity. This needs to urgently be addressed. My project assess existing key programs and proposes novel approaches through existing forms of mid-level governance institutions such as NRHM and the formidable NGO sector to Global Health Governance in Andhra Pradesh.

L’expérience de la médiation culturelle sur le vieillissement en santé chez les personnes aînées isolées: le cas de Culture aux aînés

Ce projet s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une recherche doctorale. Il se situe dans le contexte du vieillissement en milieu rural estrien et autour du cas paradigmatique Culture aux aînés (CAA) présent dans les municipalités régionales de comté (MRC) du Val-Saint-François et Des Sources. CAA, un dispositif novateur interdisciplinaire encadré par une action de médiation culturelle, vise à favoriser la participation sociale et à réduire l’isolement social des personnes aînées en milieu rural. Notre recherche désire comprendre, dans une perspective du vieillissement en santé (VES), l’expérience de la médiation culturelle vécue chez des personnes aînées participantes à CAA. Nous voulons également appuyer CAA dans les trois volets de son plan de développement 2024-2027 et bonifier, par des recommandations, l’expérience des personnes aînées participantes à des activités de médiation culturelle présentes et futures.

Techno-Economic Evaluation of Materials Handling Solutions for the KSM Project

Mining operations have significant environmental impacts, making the adoption of innovative, energy-efficient materials handling technologies crucial for achieving both economic viability and environmental sustainability. This Mitacs project focuses on optimizing the materials handling systems at the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) Project in British Columbia to reduce its operating costs and GHG emissions. The project aims to identify and evaluate alternative technologies for materials handling by engaging equipment manufacturers and KSM Project personnel.
Discrete event simulations and an energy system model specifically tailored to the KSM Project will be developed to evaluate these technologies based on key operational parameters. The Mitacs project will provide a comparative analysis of these technologies to recommend the most suitable techno-economic solutions for the KSM Project encompassing capital and operating costs, energy sources, availability, and environmental impacts.
These insights will help enhance the operational efficiency of the mine while minimizing its environmental footprint.

Knowledge Assisted Optimization for Production Scheduling Based on Simulation and Metamodeling

In industries, chemical processes involve different plants running in parallel with different production rates under the strict constraints on available resources. Therefore, events like shutdown of one or more plants, operating plants with different production grades with flexible run length time, different equipment utilization rates of plants are vital to be studied, scheduled, and optimized. CADSIM Plus is a software tool, which simulates different chemical processes in industries and thus ensures an effective production in practice. The software is used by more than 220 companies and organizations all over the world. The objective of this project is to investigate and develop efficient optimization methods that can be integrated with CADSIM Plus for chemical process production scheduling. The task of chemical process production scheduling is a complex operation and cannot be modeled directly by simple mathematical equations. Therefore, optimizing the production scheduling on the basis of CADSIM Plus simulation leads to a challenging optimization problem and requires robust techniques to solve. The proposed intern will apply the integration of artificial intelligence with the state-of-the-art metamodel-based optimization methods to tackle this problem.

Comprendre les freins structurels et psychologiques à la mobilité active en région

Alors que beaucoup d’efforts sont faits pour favoriser la mobilité active dans les grands centres urbains, trop peu d’attention est portée sur les municipalités régionales (5000 à 50 000 habitants) et les défis particuliers qui s’y rapportent. La promotion de la mobilité active demande de bien comprendre les besoins, enjeux et freins propres à chaque contexte. Malheureusement, les territoires ruraux et petites villes n’ont souvent pas accès à des données d’enquête de qualité pour brosser le portrait de la mobilité de leurs résidents et comprendre les attitudes et barrières perçues à l’adoption des modes actifs. L’objectif principal de ce projet est de combler ce manque en développant et en administrant une enquête visant à identifier les barrières psychologiques et structurelles perçues à l’adoption de la mobilité active dans les municipalités régionales de 5000 à 50 000 habitants. Les constats tirés de cette enquête dans plusieurs MRC de Lanaudière permettront de soutenir le développement de stratégies holistiques et multiniveaux (infrastructures et promotions) pour promouvoir la mobilité active dans les municipalités de cette région.

Social finance in rural Atlantic Canada: Innovative strategic planning initiatives for community foundations

The general objective of the research is to identify potential to address research gaps in a cohesive understanding of philanthropy in Atlantic Canada and the role and engagement of foundations within the broader landscape of social finance. The project will also identify innovative approaches for planning within foundations to maximize their contributions to sustainable communities, as well as contribute to an edited volume focused on Atlantic Canadian philanthropy and special issue featuring emerging research in social finance and philanthropy research from across Canada.