Innovative Projects Realized

Creating a genome-wide CRISPR interference functional genomic library in Candida albicans to study fungal gastrointestinal colonization

Candida albicans is an important human fungal pathogen and commensal member of the microbiota. It colonizes the skin, gut, and reproductive tract of most healthy individuals without complications – a state known as commensalism. However under conditions that weaken the immune system, antibiotic use, and damage to the lining of the gut, C. albicans can cause life-threatening systemic infections. These infections often originate from the gut whereby C. albicans translocates into the bloodstream and causes damage to its host, as a pathogen. Recent research has focused on understanding C. albicans as a pathogen and less so on its commensalism. This proposed research project aims to understand how different genetic factors may play a role in C. albicans colonization of the gut, using a gene editing tool, called CRISPR interference (CRISPRi). We will also use a murine model of gastrointestinal colonization developed and optimized by the host laboratory (Dr. Ilse Jacobsen) to screen >35,000 mutant strains and determine which genes in the C. albicans genome are important for colonization and survival in the gut. This research holds potential for understanding C. albicans commensal lifestyle, inform us of possible strategies to prevent infection, and deepen our understanding of C. albicans biology altogether.

Community Outreach Support

Established in 1984 and located in Winnipeg’s inner city, the North End Women’s Centre is a drop-in resource centre focused on providing support and services to women and gender diverse individuals in need. The NEWC’s mission is to promote a safe space for healing and recovery through community support and engagement in team-building activities that target enjoyment and foster both individual and communal empowerment. The centre offers transitional housing, health education and resources, holistic counselling, outreach, community activities, and affordable items through their associated thrift shop.
Like many non-profits, the North End Women’s Centre is struggling with a lack of resources and capacity to effectively connect with community members and carry out their mandate to support women and gender-diverse individuals in the North End. The Community Outreach Support project aims to support the North End Women’s Centre in planning and organizing community events to engage and empower North End community members, acting as a first point of contact for vulnerable individuals to engage with the centre and access the life-changing resources they provide. The intern will increase the capacity of NEWC to develop, execute and improve their programming while gaining valuable experience.

PaceZero BSI 2024

PaceZero Capital Partners Ltd. (“PaceZero”) is a sustainability-focused private credit firm investing in established growth-stage technology companies that are generating quantifiable positive social and environmental outcomes. The project will consider innovative ways to further incorporate technology into loan origination, due diligence and underwriting processes.

Project Oulu

This project aims to advocate for the expansion of bicycle infrastructure along all major roadways such as Main Street and Portage Avenue, allowing all areas of Winnipeg to enjoy cycling safely. The Bicycle advocacy group the WRENCH will aim to promote the expansion of Winnipeg’s cycling network. Winnipeg’s growing cycling community is composed of individuals from all walks of life who choose to cycle for various reasons. However, Winnipeg’s cycling infrastructure remains critically lacking in neighbourhoods where cycling is growing the most. The vast majority of Winnipeg’s cycling infrastructure remains confined to the downtown area with bike lanes scattered on minor roads, leaving the infrastructure inaccessible or unhelpful for most riders.

Amélioration de la Plateforme de Collecte et d’Analyse de Données DEI

Élance est une entreprise dont la mission est de créer des environnements de travail inclusifs. Élance offre une plateforme intelligente SaaS (Software as a Service) qui accompagne les entreprises à bien gérer leur diversité, équité et inclusion (DEI) à l’interne. La plateforme offre un diagnostic démographique croisé aux données DEI, des formations personnalisées aux employé.es, des recommandations adaptées à leurs identités, tout en assurant la mesure en continu de la performance en DEI de l’entreprise.

Recevoir une stagiaire en AI nous permettra de commencer à développer des modèles intelligents derrières certaines automatisations récurrentes sur notre SaaS. La stagiaire nous aidera à développer notre IA d’une façon adéquate, mais surtout de relever le défi du développement éthique du modèle. En effet, les données qui touchent la DEI sont très sensibles et il est important de développer notre IA en considérant les biais inconscients et de possibles jugements qu’on doit absolument tenir en compte en DEI tout en respectant le processus d’anonymisation des données. Cela augmentera également certainement la vitesse à laquelle nous pourrons développer notre IA, ce qui est au cœur de notre développement d’affaires et le développement de notre produit.

Harvest Manitoba Voices

Interns will help the partnerning organization (Harvest Manitoba) to conduct their summer community garden and distribute gardening kids to clients. Interns will also work on the Harvest Voices report to gather information about who uses the food bank so that the organization can provide better resources and advocacy.

Tall Tom’s – Preparing marketing plan and management of day-to-day operations

Tall Tom’s is a dynamic company committed to delivering exceptional products and services in the Food Service and Manufacturing industry. With a focus on innovation and customer satisfaction, we strive to exceed expectations in every aspect of our business. We embrace a culture of continuous improvement and are seeking a highly motivated assistant manager to join our team.
This project aims to hire an Operations Manager/Assistant Manager whose key responsibilities would include:
1. Product Development
2. Optimizing Business Practices
3. Managing Day-to-Day Operations
4. Business Analysis
5. Point-of-Sale (POS) System Management
6. Marketing
7. Customer Service
8. Product Promotion

Identifying and documenting historic structures across New Brunswick – AHNB Heritage Project Coordinator

Under the direct supervision of the Built Heritage Officer, some of the intern’s duties will include the following:
1) Work with the Built Heritage Officer to update our website using skills necessary for HTML and CSS in WordPress.
2) Work with the Built Heritage Officer to develop a data model for AHNB’s Historic Places Inventory Project to upload and/or be able to host on our website.
3) Research, write, and create social media posts related to New Brunswick built heritage sites in support of AHNB’s New Brunswick Heritage Fun Facts.
4) Develop spreadsheets for data input on NB Heritage structures that have been demolished.
5) Help coordinate this year’s Love Your Covered Bridges Days marketing campaign amongst five organizations.

Flow Optimization for Disaster Recovery in Software-Defined Networks

The concept of Software-Defined Networking (SDN) has recently gained significant attention as a practical and flexible way to create programmable networks, where new network services can be deployed or dynamically adjusted with ease. One application of this concept could be in enhancing the reliability and survivability of backbone communication networks. The main objective of this project is to develop methods to enhance the performance of preventive survivability techniques in SDN networks, in particular by designing optimal techniques to reduce the number of network control operations at the time of a large scale network failure. The proposed project would help Ericsson offer innovative network protection methods that could minimize disruption time and optimize operations in SDN failure scenarios. The algorithms developed in this project can be implemented and deployed directly on backbone SDN controllers, and would allow Ericsson to plan highly robust and efficient backhaul networks that could provide minimum service disruptions in face of large scale failures.

Pilot Development of Consulting Offerings at Planet Hatch (The Student Hatchers)

Planet Hatch, as the sole incubator under Ignite the economic development agency of the Capital Region of New Brunswick uniquely combines strategic initiatives and stakeholder collaboration to support the growth of innovative businesses. Despite its significant role in fostering innovation and economic development, Planet Hatch faces challenges in providing comprehensive support to its members, particularly in areas such as marketing, competitive analysis, and export strategy. We also found that our members have challenges identifying the correct tools for their business needs as well as identifying funding opportunities to help them accelerate their growth. These challenges hinder the growth and success of the startups associated with our incubator. This project would help elevate the Planet Hatch services to aid our entrepreneurs with the challenges mentioned.

Timeless Discoveries: Rescuing Molecular Data from Formalin Fixed Specimens

Within museum collections, formalin fixed samples have long posed persistent challenges in acquiring viable nucleic acids for taxonomic and phylogenomic reconstructions. This proposal represents a vital first step in determining the presence or absence of formalin and its derivatives in the formalin fixed historic samples located at the Smithsonian Institution where the oldest can be dated back to the early 1900s. My approach, utilizing a compound called 2,4 dinitrophenylhydrazine (2-4 DNPH), aims to unlock the potential within these specimens. Preliminary investigations conducted at Queen’s University (Ontario, Canada) have already yielded promising results detecting this derivative in a formalin fixed fish. The methodology encompasses using real-time mass spectrometry and a targeted fragmentation approach to confirm the presence of 2-4 DNPH and its by-product using their molecular fingerprint. The proposed workflow will enhance the usefulness of formalin fixed specimens, and open the door to exploring their hidden secrets, previously inaccessible for molecular sequencing within the realm of natural history.

Methods to minimize bias in meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials with treatment switching

Our project aims to better understand how cancer research studies, specifically those that test the effectiveness of treatments, can be improved when patients switch treatments during the study. This switch, which happens often in cancer treatments, can make it difficult to tell how effective the original treatment is. Currently, the way researchers combine and analyze data from multiple studies doesn’t take this switching into account very well. We plan to use computer simulations to test two main approaches to handling this issue. One approach pretends the switches never happened, while the other stops counting the data at the time of the switch. Our goal is to see how these approaches might change the results and reliability of combined study findings, focusing on measures like how long patients live without the cancer getting worse and overall survival. By doing this, we hope to provide a clearer picture of what these treatment studies really show, which will help in making better decisions about cancer treatment. This will ultimately benefit the organization by making the research they rely on more accurate and useful.