Innovative Projects Realized

Phytofiltration de PFAS par des saules à croissance rapide

Le présent projet de recherche porte sur l’étude de la distribution de contaminants émergents, soit les substances per- et poly-fluoroalkylées (SPFA, ou PFAS en anglais), dans les plantes, plus particulièrement les saules à croissance rapide, lorsqu’irrigués avec des eaux contaminées ou du lixiviat de lieux d’enfouissement.
Les PFAS sont une famille de composés chimiques synthétiques utilisés pour leurs propriétés uniques, comme la résistance à l’eau, aux graisses et aux taches et leur inflammabilité, et sont donc retrouvés dans plusieurs objets du quotidien. Depuis quelques années, ces molécules sont étudiées puisque celles-ci peuvent avoir des impacts néfastes sur la santé humaine, sur la faune, ainsi que sur les écosystèmes. Ces composés fluorés ont une forte résistance à la dégradation et persistent donc dans l’environnement et les organismes. On peut les retrouver autant dans les sols, que dans l’eau, ainsi que dans l’air, et la taille et la diversité de la famille (plus de 5000 composés) fait en sorte que celles-ci sont difficiles à capter et à traiter. Les lixiviats issus des lieux d’enfouissement de déchets sont potentiellement une grande source de PFAS.

Optimizing Concentration, Separation, and Discharge of High Solid-Fraction Ice Slurry

This research project is centered around enhancing the delivery process of ice stored in tanks, particularly focusing on ice slurry, a mixture of small ice crystals suspended in a liquid phase. Typically, these slurries are created from solutions like saltwater (NaCl). The primary objective is to optimize the methods for extracting the stored ice from these tanks for various applications. Instead of just scooping ice out, we aim to streamline and improve this process to make it more efficient and effective.

Ice slurry technology is widely utilized in industries such as refrigeration, food processing, and thermal energy storage due to its ability to efficiently store and transport thermal energy. However, current methods for delivering ice from storage tanks can be inefficient and cumbersome, leading to energy wastage and operational challenges. By refining the process of extracting ice from these slurries, we can significantly improve the overall efficiency and performance of systems relying on ice slurry technology.

Through a combination of experimental investigations and computational modeling, we will analyze the behavior and properties of ice slurries under different conditions. This comprehensive approach will enable us to understand the underlying mechanisms governing the delivery process and identify opportunities for optimization. By developing more efficient

Validation of genomic biomarker in pooled case-cohort studies

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. Radical prostatectomy (RP) is a common treatment for this cancer, and after surgery, patients are still considered at risk. It’s important to accurately identify high risk patients after RP in order to reduce risk through further treatments. The genomic classifier (GC) DecipherTM, a product of GenomeDx Biosciences, has been developed to predict early metastasis in prostate cancer patients after RP. Validation of the GC has been performed on individual studies. However, there lacks methodology in validating the GC over several studies several studies through joint validation approach. This research project aims to develop methodology that can estimate the common effect of a GC over multiple studies with case-cohort designs through a joint analysis. With this novel methodology, GenomeDx Biosciences can better validate the genomic classifier and thus evaluate its value more efficiently.

L2M – Development of a Capillary Microfluidic Design Automation Module for Three-Electrode Electrochemical Biosensors

This project is developing an innovative tool that accelerates the design process of lab-on-a-chip devices, which are crucial for the analysis of tiny liquid samples to detect the presence of pathogens or chemical substances, a process known as biosensing. The tool employs a sophisticated algorithm that leverages data from previous designs to optimize and suggest the most effective configurations for new chips tailored to specific queries. This capability significantly enhances the speed and resource efficiency of chip fabrication.
The introduction of this tool provides life science researchers and enterprises with a method to fabricate these devices in a more intelligent and cost-effective manner. This is particularly critical when rapid responses are required for diagnosing health issues or evaluating new medical treatments. Utilizing this tool enables them to conduct their research more swiftly and with greater precision, potentially facilitating significant advancements in medical and healthcare fields. Furthermore, the design of this tool incorporates feedback from actual users, ensuring it meets the practical demands of scientists and industry professionals within the life sciences sector.

The Research on the Positioning of Virtual Humans in AR Collaboration Systems

Our research expands the paradigm of 1:1 AR collaboration systems to multi-party AR collaboration systems, enabling more flexible control over the positioning of the RU. We investigate multi-party conversations involving two or more participants and one VH replacing the RU. Specifically, we vary the distance between the two LUs and the VH to examine RU’s positioning during interactions. In our experimental setup, two LUs and one RU collaborate on a task to reach a consensus, guided by the experimenter for optimal decision-making. We assess the impact of RU’s opinions on users through differences in pre- and post-interaction opinions and measure users’ satisfaction with the decision. Participants also evaluate the RU’s social presence, co-presence, focus, and respect levels toward them based on its positioning.

Valorisation des plastiques agricoles

Le secteur agricole génère de nombreux types de plastiques résiduels selon leurs utilisations. Au Québec, un total d’environ 11 000 tonnes de plastiques agricoles sont générés chaque année, mais environ 50% se retrouve au Centre-du-Québec et ses régions voisines. L’objectif principal de ce projet est de développer des applications pour réutiliser les plastiques agricoles après leur utilisation. Le projet pilote sera réalisé sur le territoire de la MRC Arthabaska avec la participation de tous les acteurs locaux en lien avec la récupération et le traitement des plastiques. L’idée principale est de trouver des débouchés pour les plastiques agricoles recyclés. En particulier, on cherche à déterminer des solutions pour la récupération, le traitement, la transformation et la fabrication de produits à base de plastiques recyclés. Ceci peut se faire en utilisant des plastiques seuls ou pour des mélanges et des composites. Finalement, des prototypes seront produits à l’échelle réelle. On cherche non seulement des applications agricoles, mais aussi dans des domaines comme l’automobile, l’emballage, le transport et la manutention, ainsi que différents produits extérieurs (jardins, parcs, patios, terrasses, etc.).

Robust flight control of urban air mobility vehicles in icing conditions

The project aims to develop new flight control systems for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles, designed for short to medium-distance travel within cities. However, the operation of these vehicles, especially in Canada’s inclement weather conditions face significant challenges, particularly when flying in icy conditions, which can endanger flight safety by affecting the aircraft’s stability and control. To tackle this, the project will bring together researchers from South Korea and Canada to work on advanced flight control algorithms. The focus will be on two main technologies: Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) and Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL). NMPC is known for its ability to handle complex, uncertain conditions by predicting and optimizing flight behavior, making it ideal for navigating through icing. DRL, on the other hand, allows the aircraft to learn and adapt to icing conditions, improving safety and efficiency. The outcome will be a robust flight control system capable of ensuring the safety and reliability of UAM vehicles, even in the challenging weather conditions often found in Canada. This research not only aims to advance the technological capabilities of UAMs but also to make urban aerial transportation a safe, efficient, and viable option in the near future.

1JustCity West Broadway Drop-in outreach and programming support

This project will take place at the 1JustCityWest Broadway location where the intern will get the opportunity to get to know the community the organization provides support to. The intern will help support and deliver existing programs that the organization offers to the community including harm reduction programming, senior programming, and Indigenous Cultural programming. In addition, the intern will work with existing staff and volunteers to offer summer programming that focuses on building relationships in the community. 1JustCity West Broadway will benefit from this project as the intern will be another person who offers support to program participants. In addition, the intern will have provided recommendations on how to help improve the processes, advance productivity and improve outcomes for those who access the supports 1JustCity West Broadway provides.

Brighter Days Youth Nature Club

Brighter Days youth nature club will work with the already established nature club at CPAWS Manitoba, but will provide programming for a target audience, in this case the target audience being inner city youth. A historically under served subset of the learning populous that can benefit greatly from environmental and sustainability learning. One of the benefits of this project will be youth led sustainability projects designed to protect green spaces within city centers.

Geochemical and Isotopic Examination of Mineralization of the South Mine Complex, Abitibi Sub-province, Ontario

The Macassa Mine has historically been a major producer of gold in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. Recently, Kirkland Lake Gold Inc. discovered a new South Mine Complex (SMC) which is one of the highest grade gold deposits in Canada. Mineralization in the SMC appears more sulphide rich than in the Main Break of the Macassa Mine, and this project proposes geochemical and isotopic studies on the rocks of the SMC. This will provide further understanding of the fluids associated with mineralization, and results will be compared with published values for the Main Break to confirm source heterogeneity between the Main Break and the SMC and z and identify possible fluid heterogeneity within the SMC. This information will be important for advancing the partner company’s knowledge of the modeling of this deposit, and can help with developing future economically effective methods for gold exploration.

Developing Support Worker Tools

The proposed project involves actively engaging with indigenous women who are on a healing journey, along with their children, to provide support and assistance. As a participant, i will work closely with these women, offering my support and participating in various activities alongside them. This hands-on approach benefits the partner organization by providing these women and their children with a dedicated and willing student who can learn from their experiences and actively contribute to their healing journey, fostering a supportive and empowering environment for all involved.

La transition de policier à cadre, besoins et enjeux quant à la prévention en santé psychologique au travail

La recherche s’intéresse aux différentes situations que vivent les nouveaux cadres des organisations policières du Québec et aux différents enjeux psychologiques que la transition policier-cadre engendre. Le domaine policier québécois possède la particularité qu’une très grande partie de ses cadres proviennent des rangs de l’organisation dans laquelle ils ont débuté leur carrière. Cette progression interne occasionne des défis particuliers pour ces gestionnaires qui deviennent soudainement le supérieur hiérarchique d’anciens collègues avec qui ils ont parfois tissé d’étroites relations. Notre intérêt porte sur les enjeux que vivent ces nouveaux cadres dans leur rôle de gestion. À terme, la présente recherche vise à mieux comprendre les enjeux et les besoins des policiers en fonction de gestion afin de préserver leur santé psychologique au travail. Alors que des recherches précédentes ont identifié des enjeux liés aux promotions internes dans les organisations en général, cet enjeu a été peu traité au niveau de la sécurité publique. Nous disposons donc de peu d’informations quant aux enjeux propres à ce type d’organisation, surtout en contexte québécois.