Innovative Projects Realized

Explore thousands of successful projects resulting from collaboration between organizations and post-secondary talent.

13270 Completed Projects

1072
AB
2795
BC
430
MB
106
NF
348
SK
4184
ON
2671
QC
43
PE
209
NB
474
NS

Projects by Category

10%
Computer science
9%
Engineering
1%
Engineering - biomedical
4%
Engineering - chemical / biological

Impacts of tidal turbines on marine mammals – Year two

Canada’s coastal regions are an excellent source of marine renewable energy. These regions are also popular with marine mammals, providing good feeding opportunities. However little is known about how marine mammals will be affected by tidal energy developments. Concerns include the impacts of sound on animals’ ability to find food and navigate, the indirect effects of changes in prey distribution and abundance, and the direct impacts of collision with tidal energy structures in the water column. The objectives of this project are to better understand how marine mammals interact with tidal energy devices using a combination of traditional passive acoustic monitoring and novel sonar imaging methods. This study will improve our understanding of environmental effects and will contribute to the development of crucial collision risk models. This project will allow SMRU Canada to help move marine renewables forward into a cleaner future, both in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Isabelle Cote

Student:

Frances Robertson

Partner:

SMRU Canada Ltd

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Alternative energy

University:

Program:

Elevate

Wide Area Measurement Based Robust Damping Controllers for Power Systems with Embedded Power Electronic Devices – Year two

This research will investigate Wide Area Measurement based controllers for improving stability in systems with HVDC and FACTS devices embedded in AC networks. The approach will extend the candidate’s Ph.D. research which introduced a new method that is always able to guarantee improved damping of all modes in the face wide changes in the network. The approach will lead to controller designs which are robust against configuration or operating point changes, or communication loss. Small signal analysis using simplified and manageable models of the network will be carried out for designing controllers to improve damping of electromechanical swing modes of the network. Validation will be conducted using Electromagnetic Transients Simulation. An automated design tool will be developed so that an engineer can easily design and implement such controllers. This research will benefit the industry sponsor MHI to supply its clients with a superior product for network modeling and stability solutions.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Aniruddha Gole

Student:

Prashant Agnihotri

Partner:

Manitoba Hydro International Ltd

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Energy

University:

Program:

Elevate

Modulation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) ion channels and transporter activity, measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)

During human clinical trials, a large percentage of candidate drugs fail because they are unsafe or ineffective. Even when preclinical cell and animal studies seem positive, problems occur because drugs tested with these models are often not predictive of what happens in humans. Many drugs, including non-cardiovascular drugs, target ion channels of the heart (membrane proteins through which heart cells conduct electrical currents), which can potentially result in lethal arrhythmias. Thus, it is critical to use preclinical models and technologies that can closely reproduce what happens in humans to better predict drug safety and efficacy. To streamline the therapeutic development pipeline, we are proposing to develop an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS)-based ion flux assay using hiPSC-CM to better predict the effects of new molecules on the electrical activity of the heart. For this project, the ion channel reader (ICR)™ manufactured by Aurora Biomed, the Vancouver-based partner organization will be used.

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Faculty Supervisor:

David Fedida

Student:

Logan Macdonald

Partner:

Aurora Biomed Inc.

Discipline:

Pharmacy / Pharmacology

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

Program:

Elevate

Advancing an Artificial Intelligence Platform for Crop-Health Monitoring

Plants can respond to changes in their surroundings and can convey precise information about their health state. Ecoation has developed a multi-sensory data acquisition device to capture this information and has been collecting in-field sensor data along with data labels produced by human experts during data collection. In addition, images of various parts of plant canopy has also been collected to supplement the sensory information and to provide insights into plant physical features such as vegetation. There is a wide spectrum of data types available, but only a few have been explored due to the novelty of the data type and the application. The focus of this project will be (i) conducting research and developing new data processing methods for our data and (ii) investigating machine learning and deep learning procedures to build deployable models for plant health diagnosis, vegetation detection and other grower’s task using collected labeled data.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Lang Wu

Student:

Tingting Yu

Partner:

Ecoation Innovative Solutions Inc

Discipline:

Statistics / Actuarial sciences

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Assessing the effectiveness of plain packaging in reducing smoking rates: A mixed method approach

Plain packaging refers to standardizing cigarette pack font/color, and removing logos. This form of packaging lowers intention to smoke. However, there is a dearth of research on the direct effects of plain packaging on actual smoking behaviour and the mediation of those effects through increased attention to graphic warnings. The proposed project addresses these two gaps. First, smokers will wear eye-tracking glasses in a lab to determine if plain (vs. branded) packaging increases attention to warnings. Second, smoking behaviour for the same smokers will be examined in a lab when they smoke cigarettes from plain (vs. branded) packages. Finally, smokers will receive graphic warning stickers, in a randomly assigned plain or branded format, to attach to each of their purchased packs for two weeks. Smokers will also be provided with smart watches to measure their smoking behaviour. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Sherry Stewart

Student:

Mohammed Al-Hamdani

Partner:

Lung Association of Nova Scotia

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program:

Elevate

Determination of optimal conditions for the large-scale production of astaxanthin in algae

Astaxanthin is a high-value natural product that is produced by a number of strains of algae. Astaxanthin and related carotenoids such as leutein and zeaxanthin, all derived from beta-carotene, have been demonstrated to have positive health benefits when taken as a dietary supplement. The Myera Group, a Manitoba biotechnology start-up company, has as a primary goal the production of astaxanthin for the commercial market. The Myera group has succeeded in producing astaxanthin in pilot-scale cultures (~ 90 L), however the consistent production of a high yield of astaxanthin at the production scale (~ 9000 L) remains a challenge. This project will examine in detail the effect of a variety of culture conditions, such as, dissolved gasses, lighting conditions and trace hormones, on the production of astaxanthin with the goal of maximizing yield in the large-scale cultures. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

John Sorensen

Student:

Mona Abdel-Hameed

Partner:

Myera Nu-Agri-Nomics Group Canada Inc

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

Program:

Elevate

Understanding the regulation of specialized metabolite accumulation in hop plants (Humulus lupulus)

Hops (Humulus lupulus) flowers are most famous for imparting the bitter taste and aroma to beer. Hop flowers produce essential oils that contain many different plant compounds, which impart the characteristic taste and aroma of hop plants. However, how the production of these oils is regulated is not fully understood. The establishment of the craft beer industry, which is also rapidly expanding throughout North America and the world, is spurring renewed interest and investment in local hop agriculture. South-western British Columbia, particularly the Fraser Valley and Okanagan regions are excellent areas for hop agriculture. The research outlined in this proposal will support the identification of the genetic factors and environmental conditions that promote the production of high quality hop flowers.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Simone Castellarin

Student:

Jonathan (Jay) Martiniuk

Partner:

BioCan Technologies Inc

Discipline:

Food science

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Developing Single Use Performance Enhanced Raman (SUPER) spectroscopy probes for bioprocessing reactions

Raman spectroscopy is a powerful analysis technique in which a chemical sample is illuminated by a laser and the molecular identity of the sample is revealed by measuring the precise wavelength shifts of the reflected laser photons. Raman methods are being adopted in many different business sectors, but they are particularly well-suited to the requirements of the bioprocessing/biopharma industry, where many different chemical constituents, namely peptides and sugars, must be precisely quantified in real time to optimize the growth and yield of the cell cultures. However, commercially-available Raman analyzer equipment is not compatible with the new generation of “single-use” bioprocessing reactors. We propose a project to develop and commercialise Single-Use Performance Enhanced Raman (SUPER) probes which creates an optimized optical interface between single-use bioreactors and Tornado Spectral Systems’ best-in-class Raman analyzer. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Alexandre Douplik

Student:

Aditya Pandya

Partner:

Tornado Spectral Systems

Discipline:

Physics / Astronomy

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

Program:

Elevate

Advanced differential mobility mass spectrometry with electron capture dissociation for the characterization of therapeutic proteins

Many new pharmaceuticals are based on large biomolecules like proteins. Even small differences in the protein structure can cause significant changes in the efficacy and safety of these drugs. Furthermore, these large molecules are difficult to characterize without advanced instrumentation and methods. Current technologies still struggle with robustness and reproducibility. This study aims to introduce new technology to improve the reliability of protein pharmaceutical characterization. It will leverage a separation technique called differential mobility spectrometry with an advanced mass spectrometry technique called electron capture dissociation to identify, characterize and verify the structure and shape of these therapeutics along with the presence of dangerous contaminants. These technologies will increase our ability to identify novel modifications much more quickly while simultaneously reducing our reliance on less robust liquid-based separation methods. Developing this application will provide the additional push needed to further commercialize and market both differential mobility spectrometry and electron capture dissociation.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Derek Wilson

Student:

Brendon Seale

Partner:

AB SCIEX

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals

University:

Program:

Elevate

Advanced Analysis Setup of Next Generation XRT Algorithms

The research project will include a study using dual energy X-ray transmission (DE-XRT) technology to investigate how to improve the current DE-XRT analysis. To conduct the research, large amounts of samples will be taken from different types of deposits and operations. The research will evaluate various data mining methods to generate algorithms using the data from DE-XRT technology and hence improving the sorter efficiency. The findings from research can help benefit SDE by providing solutions to improve algorithm generation using DE-XRT technology and benefit the mining industry. A few direct benefits include removing sulphide material from acid generating stock piles and finding a solution to uneconomic/unprofitable operations by improving their profitability using DE-XRT technology.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Maria Holuszko

Student:

YiRan Zhang

Partner:

Sacre-Davey

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Mining and quarrying

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Investigation of the microbial harbouring quality of stainless and galvanized steel, fibreglass and plastic drains and various drain designs in a food or beverage processing environment

Wastewater drains and drainage systems have been identified as a potential source of microbial contamination in animal, food and beverage processing facilities, which potentially lead to contamination of product and negative downstream public health and economic consequences. Of particular concern are well-known food borne pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, which form biofilms on surfaces that allow the organisms to be more resistant to washing and antimicrobials. The ability of various different stainless steel drains and drainage systems to harbour foodborne pathogens and bacteria will be assessed and compared to that of commonly-used drains and drainage systems. The wastewater from hog processing, chicken abattoir, and fermented beverage facilities are to be assessed for microorganisms including Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, coliforms, yeast and mold and aerobic counts.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Peter Jones

Student:

Xiang Chen

Partner:

Slot Drain Systems Ltd

Discipline:

Food science

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Connecting private investment to clean-tech innovation in buildings: A new framework for understanding Green Investment Banks

Meeting the Paris Climate Accord will require $53 trillion invested towards low-carbon infrastructures by 2035. To accelerate domestic investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency, dozens of Green Investment Banks have been developed in recent years seeking to leverage public spending with funds from institutional investors, such as pension funds, insurance companies, and private equity firms. The provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta have all announced Green Investment Bank initiatives.
This research project will seek to answer how are Green Investment Banks increasing institutional investment in the built environment, and what Green Investment Bank interventions are most likely to accelerate the adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy in Western Canada?
This research will be carried out in partnership with Ayrshire Group, a boutique investment firm specializing in green real property investment in Western Canada. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

James Tansey

Student:

Thor Jensen

Partner:

Ayrshire Group

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Alternative energy

University:

Program:

Accelerate

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