Innovative Projects Realized

Une formulation par équation intégrale volumique pour la tomographie par induction magnétique de tissus biologiques

La tomographie par induction magnétique est une technique d’imagerie biomédicale récente qui peut être appliquée, par exemple, pour la détection d’accidents vasculaires cérébraux et l’imagerie pulmonaire. Elle utilise un champ magnétique à basse fréquence pour identifier les propriétés diélectriques des tissus. La reconstruction du milieu biologique à partir des mesures du champ est complexe et nécessite un coût de calcul très élevé, ce qui limite pour l’instant son utilisation en cliniques. Le but du projet est de reformuler le problème sous forme d’intégrales volumiques et de vérifier si cela permet d’améliorer les contraintes liées au coût de calcul sans compromettre la validité des résultats. Des avancées dans ce domaine permettront ultimement de développer une méthode d’imagerie qui nécessite un équipement extrêmement simple et peu coûteux pour détecter rapidement certaines.

Evaluating Data for Urban Decision-Making surrounding Storm Water Drainage Systems in Chennai

The south Indian megacity of Chennai, India is susceptible to recurrent flooding and seawater infiltration. The city is quickly urbanizing, but the expansion of municipal infrastructure for water and drainage has not kept pace with this rate of development. So, in the event of a storm, the city does not have the necessary built infrastructure to diffuse water from heavy rainfalls. This exacerbates the losses from flooding, as seen in the recent floods of December 2015. While in recent years expenditures on storm water systems have increased, the general opinion is that these investments have delivered poor outcomes, with implications for inclusive and environmentally sustainable development.

This research aims to understand decision-making for urban services, with a particular focus on storm water drainage in Chennai. Very little is known about the planning, execution and monitoring processes for storm water drainage infrastructure. So, I will look at how the lack of high quality data poses barriers to achieving transparent and robust decision-making processes, and socially desirable outcomes.

This research will contribute to more participatory, inclusive, and environmentally responsible urban decision-making.

China English and its Role in the Differentiated Education of English Language Learners in Canada

This project will explore the dialect of China English at Southwest University in Chongqing, China. The research will attempt to connect the study of China English to the purpose of offering a more inclusive and comprehensive education for English language learning students in Canadian schools. The project will involve an observation of China English as present in oral and written forms across the Southwest University campus and in classrooms. This project is a part of Xu & Connelly’s (2013-2020) SSHRC Partnership Grant Project entitled “Reciprocal Learning in Teacher Education and School Education Between Canada and China.”

Prédistorsion non-linéaire pour la correction de haut-parleurs graves

Dans un système audio, les haut-parleurs sont les principales sources de distorsions non linéaires dans le son. Le système électromécanique de ces derniers produits des distorsions harmoniques et d’intermodulation, ce qui cause une dégradation de la qualité du son. Ces effets sont particulièrement considérables dans les basses fréquences, là où le déplacement mécanique de la membrane du haut-parleur est important. Dans ce travail, nous étendrons une méthode de prédistorsion pour corriger ces distorsions d’harmoniques et plus particulièrement en provenance des basses fréquences. Nous proposerons une méthode non linéaire de prédistorsion et une implémentation sur une cible DSP ou FPGA. Une évaluation pratique sera réalisée sur le gain en réduction des harmoniques et sur la perception d’écoute.

High-Quality Urban Representation/iCity: Urban Informatics for Sustainable Metropolitan Growth

The intention of this collaborative research effort is to create an accurate digital 3D model of the City of Toronto waterfront that can be used by city planners to visualize factors relevant to the city when making high-level decisions regarding infrastructure and policy. This project is a collaboration between OCAD University and Esri Canada Limited, a software company that specializes in geographical information systems (GIS). EC has offered the use of their proprietary software CityEngine, which optimizes the process of creating realistic 3D city and geographical models. The OCAD University intern is responsible for learning this software, integrating relevant city and geographical data, and finally creating the digital model. Within the broader scope of the iCity project, this model will then be used as a testbed for developing custom visualization software. The benefit for EC is that they can showcase their software as a permanent component of the City of Toronto’s information architect

Développement d’une chaîne de traction électrique pour vélo

L’entreprise Alizeti souhaite mettre sur le marché une solution abordable pour permettre au consommateur de convertir une bicyclette classique en velo electrique. Ce kit de conversion revet l’aspect general d’un support a bagage dans lequel toutes les composantes de Ia chaine de traction sont integrees. Ce systeme repose sur un type de transmission particulier qui consiste a transmettre le couple du moteur a Ia roue arriere a l’aide d’une roue a friction en contact direct avec le pneu. Le projet consiste a optimiser les performances du kit. Les axes de recherches portent sur Ia commande et Ia modiilisation
Dans un premier temps, il sera necessaire de modeliser !’ensemble du systems afin de bien connaitre ses caracteristiques, puis il sera possible de developper un algorithme de commande destine a tirer le maximum de chaque composantes et ainsi offrir Ia meilleur experience possible au cycliste.

Validation of a novel wearable sensor system during non-lab over-ground walking

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease associated with pain, loss of mobility and reduced quality of life. There is no cure for OA, and treatment for many people involves expensive surgeries or drugs that carry risky side effects. New treatments, including changing the way people walk – termed gait modification – have been developed to slow disease progression and improve symptoms, while reducing the risk of side effects and economic cost. However, analysis and instruction of gait modification has been limited to expensive and inaccessible laboratory settings. Recent technological advances using sensors worn on the body (wearable sensors) have become a realistic option to analyze walking in natural settings and for longer durations, something not previously possible in a lab. This is important to understand how people walk in the real world, and whether or not treatments actually work outside of controlled laboratory settings. Before important studies can be conducted, these sensors must be tested in the real world and optimized for patient use. Therefore the purpose of this project is to validate shoe-worn sensors which measure walking movements outside of the lab setting.

Étude de la fracture mécanique dans les matériaux fonctionnels et intelligents

Les 25 prochaines années représentent une période de transition au cours de laquelle plusieurs matériaux fonctionnels passeront d’un stade « laboratoire » à un stade « commercial ». L’accès à ces matériaux et leur incorporation dans des systèmes d’usage courant solutionneront plusieurs problématiques récurrentes en santé, en développement durable et en énergie. C’est pourquoi, les connaissances obtenues pendant ce projet serviront également à mieux comprendre ces matériaux et en particulier leur comportement lors de la propagation des fissures et leur mécanique de la rupture.
Ce projet fera l’objet à la fois de l’étude et de la compréhension du comportement mécanique à la rupture de matériaux de natures différentes. Des échantillons seront fabriqués puis détruits suivant les normes internationales en vigueurs. TO BE CONT’D

Technology in Geography

The Technology in Geography research project analyzes how teachers within Chinese high schools use technology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) within geography classes to aid in delivering course material. Coming from an educational background that was highly centred on using GIS, I find it critical to include GIS technologies within Geography as a way to engage students and introduce them to the technologies that are available to them. Within Canada, more specifically in Ontario schools there are very few teachers who integrate technology within geography classes. However, within the modern context, in order to educate students in the subject of Geography for tomorrow’s world, technology must be utilized. The purpose of conducting this project is to obtain a better understanding of how to integrate technology within a classroom, incorporate the use of GIS within my teaching practice and improve myself as a teacher within the diverse modern educational system.

The Pedagogies and Perceptions of English Language Teachers in China

The overall objective of my research project is to examine the pedagogies and perceptions of English language teachers in China with the intent of comparing and contrasting them to those of French language teachers in Canada. The summarized objectives are (1) to develop a clear understanding of teaching strategies used by English language teachers in China, (2) to gain insight into the teaching resources used by English language teachers in China, and (3) to analyze how teacher-student interaction facilitates the usage of the English language in English language classrooms in China. The conclusions drawn from this project will be used to contribute to the overall goal of the SSHRC Partnership Grant Project of developing a better understanding of the similarities and differences between Canadian and Chinese education.

The use of drama in middle school classrooms to enhance learning

Drama is a unique and effective way to help students understand and retain information in the classroom. Studies have shown that drama can increase creativity, insight and retention (O’Hara, 1984, p. 314). Drama is especially useful when it is used cross-curricularly (educational lessons that cover more than one subject). My proposed research project will focus on how drama is used in classrooms in Chongqing, China. I am not necessarily focusing on specific drama classes but looking for how drama is used in “non-drama” subjects. I am interested in how drama is used in the classroom to enhance students’ learning. I hope to discover new skills and techniques that help students learn and hope that I can utilize those teaching styles in my own future classroom. I am excited for the potential opportunity to explore diverse classrooms to develop me as a well-rounded person and future educator.

O’Hara, M. (1984). Drama in education: A curriculum dilemma. Theory Into Practice, 23(4), 314–320. doi:10.1080/00405848409543133

Extrusion of Metal Matrix Composite material: orientation of reinforcements and transfer of properties

The aim of this project is to develop and characterize metal matrix composite materials for applications in the field of power electronics and automotive. The material under study are constituted by a copper or aluminum matrix, reinforced by carbon (fibers or platelets) and it is known that the composite properties depend on the orientation of the reinforcements. The objective of this research is to study and to evaluate the effect of a deformation (e.g extrusion) of the material on its thermal, electrical and mechanical properties. For this, a deep characterization of the microstructures will be conducted to establish correlations between the microstructures and the final properties of the composite. It should lead to an optimized composite materials, according to a given application.