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

Characterizing mixed dielectrics for hard, low adhesion coatings

Surface coatings find widespread uses in everything from eyeglasses to machine tools. For electrical sensor devices, including devices for cancer screening and for toxic gas sensing, it’s especially important to have coatings that are hard and durable and adhere well to gold electrodes, but are not sticky to organic molecules. Currently-used materials have several useful properties but don’t adhere to gold without rather complicated multi-layer fabrication processes and are easily fouled by organics that stick quite easily to the coating. Micralyne has been developing compounds that appear superior to currently-used materials but we don’t fully understand the controlling parameters and therefore cannot adequately optimize the material properties. In this short, one-term project, we will produce films at Micralyne’s R&D facility and use a suite of characterization tools available at the U-Alberta campus in order to measure, characterize, and understand the key parameters required to create the best sensor interfaces possible.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Al Meldrum

Student:

Esther Eke

Partner:

Micralyne Inc.

Discipline:

Physics / Astronomy

Sector:

Advanced manufacturing

University:

Program:

Scale-up Synthesis of New-Generation Chiral Cyclobutane-based Bisphosphane Ligands

This research project deals with the development of the next generation of a set of chemicals on an industrial scale that form a catalyst in conjunction with a metal. The new catalysts are intended to be employed by Digital Specialty Chemicals’ customer in the manufacture of plasticizers, paints, and detergents. The intern will focus on the optimized chemical synthesis of critical components toward the final products, as well as the identification of commercially more viable options in terms of solvents used for the process. The new design of the target compounds of this project is expected to lead to more chemically-efficient and cost-effective processes, which will help solidifying Digital’s position as the main supplier of this product series for their customer.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Thomas Baumgartner

Student:

Paul Demay-Drouhard

Partner:

Digital Specialty Chemicals

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Effects of Chemotherapy and Immune Cells on Ribosomal RNA Degradation (RNA disruption) in Tumour Cells

The business partner in this application (Rna Diagnostics, Inc.) has developed a diagnostic tool to determine whether the tumour(s) of a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy before surgery is responding (dying) in response to treatment. This tool, called the Rna Disruption Assay (RDA), can help tailor chemotherapy, such that chemotherapy treatment is discontinued (along with its negative side effects) in patients with non-responding tumours. These patients can then move more quickly to other potentially more beneficial treatment. A new class of anti-cancer drugs can stimulate the body’s immune cells to kill tumours. They are called immunomodulators. The partner would like to determine if RDA can detect and quantify tumour cell death by the body’s immune cells, with or without chemotherapy agents. If so, then RDA may also be useful for patients prescribed immunomodulators and/or chemotherapy agents. This would significantly increase the value of RDA services provided by Rna Diagnostics, Inc.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Aseem Kumar

Student:

Isabella Pascheto

Partner:

Rna Diagnostics

Discipline:

Biochemistry / Molecular biology

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Low Power Portable Integrated System for Miniaturized Sensors in CMOS

The project goal to advance the state of the art in Phase Locked Loop. Lowers the cost of the product and produces IP over and above the current state of the art and thereby giving ESS Technology a distinct competitive advantage in the market.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mohammad Zarifi

Student:

Sevda Mohammadi

Partner:

ESS Technology Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Accuracy Assessment of Optical Tracking for Orthopedic Robotic Surgical Tool

Highly accurate spatial measurement systems are among the enabling technologies that make image-guided surgery possible in modern operating theatres. We consider the problem of positional accuracy assessment for robotic surgical tool while using a multiple camera optical tracking system (OTS). Since the position of the surgical tool with respect to the bone is guided by tracking markers placed on the patient, to properly assess the surgical tool accuracy, the positional accuracy of the OTS must first be well understood. Since OTS assessment statistics from their manufacturers typically minimize underlying error distributions, it is essential to simulate specific surgical theatre usages to understand the actual error characteristics. In the proposed project, we conduct an accuracy assessment of the OTS used for the TNAV robotic surgical tool being developed by Think Surgical. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Thomas Fevens

Student:

Mandana Samiei

Partner:

THINK Surgical

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Salt marsh carbon storage and accumulation rate in Boundary Bay, Delta, British Columbia

Salt marshes are intertidal ecosystems found on sheltered temperate marine coastlines which are known to provide a range of ecosystem services. These services include storm surge and flood protection, and carbon storage, which have been identified as valuable services to help coastal communities prepare for and fight against climate change. Salt marshes are good sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide relative to their small size due to their ability to trap and bury organic matter in their soils. However, information on salt marshes is limited, which causes these ecosystems to be overlooked when creating coastal management plans and climate change plans. This research will be providing new data on the carbon storage ability of the salt marsh found in Boundary Bay, Delta, B.C., to help organizations and governments make evidence-based policy decisions.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Karen Kohfeld

Student:

Maija Gailis

Partner:

West Coast Environmental Law Association

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Connecting prey and specialized predator population dynamics: a hundred-and fifty year record of salmon and killer whale interactions

Pacific northwestern southern resident killer whale population only encompasses 74 individuals and is considered endangered. Chinook salmon, the main food source of resident killer whales, is today disappearing from the North American western coast. Yet, it remains unclear to which extent food deprivation is affecting recovery of resident killer populations. The main aim of this project is to assess the historical levels of salmon populations to estimate the carrying capacity of the area for resident killer whale populations, along with the potential impact of inter-predation competition on salmon populations. This research is of critical importance, as it deals with two species holding high ecological, economical, and cultural values. This project combines research and the development of new ecosystem-based models. It dovetails closely with the values of the Ocean Wise Conservation Association, itself recognized for its engagement in marine research and conservation.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Villy Christensen

Student:

Fanny Couture

Partner:

Ocean Wise

Discipline:

Zoology

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

Program:

Accelerate

A hidden history: Gentrification in four London, Ontario Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs)

Heritage Conservation Districts (HCDs) in London Ontario are a success story of architectural heritage preservation. There has been a rapid expansion of designated districts in the city, with the first appearing in 1992 and six more in the years since, with seven more currently on the books. This research will consider residents who relocated outside of the City’s four earliest HCDs post designation, and the reasons for their movement. An animated map will be created, displaying the data in both space and time. The second stage of this research will uncover the hidden histories of the people who have moved from these districts following designation, through oral interviews. This will create a historic record of an unexplored period in the history of HCDs. The partner organisation will benefit through a deeper understanding of the impacts of HCD designation on existing residents, which will inform future HCD designation projects.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Michelle Hamilton

Student:

Wes Kinghorn

Partner:

Nancy Z. Tausky Heritage Consultants

Discipline:

History

Sector:

Management of companies and enterprises

University:

Program:

Framework for Enterprise IT DevSecOps Governance to enable Continuous Security

In today’s business context, companies need to release software quickly in order to remain competitive. This requires internal teams to work closely together from the outset. Unfortunately, security is typically considered only at the very end. This means if any issues are discovered by the security team, it requires extensive rework. Typical responses are to bypass security or to consider fixing the issues after releasing the software. Neither one is optimal for managing business risk. A better solution is to include security as part of the collaboration at the outset. This project will examine how such cross-team collaboration might work with the necessary assurance in place to manage business risk.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Norman Archer

Student:

Eduardo Lopez

Partner:

Security Compass

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Digital Controlled Load-Modulated Analog Predistorter for GaN High-Power Amplifiers

In Satellite communication, the energy consumption of the transmitter and receiver are of great importance, since high power needs to be transmitted from earth stations and satellite transponders to allow the information to travel large distances. The power amplifier as a last stage in the transmitter is the most energy hungry component and making it more energy efficiency would reduce the overall energy consumption of the system. Gallium Nitride (GaN) is a new technology to design energy efficient power amplifiers, that is expected to replace the currently used Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) technology, mainly because it offers higher energy efficiency and is more suitable for high power applications. However, with these advantages, GaN brings the challenge of increased distortion to the design equation, which, if remained unsolved, affects the signal quality. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mohamed Helaoui

Student:

Hwiseob Lee

Partner:

Norsat International Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

Program:

Nanoscale toolset for formatting and visualizing single molecules: validating applications and miniaturized flow cells

The “CLiC” microscopy technique was invented and developed by Prof. Sabrina Leslie and her lab at McGill. It is ideal for formatting and visualizing single molecules, like DNA and proteins, with advantages that overcome the limitations of other single-molecule techniques. Due to the increasing interest in the technique from academic and industrial researchers, Prof. Leslie has launched a start-up company called ScopeSys to commercialize this valuable research tool. The launch product consists of a small add-on device to a microscope and consumable flow cells, which the company is currently making available to a handful of early-access researchers in the biophysics, nanotechnology, and biomedical research fields. An obstacle to CLiC’s commercialization is that the flow cells are fabricated using standard-size (25-mm) glass cover slips and assembled by hand; a process which is time-consuming and expensive. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Bradley Siwick

Student:

Albert Kamanzi

Partner:

ScopeSys Inc.

Discipline:

Physics / Astronomy

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Bird Density and Species Richness in Interior British Columbia – tools to inform conservation value and risk assessment in forestry

Forest companies would like to reduce the number of birds, eggs, and nests that are negatively affected by logging. They are particularly interested in reducing impacts on species at risk. The problem is that we don’t have detailed knowledge of where every bird lives, so it’s difficult to make educated choices about where and how much forest to harvest. This research will help provide a solution to this problem. We can relate bird data to landscape and forest characteristics like elevation, forest age, and forest height to understand which forest types have the most birds. Then we can map where birds are most likely to live, identifying areas with more species and more birds. This information will be provided to the partner organizations and other forest companies to ultimately help develop logging plans that reduce accidental destruction of bird nests and eggs.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Erin Bayne

Student:

Nicole Barker

Partner:

BC Council of Forest Industries

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Natural resources

University:

Program:

Accelerate

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