Innovative Projects Realized

High sensitivity anisotropic plasmonic metal nanoparticles and porous metal oxide matrix for Nicoya’s Alto sensor system

The project will accomplish the goal of transferring the academic knowledge in synthesis of tunable plasmonic nanoparticles developed at Wilfrid Laurier University to Nicoya, the company developing advanced instrumentation based on plasmonic sensing using metal nanoparticles. The developed nanoparticles will be tested, and fine-tuned, if required, to satisfy all the criteria required for their industrial implementation by Nicoya, as described in the proposal. The benefits to the company will be improved sensing substrates that are expected to enhance the quality of existing products and to lead to the development of a new generation of sensing substrates to improve company’s competitiveness and to benefit Ontario and Canada.

Démocratiser le coaching via l’IA : conditions et impacts

Le coaching est une activité par excellence pour les gestionnaires désireux de développer des nouvelles
compétences ou savoir-être. Or, malgré ses retombées généralement très grandes, le coaching managérial gagne
en popularité, mais reste encore dédié à une poignée d’élus. Or, les avancées de l’intelligence artificielle
pourraient permettre de démocratiser l’accès au coaching et ainsi d’en faire bénéficier les professionnels de tous
types d’organisation. Le projet vise à étudier les impacts et le succès d’une des premières applications d’IA
destinée à faciliter le coaching managérial.

Evaluation of a Photocatalytic Membrane Reactor for Treatment of Steroid Hormones

The presence of steroid hormones in the environment is an emerging global issue. Steroid estrogens are of particular concern due to their toxicity to humans and aquatic life at low (ng/L) concentrations and their considerable presence in human waste streams. Standard treatment processes in municipal treatment plants often do not completely degrade estrogenic compounds, and thus estrogens may be released into the environment through effluent discharge. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) have shown promise in mitigating these compounds. In particular, photocatalytic membrane treatment methods may offer advantages over traditional treatment technologies, specifically in their energy efficiency, due to lower pressure requirements. The Institute for Advanced Membrane Technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology has demonstrated the effective use of photocatalytic membrane reactors for treating estrogens and other micropollutants. This project will build on previous work by assessing the impact of natural organic matter and real-water matrices on micropollutant (17beta-estradiol, estrone, testosterone and progesterone) degradation as well as assessing the toxicity and estrogenicity of treated water. The results will contribute to knowledge on advanced membrane treatment processes and help inform users looking to target persistent organic pollutants. This work will greatly assist novel material development and membrane treatment knowledge at Dalhousie University.

Identifying Habitat Factors Affecting Fisher Reproductive Output And Diet In Southcentral BC

Fishers in central British Columbia (BC) have not been thoroughly studied and there are many gaps in our understanding. This project aims to fill two important knowledge gaps that affect the reproduction and survival within the endangered Columbian population of fishers in central BC: habitat and diet. Prey, diet, and reproductive data will be compared to other areas within
the range of the Columbian population of fishers. Intern #1’s project will focus more on reproduction, while intern #2 will be looking into diet. Using radiotelemetry, they will track fishers in the Cariboo region to better understand habitat and space use
of tagged individuals within their home ranges. The benefits to the WLRS partner are to gain region-specific knowledge of fisher populations in the interior ecosystems in the Cariboo which will help inform future management decisions for the species.
Consus will benefit from the project by having their biologist, Rory Fogarty, more thoroughly understand this threatened species
in the region where their business is based to help facilitate future studies on fishers in the central interior.

Asset-Based Community Enterprise Development in Bolivia

This cross-sectoral research project will track the process of supporting four nascent community-based enterprises (CBEs) in indigenous communities in the Bolivian highlands, examining the complex interaction of factors that contribute to successful CBEs. The four cases will provide a test of an innovative “Community-Based Enterprise Development Model” (CBED Model) as a method to facilitate and generate self-defined, community-led sustainable development with indigenous peoples that can be applied in Bolivia, other Andean countries, and potentially with immigrant or First Nations populations in Canada. The Canadian industry partner is seeking to support sustainable community development initiatives with marginalized populations as part of their emerging corporate social responsibility strategy. This research will allow them to assess the potential impact of the CBED Model with a minimal initial investment, before moving forward to funding and supporting this model on a wider scale.

Trajectoires de prise de médicaments chez les personnes atteintes de sclérose en plaques – Une analyse de données du monde réel

La sclérose en plaques est une maladie chronique qui atteint généralement les jeunes adultes. Elle est souvent associée à d’autres maladies chroniques telles que l’hypertension artérielle. Les patients ont donc tendance à consommer plusieurs médicaments pour traiter la sclérose en plaques et les autres maladies. Or, la consommation de plusieurs médicaments peut avoir des effets indésirables, mais peu d’études ont regardé l’impact potentiel sur la santé des individus avec la sclérose en plaques.

Cette étude vise à décrire comment la consommation des médicaments change au cours de la vie des personnes avec la sclérose en plaques. Ensuite, nous allons utiliser des méthodes statistiques qui permettent de regrouper les gens selon leur profil d’usage de médicaments et nous identifierons quelles caractéristiques déterminent l’appartenance à chacun des groupes.

Pour répondre à ces questions, des données québécoises comprenant des adultes ayant eu un nouveau diagnostic de sclérose en plaques seront utilisées. Les conclusions de cette étude aideront à mieux comprendre l’usage de médicaments dans cette population et à aider les cliniciens à mieux déterminer les situations où la consommation de médicaments peut nuire à la santé.

Indigenous Governance in Child and Family Wellbeing Agencies

Established in 1986, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto (NCFST) is a multi-service urban Aboriginal agency providing holistic, culture-based programs and services for Indigenous children and families. NCFST has now arrived at the stage where we must better reflect the holistic Indigenous worldview so that we better reflect what we are supposed to be: an Indigenous agency. Aligning agency governance with traditional forms of governance should then lead to decisions that
are more consistent with cultural values and expectations.
Over the Winter of 2022/2023, NCFST’s Board of Directors decided to transition from a mainstream hierarchical leadership structure towards an Indigenous governance model grounded in consensus-based decision-making. To help make this
change, this project will involve conducting interviews and focus groups with other key urban Indigenous leaders in Toronto, to learn about governance practices. Knowledge gained will help NCFST with the desired transition, all for the benefit of the
community served.

Topology Optimization for Mass Reduction of a Roller Coaster Vehicle Bogie Subject to Fatigue Constraints

The proposed research involves a partnership between researchers at Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario) and industry experts at Dynamic Structures (Burnaby, British Columbia). The primary objective of this research is to optimize the design of a rollercoaster vehicle bogie. Two goals are defined to be simultaneously achieved by the project: the minimization of both the bogie weight and cost, while ensuring structural, certification, functional, and fatigue-related requirements are met.

Prevalence of uterine pathology in women

Our team hopes to learn more about how common problems are within the uterus of Canadian women and people who were assigned female at birth but no longer identify as women. The uterus can have many problems such as fibroids, adenomyosis, polyps, congenital anomalies, isthmoceles, and intrauterine adhesions. In general, ultrasound is the main tool for diagnosing uterus problems. We will aim to use 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional ultrasound. We will ask patients from a general obstetrics and gynecology ultrasound practice to participate. Those who agree will have their normal ultrasound performed and the data will be collected to answer the study questions.

Wolves as indicators of ecosystem services in Wolf Lake First Nation traditional lands

Understanding the interplay among the diverse values that provide ecological services is an important research undertaking. Objectives of the proposed research are to examine the interaction between landscape-scale wildlife and carbon values and to investigate the use of wolves as foci for ecotourism activities. Internship objectives are: 1) estimation of wolf and prey densities through camera trapping, radio telemetry, and pellet counts, 2) collection of biological materials for genetic analyses, 3) examination of wolf seasonal movements and prey use, and 4) investigation of wolf-related ecotourism opportunities. The research project is of direct value to the Wolf Lake First Nation in that it will provide guidance on landscape management and ecotourism development. The primary long-term objective is to contribute to the diversification of economic development activities that are compatible with the cultural and environmental values and aspirations of the community members

Towards a Legal Framework for AI-Powered Climate-Smart Agriculture

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Piloting the Transitioning From Volume to Value in Tourism Measurement

One of the sustainability challenges of the tourism sector is that, while there is growing understanding that volume alone is not a determinant of balanced tourism development, the standard indicators used to measure, track and report tourism sector performance are volume-based, i.e., number of arrivals/overnight stays. This issue results in policies, budgets, and strategies that are driven by growth. A transition to value-based measurement is only possible if there is an alternative that is easy to administer and transition to.
This project aims to address this need through three steps. First, to collect and combine existing sustainable tourism metrics. Second, to study any successes of destinations that have tried to move from volume-based indicators to value based ones. Third, to narrow the extensive list of metrics and develop a prototype to test the viability of a simple (one to three indicator) alternative to current volume-based metrics.