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

Modeling and Dynamic Performance Assessment of a Battery Energy Storage Systems

Bulk storage of energy is a relatively new concept in many power systems. Among various energy storage media, batteries have shown great promise as a suitable option for use in power systems. Integrating a battery energy storage system in a power grid is not a trivial task and requires extensive studies to ensure that the system is able to respond satisfactorily to its surrounding’s variable conditions and deliver what is expected of it. Additionally, batteries experience marked changes in their characteristics as they age, which may adversely impact their performance and even cause undesirable outcomes such as instability. This project aims to study battery energy storage system dynamics and the impact of aging using advanced computer simulation and modeling techniques.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Shaahin Filizadeh

Student:

Xiaoquan Xu

Partner:

Manitoba Hydro

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Energy

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Development of a reject refining method in the magnesium bisulfite pulping process

Twin Rivers Paper previously installed and ran a reject refining process in order to improve their pulp yield. However, once the process was implemented it decreased the cleanness in the produced pulp which is undesirable for customers therefore the process was shut down. Currently the rejected chips are either being burned or sent to landfill but the issue with this is that there are still good fibers within those rejects that are able to be pulped. The objective of this research is to implement a reject refining process at the mill that will recover the good fibers from the true rejects in order to increase the overall pulp yield, which is economically beneficial.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Yonghao Ni

Student:

Grace Hicks

Partner:

Twin Rivers Paper Company

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Forestry

University:

Program:

Accelerate

A set membership filtering approach to low-complexity state estimation from PMU measurements

The widespread use of phasor measurement units (PMUs) in power-grids can greatly enhance state-estimation (SE) by making use of accurate, GPS time-stamped synchronous phasor measurements. Unlike conventional SCADA measurements which are reported every 4 seconds, synchro-phasor measurements are typically available as frequently as 30-60 measurements per second. While the availability of more measurements can provide accurate state estimates in real-time, the sheer amount of data can overwhelm the computational capabilities of most data processing systems. One potential approach to reducing the computational complexity of SE under high measurement rates is set-membership filtering (SMF). SMF algorithms are related to the normalized least mean squares (NLMS) algorithm. However the SMF algorithms not only exhibit better convergence and tracking properties, but also require parameter-updates only for a fraction of observations. This make SMF approach ideal for SE in PMU-equipped power grids. Even though SMF algorithms have been widely considered for many statistical signal processing applications including SE in communication networks, this rich class of algorithms has received very little attention in the context of SE in power grids.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Pradeepa Yahampath

Student:

Rashmi Boragolla

Partner:

RTDS Technologies Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Energy

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Characterizing wetlands of different restoration ages in central Alberta using drone-based information (an extension to current Mitacs project: IT10213)

Wetlands provide important ecosystem services to human communities, such as groundwater recharge, storing floodwater, and supplying fishery resources. In Alberta, wetlands cover ~21% of the province, forming one of the Canada’s largest wetlands reserves; however, many of these wetlands have been impacted or lost through human activities. Over the past 30 years, there have been efforts made by the government and partner agencies to restore wetlands, but little is known about the rate of recovery and the state of these restored wetlands, relative to a natural reference condition.. The aim of this research is thus to understand how well wetland ecosystem function recovers after restoration using new and emerging technologies, including Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). Results of this research will help the public and policy-makers better understand the effectiveness of wetland restoration methods in Alberta. Fiera Biological Consulting Ltd. will also benefit from this research in enhancing their expertise in wetlands monitoring.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Gerardo Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa

Student:

Cao Sen

Partner:

Fiera Biological Consulting Ltd

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

Program:

Accelerate

PHASE II Mapping for Change – A Case Study of Enhancing Informational Exchange and Collaboration Through Geoweb Technology

‘Mapping for Change’ Phase II is a continuation of a case study of best practices in the use of Geoweb as a mechanism for enhancing informational exchange and collaboration between homelessness stakeholders including non-profits/charities serving the homeless. Building upon the web-based mapping application (isearchkelowna) developed/evaluated in Phase I, Phase II will extend the broad-based consultation with relevant homelessness stakeholders in order to refine isearchkelowna to align with the ‘Journey Home’ Strategy. The ‘Journey Home’ Strategy is a community-based homelessness strategy intended to coordinate, on a system-level, homeless services in Kelowna. The primary focus of the next phase of ‘Mapping for Change’ is readying isearchkelowna, both in terms of structure/function and its long-term positioning within the broader community, for hand-off to the community once Phase II is complete.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Jon Corbett

Student:

Shelley Cook

Partner:

Interior Savings Credit Union

Discipline:

Cultural studies

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Characterizing use of the Vancouver public bike share system through 2018

Public bikeshares intend to provide an active, accessible, environmentally friendly and compact transportation alternative—particularly useful for travelling short distances and the “last mile” of a trips to and within a busy, dense urban core. In 2016 Vancouver launched a public bikeshare. Vancouver’s climate, culture, and bike route system provides a strong foundation for success, but there are concerns given the all-ages helmet legislation, long debated as a barrier to uptake of cycling and a threat to public bike share success worldwide. A major expansion of the program is planned for spring 2018, with growth from 150 stations and 1500 bikes to 200 stations and 2000 bikes. This partnership project will examine the impact of Vancouver’s bikeshare on travel and health outcomes, in the context of the expanding program. This work will help the partner organization better understand the impacts and opportunities of their program.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Meghan Winters

Student:

Jennifer McKeen

Partner:

Mobi by Shaw Go

Discipline:

Kinesiology

Sector:

Automotive and transportation

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Designing an Effective Education Program and Regulations to Reduce Conflicts with Bears in Suburban Areas

Conflicts between humans and black bears in urban settings challenge the wellbeing of both human communities and black bear populations. As human urban communities develop and expand into areas with bears present, conflicts between humans and bears may also increase. It is important to utilize available tools such as education and regulatory bylaws to reduce the number of black bear conflicts and resultant number of black bears killed in response. This internship will be completed in partnership with the North Shore Black Bear Society to examine factors influencing human behavior relating to the management of anthropogenic food sources on the North Shore of Vancouver such as: attitudes and perspectives towards black bears and their management, associated risk perception and fear of black bears, knowledge of bear safety, and acceptability and effectiveness of current educational programs and regulatory policies intended to change human behavior in the management of conflict. Understanding and identifying underlying causes of conflict will allow for improved education programs tailored to address the knowledge gaps and unique beliefs and values of target communities as well as extend the current reach and influence of education and community outreach on the North Shore. “TO BE CONT’D”

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Faculty Supervisor:

Murray B. Rutherford

Student:

Shannon Duong

Partner:

North Shore Black Bear Society

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Digital vs classical humanitarianism. Mobilizing Doctors Without Borders, digital humanitarians and evidence-based study to guide a crucial analysis on the effectiveness of data collection and treatment in emergency. Project 1: Case study: 2015 earthquake

Obtaining reliable information is crucial for humanitarian workers who aim to respond to a catastrophic situation. In this context, there are many possible sources of information (e.g., local population; journalists; authorities), but only a limited time to gather data, analyze them and respond to the situation. Since 2010, a new way of gathering data has emerged called the digital humanitarianism (DH) where digital technologies are used to collect and treat information. Considering this new reality, traditional ways are challenged. Is the digital humanitarian proposal of using artificial intelligence, big data and crowdsourcing via the internet something to be embraced? My research aims to compare the reliability of the data from traditional and digital humanitarians. This will help the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders to be sure that any investment in digital initiatives enhances the organization ability to deliver its core mission rather than diluting its focus.

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Faculty Supervisor:

François Claveau

Student:

Jean-François Dubé

Partner:

Doctors Without Borders

Discipline:

Philosophy

Sector:

Management of companies and enterprises

University:

Université de Sherbrooke

Program:

Accelerate

Suggestion-based, technology-assisted self-regulation training

Wearable devices such as smart watches are increasingly being used for clinical applications. The Octopus Watch, developed by Joy, helps children structure their days by giving reminders about upcoming events. Our pilot studies have shown that the watch may also be used in suggestion-based healing paradigms to improve self-regulation, focus, and relaxation in children with behavioural disorders. Our project will help Joy develop a function that gives buzzing notifications as programmed reminders throughout the day and will test this function in reducing behavioural symptoms in a group of 20 children. We predict that children receiving a suggestion treatment combined with the watch’s reinforcements will reduce behavioural symptoms compared to a wait-list control group. This project will thus help Joy explore clinical applications of their technology.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Samuel Veissière

Student:

Robert Thibault

Partner:

Joy Family Tech

Discipline:

Psychology

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

McGill University

Program:

Accelerate

Artificial Neural Net for He nano-bubble identification in structural materials for nuclear power applications

Nuclear power plants provide stable, carbon-free electricity to Canadians. In order to ensure their safe operations, materials in the reactors must be characterized on a regular basis. This project aims at developing an Artificial Intelligence—an artificial neural network—with the aim of automating the indentification of helium bubbles in Ni-based alloys currently in use in Canadian Nuclear power plants. These bubbles have a diameter of the order of nanometers, and can be observed using transmission electron microscopes. Currently, the analysis of the micrographs is done manually. The Artificial Intelligence would help automate this tedious process.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Laurent Béland

Student:

Christopher Anderson

Partner:

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Energy

University:

Queen's University

Program:

Accelerate

Statistical machine learning methods applied to ATB data for credit risk modelling

Machine learning (ML) is a method of training a computer to learn from data and predict future outcomes based on existing patterns in the data. This project aims to utilize various ML methods as new and potentially better analytics and predictive tools in the area of credit risk management for ATB. Given that data quality and flows change over time, a new framework built on Google Cloud Platform to update the machine learning models will also be developed. Additionally, considering the possibilities that the ML models may favour certain subgroup, e.g., defined by race and geography, new strategies to test and correct for model fairness will be established. In summary, we would improve default risk prediction accuracy with the help of leading edge ML methods and expand the field of credit risk management by providing model updates through Google Cloud Platform and establishing model fairness strategies.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Bei Jiang

Student:

Lisa Shulman

Partner:

ATB Financial

Discipline:

Mathematics

Sector:

Finance, insurance and business

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Accelerate

Investigating Insurance Insolvency in Canada’s Property and Casualty Industry

PACICC role is to compensate policyholders in scenarios where a P&C insurer can no longer provide compensation while overseeing the health of the P&C industry in Canada. The proposed project aims to improve PACICC’s ability to identity companies at risk of insolvency and improve strategies to minimize dead weight loss when insolvency is imminent. The intern will analyze balance sheet data to determine key predictors of insolvency and to develop mathematical and statistical models to determine the impact of potential insolvency on the network under various conditions.  PACCIC serves to protect policyholders while maximizing consumer, government and regulatory confidence in the P&C industry throughout Canada.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Matt Davison

Student:

Cory Walton

Partner:

Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation

Discipline:

Statistics / Actuarial sciences

Sector:

Finance, insurance and business

University:

Western University

Program:

Accelerate

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