Innovative Projects Realized

Development of a Comprehensive Neighborhood-based Measure of Cardiovascular Health in Children

Promoting healthy living and reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases are public health priorities in Canada and the United States. In recent years, the importance of measuring neighborhood contexts to address inequities in cardiovascular health has been highlighted. Many neighborhood indices have been utilized by academic researchers to explore the complex relationship between neighborhood and health. However, within the context of cardiovascular disease, there remains a gap in knowledge regarding questions such as (a) which indices perform better or worse as predictors of cardiovascular disease in children, (b) how performance may vary based on individual or household characteristics within the neighborhood of interest, and (c) if we can improve on these indices for describing area-level patterns for cardiovascular health in children.

Thus, the proposed research project aims to fill this knowledge gap by directly comparing the empirical performance of established neighborhood disadvantage indices in a nationally representative dataset of adolescents in the United States. Furthermore, we will determine which index or individual index components perform better or worse as predictors of cardiovascular health in this population—thus, allowing clinicians and other stakeholders to gain a deep understanding of cumulative risk of cardiovascular disease over the life course.

Bimetallic Cooperation: Design of an Fe–Al Complex for Carbon Dioxide Activation

The proposed project aims to address the pressing challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by leveraging synthetic chemistry. By designing a novel iron-aluminum complex for carbon dioxide activation, the project explores bimetallic systems to introduce innovative pathways for reducing carbon dioxide’s harmful environmental impact. The participating institutions, Imperial College London and the researcher’s home institution in Canada, stand to benefit in several ways. For Imperial College London, the project enhances its global research reputation, fosters international collaboration, and provides access to a highly motivated research intern. For the researcher’s Canadian home institution, it offers unique skills and knowledge acquisition, positioning the researcher as a catalyst for advancing expertise in sustainable chemistry and addressing climate change challenges. This project promises mutual enrichment, scientific advancement, and strengthened global research partnerships between the institutions and countries.

Advancing Systems Architecture Development Methods for Aircraft with Hydrogen-based Propulsion

Ensuring the sustainability of air transportation is a priority for the global aerospace community. Disruptive technologies, such as hydrogen-based propulsion, are promising but present significant challenges for the design and operation. One challenge for designing these future aircraft is the large number of potential architectures and the need to consider safety already in the early design stages. The Institute of Aircraft Systems Engineering at the Hamburg University of Technology and the Aircraft Systems Lab at Concordia University are leading institutions in the field of aircraft systems design. In this project, a collaboration between the researchers aims to improve design tools in both institutions, particularly for safe and efficient system architectures for these future aircraft. As researchers from Canada and Germany are exposed to different industry applications (larger commercial aircraft vs. smaller business aircraft), a collaboration will significantly benefit the development of effective tools for different aircraft types, contributing to the development of future, more sustainable aircraft. In addition, the exchange between the research groups will expose the students to different tools and methods at Concordia University in a multicultural and multidisciplinary context, essential skills for solving the global challenges of the future aerospace industry.

Computational modelling of advanced electrocatalysts for CO2 electroreduction using DFT and machine learning.

Carbon capture and utilization (CCU), primarily the CO2 electroreduction technology, can convert CO2 into a variety of valuable products, using renewable electricity. However, the path to widespread adoption of the CO2 electroreduction technology in industrial settings is met with several challenges primarily the cost of electricity, efficiency and selectivity of the desired product.
One of the key factors that can help address these challenges and promote industrial application of this process is the choice of a proper electrocatalyst used in the CO2 electrolyzer. The role of electrocatalysts is pivotal, and their design is central to making the CO2 electroreduction technology both sustainable and economically viable. In light of these issues, this proposal focuses on the development of an innovative approach towards the design of efficient electrocatalysts which offer higher selectivity, lower consumption of electricity and increased efficiency by using Density Functional Theory (thermodynamic and microkinetic approach) and machine learning techniques.
This project will serve as the first step in initiating student exchange and research cooperation between Concordia University and Technical University of Denmark. By focusing on sustainability, the research aligns with sustainability science, addressing environmental concerns and guiding eco-friendly technology development in both Canada and Denmark.

Internationalization Strategies for Sport Industry SMEs in Quebec

It is widely accepted in Canada that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the engine of the national economy responsible for 98% of businesses and employing more than 10 million individuals. To continue growing and supporting the national economy, SMEs can internationalize to seek increased profits and gain a competitive edge. One industry that can benefit from internationalization is sports businesses. Although technological advancements have created opportunities for sports organizations to enter international markets, sports SMEs still face challenges entering and competing in the global market due to their limited resources and barriers operating internationally. Studies on the internationalization of sports SMEs have shown it has the potential to expand sales and customer base, build competitive advantage, and establish an international position. This is particularly relevant in Quebec, which according to the Government of Canada, is among the provinces with the highest potential to expand into international markets. However, there is a lack of empirical knowledge connecting sports entrepreneurship and international business. This impacts the fulfillment of the potential of Quebec-based sports SMEs. Thus, the purpose of this project is to address this gap gaining a better understanding of the internationalization process and its benefits for sports SMEs in Quebec.

A Study of Syntactic Features of Code-Switching Between Mongolian And English Based on Recursive Object Model

Taking Mongolian-English code-switching as an entry point, this research will adopts quantitative linguistic approach, attempts to study the syntactic features of
Mongolian-English code-switching based on Recursive Object Model (ROM).

Geomechanical characterization of using basalt fiber-treated clay soils for improving ground resilience against freeze-thaw actions

The degradation of soil under freeze-thaw cycles will pose a major threat to newly constructed infrastructure in cold regions. The soil ground forms an essential part of the built environment, thus actions should be taken to improve the ground’s resilience. We are collaborating with our industry partner SFTec Inc. to propose a sustainable value-added strategy that reinforces the soft clay soils using a basalt fiber-stabilized approach. The addition of basalt fiber is a clean technology to improve the ground’s resilience against freeze-thaw actions since the fiber is produced from natural basalt rock. Laboratory tests will be conducted to measure the strengths of fiber-stabilized clay soils under freeze-thaw cycles. Numerical homogenization will be conducted for determining the optimized mixing scheme. The successful completion of this project will directly provide guidance on the optimum fiber/clay ratio determination for potential projects at cold regions. SFTec’s R&D product will benefit from the collaboration since it will create a strategic direction.

A data-driven control framework for constrained nonlinear systems with application to unmanned ground vehicles

The objective of this project is the development of a novel data-driven control framework for nonlinear dynamical systems. The proposed solution will be validated and tested on the autonomous ground vehicles available at Concordia University. To achieve the desired goal, the research intern, with the supervision and help of the host and home supervisor, will take a three-step approach. In the first step, the intern will jointly develop a reinforcement learning algorithm and behavioural approach to obtain a data-driven outer and convex differential inclusion of the dynamics of the nonlinear system. Then, in the second part, it will use the developed data-driven model to design a data-driven approach inspired by an existing model-based counterpart. Finally, in the last step, the proposed control architecture will be tested on autonomous ground vehicles and contrasted with other model-based and data-driven alternative schemes.

The conducted research is anticipated to lead to a prestigious peer-reviewed conference/journal publication co-authored by all the participants of this project (student, home supervisor, host supervisor). In general, the intended research and collaboration are believed to contribute to increasing and improving the research and innovation capacities of both host and home institutions in the field of data-driven control.

Evaluation of Human Resource Efficiency Components in Northwood Care Employees Based on the ACHIEVE Model

The evaluation at Northwood Care, using the ACHIEVE model, aims to determine what factors make employees efficient. This model assesses seven key elements: Ability, Clarity, Help, Incentive, Evaluation, Validity, and Environment. Managers use it to identify and address performance issues affecting employee efficiency. The evaluation is crucial because employees are a significant driver of organizational success, particularly in healthcare, where challenges like caring for the sick and emergency preparedness are critical. Measuring employee efficiency in healthcare is complex due to its unique nature. Therefore, identifying the factors that improve efficiency becomes vital to enhance the organization. Studies have highlighted factors like leadership, motivation, experience, creativity, and training that influence employee efficiency. By applying the ACHIEVE model at Northwood Care, managers can pinpoint areas for improvement and strengthen existing strengths. This evaluation ultimately helps the organization become more efficient, retain valuable employees, and achieve greater success.

Economic Evaluation of Renewable Energy Communities

The project will sponsor an intern’s visit to UNL. The intern is a Concordia student co-supervised by her Canadian supervisor (Concordia) and her American supervisor (UNL). The topic is an integrated part of the intern’s PhD study, which synthesizes, analyzes, and evaluates economic incentives (e.g., tax breaks, subsidies) required by sustainable energy transitions of Quebec communities. The project will facilitate the research collaborations between Concordia and UNL, in the areas of city decarbonization and energy transition.

Fabrication of 1 D semiconducting microstructures using lithography

Modern technology relies heavily on semiconductor materials, from smartphones to solar panels. Among semiconductor materials, one-dimensional (1D) materials, such as nanowires and nanoribbons, offer exceptional electronic and optical properties. To realize the full potential of these 1D materials, it is imperative to control their synthesis and manipulate their structures precisely. In this project, we aim to develop a method for lithography-based fabrication of 1D semiconductor materials to provide innovative solutions. Managing the synthesis and precisely manipulating the structure of these 1D materials will be essential to realizing their full potential.
The goal of this research is to use lithography for manufacturing 1D semiconductor materials such as silicon nanowires. We also demonstrate how lithography techniques can be employed to manipulate individual silicon nanowires to fabricate nano-electronic devices. Through this approach, we hope to offer innovative ideas that will stimulate advances in technology and enable the development of more compact, effective, and effective electronic devices that may be used in a variety of sectors and corporations. The future stage of the digital century requires regulated manufacturing and manipulation of 1D semiconductor materials.

Sustainable Data Governance Frameworks in Africa

THIS IS A GENERIC TEXT PUT IN PLACE AS THERE WAS NO PROJECT OVERVIEW