Innovative Projects Realized

Enhancing the 3-Prong Approach to Psychedelic-assisted Therapy (PAT) Learning System: Implementation of a Multi-Eyed Seeing Approach for Mentorship, Training, and Intercultural Knowledge Sharing

This research aims to enhance the 3-Prong Approach to Psychedelic-assisted Therapy (PAT) Learning System hosted between Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) and Roots to Thrive (RTT) PAT service delivery. The program consists of four parallel research programs, each led by one of the interns, that will benefit the partner organization to: 1) Design a quality system to improve mentorship and training for PATGC students completing their practicum, and for new team members in RTT; 2) Develop a culturally bridging mentorship program that facilitates the learning, engagement, and deepening of Indigenous ways of knowing and practicing within the framework of psychedelic-assisted therapy; 3) Enhance safety measures, foster best practices in research, and ensure consistent high-quality care with a patient-centered approach by bridging clinical research protocols to accreditation standards; 4) Establish a relational leadership model, multiple-eyed seeing research methods, and Indigenous Cultural Safety (ICS) ethical frameworks to foster intercultural collaboration between Indigenous and Western ways of knowing in PAT research, education, and practice.

Error correction for low-power ultra-wideband radios

Smart, battery-powered connected objects that communicate wirelessly are proliferating. Wireless communication can be challenging with multiple types of impairments that may cause errors in the exchanged messages, e.g., noise, interference, attenuation, and multipath propagation. Ultra-wideband (UWB) radios have emerged as a interesting choice for such operational context. Their distinctive attributes lead low power requisites and intrinsic resilience to multipath propagation, rendering them particularly suitable for these applications. Nevertheless, akin to all modern communications, an error-correction solution is mandatory to establish a reliable communication link. The UWB standards thus includes one, albeit, one that is showing its age.
This research project will explore the creation of an error-correction solution that is tailored towards UWB communications. This will be achieved by leveraging the recent progress in the field of error correction. The solution will be simulated first, and then field tested with radios developed by SPARK Microsystems.

Visuo-motor skills and baseball batting performance: assessment, association, and training protocols

Vision is the most important sense to execute sport skills. Research have shown that good visual performance is related to good batting performance in baseball and, that training protocols representing baseball game settings help with the improvement of batting skills. This study purposes to understand the relation between visual and batting performance and investigate the effect of training protocols in the improvement of baseball batting skills. For that, visual and batting performance evaluations will be associated and separated by skill level. Also, different training protocols will be compared to identify their contribution to the learning of batting skills. The results of this project will improve the selection and training of baseball players aiming high level of performance.

Efficient OLAP Queries on In-memory Databases with Frequent Updates

In this project, we will collaborate with Actenum our industry partner tackle the challenges of online analytics processing (OLAP) queries on in-memory databases that are updated frequently. Specifically, we will address the technical research issues about how to conduct effective and efficient OLAP on frequently updated data stored in a large in-memory database, and retain the query answering time within a millisecond scale. We will explore effective query syntax, informative query result presentation, and efficient query answering algorithms. The research outcome will benefit our industry partner immediately.

Satya social communication and partnerships

Indigenous business owners require access to a variety of contacts to grow their company and find peer support who understand the struggle of Indigenous entrepreneurs. Yet insufficient resources and community support exist for this group. The goal of this project is to build a network among Indigenous businesses in Canada/North America by utilizing social media approaches for collaboration and marketing initiatives. The platform would be developed through a community-led process that includes interviews with Indigenous business owners to determine their challenges with marketing and connecting with other indigenous businesses. The researcher will collect and analyze responses from Indigenous business owners through online forums and discussion groups, to identify challenges and opportunities, and to create conversations and meaningful connections within the Indigenous business community. The final product would be an online platform that brings together indigenous business owners, customers, and other stakeholders. The platform would utilize social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reels/TikTok, Youtube, and create a blog and website where Indigenous businesses could showcase their products and services to a wider audience, potentially reaching new customers and building their world.

Social Connectedness Among Marginalized Older Adults and Caregivers: Building Capacity within COSCO

The MITACS grant will provide initial steps in the identification of organizations in BC that either currently provide, or could potentially provide, services to older adults to foster social connectedness to reduce social isolation and loneliness. The student researcher will collaborate with the Council of Senior Citizens’ Organizations of BC (COSCO) to review and update their current list of member organizations (74) for the purpose of obtaining information about their mandates using website or paper-based information that is publicly available. The student intern will spend significant time to create a comprehensive spread sheet with additional information crucial to both the SSHRC study, and COSCO’s mission and thereby gain a much clearer picture of the taxonomy of seniors organizations in the province, a much needed step towards understanding how we can work with them to best meet the needs of an ever-expanding seniors population.

Protocol for soil conservation and management on construction sites in the Bow Valley (Canmore, Banff, and Bighorn)

Development of a user-friendly protocol for soil conservation and management on construction sites in the Bow Valley (Canmore, Banff and Bighorn). The protocol could be a reference for other provinces; the proposed practices could fit different types of actors in the construction industry, and the soil could be used for other valuable purposes.

Transforming the Future of Archaeological Research: ArchaeoSoft

According to research conducted in the International Journal of Research and Analytical Reviews, technology has revolutionized the field of Archaeology across the world. Technology has allowed researchers to use computers, electronics, satellites, and programs for analysis and interpretation. This change has allowed for the field of Archaeology to become less disruptive to the environment although this technology has come at a cost for researchers across the world.
ArchaeoSoft is an organization founded by Dr. Cora Woolsey in New Brunswick. Dr. Cora is an archeologist, and throughout her career has struggled with the lack of data collecting technology available. Thus, she created STRATUM. STRATUM is a platform for tablets and phones to help document archaeological sites online and offline. The platform allows users to conduct mapping, drawing, and fillable forms to make data reliable and efficient.

This project will focus on business development and innovation. It will help grow the capabilities of ArchaeoSoft by (1) helping to expand marketing, (2) and to improve user experience through changing and innovating the current STRATUM software’s user interface and guidebook. Expanding ArchaeoSoft’s brand awareness will help broaden the clientele for the STRATUM software, and in return, help further the field of Archeology.

Environmental Scan for Mentoring Opportunities to Serve Side-lined Youth in Eastern Nova Scotia

The Ahead of the Game Youth Mentoring Organization (AOTG) is a not for profit organization who supports under resourced youth ages 12-29 through group and one-on-one mentoring. The goal of mentorship programming facilitated by AOTG (typically 12-week in school programs) is to provide under resourced youth with the motivation, guidance, skills and connection to resources they need to thrive in life. The program was founded in Toronto, Ontario where it has served thousands of youth since 2011. The organization has recently moved to Eastern Nova Scotia where they plan to have a tremendous impact as well. Recently, from May – June 2023, the program was launched at a junior school in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, serving 12 boys who had behavioural issues in school, and were disengaged from school. The program led to them becoming more engaged with their school community and participating in various programs in their broader communities. Teachers and school administration also reported better emotional regulation skills and discipline from majority of participants. Through the facilitation of an environmental scan Phase 1 of this project will position the organization with in-depth knowledge of the current supports, programming and resources offered to under resourced youth in Eastern Nova Scotia, so that Ahead of the Game is aware of who to align with and how to position themselves to have a significant impact on youth and their communities. The second phase of this project will include a search for funding opportunities resulting in the creation of a funding strategy.

Diego Zenteno – Borealis Geothermal

Geothermal energy, unlike other renewable sources, is available at all hours of the day, and can provide industry with a continuous supply of energy. However, one of the barriers to widespread geothermal use and the replacement of natural gas as energy sources in industry, is how to incorporate geothermal energy into the industrial system without affecting the complex thermal conditions involved.

Integrating programming in school math education: a case study about pedagogical knowledge development

There has been an increasing conversation worldwide about the inclusion of “computational thinking” as an essential competency of the 21st century. This has led to the recent integration of programming in school education in many countries and jurisdictions, for example, in the school math curricula in Norway and Ontario. This study addresses a pressing need for research on teacher training in response to this new demand on teachers. It is a case study at a Canadian university in Ontario where future math teachers first learn to use programming as a meaningful tool for mathematics, and then transition to reflect on their learning experience and the support received in view of their future teaching careers. This study utilises future teachers’ course work as data and will welcome a Norwegian PhD student intern so as to take part in the data analysis as it aims to explore future math teachers’ development of pedagogical knowledge. This study is part of an extended research project (ongoing since 2017) focused on the learning and teaching of using programming as a tool in university mathematics education.

Healthcare Training: Transforming the Future with Virtual Reality

Spandrel Interactive is a software development company that leverages leading-edge innovation and game design experience to build advanced virtual training simulations, products, sales experiences, and other interactive experiences for a wide variety of clients. Spandrel Interactive applies a user-centric design combined with value chain knowledge and discoverability features to cover multiple market perspectives to facilitate and develop successful projects. The company was founded in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, in 2020 and has been developing multiple projects across the country. This project will create a business development plan that will help the organization expand virtual reality training nationwide. Virtual reality in training for healthcare professionals is a strong need and provides a plethora of training opportunities that professionals might not be able to access otherwise.