Innovative Projects Realized

Analyse comparative des principaux facteurs pouvant faciliter ou réduire l’accès à des traitements pour des maladies rares dans différentes juridictions (CA, UK, NZ, AU)

La stagiaire réalisera un projet de recherche sur l’évaluation économique des traitements pour les maladies rares. L’objectif principal est de déterminer si un coût élevé par rapport aux avantages cliniques limite l’accès à ces traitements au Canada et dans d’autres pays tels que le Royaume-Uni, la Nouvelle-Zélande et l’Australie. La première étape consistera à comprendre comment ces pays définissent une maladie rare et quels critères sont utilisés pour cela. Ensuite, l’étude examinera les recommandations des agences d’évaluation des technologies de la santé pour les médicaments liés aux maladies rares depuis 2019, y compris les réductions de prix éventuelles. Enfin, elle identifiera les produits ayant reçu une recommandation positive et qui sont listés, et déterminera s’ils sont remboursés dans les pays étudiés (Canada, Royaume-Uni, Nouvelle-Zélande, Australie). L’organisation partenaire, Merck, soutiendra la stagiaire dans la collecte et l’analyse des données pour atteindre ces objectifs. Les résultats de cette recherche aideront à comprendre les défis liés à l’évaluation des traitements pour les maladies rares et à faciliter l’accès à ces traitements pour les patients canadiens.

Développement d’une méthodologie d’évaluation des facteurs ESG des municipalités sans notation de crédit

Ce projet vise le développement d’une méthode d’évaluation des facteurs environnementaux, sociaux et de gouvernance (ou facteurs ESG) adaptée aux municipalités canadiennes sans notation de crédit dans le but de soutenir l’investissement responsable d’AlphaFixe Capital. Les activités envisagées comprennent l’élaboration d’une méthodologie adaptée aux spécificités locales, son essai et l’automatisation de la collecte de données à des fins de suivi annuel. Cette méthodologie se distinguera par l’intégration d’indicateurs de performance et d’initiatives développées en études urbaines aux mesures comptables habituellement utilisées par les institutions financières. L’approche considère les spécificités locales et régionales, et introduit un coefficient de proactivité pour mettre en valeur les efforts des municipalités en matière d’ESG, récompensant ainsi les initiatives au-delà de la simple performance.

Utilizing pre-trained vision models for object-centric reinforcement learning

The way humans perceive their surroundings relies heavily on some sort of decomposition of those into smaller atomized entities (objects, or parts of objects). This allows for complex reasoning and prediction capabilities which are mostly seen as mundane in humans but are still a challenge to propagate to artificial systems. My project wants to explore the advantages of incorporating this intuition about how humans perceive into a Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithm. We will do this by employing computer vision models trained for identifying objects on large and diverse datasets, so that the general knowledge of what “objects” are is already learned and “stored” in their weights, and little to no additional training is required on our end. The segmentation these models will provide will be further “fed” into an RL agent. We hope this will be beneficial for the agents ability to “solve” the environment it’s in, be it a video game or a robot control task.

Canadian Start Up and Global Agtech Ecosystems Research to Support Investment Opportunities

The project focuses on conducting macro research on the agtech and early stage technology sectors in North America and abroad with the goal of providing private venture capital investment to fund Canadian technology innovation as well as agtech and agribusiness innovation.

Expanding sustainable commuting designation across Canada

pointA is seeking an intern to provide a marketing and sales support to develop a strategy to expand its Best Workplaces for Commuters designation, which was developed by the US Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency in 1999. pointA is the first Canadian partner to bring this designation to Canada to provide employers of all sizes with the recognition and programs to support less driving alone by employees.

Fundy Biosphere & Stonehammer Geopark: Infrastructure and Storytelling

Fundy Biosphere UNESCO Global Geopark is a 2500 km2 region that includes 60 geosites. This region tells a nearly complete story of almost 1 billion years of Earth’s geologic history. Fundy Biosphere is part of a global network of over 177 parks in 46 countries. It was the first UNESCO Global Geopark in North America, designated in 2010. Fundy Biosphere is characterized by its exceptional geological diversity, which includes some of the oldest rocks and fossils in Atlantic Canada, as well as evidence of ancient riverbeds, volcanic activity, glaciation, and plate tectonics. Through engaging and educational programming, we tell stories of natural and human landscapes and work with partners to create healthy, thriving communities that celebrate and protect this exceptional region.

The Government of New Brunswick of Environment-based initiatives as one of its six priorities.The Department of Tourism, Heritage and Culture indicated supporting tourism recovery as one of its performance outcomes for the province based on these priorities. As such, this project aligns well with the articulated goals of this province and supports further growth opportunities in this sector.

Beyond Disability Management and Towards Health

This project seeks to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms by which disability affects workers. We will utilize an occupational health psychology perspective to examine the ways different types of workplaces supports (like social support) might be effective at reducing experienced disability and promoting health. For this purpose, the research team will first interview workers living with disability to identify criteria by which we can assess disability support strategy. In the second phase of the project, we will then survey participants at multiple times to understand how various types of supports interact with disability and health at work. The findings of this research will serve as the foundation of a framework designed to facilitate effective disability strategy. This work will help us understand a more complete picture of workplace disability and better support individuals experiencing mental health crisis.

Peripheral contribution of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the brain steroidogenesis

DHEA is a major neurosteroids precursor, and a decrease in its serum levels have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases, especially Alzheimer’s disease. Little is known about steroid hormones localization and levels in the major functional areas of the human brain and which enzymes are involved in their synthesis and inactivation. We will investigate steroids levels in these areas using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-Imaging mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry using the monkey brain as model. This work will be done in partnership with the R&D team at Endoceutics, which has extensive expertise in the study of steroid formation, metabolism and action. Data generated by this partnership will shed light on the physiological importance of brain steroids and whether DHEA administration may restore their physiological concentration. If so, this study could lead to new clinical trials on DHEA as a preventive therapy for Alzheimer’s disease in humans.

Blood pressure and vascular biomechanics: insights from numerical simulation models

High blood pressure leads to stroke, heart attacks and heart failure. Despite a century of research, the target
blood pressure is still a matter of debate. This limitation is likely related to the oversimplification of the functioning
of the cardiovascular system. Using novel biomarkers of blood pressure and mechanical properties of the arterial
system, we believe that it will be possible to move towards a more personalized goals in the treatment of high
blood pressure. To do so, we need to develop a better understanding of the cardiovascular physiology through
numerical simulations, which are now possible. The candidate will develop novel tools to develop a better
understanding of the blood vessels properties and will use this knowledge in conjunction with the simulation
models to examine the impact of changes in arterial properties along the arterial tree and their impact on the
arterial flow pattern. This innovative approach is in line the institutions mission to improve health through
innovation.

Building Capacity and Potential for Meaningful Ecological Reclamation Through Indigenous and Community Led Native Seed Supply System in the Yukon

This research project focuses on helping Indigenous communities and local groups in the Yukon region develop their own systems for growing and supplying native plant seeds. These systems are important because they can help restore lands that have been damaged by activities like mining. Right now, one of the main problems is that there aren’t enough native plant seeds available, both in the Yukon and around the world, which makes it hard to do effective land restoration. The project has two main goals. First, they will gather information about past and current projects where Indigenous communities and local groups have been involved in growing and supplying native plant seeds in Canada. This information will be used to help people who are new to this kind of work. The second goal is to figure out which plants are most important for land restoration in the Yukon and learn more about their characteristics. This will help with planning, seed production, and making sure seed producers and buyers can communicate well. By filling in gaps in knowledge and addressing challenges, this research project will help Indigenous communities and local groups in the Yukon create successful systems for growing and supplying native plant seeds.

Creating a interactive user interface for Science Atlantic

Science Atlantic members consistently prioritize conferences as a core activity of the organization. Annual academic student conferences in ten disciplines are organized by new volunteer teams each year, hosted at different institutions. The Deans of Science at the member institutions expect that Science Atlantic staff will ensure that conferences are organized following established academic, financial, and other principles and policies, while the organizers often expect that staff will provide operational support. The purpose of this project is to
• Update our website accessibility and navigation
• Develop a better understanding of the organization’s members and online audience
• Develop a database of award winners with an award certificate generator
• Provide basic tech assistance as needed to staff and volunteers

Development of a new fundraising model for the Fluvarium, using the Power Tower Project as a reference

The Fluvarium is a public environmental education center which works with communities in Newfoundland and Labrador to create awareness, educate, and facilitate innovation with regards to the natural environment. The organisation was established in 1985 with a focus on the protection and conservation of water resources, and since then, it has been engaged with local communities to undertake environmental programs and social events, that have been dependent on its fundraising activities. However, due to the financial constraints of its its various partners and the Covid-19 pandemic, it has become imperative that the Fluvarium revises its fundraising model for its programs in order to reflect the current reality to ensure the organization’s sustainability. One of its promising programs with great potential is the ‘Power Tower’ project.

This internship project aims to develop a fundraising model for the Fluvarium based on the Power Tower project. The fundraising model can also be used as a funding template for other projects and programs within the Fluvarium portfolio which can enhance the funding capabilities of not only the individual programs, but the organization as a whole.