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

Blood flow within microfluidic conduits

A current area of focus at SMT Americas is to develop injection-moulding methods for medical lab-on-chip (LOC) devices, particularly to transport and process blood and plasma while eliminating conduits clogging and reducing sample loss. This project will evaluate the effect of flow conditions on viscosity of samples, and the adequacy of conduit structures achieved with SMT Americas’ technology for cell separation. The resulting data and analysis will aid the intern to support particular segments of her project in developing a point of care microfluidic chip that separates blood plasma from its cells for sample sizes less than 100?L. SMT Americas will understand and resolve their current limitations in developing conduits for cell separation, with further objectives to increase the blood and plasma flow rates within their micro-conduits, while reducing sample loss.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dana Grecov

Student:

Arian Amirkeyvan

Partner:

SMT Americas

Discipline:

Engineering - biomedical

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Understanding helmet design and performance based on size, fit, and component analysis

The main concern for helmet performance is the reduction of skull and brain injury risk during impact events. Combinations of shell materials, foams, and three-dimensional engineered structures are used to design hockey helmets. Using current helmet evaluation techniques, the contributions of each of these components cannot be directly assessed. In the proposed work, high-speed X-ray imaging will be used to obtain full-field, time-resolved internal monitoring and measurement of helmet component deformation and interaction with a head surrogate (headform). This information will be used to redesign shell structures, liner components, and engineered structures to optimize helmet design. This will improve helmet safety for Canadians engaged in sports through all levels of play and will provide CCM Hockey with a competitive advantage in the sport specific personal protection market. The proposed project will provide advantageous training for the interns, who will gain experiential research opportunities focused on the needs of Canadian industry.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Oren Petel

Student:

Mary-Jo Weir Weiss;Sheng Xu

Partner:

Sport Maska Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Carleton University

Program:

Accelerate

Analysis of the Community Scholars Program for United Way of the Lower Mainland and Simon Fraser University Library

The project will evaluate the Community Scholars Program (CSP) to promote program sustainability, growth and further development. The CSP provides free research database access for 500 community organizations in British Columbia and is a partnership between United Way of the Lower Mainland, Mindset Social Innovation Foundation, and the SFU Library. Now in its second phase, the program was created in 2016 to address the problem of access to research outside of the academic community. While academics in Canada and around the world are studying social problems and possible solutions, their findings are published in peer-reviewed journals that typically require expensive subscriptions that the vast majority of the more than 170,000 non-profit and charitable organizations in Canada cannot afford. (https://www.lib.sfu.ca/about/overview/services-you/community-scholars).

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Faculty Supervisor:

Juan Pablo Alperin

Student:

Andrea Whiteley

Partner:

United Way of the Lower Mainland

Discipline:

Journalism / Media studies and communication

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Accelerate

Molecular signatures and predictive biomarkers for phenotyping allergic rhinitis responses

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is in inflammatory disease characterized by nasal symptoms. It affects 20-25% of Canadians and is recognized as the most common allergic disorder worldwide. Patients can experience one of several types of responses to allergen onset hence a key hurdle to developing effective treatment plans is accurate diagnosis. The allergic responses are characterized by an early response, with a subsequent late response in a subgroup of patients. Based on severity of nasal symptoms, patients can be stratified as early responders, protracted early responders or dual responders. Presently there is limited knowledge of the mechanisms underscoring the observed heterogeneity in allergic responses. This project will address this limitation by aiming to differentiate the types of AR using molecular differences in blood. This work will help lead to the development of diagnostic tools hence improving diagnosis and management of AR, furthering the mandates of our partner organization ? PROOF Centre for Excellence.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Andrew Sandford;Scott Tebbutt

Student:

Simran Samra

Partner:

Centre of Excellence for the Prevention of Organ Failure

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Life sciences

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

TWN Cumulative Effects Monitoring Initiative: Ecosystem Modelling Framework

The general objective of the proposed activity is to increase the future productivity of Burrard Inlet and the contribution of seafood to the diet of Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN) members in support of the TWN Cumulative Effects Monitoring Initiative. The specific objectives are (1) to establish a pre-contact baseline food web and track the arc of change to the current environmental state of Burrard Inlet; (2) to inform ecosystem restoration and enhancement initiatives and progress that will allow TWN members to obtain a minimum of 10% of food requirements from Burrard Inlet by 2040; and (3) to inform impact assessments and management decision-making to ensure future development projects in Burrard Inlet will result in a net ecological gain.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Villy Christensen

Student:

Meaghan Efford;Matias Bofarull Oddo

Partner:

Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd.

Discipline:

Oceanography

Sector:

Aboriginal affairs

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Implementation of risk minimization measures and trends over time in the frequency of outcomes

Opioid-related harms such as abuse, misuse, addiction, diversion and overdose have been rising exponentially, a phenomenon referred to as the opioid epidemic. The current research will examine federal and provincial risk minimization measures (RMMs) regarding the opioid epidemic starting in 2016. We will develop a landscape of federal and provincial opioid RMMs, describe trends over time in the number and types of RMMs, assess the association between RMMs and public awareness and the association between RMMs and opioid-related harms. This research project will contribute to the methodological advancement of YOLARX Consultants. In addition, the project will lead to a conference abstract and publication. In Canada, opioid-related harm is a major public health issue, and multiple costly measures have been implemented as an attempt to curb the epidemic. The generation of evidence on the effectiveness of these measures would benefit the Canadian community.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Grégoire Leclair

Student:

Camille Goyer

Partner:

Yola Rx Consultants

Discipline:

Pharmacy / Pharmacology

Sector:

Pharmaceuticals

University:

Université de Montréal

Program:

Accelerate

Investigation of mechanical and electrical properties of polymeric nanocomposites under erosion – Year two

In the upstream pipelines, the application of the internal pipeline coatings with specialized polymer has been utilized to protect pipeline from corrosion and abrasive wears. The coatings are rearranged or re-lined when the coating wears out. However, there is no direct and continuous monitoring for the integrity of internal pipeline coatings. Thus the rearrangement or re-lining of the coating is performed pre-emptively before fully utilizing the coating. It is required to develop a novel technique, not only for the efficiency but also to prevent pipeline leakage. The proposed project will develop a system embedded inside the coating, changing its electrochemical properties upon damage. Various nanocomposite compositions will be tested, leading to the optimized sensor system. The proposed project gives ROSEN group advantages in the pipeline industry as they could extend the lifetime of coating and ensure the safety of pipeline.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Simon Park

Student:

Chaneel Park

Partner:

ROSEN IPS Canada

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Oil and gas

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Elevate

Development of a Novel Sustainable Adsorbent Unit for Indoor Air Purifiers – Year two

This project is with Airpura – a developer of indoor air purifiers. We plan to develop a prototype and upscale the technology of recyclable coated iron-oxide systems, incorporated in the design, from the laboratory-scale to final consumer product use. The newly introduced adsorbent system serves to increase the removal efficiency of the volatile pollutants less amenable to adsorption on activated carbon. The modules are intended to be recyclable following periods of use in the indoor air purifiers. The research will involve: 1) the efficiency and comparability experiments with other techniques, 2) testing of different configurations of the filtration/adsorption module assembly, and 3) recyclability tests of the prototype adsorption modules. Based on this project, Airpura is expected to have a new product with leading air purification efficiency for a wider range of pollutants and recyclable adsorption modules. Both features will provide an edge over the competition by introducting the technology to reduce the environmental impact of Airpura’s products and increase their marketability on the domestic and export markets as the ability to remove ketones and aldehydes and recyclability will be novel and unique characteristics setting Airpura’s products apart from the currently dominating products on the market.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Parisa A Ariya

Student:

Yevgen Nazarenko

Partner:

Airpura

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

McGill University

Program:

Elevate

Effects of low-dose radiation on immune parameters, antioxidant and metabolic signalling and implications in the development and progression of mammary cancer – Year two

Recent studies have called into question the Linear No Threshold (LNT) model of radiation protection, which predicts a linear increase in cancer risk with low-dose radiation exposure. However, current experimental evidence suggests that low-dose radiation (LDR, <0.1 Gy) elicits a non-linear response in biological systems and may result in beneficial effects, such as activation of anti-tumor immunity. Unfortunately, these studies lack detailed and mechanistic evidence to test the validity of the LNT model. As identified at a recent CANDU Owners Group (COG) workshop as well as in the COG Strategic R&D Program, there is a need to address Canadian public concerns surrounding exposures to low dose anthropogenic radiation. These concerns, as well as the validity of the LNT model, can only be addressed through comprehensive and mechanistic radiobiological studies. This project will provide a systematic and detailed investigation of the effects of LDR on immune system and implications in mammary cancer development and progression. Results of the project will provide the knowledge base and understanding of biological effects of low-dose radiation and inform regulators and policy makers so that more reliable radioprotection standards can be adopted.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Seung-Hwan Lee

Student:

Abrar Ul Haq Khan

Partner:

CANDU Owners Group

Discipline:

Biochemistry / Molecular biology

Sector:

Energy

University:

University of Ottawa

Program:

Elevate

Opioid Use in Pediatric-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Year two

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have an inflamed digestive tract and experience diarrhea, fatigue, and abdominal pain. Youth with IBD are six times more likely to take opioids than youth without IBD. We are currently in the midst of an opioid crisis. In 2016, there were almost 3000 deaths related to opioid use in Canada. This increased to nearly 4000 deaths in 2017. Since 2001, opioid-related deaths have increased by 345% in the United States. IBD patients taking opioids have a poorer quality of life, regardless of how severe their IBD is. I will use health administrative data housed at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) to (1) examine trends in opioid prescriptions for children and young adults with and without IBD; (2) identify characteristics of patients who are more likely to take opioids; and (3) evaluate the impact of opioid use on use of health care services, IBD-related surgeries, addiction services, and death. Understanding patterns and the impact of opioid use will allow for creation of strategies to decrease opioid use in IBD and support ICES in their mission to improve health and health care through data and discovery.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Eric Benchimol

Student:

Ellen Kuenzig

Partner:

Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences

Discipline:

Medicine

Sector:

Health care and social assistance

University:

University of Ottawa

Program:

Elevate

Altitude & Heat – environmental synergies to optimize human performance – Year two

The environmental stress of altitude and heat have both been shown to elicit divergent adaptive responses and are used by elite athletes to augment training adaptation and subsequent performance. Indeed, 3-4 weeks at moderate altitudes can increase the body’s natural erythropoietin (EPO) responses, raising hemoglobin by 4-6% and enhancing endurance performance. Conversely, as little as 5-7 days of exercise induced heat acclimation can increase blood volume by 5-10%, resulting in increased tolerance to heat, increased VO2max /cardiac output and improve endurance performance as well. However, the concept of “cross-tolerance” has recently emerged, which is the use of heat and altitude synergistically to augment adaptation and performance; however studies in humans are sparse. Furthermore, there is an opportunity to implement non-invasive / wearable near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology to further our understanding of peripheral mechanisms of muscle oxygenation/utilization in elite athletes in various environmental conditions, and to better elucidate performance determinants in endurance sport. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Koehle

Student:

Gareth Sandford

Partner:

Canadian Sport Institute Pacific

Discipline:

Kinesiology

Sector:

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Elevate

Application of the Five Capitals Framework to the Mineral Resources Sectorof Mongolia to Support Sustainable Development

The overall goal of the proposed program is the co-development of education programs and academic research with opportunities to apply this understanding in context of SEF/industry activities. The outcomes will benefit SEF’s business activities in Mongolia and other developing countries with significant mineral resource potential. The program will also support investment and business opportunities for Canadian companies that are working in Mongolia. The research undertaken by each intern will provide the recommendations necessary to feed back into training of Mongolian academics and the roadmap to be used when discussing transforming Mongolian universities’ mineral resource programs.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Bern Klein;Andre Xavier;Julian Dierkes;Nadja Kunz

Student:

Damdinnyam Gongor;Bolormaa Purevjav;Aligermaa Bayarsaikhan;Angarag Otgonbayar;Eleni Patsa

Partner:

SEF Canada

Discipline:

Engineering - other

Sector:

Mining and quarrying

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

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