Innovative Projects Realized

Charlotte County: Building Community Capacity

Within the 2023 calendar year, the Charlotte County Resiliency Steering Committee, partnering with CBDC, aims to improve community capacity through an intentional focus on enhancing relationships with local island communities by developing a shared vision for the initiatives, meeting in person on the islands and developing and delivering the second annual “Our Amazing Place” event. During the 2023 calendar year we aim to double our contacts on the islands and increase levels of trust and cohesion between island communities, the Community Capacity and Resilience steering committee, and the RSC-based community development committee, as well as focus on gaining and sharing knowledge of community needs and resources.

This project is, in part, a collaboration with the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) Compass: Rural Experiential Learning Program. Compass is a flagship community-engaged learning opportunity offered through UNB’s Office of Experiential Education. The Compass program at UNB supports economic, social, and civic development in rural communities throughout New Brunswick. Interdisciplinary teams of students work with rural communities and regions to create innovative solutions to pressing challenges in those regions. Charlotte County Regional Committees in partnering with UNB, are offering community-engaged learning opportunities to students.

Optimiser l’usage des technologies mobiles en soutien à l’autonomie résidentielle des personnes autistes

Ce projet vise à mettre à mettre en valeur, au moyen de développement d’outils de transfert et de valorisation des connaissances, des cahiers développés dans le cadre d’un projet de recherche qui s’adresse aux intervenants et qui visent à optimiser l’utilisation des technologies mobiles existantes en soutien à l’autonomie résidentielle des personnes autistes. Ces outils d’intervention sont orientés via la sociologie des usages, une perspective qui permet de nous intéresser à la fonction réelle des technologies dans la vie des personnes autistes plutôt que de considérer ces derniers comme des acteurs passifs sur lesquels agiraient les technologies. Ainsi, en nous intéressant aux usagers, nous cherchons à comprendre comment ils s’approprient certaines technologies et comment agir pour optimiser l’usage qu’ils en font pour répondre à leurs besoins de soutien résidentiel, et ce au-delà de la durée de vie des technologies ou des programmes qu’ils utilisent.

Performance study of low carbon footprint cement obtained through the electrochemical decarbonation of limestones used by the Canadian cement industry

The electrochemical decarbonation (ED) of limestone is a novel disruptive technology with the potential to promote deep decarbonization of the cement industry, which emits about 8% of carbon dioxide global emissions. ED uses water electrolysis cells to precipitate Ca(OH)2, which has been used as an alternative raw material for Alite synthesis, the main clinker compound. Although this is evidence of the Ca(OH)2 potential as raw material for cement production, cement chemistry is more complex, and it includes other relevant compounds that are also significant for cement performance. Accordingly, this research aims to formulate an alternative clinker using precipitated materials from the ED of limestones from the Canadian cement industry and to assess its performance as a low-carbon footprint binder for concrete. On positive results of this research, evidence will be obtained on the technical potential of the alternative raw material, promoting ED scalability in the current chains for cement production.

Putting Latin America Organizational Communication on the Map: a decolonial approach

Considering the lack of a systematic and contextual revision of the academic knowledge in organizational communication developed in Latin America, and yet a consistent and increased development of the field of organizational communication in this region of the world, the research project aims to present a portrait of this field from and for the South. Following recent attempts to decolonize communication studies, this research project proposes to develop criteria, tools and heuristics model for data collection and analysis of the field of Latin American organizational communication that are grounded in the historical, economical and social contexts of this part of the world, as well as the perceptions and practices of Latin American researchers. Most of the approaches, tools and models in organizational communication have been developed and legitimized in the global North imposing a western view of knowledge that does not take into account the diversity of academic labor. Moreover, there is a strong critical Latin American tradition of communication studies that has historically resisted Northern imperialism. The research project aims to continue this line of inquiry by questioning the characteristic of this Latin American tradition and of its application to the field of organizational communication.

Antifungals against Malassezia (Antifongiques contre Malassezia)

Malassezia species are amongst the most abundant fungi in humans, found in mucosal surfaces and on the skin. While Malassezia can cause damage when present in tissue (for example in Crohn’s disease and pancreatic cancer), our knowledge of Malassezia’s involvement in diseases of internal organs remains fragmented and incomplete.
The selected intern will support the realization of various projects related to the involvement of the fungus Malassezia in human health, specifically in chronic inflammation, autoimmune diseases and cancer, the main goal of the project being to identify the most effective antifungals (alone or in combination) against Malassezia.

Configuration Design of Pedal-assist Electric Hydrofoil Water Bike

Electric mobility offsets the impact of fossil fuels and reduces noise. Electric water bike is an environment sustainable solution for clean transportation. But, electric batteries do not offer the same level of energy density as fossil fuels. Thus, for the same level of performance, an electric system must be more efficient. Hydrofoil is one of the most efficient watercraft. Hydrofoil supports the weight of the water bike and lifts it out of the water to decrease drag. This project will develop an electric hydrofoil water bike. The developed water bike is lightweight, portable, fast, quiet, and environmental friendly. It can help us to do sports, explorations, and near-shore rescue.

Machine Learning for Speech Enhancement

The core value of Nureva is to provide reliable and easy-to-use audio-conferencing products that offer a good user experience and maximize productivity. The unique Microphone Mist™ technology unlocks new possibilities to pick up audio from anywhere in the room. One subtopic of this research is to investigate ML as it relates to sound event localization and detection so we can track when and where a person is talking in the room. As a result, this can allow virtual microphones to be activated near the talker while attenuating noises in the room. The other topic is to investigate ML for the purpose of improving the sound signature coming out of the virtual microphones and improve the overall intelligibility. Consequently, better audio experience can be achieved to allow efficient collaborations.

Analyse des discours, des visions et des revendications exprimées autour de la transition socioécologique à Montréal dans le but de nourrir la démarche de l’alliance Transition en commun.

A Montréal, la démarche Transition en commun porte au coeur de ses objectifs la volonté´ de construire collectivement une vision de la transition socioécologique partagée par les citoyen.ne.s engagé.e.s dans les différents quartiers de Montréal. Notre projet de recherche vise à nourrir la démarche de Transition en commun en produisant une catégorisation des visions et revendications exprimées et liées à la transition socioécologique dans les quartiers. L’organisation partenaire bénéficiera d’une grille d’analyse supplémentaire pour mieux comprendre les particularités et les invariants à travers les quartiers de Montréal. Le projet de recherche enrichira les démarches de Transition en commun et de ses partenaires. Le travail du stagiaire sera donc pleinement orienté vers les objectifs de l’alliance, c’est-à-dire vers la co-construction d’un récit collectif autour de la transition socioécologique, qui aboutira à un premier évènement public rassembleur à l’horizon 2024.

Nipîy (Water Song): Creative Collaboration with Canadian Chamber Choir and Sherryl Sewepagaham (Cree/Dene)

Nipîy (Water Song), is Phase 2 of a longitudinal project with the Canadian Chamber Choir (CCC) and Sherryl Sewepagaham (Cree/Dene). In Phase 1 (Where Waters Meet, Windsor and London, Ontario), the CCC and Sherryl explored Indigenization of music education and decolonization of choral practice in workshops and concerts in university and community settings, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous. In Phase 2, the CCC and Sherryl will engage in creative collaboration in Owen Sound, Elora, and Kingston, Ontario in July 2023. Drawing from Indigenous methodologies, this research will explore Indigenous/settler artistic relationships through reciprocal creative incubation, (e.g., rehearsals, workshops, and performances); and pedagogical reframing of these creative activities informed by Indigenous/settler artistic relationships, for the development of curricular resources for use in university and school contexts. This creative research has significance for teacher education; school music education; vocal/choral practice at professional and community levels; and future Indigenous/settler collaborative artistic work.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculator for Residential Real Estate Mortgages in Canada

The Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials (PCAF) is a global collaboration of financial institutions that aims to develop and promote a standard methodology for measuring and disclosing greenhouse gas emissions associated with their lending and investment portfolios. Although the financial sector gradually accepts this standard, practitioners still face several implementation challenges. In this project, we will work with the partner to formulate the carbon accounting implementation methods in line with the PCAF standard and design a GHG emissions calculator for Scope 3 emissions of residential real estate mortgage products in Canada. A final report will be provided to summarize the project achievements for the partner’s business development on carbon disclosure products for lenders.

Implementing AI models to improve persona classification and portfolio performance predictions

Finliti is planning to use AI to improve their business operations. Some areas they are looking into involve using AI to sort clients into the most appropriate persona which will reflect their investing preferences, and assessing the future performance of a proposed portfolio while accounting for a client’s persona and financial goals. AI is intended to be used to improve the efficiency of the decisions and predictions and eliminate human bias that can affect decision-making. Gavin will assist with the research, setup, training, evaluation, and fine-tuning of these models. At the end of the term, Gavin will produce an executive summary that outlines the use of the code for the organization, and a technical report to allow other mathematicians at Finliti to pick up from his work.

Évaluation de vêtements de protection contre les pesticides : vers de nouvelles recommandations au Canada ?

Le projet de recherche vise à caractériser les performances de vêtements de protection normalisés contre les pesticides pour les producteurs agricoles. L’efficacité de protection sera mesurée en conditions réelles d’utilisation auprès de producteurs de pommes québécois. Les performances mesurées devront mener à des niveaux d’exposition acceptables, selon les critères de l’agence règlementaire de lutte antiparasitaire. Les niveaux d’exposition seront également comparés à ceux rapportés dans la littérature. Dans l’hypothèse où les résultats seraient positifs, il faudrait envisager de développer leur utilisation grâce au transfert de connaissances, mais aussi grâce à l’inclusion de leur recommandation dans les étiquettes de produits antiparasitaires.
Ces livrables et retombées sont totalement en phase avec les attentes de l’organisme partenaire, l’IRSST dont la mission principale est de contribuer à la santé et à la sécurité des travailleuses et travailleurs par la recherche […], ainsi que la diffusion et le transfert des connaissances, et ce, dans une perspective de prévention et de retour durables au travail.