Innovative Projects Realized

Temporal Interference Stimulation in the Rhesus Macaque

Deep brain stimulation is a treatment method for Parkinson’s Disease. This treatment involves implanting an electrode deep into the brain, which carries a small but serious risk of complications. However, a new stimulation technique, called temporal interference stimulation, may circumvent these risks, and allow for non-invasive deep brain stimulation. Temporal interference stimulation can selectively target deep brain structures in the mouse, however whether it will work in larger animals is currently unknown. This project aims to test whether temporal interference stimulation will be able to activate deep brain structures in a larger animal that is more similar to humans using both computational and experimental techniques. The findings will provide insights into whether temporal interference stimulation will be a feasible approach for deep brain stimulation in humans. The research findings and resulting articles from this research project will help PSSO with communicating results to the community and attract new donors.

PRedicting Human Performance – adjustments in the critical power model

Our project aims to improve our understanding of the limits of exercise capacity by using a novel model for critical power, the highest intensity at which a steady state can be achieved in cycling. We will test whether the modified 3-parameter critical power model fits power-duration data better than existing models. This will involve well-trained cyclists performing various tests to determine critical power, work completed above critical power (W’), and maximal sprint power, which will be fitted into the old models as well as the new model. The significance of this project is that a better model will facilitate the use of technology like power meters to benefit athletes and coaches, as well as the exercise physiology research community. Validating the model used by the industry partner is important for them as a for-profit company to ensure credibility of their product.

A strategic framework for a circular economy in Canada’s built environment

Canada’s construction industry plays a crucial role in the country’s economy, but it also generates a significant amount of waste, with much of its value lost when materials reach their end of life. This research project, being conducted in collaboration with CSA Group, will develop a strategic framework for the circular built environment in Canada. The project aims to answer the question of how the construction industry can reduce waste and capture value from waste materials, and will consider the design, repurposing, retrofitting, and deconstruction of residential and commercial buildings, as well as building materials and products, and related circular supply chains. The project may also inform CSA Group’s future strategies and prioritize standards development activities in the circular built environment space.

Process Improvement – Clinical Staff Orientation – Shannex

As the Shannex team move towards enhancing the processes of onboarding our newly hired employees from all areas of the healthcare team we are focusing on making improvements within orientation which will positively reflect upon retention.
The project will focus on understanding the current roles, needs and contributions of the individuals in our continuum of care at Shannex at the selected location as it relates to the orientation processes. By enhancing the existing orientation process we can then focus on the needs to successfully integrate new employees into their setting.

PROCUREMENT AS A TOOL FOR ADVANCING TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION CALL TO ACTION #92

The goal of this project is to study the potential of targeted public sector procurement spending to advance the goals of Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action #92. A commitment to increase targets for allocation of public procurement spending by anchor institutions to local Indigenous entrepreneurs could increase the amount of money retained in the local community thereby reducing economic leakage and generating greater long term taxpayer value while advancing goals of reconciliation. This project will focus on the large-scale publicly funded building program scheduled or occurring on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia which boasts a large Indigenous population. Indigevisor Ltd is a Indigenous women-led company advising on companies in support of Truth and Reconciliation on Turtle Island. This research project will support the development of tools that Indigevisor Ltd can use in their advisory services.

Artificial Intelligence Based Control of Dispension Vision Systems

Dispension’s core business is the development of intelligent kiosks equipped with peripheral technologies that are designed for distribution of restricted products (ie: alcohol, pharmaceuticals, cannabis, nicotine, etc). Dispension’s technology stack includes a series of vision systems that utilize different types of cameras to perform specific tasks. Among these systems include a thermal camera that takes thermal images of a face to identify the intoxication level of a human subject, an infrared camera that is used to identify a person’s identity by taking a subcutaneous photograph of the vascular (vein) network in the palm of a hand, and a visual light camera which takes a photograph of a face for comparison against an ID card (ie: driver’s license). These systems are at various stages of commercial readiness and require further innovation to the products and processes to meet the needs of the market. The student intern will assess the existing technology stack, identify areas for improvement and implement, test and validate the improvements under the supervision of Dispension’s technical lead.

Scenario based learning project – Develoment of new e-learning multi media offerings.

Leaf Electrical Safety, an engineering services company delivering electrical safety solutions to its clients. They provide four main products to their clients: arc flash studies, electrical safety training, electrical safety program audits, and electrical safety program accelerator (coaching, training, and support for electrical safety program development). With these products they help reduce the risk of injuries at your facility, improve your electrical safety program to be practical for electrical workers to understand and follow, and provide custom solutions to find gaps in your current program or develop your program from the bottom up.
Leaf is in a growth phase, having recently implemented a new website and SEO to build inbound sales, to much success. We feel we need to be more innovative with our offerings and want to explore offering an interactive e-Learning experience. The e-Learning experience will allow people to role-play through different scenarios, where each decision they make impacts the next stage of events.

This e-Learning offering will differentiate us from our competitors and will help retain existing clients through enhanced learning experiences. To our knowledge no other electrical training organizations are offering this “story” based, decision making offerings.

Expérimentation de l’application de l’IA pour l’automatisation des tâches des comptables

Ce projet a pour but d’identifier et de cartographier les principales tâches d’un CPA et d’évaluer la manière dont l’intelligence artificielle peut procurer des gains potentiels dans la réalisation de celles-ci. Une dizaine de tâches utilisant des documents non structurés seront recensées, analysées et documentées afin que des tests puissent être effectués sur des corpus de documents avec l’outil de LexRock AI. Cela permettra de démontrer l’efficience ou non de l’IA pour l’exécution de ces tâches.

Development of framework for deployment of Canadian agromineral waste as soil remineralizers with verifiable carbon drawdown potential

It is essential that additional carbon removal capacity and strategies are developed in the near term to facilitate Canada’s national climate goals. In addition, farmers are seeking sustainable methods of crop production that support soil health. Agromineral waste refers to materials generated from mineral processing activities that possess agronomic value in terms of potential benefits for plant and soil health, and some of these mineral also are capable of carbon removal through a process termed enhanced weathering. This project aims to evaluate a number of agromineral wastes (i.e., biotite, nepheline, pyroxene, and feldspar) for use as a carbon removal technology. Combining soil remineralization properties with carbon sequestration is a driving force to an effective business plan that not only increases agricultural productivity and promotes environmental sustainability but also generates financial returns through the creation of carbon removal certificates. This project will help the company expand into Canada and contribute to Canada’s environmental targets. By targeting the utilization of mineral residues in agriculture, the company can tap into a new and potentially lucrative market, and by focusing on utilizing agromineral residues from orphaned and abandoned mines, the company aligns with Canada’s environmental goals.

Easy Receipt – Phase Two

The proposed project aims to develop Easy Receipt’s software by integrating a receipt NFC transfer feature through the expertise of the intern Maryam. By leveraging her skills and utilizing the Scaled Agile Framework methodology, the project aims to improve the Easy Receipt application, leading to streamlined receipt management for users and increased brand visibility. This collaboration will benefit Easy Receipt by expanding its feature offerings, attracting more users, and establishing a stronger presence in the market.

Creating a Business Model for Food Hub Network in Newfoundland Labrador

The purpose of this project is to create a business model for a connected network of physical sites (called Food Hubs) across the province, connected by effective online links, to create a more direct system of food production, distribution, and education. It will connect growers and enable small-scale food producers, who typically have trouble accessing the grocery market, to expand and grow with new commercial pathways. The 10 food hub sites will be located in a variety of communities throughout the province including south and central Labrador with the NunatuKavut Community Council.

Improved power spectrum estimate pipeline for HERA

Radio signals of neutral hydrogen atoms from the very early universe are a crucial tracer for us to understand the formation of first stars, black holes, and galaxies. Observations of these signals are challenging due to the contaminations from bright astrophysical objects in the foreground and Radio Frequency Interference from terrestrial communications. In this project, we propose to implement an improved power spectrum estimate pipeline, a statistical quantity used to capture the abundance and distribution of neutral hydrogen atoms. This improved pipeline will filter out foreground contaminations while optimally handling the missing data due to Radio Frequency Interference. We will apply this improved pipeline to the data obtained by the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array which Canada is a key partner of, opening up a wider window to a section of the universe that has never been observed before. The expertise developed in this project will further strengthen Canada’s leading position in radio astronomy.