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

Transport phenomena inside and across membrane in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has emerged as an eminent technology to address today’s growing energy crisis and environmental issues. PEMFC technology faces multiple challenges before widespread commercialization. Water transport inside a PEMFC has a significant impact on the cell performance and durability. In this internship a numerical model is implemented to study the transport phenomena inside and across the membrane of a PEMFC. The numerical model will be used to investigate the effects of cell operating temperature and current on water distribution on both cathode and anode sides, as well as inside the membrane. The present internship will expand the modelling capabilities of FC-APPOLO, an in-house open-source application package for simulation of performance and durability of PEMFC developed by Ballard power systems.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Erik Kjeang

Student:

Abhishek Nanjundappa

Partner:

Ballard Power Systems Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Energy

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Accelerate

A Study of the Modes of Gold Loss in the Calcium Thiosulfate Leaching of Preg-robbing Ores

The evermore increasing complexity of gold ores is forcing operations to seek alternative gold leaching reagents to the traditional use of cyanidation. At the Barrick Goldstrike mine, the implementation of a non-toxic thiosulfate leaching process is about to become an industrial reality. With modification to the existing infrastructure and leaching circuit, this new process allows for the continued use of autoclaves that were otherwise rendered obsolete. Alkaline pressure oxidation followed by calcium thiosulfate leaching and gold recovery by resin adsorption is used to treat refractory ores not amendable by conventional cyanidation. Nonetheless, this alternative and complex leaching process is found to yield variable gold recoveries in the absence of an anion exchange resin in the leaching step. The mechanisms by which this loss in gold occurs is still unknown. The objective of this work is thus to investigate the modes of gold loss during CaTS leaching.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. David Dreisinger

Student:

Renaud Daenzer

Partner:

Barrick Gold Corporation

Discipline:

Engineering - other

Sector:

Mining and quarrying

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Investigating the use of public food forests in urban food systems planning

Public food forests can be an important way to increase urban resilience, sustainability, and food security. The food forest, or forest garden, is an edible landscape designed for food production. This research investigates how publicly-accessible urban food forests are currently being utilized to enhance food production and resilience. By reviewing existing examples, this research seeks to identify key models for design, participatory decision-making, and ongoing management of food forests on public land. This research will inform Integrated Living Landscapes of recent developments in this field and assist the Company in communicating the strengths, benefits, risks, opportunities, and best practices of public food forest design to potential clients. A summary of recommendations and presentation of key models will be given to the partner organization, Integrated Living Landscapes, to inform future food systems planning and design with municipal and institutional partners within the City of Victoria.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Duncan Taylor

Student:

Kat Zimmer

Partner:

Integrated Living Landscapes

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Forestry

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Accelerate

All Digital, Multi-Standard Highly Efficient Transmitter forMobile Communication Base Station Applications

A novel transmitter architecture which presents more power efficiency than that of the transmitters being used currently in mobile communication base stations is proposed in this research project. The result of this research fills the gap between the theoretical idea behind this transmitter structure and its practical usage in cellular network base stations. This transmitter can operate over a wide frequency range and with different mobile communication signal standards very power efficiently while maintaining the quality of the transmitted signal. The outcome of this project leads to an industrial product, which offers a new transmitter topology whose small form-factor minimizes the cost and effort of the industrial partner transmitter design process. Moreover, the high power efficiency of this transmitter interests the industrial partner’s clients and helps saving significant amount of energy in base stations. Therefore the industrial partner benefits greatly from the results of this project.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Fadhel Ghannouchi

Student:

Saeed Rezaei Nazifi

Partner:

Ericsson Canada

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Accelerate

Visual Analytics for Financial Risk Year Two

The second project also relates to the application of VA to financial systemic risk analytics. The report on the NSF-funded workshop on Next-Generation Community for Financial Cyberinfrastructure for Managing Systemic Risk identifies the need to develop robust simulations and computational models in order to manage systemic risk. Many of these are in the form of financial network analyses which combine network analytics with data visualization. Though there are already many examples of how network analysis and visualization are being used to gain new insights into the behaviour of financial networks in order to better understand financial systemic risk, so far there is no common framework for financial network visualization. Thus, the aim of this research will be to develop a conceptual framework for the visualization of dynamic financial networks as a first exploratory step to development of a technical financial network visualization framework. A Framework would assist a user in determining the display type that would best suit the task at hand using the available data, and in discovering whether there is an available application that would produce that kind of visual display from the data that the user wishes to produce.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Brian Fisher

Student:

Payam Rahmdel

Partner:

AppNovation Technologies Inc.

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Elevate

Development of Efficient Electrodes for an Electrosynthesis Process

The proposed project focuses on the research & development of efficient electrode materials for use in an electrochemical process that produces high-value chemicals for use in a variety of industrial applications. As an electrochemical process, significant portions of the production costs are attributable to electrical power consumption; therefore, improvements in energetic efficiency would result in appreciable reductions in production costs. Major energetic losses arise from inefficient electrode materials and the instability of catalytic coatings on the electrodes arising from the harsh operating conditions. Our research aims to identify stable and efficient electrode materials using the techniques and expertise developed by the partner organization, FireWater Fuel Corp., for related hydrogen production applications. FireWater Fuel will benefit from the ability to attract highly trained personnel to our team in order to accelerate the commercialization of our catalyst technologies.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Simon Trudel

Student:

Derek Wasylenko

Partner:

FireWater Fuel Corp.

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Alternative energy

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Elevate

Metagenomics to assess impacts of the Mount Polley Mine tailings dam breach on associated ecosystems

The Mount Polley tailings impoundment failure released 24 million m3 of mine-influenced water and sediment into the surrounding watershed. The scale of this spill is unprecedented in BC history, and the effects on current and future ecosystems are unknown. Of paramount concern is the containment of toxic metal-containing compounds that threaten aquatic life. My research addresses the role of wetlands and riparian soils in remediation of this spill. I established permanent monitoring sites under a Mitacs Accelerate award to track the progression of contaminants throughout the watershed. Extension of this work will allow us to track responses of these ecosystems to physical and chemical stress, and conduct a bioaugmentation trial to determine the best approaches for remediation. Our research outcomes will provide Imperial Metals with a clearer understanding of the effects of the spill and will inform Imperial Metal’s decisions on how best to stimulate ecosystem recovery.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Lauchlan Fraser

Student:

Heath Garris

Partner:

Mount Polley Mining Corporation

Discipline:

Resources and environmental management

Sector:

Mining and quarrying

University:

Thompson Rivers University

Program:

Elevate

Hydrogen Storage in Two-Dimensional Layered Nanomaterials: Synthesis

The objective of the proposed research is to investigate novel solid-state materials that have potential for hydrogen storage applications in fuel cell electric vehicles. Of interest are materials that can store hydrogen at ambient conditions and low pressures, have high gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen capacities, and can be safely packed into a hydrogen storage tank for automotive use. The research will focus on assessing the feasibility of threedimensional structures consisting of two-dimensional layered nanomaterials such as graphene as viable media to store hydrogen. This research agenda brings together proven expertise in nanomaterials, hydrogen storage, and fuel cells at Simon Fraser University with leading technical expertise at Hydrogen in Motion (H2M). The most promising nanomaterials resulting will be considered for next generation hydrogen fuel tank solutions developed by H2M, which may further promote the market proposition for “zero-emission” fuel cell electric vehicles and contribute to Canada’s leadership in the automotive industry.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Erik Kjeang

Student:

Michael Whitwick

Partner:

Hydrogen in Motion

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Fuel cells

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Elevate

Hydrogen Storage in Two-Dimensional Layered Nanomaterials: Characterization

In this project, we will develop solid-state hydrogen storage materials for the potential applications of fuel cell electric vehicles. Based on the most cutting-edge achievements in related fields, two categories of two-dimensional layered nanomaterials are proposed. Their hydrogen storage capabilities will be elaborated by in-depth characterization of material structure and hydrogen storage properties. Moreover, we will employ various modification methods, such as defect engineering, catalytic element decoration and surface area expansion, to optimize storage properties in terms of capacity, storage temperature and pressure. The mechanism for the property improvement will also be interpreted fundamentally. Knowledge about the characteristics of 2-D layered hydrogen storage nanomaterials will be systematically established at our SFU based hydrogen technology laboratory. To the interest of our industry partner, several promising hydrogen storage materials with large capacity at ambient temperature and low pressure will be developed and verified for commercial applications.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Erik Kjeang

Student:

Pei Pei

Partner:

Hydrogen in Motion

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Fuel cells

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Elevate

Design of Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Nanomedicine Applications

Recently we have demonstrated that multicore-shell nanoparticles, made of cadmium telluride and zinc oxide, have great potential to be applied into the field of renewable energies due to the ability to split water into H+ and · OH upon irradiation of visible light. Herein we originally propose the utilization of those nanoparticles for a new lightassisted cancer therapy, that is, photogenerated · OH can lead to the DNA damage of of cells. Nanoparticles with surfaces that can be chemically tailored, exhibit a great advantage over the use of molecules in respect of target specificity and delineated in loco therapy; in this way, further increasing their enormous potential for medical applications. Therefore, the success of this project will benefit Pharmaster (our partner), which has been carrying out the R & D in the pharmaceutical molecules, to take its first step in the field of nanomedicine.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Alexandre Brolo

Student:

Antonio Marcos De Brito Silva

Partner:

Pharmaster Laboratories Ltd

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Chemicals

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Elevate

Low cost and durable catalysts for automotive fuel cells

The successful commercialization of the automotive fuel cell requires lowering costs of key components in the fuel cell stack, such as the catalyst materials at the centre of the electrochemical cell generating the energy. Nanoparticles of platinum supported on mesoporous carbons are typical materials being used for the current generation of the fuel cell stack. To meet the cost targets for commercialization we must be able to design catalysts that can increase their activity, be used more effectively, and last the lifetime of the fuel cell car. The proposed research will characterize the fuel cell catalyst using a variety of chemical, physical and spectroscopic analytical techniques to develop an understanding of how these characteristics influence fuel cell performance under different operating conditions and over time. This will improve our ability to design fuel cell catalysts that can meet the cost and durability targets for the next generation fuel cell car.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Byron Gates

Student:

Jennie Eastcott

Partner:

Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation Corp.

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Fuel cells

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Elevate

Energy Harvesting and Power Management Techniques for Hybrid-Powered Wearable Devices

igmotion Inc. was created to develop wearable health monitoring sensors and service the ‘at-home’ care segment of the elder care market. This project involves studying of existing literature and development of novel solutions for power management and energy harvesting for the product including tracking and fall detection systems using hybridpower. Analysis of proper control approaches for maximum power point tracking of flexible photovoltaic cells along with the integration of renewable energy harvesting system with the wireless-chargeable battery structure will be studied during this project. The energy harvesting systems will be used to utilize available solar energy to extend the lifetime of the battery, while wireless charging techniques improve the usability of the device by elderlies. The main barrier in system development is the size of the final product, which will be optimized through proper design. The results will be an efficient power electronic system to be in the hybrid-powered product.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Edward Park

Student:

Yaser Mohammadian

Partner:

Bigmotion Technologies Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Simon Fraser University

Program:

Elevate

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