Innovative Projects Realized

LEGGED LOCOMOTION OF FOUR LEGGED ROBOTS

“What makes the ice sweat?” – Ice-ocean interaction in the marginal ice zone

Climate and land use effects on aquatic plant species performance modified by functional traits

Analyse automatique des inégalités de genre dans les médias français et québécois

Ce projet a pour but de faire communiquer le projet GenderedNews et le projet Mind The Gap. Ces deux projets utilisent des technologies automatiques et des méthodes innovantes issues du Traitement Automatique du Langage Naturel (TALN) pour mesurer les inégalités de genre dans les médias francophones. Le projet Mind The Gap s’intéresse aux représentations des femmes dans les médias québécois, spécifiquement durant la pandémie de COVID-19. Du côté français, le projet GenderedNews est mené par trois chercheur-euses, dont une doctorante spécialisée en TALN et en études de genre. Il est à l’origine d’un baromètre en ligne qui rend compte quotidiennement de l’état des déséquilibres genrés de représentation dans les principaux journaux français (https://gendered-news.imag.fr/). Ce projet combiné a pour but de mettre en commun les savoir-faire techniques développés au sein des deux projets, ainsi que de permettre à la doctorante d’approfondir ses analyses des déséquilibres de genre dans les citations.

Development of diamond based detectors

Zooarchaeology of Lake Midden, Saskatchewan: A Comprehensive Study

The Lake Midden site has produced one of the largest archaeological collections from Saskatchewan but remains largely undocumented. This project will study the thousands of animal remains from Lake Midden. This work, conducted in partnership with the Touchwood Agency Tribal Council, aims to better understand people’s relationships with animals at Lake Midden, including which animals were most important in the diet. This project is part of a larger effort to understand this important site and its role in Indigenous history.

Drug development in cancer therapy – Synthesis of novel Eph receptor inhibitors

Time perception in Harbor Seals

Topological optimization of ecological and lightweight composite floors made by wood, UHPC and polymeric fibers

Construction industry is responsible for emitting a significant amount of CO2. To stay within the scope of 1.5°C increase in
atmosphere temperature by 2050, It is essential to reduce the embodied carbon of buildings. Mass timber buildings become more
popular in the construction industry and the tendency to move toward more sustainable materials has increased. TimberConcrete-Composite elements allow us to fabricate innovative structural members to profit from concrete strength, timber
lightness, and composite action. The main objective of this project is to reduce the carbon footprint in buildings by replacing the
common floor system with a more sustainable solution by combining timber, concrete and natural fibers providing lightness and
robustness with economical justification. The expected outcome of this project is to demonstrate a prototype floor system with a
proof of concept by numerical analysis and experimental techniques while lowering embodied carbon, and cost, and maintaining
reliability along with constructability.

Reducing Road Mortality of a Species at Risk Using Movement Informed Wildlife Ecopassage

The jurisdiction of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) covers densely urbanized areas, agricultural land, and natural features including forest, wetlands, and valley corridors. Connectivity between natural habitats is important for species resilience and maintaining biodiversity. When natural habitat areas are disconnected, they become fragmented. Fragmentation is especially problematic where it interrupts movement corridors used by species that undertake seasonal migrations between overwintering and breeding/rearing habitat. The construction of new roads, and maintenance of existing roads, is a specific threat to many migratory species. This is especially true for small, slow moving amphibians and reptiles migrating between habitats. Wildlife crossings (e.g., passages, fencing, and overpasses) have been used to reduce road morality and improve connectivity among habitats and populations for many species. This project aims to evaluate road mortality and breeding pond survey data collected in 2022 and 2023 to identify areas of high crossing activity (i.e., successful crossing and mortalities) in Happy Valley, King Township, Ontario. The results of this analysis will be used to inform the placement of a wildlife crossing structures; support safe movement of salamanders and other wildlife along two roads in Happy Valley;

Integrated strategic and tactical design of multi-echelon city distribution systems with vehicles synchronization

La croissance de l’urbanisation ces dernières décennies et les besoins de déplacement de personnes et de biens de consommation qui l’accompagnent, entrainent une forte croissance du volume de transport routier de passagers et de marchandises. La croissance du volume de transport de marchandises est en plus boostée par l’essor du commerce électronique qui entraine des livraisons plus fréquentes aux domiciles et aux points de collecte des clients. Or les véhicules de transport de marchandises du fait des charges qu’ils transportent constituent la classe des véhicules les plus polluants en termes d’émission de d’équivalent Co2. Notre étude vise donc à développer un modèle bi-objectif de conception de réseau de distribution urbaine à deux échelons permettant de réaliser un compromis entre la minimisation des coûts et la réduction des émissions de CO2 en vue de fournir aux décideurs un outil de planification de chaines d’approvisionnement urbaines durables.

Modeling and Characterization of Interlayer Weld Formation During Fused Filament Fabrication

Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is the most widely used additive manufacturing technique,involving a movable heated nozzle through which a molten thermoplastic polymer fiber is extruded onto a platform. Deposited filaments weld together and solidify to form a layer, and successive layers form the final part. In most scientific literature, incomplete weld formation between the filaments is cited as the main reason for inferior mechanical properties of FFF printed parts. The weld formation mechanisms during the print are not well understood yet. This work focuses on modeling and characterizing the weld formation process. A 2D thermal model in COMSUL will be validated by the experimental temperature measurements carried out in a controlled and highly instrumented test bench. A weld strength model combining the healing with the evolution of crystallinity at the interface will be developed and weld strength predictions will be validated through mechanical characterizations using a novel sample configuration.