Innovations 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

Winter Ecology of Chinook Salmon in the Canadian Salish Sea

Chinook Salmon are a species of high ecological, economic and cultural value in BC. Recent declines in Chinook Salmon abundance have highlighted a need to understand factors controlling their productivity. One hypothesis suggests that the first winter in the ocean plays a critical role in controlling Chinook Salmon survival, and in turn, abundance. Little research has been conducted during the winter, limiting our understanding of this potentially critical period. We will conduct a two-year investigation of Chinook Salmon overwintering in the Strait of Georgia to try to understand if, and why, juvenile salmon may be dying during winter. We will investigate whether availability of food; temperature; growth conditions during the preceding summer; or disease may influence the ability of Chinook Salmon to survive the winter. Our results will help managers to understand how the potential of the ocean to produce Chinook Salmon may change with a changing climate.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Francis Juanes

Student:

William Duguid

Partner:

Pacific Salmon Foundation

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Probabilistic mapping of wetland ecosystems and connectivity in the Okanagan Basin to support wetland conservation and restoration

In the Okanagan Basin region of British Columbia, urbanization, agriculture, and land-use change have contributed to extensive wetland loss. Currently, an estimated 1% of historic wetlands remain in the Okanagan which support numerous fauna and flora not found elsewhere in this arid region. However, a single comprehensive inventory of wetlands has not been undertaken in the Okanagan, limiting conservation in the region. The proposed project will map wetlands in the Okanagan by combining Earth Observation satellite data, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and topographic variables, as well as explore wetland function and ecosystem health based on multispecies connectivity. The research and results will provide baseline information on wetland extent and function which is currently lacking in the Okanagan Basin. The project will consequently provide information critical to help inform regulations and policy to guide land use and wetland conservation developed by government, industry, and First Nation collaborators in the region.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mathieu Bourbonnais

Student:

Kristina Deenik

Partner:

Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

University of British Columbia Okanagan

Program:

Identifying the Key Factors in Adopting Digital ID Service and Profiling the Early Adopters

Despite the digital transformation going on around us, the methods of proving our identity remain locked in a traditional physical mode, with paper or plastic documents, and the reliance on these traditional modes of proving identification and authentication is becoming a significant barrier to innovation. Therefore, creating a digital identity and authentication method that is highly secure, ubiquitous and convenient is necessary. A new digital identity system will allow us to do things online that we have traditionally used physical ID for. However, this is a complex and costly undertaking—a task so complex and varied that it does not fully exist yet. Because an identity is both deeply personal and foundational to important matters like wealth and access to services, widespread adoption by individuals and even organizations will depend not only on the technical capabilities of a particular solution, but also (and likely even more so) on the individuals’ trust and acceptance of a solutions provider has been granted. In this research, we aim not only to profile the early adopters of digital ID in terms of demographic and psychological characteristics but also to run some experiments and measure people’s experience with a proof of concept (POC) of a digital

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Faculty Supervisor:

Frank Safayeni

Student:

Ahmad Tanehkar

Partner:

Interac Corp

Discipline:

Other

Sector:

Finance, insurance and business

University:

University of Waterloo

Program:

Mechanical study and failure analysis on steel spirally tungsten inert gas (TIG) welded tubes

Spiral tubes and rings have been broadly used in the manufacturing sector, especially for the automobile industry. However, the failure of the rings will significantly shorten the service life of components, even leading to a disaster when the part is under operation. Generally, these tubes and rings are made from steel sheets spirally using the tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding method. Through the university-industry collaboration under the Mitacs program, the University of Toronto (U of T) team will give a fundamental understanding of failure mechanism of the (TIG) welded tube steels, and the partner company will improve their product quality and process stability by acquiring the study results from U of T on Process assessment, inspection method, and weld quality risk assessment.
This collaborative research provides theoretical knowledge in the failure mode from the TIG welding process and suggests a welding parameter window for the partner company to achieve a high-performance weld seam.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Yu Zou

Student:

Xin Chu

Partner:

Oetiker Limited

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Evaluating Gradients of Natural and Induced Stress on Fish Blood Parameters; Developing more accurate results from Point-of-Care Devices

The point-of-care i-STAT and VETSCAN units are easily portable blood-based assessment tools that can produce relevant blood parameters within minutes with only 2-3 drops of blood. The objective of this study is to examine both natural and investigator-applied stress gradients in fishes and compare blood chemistry of fishes from a range of environments (e.g., low to high stress). Investigations will occur in the lab and in the field at IISD- Experimental Lakes Area (ELA), where field data from devices will be compared to standard laboratory methods in the University of Manitoba in order to produce a point-of-care instrument better suited for fish. With the completion of this project, IIED-ELA will have greater knowledge about the current fish population within lakes, as well as access to devices that can be used in the field collect fish health data.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Rennie

Student:

Tyler Ripku

Partner:

IISD Experimental Lakes Area Inc

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Lakehead University

Program:

Accelerate

Surveillance and improved control of American foulbrood (AFB) in honey bees in Saskatchewan

The pollination performed by honey bees is estimated to add around $4 billion per year in Canada’s agriculture. Unfortunately, high colony death rates have been repeatedly reported by beekeepers. Infectious diseases (e.g. Varroa, Nosema and American foulbrood [AFB]) are one of the main causes of honey bee mortality. The objective of this project is to perform AFB surveillance in Saskatchewan and establish reliable prognostic reference ranges based on the number of AFB spores in honey samples; these results will enable evidence-based implementation of the control measures for American foulbrood that will result in reduced incidence of AFB disease outbreaks and reduced use of antibiotics in Saskatchewan and Western Canadian apiculture. Consequently, it is anticipated that this project will enhance the quality and value of Canadian hive products and expand new export markets for Canadian honey. In addition, the overall health of honey bee colonies will be improved resulting in more efficient pollination and strong, sustainable agriculture.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Elemir Simko

Student:

Mohsen Sharafi

Partner:

Saskatchewan Beekeeper Development Commission

Discipline:

Animal science

Sector:

Agriculture

University:

University of Saskatchewan

Program:

An investigation of the occlusive properties of smart polymeric particles usingquantitative image analysis of dentin microtubules

Many young adults are affected by tooth sensitivity stimulated by eating or drinking something hot, cold, sweet or acidic, which impacts their life quality. Tooth sensitivity can start when the softer, inner part of the tooth called dentin becomes exposed. The dentin contains a large number of parallel microtubules that run from the outside of the tooth to the nerve in the center. When it is exposed, these microtubules can be stimulated by changes in temperature or certain foods resulting in the sharp pain. The common treatment is application of occluding agents to block the exposed microtubes. In this project, in collaboration with BTI, we propose to fabricate, optimize and characterize an ‘in vitro dentin model’ using a 3D printing process suitable for evaluation of occlusive particles made by BTI based-on smart polymers and microparticres, potentially able to occlude/penetrate into dentin microtubules to address teeth hypersensitivity.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Maryam Tabrizian

Student:

Shiva Naseri

Partner:

Bioastra Technologies Inc.

Discipline:

Sector:

Other

University:

McGill University

Program:

Accelerate

Developing a Compact, Medium Range 3D Imaging LiDAR System

The main technical objective for the intern is to contribute in developing a breadboard that utilizes the laser, receiver and scanner technologies and create a potentially very small lidar.
The intern other objectives might also include:
• Investigate the transmitter choices and down?select the best one
• Examine the available detector arrays
• Evaluate whether MEMS mirrors can be used for low?power, high?frame rate applications
Adoption of compact lidar technologies is critical for Optech to remain competitive in the expanding market for lidar solutions. Optech’s traditional single?detector lidar design remains the preferred approach for the traditional civilian survey and mapping market– however, Optech has identified several growth opportunities which will require the integration of miniaturized and robust lidar technology. The application of active imaging systems for terrestrial topographic survey/mapping, rover navigation, proximity operations and rendezvous/docking will greatly benefit from this new architecture’s ability to minimize the SWaP and simultaneously maximize range and resolution for mapping applications.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ahmed Shaker Abdelrahman

Student:

Hamdy Elsayed

Partner:

Teledyne Optech

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Education

University:

Ryerson University

Program:

Accelerate

Development of Lignin-based Polymers and Nanomaterials for High Performance Engineering Applications

Lignin, a substance in the cell walls of plants, is produced as a waste when wood is processed into pulps, papers, and similar products. In addition, this organic polymer exists in massive waste wood chips generated by various forestry and wood processing industry sectors. To advance the circular economy and diversify forestry products, there has been a recent surge of interest to isolate and reuse lignin, especially in manufacturing of novel bioplastics and lignin-based nanomaterials. Advanced BioCarbon 3D (ABC3D) is a startup company based in Trail BC which has developed a proprietary method to extract lignin from waste wood. This project aims to develop a wide range of innovative products from ABC3D lignins, including polymer/lignin blends for high performance 3D printing filaments, and lignin-based carbon fibers for energy storage and composite reinforcement.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Parisa Mehrkhodavandi;Frank Ko;Laurel L Schafer;Savvas G Hatzikiriakos;Abbas Milani;Jian Liu

Student:

Diana Kim;Nirmal Kuanr;Ziyue Zhang

Partner:

Advanced BioCarbon 3D Ltd

Discipline:

Chemistry

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

Program:

Accelerate

Testing Mechanisms for Electrical Distribution Systems in Buildings

Nexeya is an innovative industrial group that provides test, integration and control-command solutions mainly in the Defense, Aeronautics, Energy, Railway, and Automotive sectors. Nexeya’s current products are able to test characterise wiring harnesses and detecting and localising wiring defects, in the Aeronautics, Automotive, Railway, and Space industries. This proposed research project aims to advance the existing products of Nexeya to provide testing and detections of poor contacts and wiring defects in energized low-voltage electrical installations in buildings before and after failure. To that end, the existing Nexeya products will be evaluated for the aforementioned functions, where product updates/upgrades and recommended changes in the design will be investigated.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Hany Farag

Student:

Mohamed Zaki Mohamed

Partner:

Nexeya Canada

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

York University

Program:

Accelerate

Development, simulation and validation of hybrid energy generation-based isolated microgrid models suitable for the minimization of fuel expenditure and CO2 emissions of an oil and gas drilling rig

This project will involve the development and validation of simulation models suitable for studying, designing and implementing a small-sized power system with reduced fuel expenditure and carbon (iv) oxide emissions, for oil and gas extraction activities. The successful implementation of the project will further Audacious Energy Corp.’s knowledge to launch and test a Minimum Viable Product.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Andy Knight

Student:

Udoka Chile Nwaneto

Partner:

Audacious Energy Corp

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Other

University:

University of Calgary

Program:

Accelerate

Statistical machine learning for urban transportation system

In general, the goal of project is to investigate the train travel data and figure out the main factors affecting train travel time. Moreover, we will use machine learning algorithms to predict their arrival time to stations and forecast when delays will happen. Specifically, to figure out what factors are affecting train travel times, we will investigate several possibilities according to prior empirical knowledge. Among them, useful factors will be chosen from the data exploration process and undergone statistical significance tests. Until then, we represent the entire railway map as a graph and build a convolutional neural network based that. The convolutional neural network is a machine learning model can take into account of all affecting factors and generate accurate train arrival time as output. The overall solution can be generalized to any similar railway systems and thus be integrated as a product for the partner organization.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Linglong Kong

Student:

Yue Wang

Partner:

NTwist

Discipline:

Mathematics

Sector:

University:

University of Alberta

Program:

Accelerate