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

Centre for Operations Excellence Industry Projects 2016

The Centre for Operations Excellence Industry Projects consists of eight sub-projects sponsored by four different industry partners. Each sub-project represents an important challenge for its sponsor. These sub-projects include studying alternative models of service delivery for passengers with reduced mobility at an airport, capacity analysis for various cross-functional team design concepts at Boeing, optimizing the scheduling of custodial activities for building operations services, developing a model of the CBSA process to optimize passenger flow through Canada customs at an airport, using data science to improve user experience of Boeing-AeroInfo’s Airplane Health Management system, using modeling to develop an airport congestion risk index for Boeing-AeroInfo, developing text analytics techniques to enable WorkSafeBC to predict and prevent workplace accidents; improving dispatching and production rates with stochastic simulation modeling for Silver Standard’s mining operations.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Harish Krishnan

Student:

Andy Chen

Partner:

Silver Standard Resources Inc

Discipline:

Operations research

Sector:

Aerospace and defense

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Improving in-situ SVE remediation process through an integrated stochastic simulation-optimization system at the Cantuar sitea

This project is to help SaskEnergy characterize the pollutant transport behaviors under the remediation process of SVE through advanced modelling system. Such a modelling system employs a series of stochastic analysis methods to quantify the random features in the subsurface at Cantuar site such as the porosity, hydraulic conductivity and so on. Then, relationships (or functions) between SVE control variables and pollutant concentrations are generated through advance statistical methods. Such functions are incorporated into an optimization framework to identify the optimal remediation strategies and improve the efficiency of SVE. Through this project, SaskEnergy can get insightful view for the pollutant dispersion behaviors at Cantuar site. Moreover, this project can help SaskEnergy recognize the key factors which influence the efficiency of the SVE system. Finally, it will provide potential measures to improve the effectiveness of the SVE system at Cantuar site.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Gordon Huang

Student:

Yurui Fan

Partner:

SaskEnergy

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

University of Regina

Program:

Accelerate

Instructor Implemented Positive Behaviour Support in a Fitness Program for Adolescents and Adults with Autism

Research suggests that individuals with autism live a lower quality of life than their peers. Individuals with autism are more likely to become obese than their typically developing peers, and less likely to develop friendships and be involved in their communities. While physical fitness service providers are experts in physical fitness, working with individuals with autism can require additional teaching skills. This study will investigate the effectiveness of instructor implemented Positive Behaviour Support for young adults with autism in a physical fitness program. It is anticipated that the Canucks Autism Network will benefit from this study through the demonstration of the effectiveness of their instructor training and fitness program. The instructors in the study are anticipated to develop skills to work with individuals with autism, which they can further apply in their practice. Participants in the study are anticipated to experience health and social benefits from participating in the program.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Joe Lucyshyn

Student:

Tara Rodas

Partner:

Canucks Autism Network

Discipline:

Education

Sector:

Sports and recreation

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Investigating Innovative Online and Blended Pedagogical Practices – Duplicated

This proposal outlines an interdisciplinary, multi-method program of research to develop evidence-based frameworks for implementation and evaluation of innovative instructional practices offered by KnowledgeOne, an international online learning provider for post-secondary institutions, and its elearning partner, Concordia University. The objectives of this research are fourfold to 1) create a clearinghouse of evidence-based research on the scholarship of teaching and learning in online and blended learning environments; 2) create empirically-validated models describing stakeholders’ cognitive and learning outcomes to the use of innovative pedagogical initiatives; 3) develop, evaluate, and benchmark support processes and practices which lead to efficient adoption of those initiatives and 4) engage in knowledge dissemination and transfer via academic and pedagogical platforms. This project benefits KnowledgeOne by developing enhanced curricula and rigorously tested procedures for evaluating their services. It provides the company with evidence-based tools for technology-enhanced instruction and yields rich insights into pedagogy when employing innovative instructional technologies.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Vivek Venkatesh

Student:

Jihan Rabah

Partner:

KnowledgeOne

Discipline:

Education

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

Concordia University

Program:

Accelerate

Refocusing and All-In-Focus Images for Angle-Sensitive Pixel Camera

Currently, the camera in your smartphone can take 2D color pictures. We have developed a new type of camera that can also provide you with depth at each point, not just color. Having depth and where objects are relative to each other in the scene open the door to many different new possibilities, for example having your phone tracking and recognizing your gestures, measuring distances between objects in pictures, changing the lighting, or removing and replacing the background in your photos. Another possibility is refocusing pictures after they were taken, or removing blur. This proposal will investigate fast and robust existing and new methods to achieve this latter possibility using our unique hardware. The success of this project would increase the commercialization potential of the developed camera, increase the odds of success of the spin-off company, and ultimately create a new high-technology company in Canada

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Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Langer

Student:

Neeth Kunnath

Partner:

TandemLaunch Technologies Inc.

Discipline:

Computer science

Sector:

Information and communications technologies

University:

McGill University

Program:

Accelerate

Modelling transient flow in a hydropower station

Modelling the movement of water through a hydropower station is an important tool for understanding this very complex behaviour, where water is pushed and pulled through long tunnels and spinning turbines, resulting in a vast range of pressures and speeds. There are generally two types of models: 1-dimensional (1D) models, which are simple and cost-effective, but do not provide adequate detail for the more complex features in the power station. The second type is 3-dimensional (3D) models, which are very detailed but cost both time and money. The proposed research plans to use the strengths of these two types of models by applying them where they would be most beneficial, for instance 1D models are best suited for simple parts of the station such as long pipes. The final product will hopefully inform better decisions around the operation and management of these valuable public assets.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Bryan Karney

Student:

Sharon Mandair

Partner:

Hydro-Québec

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Energy

University:

University of Toronto

Program:

Accelerate

Hardware in the loop simulation for model scale wave energy converters

Ocean wave energy converters (WECs) are devices that utilize ocean energy to produce electricity or fresh water. A key stage in developing these devices is scale model testing in wave tanks, as it allows the power generation capabilities of a design to be evaluated at a much lower cost and with no environmental risk compared to full scale testing in the ocean. One of the challenges with designing scale models of WECs is the power take-off (PTO) system which can be infeasible to implement at small scales. An alternative approach is to perform hardware-in-the-loop testing of scale model WECs where the behaviour of the PTO is emulated using a linear motor controlled by a computer model of the physical PTO system. The proposed research project aims to develop a PTO emulator capable of simulating a variety of PTO systems, including hydraulic and pneumatic PTOs. Cascadia Coast Research will utilize the resulting system to perform hardware-in-the-loop testing of scale models for various WEC developers.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Bradley Buckham

Student:

Bryce Bocking

Partner:

Cascadia Coast Research Ltd

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Alternative energy

University:

University of Victoria

Program:

Accelerate

Constructing data-adaptive dictionaries for robust sparse feature selection in classification of noisy electro-dermal activity data

Hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli causes overstimulation, inducing overwhelming emotional distress in individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Reveal is a wearable device designed by Awake Labs that monitors anxiety levels in ASD children and interfaces with parents and caregivers. It predicts behavioural “meltdowns” by tracking and classifying key physiological markers of anxiety using machine learning technology. However, the features between which this model is trained to differentiate were developed ad hoc, and built from data that was collected from adults without ASD. Hence, it is unclear if the current technology is optimal for detecting anxiety in ASD children, since markers of anxiety in ASD children have much greater variability. Moreover, in the current technology, there is no way of ensuring that features remain reliable over long periods of time – do the best markers of anxiety in an ASD child change as that child ages? We will solve each of these problems using a variant of a popular tool in signal and image processing. We construct a framework that uses this variant to select features in a mathematically rigorous way. TO BE CONT’D

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Faculty Supervisor:

Ozgur Yilmaz

Student:

Aaron Berk

Partner:

Awake Labs Inc

Discipline:

Mathematics

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

University of British Columbia

Program:

Accelerate

Review of Effectiveness of Investments in Renewable Energy for Social and Affordable Housing

This research will identify best practices for the design of renewable energy investment programs targeting the social housing sector. Involving mixed methods of research, including literature review, interjurisdictional scan, and strategic interviews with third party experts, the research will result in a set of actionable recommendations for provincial and federal governments, municipal social housing authorities, and other third party private sector actors involved in the renewable energy and social housing sectors.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Kirby Calvert

Student:

Abhilash Kantemneni

Partner:

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

Discipline:

Geography / Geology / Earth science

Sector:

Alternative energy

University:

University of Guelph

Program:

Accelerate

Mortality rate modeling: applications to the pricing of longevity-linked financial derivative instruments and a study of the effectiveness of these hedging instruments in a pension risk management str

We are all well aware of the spectacular improvement in life-expectancy around the world since the 1990’s. While most people would agree that living longer is a good thing, it nonetheless increases the risk of having people outlive their assets so that they become forced to accept lower standards of living in old age. People with a defined benefit pension plan or people with a life annuity contract have transferred their individual “longevity risk” to their Pension Fund or to an Insurance Company. These organizations could in turn hedge their systemic longevity risk with financial instruments linked to the mortality of the population. We study the performance of two of these instruments as risk hedges for Canadian pension funds.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Alain Belanger

Student:

Frédéric Fontaine, Fatima Boutaggount

Partner:

Addenda Capital

Discipline:

Business

Sector:

Finance, insurance and business

University:

Université de Sherbrooke

Program:

Accelerate

Developing a novel solar cell incorporating graphene and collaborative technologies

The rapid depletion of fossil fuels (such as Coal, Natural gas, Oil etc.) and the escalation in environmental pollution have prompted increased investigations in the field of alternative energy sources. In this context, solar cells are being studied to satisfy the increasing power needs of today’s society as photovoltaic power uses pollution-free energy source, solar energy. Silicon solar cells are still very expensive due to both the using of expensive materials and the employing costly processing steps. Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a very promising type of solar cell because of their low cost, simple and inexpensive processes and straightforward scalability. Leveraging the architecture of DSSCs while using materials developed at multiple Canadian universities, this project aims to develop a solar cell for the consumer and commercial markets that is affordable and robust.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Federico Rosei

Student:

Haiguang Zhao

Partner:

Treal Technologies Inc

Discipline:

Journalism / Media studies and communication

Sector:

Alternative energy

University:

Université INRS

Program:

Accelerate

Integrated hydrodynamic and water quality modelling tool for the Toronto Waterfront – Year Two

The goal of this project is to develop the first ever high definition integrated water circulation and water quality model for the Toronto Waterfront. As one of the most urbanized freshwater ecosystems with complex geometries and physical processes, Toronto Waterfront is in an urgent need for modern scientific tools that can support effective environmental management strategies and inform design of costly new development and restoration projects that have considerable socioeconomic implications. Additionally, this cutting edge integrated model will be used in collaboration with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and key partners to study the impact of various scenarios of proposed urbanization developments on the water circulation, water quality and fish habitat in the Toronto Waterfront. The results from this research, such as the analysis of restoration strategies and predictions for the outcome of future developments, will ensure cost effective, sustainable investments while aligning with water quality provincial standards.

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Faculty Supervisor:

Mathew Wells

Student:

Bogdan Hlevca

Partner:

Toronto and Region Conservation Authority

Discipline:

Environmental sciences

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

Program:

Elevate

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