Research profiles

What do the Canadian Olympic Snowboarding Team, the Canadian Coast Guard and people with multiple sclerosis have in common? They are all benefiting from research conducted at the Environmental Ergonomics Laboratory at Brock University. There, researchers are studying the impacts of extreme temperatures on the human body. To date, these findings have already enabled more accurate predictions of search and rescue survival times, supported the creation of more effective life-saving equipment, and have helped to reduce heat stress during exercise for people with multiple sclerosis, a disease that affects an estimated 65,000 Canadians.

University of Saskatchewan researchers are developing nanostructure carbon coatings for surgical implants such as artificial joints. Each year, more than 50,000 joint replacement surgeries are performed in Canada, and with an aging population, the number of surgeries is on the rise. For Canadians, these more durable, longer-lasting surgical implants will decrease the number of surgeries, improving the quality of life of patients, and reducing exposure to the toxic effects of wear.

Researchers at the University of Alberta and the University of Guelph have bred a new strain of canola that will allow farmers to reduce their pesticide use and could reduce crop losses by up to 25 percent. The new strain of canola is resistant to the weevil – an insect that is a major threat to canola production in Western Canada.

In this digital age, many important documents – from land deeds to photographs – are created in digital form. The convenience of digital files is unparalleled, but how do we ensure that these digital files remain authentic and accessible in the context of rapid technological change? Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed guidelines for the creation, maintenance and preservation of digital records. The project, which involves 21 countries, has already spurred new legislation in China. Researchers are also working with financial institutions across Europe to ensure authenticity of bank transactions.

An Acadia University graduate student is taking the gamble out of farming for Nova Scotia apple growers. Almost 10 percent of Canada’s annual apple crop (approximately 2.5 million bushels) comes from Nova Scotia. These crops can fluctuate considerably from year to year, resulting in a significant impact on the quality, value and bounty of the harvest, which in turn has financial implications for the farmers. With support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the Government of Nova Scotia and the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems Network Centre of Excellence (now known simply as MITACS), the researcher identified readily-available materials, like vinegar, that are compliant with organic growing standards, and which can be used to positively influence an apple tree’s production cycle. Field trials are now underway to identify optimum dosages and concentration levels.

Hydrogen has many potential uses, from powering nonpolluting vehicles, to heating homes, offices and fuelling aircrafts. Hydrogen is highly efficient, and can be produced safely from a variety of diverse, renewable resources. But real challenges exist before hydrogen will become a common fuel source. These challenges include developing reliable storage systems and an efficient method of transporting hydrogen. The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières is home to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Hydrogen Canada Strategic Research Network, and one of Canada’s foremost researchers in the area of hydrogen storage. This network is developing cleaner methods to produce high quality hydrogen from renewable resources and more practical hydrogen storage solutions.

The Canadian population is aging. This demographic shift is creating greater demand for certain kinds of services and products to help aging Canadians live safely, a demand that will only continue to grow. A researcher at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design is creating an Empathy Suit that, when worn, physically simulates the physiological changes associated with aging. This suit will provide a wealth of incredibly valuable information in designing new products and services for seniors.

A Canadian-built meteorological station, part of the Phoenix Mars Lander, has provided space explorers with the first comprehensive picture of the Martian climate and proof that snow has existed on Mars! The research team, led by York University, designed and built the meteorological station, which arrived on Mars in May 2008. Phoenix continued to operate successfully for five months, gathering thousands of photographs and using its robotic arm to dig samples of the Martian soil for on-board analysis.

Researchers at McGill University’s Montreal Neurological Institute have improved our understanding of how the human brain is mapped. Experiments by this team over the last several decades have demonstrated that individuals can learn new skills without keeping any memory of having done so, and also that people have multiple memory systems which govern our activities. These findings have guided the creation of various pre-surgical evaluation procedures and the manner in which neurosurgeons fix problems without causing patients to lose function in other areas.

Oceans cover approximately 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, and yet our knowledge of this vitally important environment remains limited. In response, Canadian scientists have deployed a state-of-the-art undersea observatory to collect data on the least understood ecosystem on the planet. The NEPTUNE Canada project, based at the University of Victoria, is the world’s first cabled undersea laboratory and will measure the changing biological, chemical and physical properties of the sea floor. Scientists will also be able to better understand the driving forces behind earthquakes, volcanoes and continental movements.

Université de Sherbrooke researchers have developed a composite-materials technology for replacing steel that has the potential to quadruple the serviceable life of concrete structures. These more durable fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) rebars are considerably less expensive than steel reinforced rods and their structural properties can be preserved for 100 years or more, whereas steel reinforced concrete starts deteriorating after 10 to 15 years. Most recently, in a collaborative project with Public Works and Government Services Canada, FRP rods have been used in underground parking facilities in Gatineau with similar projects planned for Montreal and Quebec City.

Researchers at the Institut national de recherche scientifique’s doping control laboratory perform routine drug tests for more than 12,000 professional athletes each year including members of the NHL. Research in the area of organic chemistry have led the team to develop more accurate methods for conducting drug tests using blood and urine samples. Their leading edge work also contributed to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s decision to establish headquarters in Montreal in 2002, and in 2010, this research team oversaw all drug tests for the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Researchers at McGill, Concordia, the Wilfrid Laurier and the University of Lethbridge have designed an interactive web-based program, Abracadabra, which is improving literacy across Canada. This free tool offers resources for teachers, is fun and engaging for children struggling to learn to read, and is now in use around the world.

A study of purchasing patterns amongst the Chinese population in Toronto has shed some light on how newly landed immigrants integrate into Canadian society, and how integration can vary with income. Conducted by researchers at York University, the study provides useful information for marketers and entrepreneurs, and even government departments that want to tap into or reach out to this growing segment of the Canadian population.

In 1989, the I.H. Asper School of Business opened The Centre for Entrepreneurship to increase awareness about entrepreneurship and its importance to the Canadian economy by reaching out to the local community through non-traditional means. In 2008, it was renamed the Stu Clark Centre, but the mandate didn’t change. Now, in 2010, The Centre has helped launch more than two dozen businesses, including one currently listed on the TSX. The Centre also runs the Curry BizCamp, which targets underprivileged youth with behavioural challenges. Using real life problems, the BizCamp builds their individual self-confidence, and provides them with options for dealing with life’s issues. More than 1,300 students have participated in the program since 1998, and the model is now being adopted in Calgary, Toronto and Ottawa, Israel, the West Bank and the Philippines.

Toxic chemicals and pollution are damaging the Canadian Arctic environment and threatening the health of the Inuit who live there. Researchers at the University of Northern British Columbia are helping Inuit women, who have traditionally been responsible for maintaining the health of their families, reduce and prevent pollution in the north while still preserving their heritage and their health. For example, researchers recently discovered that game fowl were the cause of high blood-lead levels in northern Quebec residents. The women subsequently convinced store owners and game hunters to use non-toxic steel bullets, eliminating lead contamination of the fowl.

Maps are being used increasingly as an interactive tool to deliver large amounts of information, from driving directions and the locations of assets and people, to informing of the spread of illness in a community. Working with Inuit communities in Nunavut and aboriginal communities in the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence area, Carleton University researchers are using software developed at the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre to create multi-sensory maps, called living atlases, so these communities can pass on knowledge and information in ways tailored to their cultures.

Researchers at Memorial University are working in partnership with the Innu of Labrador and Quebec to develop language tools that will promote literacy in the Innu language. The team has created numerous Innu language resources, including an online archive of Innu language materials, English-Innu glossaries of legal, environmental and educational terminology, a set of 10 children’s books written and illustrated by Innu teachers, a lesson book, and a CD of conversational phrases. They are also preparing to launch an Innu-French-English dictionary, which will comprise around 27,000 words from the three main Innu dialects.

A former graduate student at the University of Victoria took a proactive approach to coping with forecasts of increased rainfall as a result of climate change. His answer? Permeable surfaces. Permeable surfaces, such as living roofs, paving stones, special porous concrete and rain gardens, let rainfall soak into the natural ground, rather than being diverted through our water systems. This “gentler” way of managing rainfall will also mean fewer costly infrastructure upgrades.

Wind energy is one of the fastest growing energy sources around the world. Currently, Canada ranks 12th internationally for installed wind energy capacity, with approximately one percent of our national energy portfolio generated by wind. Researchers at 16 universities across Canada with a vision for increasing Canada’s wind energy supply have come together under the leadership of a team at the University of New Brunswick to build manufacturing capacity within Canada that specializes in wind technologies and address the growing demand for highly skilled personnel in this area. The team will focus on developing solutions for a sustainable wind energy sector in Canada and, over the next five years, will complete training of 150 engineers with expertise related to wind energy technologies.

Researchers at the University of British Columbia are turning beetle-infested wood into biofuels. In recent years, the pine beetle infestation has destroyed more than 13 million hectares of Lodgepole pine – a devastating hit for the province’s forest sector. No longer suitable for regular forestry products, researchers are developing a technique for harvesting this now lower quality lumber to produce cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is capable of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 90 percent. Researchers have created a production schedule that will enable the forest sector to use this infested wood to meet the province’s renewable fuel standard each year for the next 25 years.

The DNA Regional Cluster – a multi-party collaboration between Trent University, Fleming College, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the City of Peterborough among others – has created a Wildlife Forensic DNA Laboratory database. Used widely at the provincial and national level, the database enables the effective management of (endangered) wildlife within Canada including improving our ability to understand wildlife population structure, as well as enhancing the ability of researchers to track diseases in animals that are potentially lethal to humans. The database can organize and extract thousands of DNA from tissue samples in a matter of days – a task that would have taken two to three years only a decade ago.

North Americans demand the highest quality local and exotic fruit and vegetables, consuming approximately 44 million tons of fresh produce each year. Yet this figure represents only half of the fresh fruit and vegetables which leave farmer’s fields; much of it is destroyed during handling and transportation. To reduce this waste, a team of researchers from the Université Laval, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and IPL Inc. designed a packaging system which provides greater protection for the produce and costs 80 percent less than existing crates.

The work of a former Simon Fraser University graduate student is helping small British Columbia roofing companies to compete cost-effectively with larger, international players. Through the MITACS Accelerate BC program, the SFU student partnered with Automated Systems Research, a company that specializes in estimation software for the roofing industry. The software produced virtual replicas of roofs, which companies then used as a basis for their quotes. However, the software didn’t always include every nook and cranny in a given roof – a costly omission. Using a computation geometry technique, the SFU student was able to modify the company’s software package, and provide companies with a more robust, accurate product.

Researchers at the University of Windsor are improving the bottom line of Canada’s auto manufacturers – by about $100 million. The team has taken a new approach to light metal casting by incorporating principles from different fields of engineering and software design. This novel approach has reduced production costs of some of the most popular vehicles driven by Canadians.

The global food supply is a grand challenge that affects every country around the world, many of whom are developing or emerging countries that rely on foreign relief to sustain large percentages of their population. Canadian university researchers understand this challenge, and are working on long term solutions to the global food supply challenge. A partnership between the University of Manitoba and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is saving Canadian farmers millions of dollars each year. The Canadian grain industry, with an annual value of $12 billion, experiences an annual loss of about $120 million – or 10 percent – due to insect infestation. The multi-disciplinary research team has examined a variety of factors to help reduce spoilage to minimize these losses. Their discoveries have resulted in new, cost-effective and eco-friendly insecticides and more accurate methods for identifying infestation and measuring optimum moisture levels, which have recently been adopted as new international (ISO) standards for grain storage. Canadian farmers and researchers are now transferring their knowledge to farmers around the world; including China where annual crop losses due to infestation are greater than 50 percent.

An award-winning researcher at Concordia University is working to fill the gaps of our knowledge of HIV/AIDS, with a special focus on communities of people that have been traditionally overlooked. She has conducted needs assessments with the City of Toronto and the province of Quebec to improve preventative health services. She has also developed a series of educational materials targeted for transsexuals.

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of British Columbia have developed a vaccine that will dramatically reduce the level of e-coli in cattle. This toxic microbe, responsible for recalls of meat and water contamination, causes illness in 50,000 North Americans annually, and approximately 500 deaths.

One of the most effective natural treatments for allergic reactions is found in Caribbean coral. However the demand far exceeds the natural supply, which has prompted a researcher at the University of Prince Edward Island to synthesize this natural treatment, also known as pseudopterosins. Producing a synthetic form of this coral will ensure the commercial quantity that pharmaceutical companies require to produce more effective products that minimize allergic reactions, without depleting natural coral stocks and threatening the local ecosystem.

Through the CARTaGENE project, researchers are creating a data base, called a biobank, to unite genetic data and other biological samples together with health and lifestyle information of 20,000 people from the Province of Quebec. Under the responsibility of the Université de Montréal, CARTaGENE will make it possible for researchers to use this genetic information to develop more appropriate interventions and more accurate diagnostics and prevention tools.