Grants and Contributions

The Principal Investigator (PI) team has discovered that the eyes of astronauts become softer during spaceflight, and this change in the mechanical properties of the eye may be at the root of a disease that afflicts astronauts. SANS is a condition that hampers vision and affects individuals exposed to microgravity with a pathophysiology that is not yet understood.
This project seeks to:
1) Analyze pulsatile tissue deformation in the optic nerve head (ONH) to determine whether tissue strain is correlated with subsequent edema.
2) Study whether the choroidal response to Valsalva maneuvers can be used as SANS risk factors, and whether Valsalvas play a pathophysiological role.
3) Analyze long-term ocular rigidity (OR) and ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) normalization, as individuals who suffered SANS are more likely to relapse during new missions.
4) Extend the existing SANSORI cohort to determine if OR alone can be used as a predictive biomarker of SANS severity.

Space exploration radiation risks remain a major challenge for long-duration missions. In collaboration with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the research team will develop a space radiation protocol simulating heavily shielded environment of Lunar habitats predicted to exhibit high levels of neutron radiation. They propose to use quail (Coturnix coturnix) as a novel non-human research model and to assess the effects of gamma and neutron radiation on skeletal, calcium homeostasis and cardiovascular systems. Similar to humans and rodents, spaceflight experiments with quail eggs showed altered calcium homeostasis and bone loss, demonstrating that quail egg is a valid research model to study fundamental biological questions relevant to spaceflight risks to humans. Moreover, quail meat and eggs have nutritional value and are potentially useful as sustainable food supply for Lunar bases. These studies will pave the way for assessing countermeasures necessary to eliminate the identified risks of the chronic exposure to radiation relevant to Lunar exploration.

Activities include aquatic ecosystem monitoring using eDNA and water contaminant analysis, land-based learning through field experiences in their traditional territory, and community-based stewardship and land-use planning.

Acquire advanced manufacturing equipment to increase productivity and efficiency

Meet IQ is a platform for real-time Context Service that connects external data sources with live meeting environments. This service will intelligently surface relevant information from commonly used business tools to provide participants with actionable insights in the moment.

To support this initiative, the company will hire a recent graduate in machine learning for a STEM role focused on AI model development, automation frameworks, and system integration.

This project involves developing an application that uses artificial intelligence to transfer scientific information to healthcare professionals.

Welcome international students from a wide range of countries and territories on a short-term study and research exchanges as part of the Emerging Leaders in the Americas and/or Study in Canada Scholarships Programs.

Design and development of production lines for manufacturing, advanced process monitoring and optimization through synchronization with sensors and control hardware for enabling data acquisition to support AI and Machine Learning development.

Astronauts return from space with anemia. The mechanisms causing anemia are not known. During long space missions to the Moon or Mars, astronaut must stay safe from severe anemia. The SPleen Activity in SPace Anemia (SPA2) aims to address outstanding questions on the mechanism of space anemia. SPA2 will test two (2) key hypotheses:
1) The spleen is altered by prolonged exposure to space; and
2) Space anemia is caused by extravascular hemolysis in the spleen.
SPA2 will measure changes in spleen size, shape, and structure using magnetic resonance and ultrasonography. Then, SPA2 will measure hemolysis and hemolysis markers using comprehensive clinical and laboratory techniques.