Grants and Contributions

St-Gelais lab at uOttawa will be reponsible for fabricating ultra-low dissipation micromechanical resonators to be tested as traceable accelerometers for monitoring of low frequency seismic events. These resonators will be co-designed together with the Mass and Related Quantities team at NRC. St-Gelais lab will also design and fabricate the optical interferometer for traceable interrogation of these accelerometers. Custom vacuum packaging with optical and electrical feedthrough will also be performed by St-Gelais lab.

The proposed work is aimed at engineering innovative hot-gas path components for the aerospace sector (in particular) that could effectively reject heat by featuring internal porous media, also known as porous medium-based transpiration cooling.

Herein, understanding of their optical properties when interacting with biological systems is an important step towards the design of more efficient probes,
The aim of this collaborative project is the design of such more efficient optical probes, while setting a strong focus on the assessment of the probes' cytotoxicity and nano-bio-interaction.

Current histological methods for analyzing the changes happening within the extracellular matrix (ECM) cannot accurately
resolve the biochemical and 3D structural composition of specific proteins and components. We will be responsible for assessing the
models developed at the NRC using super-resolution optical microscopy techniques as well as transmission electron microscopy
(TEM) to assess 3D structural features of ECM molecules.

The objective of this collaboration is to test how systemic disruption of sphingolipid and phospholipid metabolism converges on systemic and nervous system-based immune responses to activate the NLRP3 inflammasome. We propose that this activation leads not only to cytokine production but, ultimately, ensures a vicious cycle of systemic aberrant immune responses by perpetuating pathological release of neurotoxic lipid mediators. Here we, will identify, using in vitro models and unbiased lipidomic approaches, the lipid mediators that initiate NRLP3 inflammasome activation, establish whether this induction is required to sustain systemic lipid dysregulation, and finally provide proof-of-principle that inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome will reverse the induction by pro-inflammatory lipid mediators.

The research goal for Dr. Bao's team is to explore the role of random grating in reducing the noise in random fiber lasers, especially the relative intensity noise (RIN), comparing with commonly used Rayleigh scattering in optical fibers. The RIN noise is normally contributed by the mode moping and mode competition for the limited laser gain. To reduce the number of modes, we plan to use strong reflection in random grating of a few centimeters to replace kilometer long weak Rayleigh fiber. The entire laser cavity length is shorted with longer cavity mode length, and hence smaller number of modes. This approach has proved to reduce the RIN.

Biomimicry, adapting and implementing nature's designs, provides a first-order solution to achieving superior mechanical performance. NRC’s recent study, showed laser engraved architectured ceramics to have 50 times more quasi-static energy absorption and 70% more impact resistance compared to plain ceramics. However, the design space for further enhancements is too vast even using biomimetic designs as prototypes. The main objective of this research is to propose a new approach to design architectured ceramics using machine learning, trained with a database of hundreds of structures from finite element analysis, together with a self-learning algorithm for discovering high-performing ceramics where inferior designs are phased out for superior candidates. Preliminary results, validated through additive/subtractive manufacturing and experiments, show that this approach can create microstructural patterns that lead to tougher and stronger ceramics.

In this project, we will apply optical spectroscopy and data analytics technique to address problems in gold mining process.

Our team at Laurier is collaborating with scientists at the National Research Council (NRC) to study the transformation of CO2 to useful fuels using new catalytic materials. Within this project there is a need to understand the chemical reaction intermediates and products and the effect of the electronic properties of catalysts on the selectivity and efficiency of the electrochemical process.

The Advanced Cognitive Engineering Laboratory (ACE Lab) at Carleton University is pleased to collaborate with the NRC to develop
innovative technology using blink-related oscillations to address pilot safety. Blink-rated oscillations, which vary according to task
demands, are central to a promising method for evaluating human brain function during the performance of complex tasks like piloting
an aircraft. Led by Drs Chris Herdman and Kathleen Van Benthem, the ACE Lab is one of very few centres in Canada with specialized
equipment, such as realistic flight simulators electroencephalography, designed to collect a wide range of data associated with pilot
safety. In this collaboration, the ACE Lab will oversee the preparation of pilot cognitive and biometric data and collaborate with the
analysis and sharing of the results to a wide range of stakeholders. This New Beginnings initiative is an opportunity for students at the
ACE Lab to develop their scientific skills and collaborate with experts on real world problems using the latest research methods.