Humber's B²C Lab
integration with
CN Tower

Humber's BC Lab integration with CN Tower Humber's B-C Lab currently offers a world-class ATSC 3.0 over-the-air (OTA) broadcast system that supports the research and development of new products and services as well as testing and deployment of an ATSC 3.0 Inter-Tower Communications Network (ITCN). The lab has Canada's first ATSC 3.0 experimental broadcast licensing operating two TV channels across the Toronto region. The current OTA test bed includes three transmitter/antenna sites (experimental stations).

Using the Metaverse To Innovate in Virtual Production And Architectural Education

At the Office of Research & Innovation at Humber College, we often come across various curious minds interested in conducting research. Sometimes we come across faculty who have burning research questions that stem from a professional and educational background that enabled them to think about how to innovate in their field. They ask, “How can I combine all the amazing resources at Humber and formulate a robust research project with a diverse and talented team?”

Dr. Eva Ziemsen and Elizabeth Fenuta, OAA, M.Arch are testimony to this.

Dr. Ziemsen, a professor in the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts (FMCA), teamed up with Fenuta, a professor in the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology (FAST), to conduct her first research project at Humber.

Their initial research related to the metaverse, titled “Harnessing Higher Education in the Metaverse,” aimed to build a prototype of a sample metaverse learning space in the context of a higher education setting.

Read more about the Metaverse project in SPARK: Humber's Research & Innovation Magazine, Issue 8

ICUAW describes a spectrum of muscle weaknesses that develop in critically ill patients which may last for years following ICU discharge. It is caused in part by the inactivity and unloading muscles experienced by ICU patients due to complete bedrest, sedation and at times paralysis required for mechanical ventilation of the unstable critically ill patient. It is associated with increased ICU, hospital, and 1-year mortality rates. Patients who are 66 years or older who have been on a ventilator in the ICU for two or more weeks are left with a 50% chance of ever being able to wash, feed, or dress themselves again. In up to 50% of critical illness survivors, the muscle wasting, and weakness could be permanent, inducing life-long disability and resulting in loss of functional independence, reduced quality of life and increased health resource utilization and cost.

Currently, there are no effective therapies to completely prevent or treat ICUAW. NMES is one technology being evaluated for maintaining muscle mass and strength following limb injury or paralysis when loading and exercise are limited. NMES use in the ICU is limited and efficacy is compromised by the fact that current devices require manual probe placement on one muscle group at a time, with continual monitoring and protocol adjustment by a therapist, making delivery of regular treatment of adequate duration and frequency financially and operationally impossible. A smart textile NMES device can provide the form and functionality required for easy, comfortable, and sustainable administration of hours of muscle stimulation protocol mimicking activity of daily living. The textile form factor can assist in re-application of stimulation electrodes during care and improve comfort of daily therapy sessions. Embedded sensors can automate.

The investigators are exploring the process, technology requirements, and pedagogical considerations needed to sustainably incorporate emerging technologies such as augmented and virtual reality into the curriculum. Through “proof of process” multi-disciplinary research projects, the research team can bring together industry stakeholders, students, and faculty from different disciplines, and work on a project that investigates a specific potential opportunity for emerging technologies to be incorporated into the curriculum within 1‒2 terms.

The project’s success is measured based on the insights gathered about the challenges and opportunities a specific technology may bring to student learning. Most projects have multiple phases with workshops, faculty professional development, and other opportunities for staff, students, and faculty to engage with the project process as well.

Research findings were presented at the League for Innovation in the Community College Conference from March 11—14, 2023, in Tempe, Arizona, USA. David Neumann was also the recipient of Humber’s Award for Teaching Excellence and Humber’s Innovation of the Year Award for his work on this project.

Read more about this project in ORI Annual Report 2022/23

NWoW is an applied research theme, with one active project involving measuring the impact of 21st-century experiential learning on immigrant workplace performance. The research team will measure, assess, and support innovation capacity in five organizations (two industries, two NFPs, and one from the public sector). Our focus is helping employers adapt, become resilient and prosper in the context of digitalization, globalization and the pandemic, which have brought significant changes to the workplace and workforce. The projects will support organizations in measuring their organizational health and innovation capacity and developing strategies that leverage opportunities in technology and the mobilization of a global workforce to help organizations prosper post-pandemic. Skills gaps concerned employers across all sectors. The leading technical skills requested by PAC members are digital skills, including cloud computing, cybersecurity, and interface/application development. They also identified essential skills, such as creativity, critical thinking and collaboration. Responding to the complexity of the 21st-century’s new knowledge paradigm is imperative to the sustainable socio-economic viability of Canada.

Find out more in our upcoming Annual Report.

APG Media and Humber College have partnered to explore applied research related to metaversebased virtual simulations of their LED tile technology in the context of a simulated virtual VP volume for the purposes of training or demonstration for improved customer engagement, education, and training. APG Media seeks Humber’s expertise in computer programming and architectural design to help digitally build interactive virtual models of these assets to support their efforts in expanding their market base in the educational sector, where simulations, data visualization, and demos are needed.

The research project between Humber College and APG Media will create a virtual LED volume to enhance customer experience and educate users on LED tile technology. The project has the potential to impact multiple industries and aligns with themes of visualization, providing an immersive and educational experience. The team has launched the partnership on Linkedn. They are also planning to organize a “Mini Launch” of the project.

Inspired by the success of the first case study, the project team applied for their second SoTL grant to conduct a case study with Simply Suzette, a sustainable denim brand owned by Ani Wells, a Humber alum.

The case study became an interdisciplinary endeavour of collaboration with FMCA faculty members Annette Borger-Snel, Professor & Program Coordinator, PR Grad Certificate program, and Anne Frost, Professor & Program Coordinator, Arts Administration & Cultural Management.

In addition to the interdisciplinary collaboration at Humber, the research team also partnered with Luciana Chen, Professor & Program Coordinator, Production Design Graduate program, Senac University, Brazil, and her students. The case study was taught in the classroom with the participation of 29 students from Humber and Senac over a period of six weeks.

The research team has compiled the results and successfully submitted the case study to Bloomsbury Fashion Central. The case study is scheduled to be published in Fall 2022.

Read more about this collaboration in in SPARK: Humber's Research & Innovation Magazine, Issue 4

Ingredients for Student Success: Interdisciplinary Collaboration & Creativity

Baking and Pastry Arts Program Creates Custom Molds Using Emerging Technology

If you've ever been to the D building on Humber’s North Campus, you have likely walked by the bake labs, home of the Baking and Pastry Arts program. The glass walls of the bake labs are lined with the kind of pastries and confectionaries that are typically seen in baking competitions or Instagram accounts of high-end bakeries.

Humber’s bake labs have a lot of special equipment— including a chocolate enrobing machine and commercial grain mill—but the real magicians at work are the chefs and the students.

In a recent initiative, characteristic of the Baking and Pastry Arts program’s interdisciplinary approach, Chef Kenneth Ku and his students collaborated with David Neumann, professor in the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts (FMCA), to create custom molds using 3D printing technology. The delicious results of the project are easily visible in the bake labs, but the inspiration for the collaboration was ignited at a place far from campus: Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

David thanks Rudi Fischbacher, the former Associate Dean of Humber’s Faculty of Business, for the inspiration that occurred to him while attending the CES on behalf of Humber. As David saw the simple, low-end chocolate mold makers at CES, he realized that they could be used by Humber students to enhance their learning experiences. The simple mold makers would make the technology available to a wider group of students.

David proposed the idea to Chef Kenneth, who readily agreed to collaborate with him on the project. The project team brought together a diverse group of students to make the molds. Meagan Martinez of the Baking and Pastry Arts program worked as a confectionery/baking artist; Tiam Bennett Morrow-Rogers, a student employee at the Barrett Center for Technology and Innovation, worked as an industrial designer, while Paul Moon and Heesu Woo, students in the Faculty of Media & Creative Arts (FMCA) worked as a 3D artist and a 2D designer, respectively.

Read more about this collaboration in in SPARK: Humber's Research & Innovation Magazine, Issue 4