Current Research Projects

Advancing Applied Research and Innovation at Humber Polytechnic

Funder: NSERC
Program: Mobilize / GRIF
PI Name: Tania Massa
Faculty/Department: Research & Innovation
Research Area(s): Systems Integration; Sustainable Architecture & Energy Efficient Construction; Industrial Internet of Things (Internet 4.0); Social Innovation; User Experience (UX) Design; Other

Humber Polytechnic (HC), located in Toronto, Ontario, has been awarded with the NSERC Mobilize grant to strengthen regional partnerships and applied research (AR) capacity in Digital Transformation and Social Innovation and to build new capacity to help regional partners respond to the health, economic, and environmental crises brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change via two new interdisciplinary AR themes: Healthy Built Environments and the New World of Work. Our proposal also lays out our objectives and plans to provide comprehensive and impactful services to our partners and training experiences to develop HQP. In the long-term, Mobilize funding will enable Humber Polytechnic to deepen capabilities to meet critical needs of our community, strategically grow opportunities to attract new partners and create more complex, multi-partnered initiatives with synergistic impacts, create impactful programs that engage underrepresented communities in research, and provide enhanced training to diverse HQP including students and emerging researchers (ER).

Artificial Intelligence Application Acceptance Survey

Funder: Internal Funds
Program: Cultivate
PI Name: Jennie Miron
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Health Sciences & Wellness
Research Area(s): Other

We plan to investigate predicting factors that contribute to Humber instructors' intentions to embrace generative AI in their teaching practices. We recognize the significant impact these applications will have on student learning, and we are focused on uncovering the beneficial outcomes associated with the adoption and adaptation of generative AI in teaching. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of the factors influence instructors to adopt generative AI, we hope to identify the positive impacts genAI has on their teaching experiences. Through our research findings, we intend to recommend resources and strategies that might actively engage and support instructors throughout the onboarding process with generative AI. Additionally, we aim to address ongoing work and development needs, fostering a positive and enriching environment for instructors utilizing generative AI in their teaching practices.

Main Research Question – What predicts post-secondary instructors’ intention to adopt artificial intelligence in their pedagogies?

Secondary Research Question – What specific factors influence the integration of generative artificialintelligence in the pedagogies of post-secondary instructors?

ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Positioning System

Funder: Build IE
Program: Build IE
PI Name: Willie Perez
Faculty/Department: Research & Innovation
Research Area(s): Other

The ATSC 3.0 Signal Physical Layer standard offers a unique capability to broadcast precision Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) signals nationwide (in both Canada and U.S. and across North America) using existing national TV broadcast infrastructure. This capability could be used as a national GPS augmentation and replacement in the event of a GPS wide area outage. Techniques exist to implement a time distribution of a common time base, International Atomic Time (TAI), within the ATSC 3.0 Signal. Developing an application known as ATSC 3.0 Broadcast Positioning System (BPS), the precision time can be transmitted and realigned to original time stamp with potential accuracy of 1 nano sec at the signal reception point. This can be replicated across multiple broadcast ATSC 3.0 TV transmitter towers to form a synchronous BPS nationwide network where towers can ‘listen’ to each other and distribute precision time across the network not disturbing the broadcast service.

Avateq - Development of Ultra-Long-Range Wireless Backhaul Link using ATSC 3.0

Funder: Build IE
Program: Build IE
PI Name: Willie Perez
Faculty/Department: Research & Innovation
Research Area(s): Industrial Internet of Things (Internet 4.0)

The objective is to develop a next-generation ultra-long-range wireless backhaul solution for operators of point-to-point communication systems Using the physical layer of the Advanced Television Systems Committee 3.0 broadcast standard (ATSC 3.0), and available sub-1GHz frequencies, the ULRWB project aim is to increase the achievable distance of backhaul hops for high throughput and low-latency broadband access. The solution would be future-ready, facilitating integration with Internet Service Providers (ISP) with current and emerging fixed and cellular technologies, including 5G infrastructure.

Broadcast-Broadband Convergence

Funder: CFI
Program: Stream 2
PI Name: Orest Sushko
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design
Research Area(s): Industrial Internet of Things (Internet 4.0); Social Innovation

The Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning (Humber) is requesting support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) College-Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF) Stream 2 program to enhance existing applied research (AR) capacity by acquiring research infrastructure to establish the Broadcast-Broadband Convergence Lab (B2C Lab). The B2C Lab's core mission is to position Canada as a leader in the new Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) 3.0 standard by advancing the state of experimentation and adoption of ATSC 3.0; giving Canadian businesses competitive advantage as ATSC 3.0 is globally adopted. As the next-generation global television (TV) broadcast standard, ATSC 3.0 offers interactivity with broadband, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) and fourth and fifth generation cellular networks (4G/5G), enabling non-TV applications. ATSC 3.0 complements 5G as part of a heterogenous network for more comprehensive data delivery This convergence will impact industries such as automotive (infotainment delivery, map and software updates), emergency alerting (geo-targeted messaging), advertising (targeted TV advertisements) and online education (TV interactivity, remote reach), among others (please see Figure 1 in the NSERC CCI IE Build proposal).

Broadcast-Broadband Convergence: Positioning Canada as a Leader in ATSC 3.0 Adoption and Multisectoral Business Models

Funder: NSERC
Program: Build IE
PI Name: Orest Sushko
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design
Research Area(s): Industrial Internet of Things (Internet 4.0)

Unofficial description: This is the grant for building up the B2C lab, supported by the Build IE (NSERC) grant.

Building a Smart City using LEGO™ Bricks

Funder: GRIF
Program: Mobilize / GRIF
PI Name: Sean Doyle
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design
Research Area(s): Sustainable Architecture & Energy Efficient Construction; Social Innovation

The purpose of this project is to implement a similar concept to the Google 20/80 Policy and use this policy to develop, foster, and maintain homegrown coding talent. The Google 20/80 Policy encourages employees to spend 80% of their time on core projects and 20% of their time on innovation activities that pique their own personal interests. This policy will allow BrevisRefero employees to spend 20% of their time working alongside Humber Polytechnic faculty and students and contribute to BrickMMO. BrickMMO is a Smart City Development Platform built with LEGO™ bricks.

B²C Lab Test Video Sequences - Phase 2

Funder: Build IE
Program: Build IE
PI Name: Orest Sushko
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design
Research Area(s): Industrial Internet of Things (Internet 4.0)

A series of 6 short video sequences (3-5 minutes in duration) are required use as research test content for the Humber B²C lab. These sequences will be used to test new data delivery systems, procedures and methodologies being developed in the lab. Multiple sequences will feed multiple destinations and will also be shared with other research institutions worldwide.

Caring for the Thunderbird's Nest: Geophysical and Machine Learning solutions to characterize and monitor inequitable Exposures to Ground and Air Pollution

Funder: NSERC
Program: CCSIF
PI Name: Maria Jacome
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology
Research Area(s): Social Innovation

Via this College and Community Social Innovation project, Humber Polytechnic will partner with the Fort William First Nation (FWFN) and researchers from the University of Toronto on “Caring for the Thunderbird’s Nest: Geophysical and Machine Learning solutions to characterize and monitor inequitable Exposures to Ground and Air Pollution.” The project will address a health and environmental crisis in the FWFN community – a cluster of leukemia in very young community members who spent time in childhood in an area with over a century of industrial development, including pulp and paper, metallurgy, coal-fired power, rail, chemical plants, contaminated dredge, industrial disposal sites, fuelling stations and other industries.

The community has noted that children under five who spent time in a residential area adjacent to the industrial lands were most likely to experience this atypically young-onset of leukemia. The industrial lands have been subject to Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) paid for by the government and industry as part of comprehensive land claim processes. Despite dozens of ESAs over several decades, FWFNs leadership does not have relevant information in a format that is useful for the community to make decisions. They also do not trust the reporting practices of the liable parties who have been obliged by law to finance the ESAs.

This project will work in a nest of collaboration with FWFN in a model of integrated knowledge translation – researchers and community learning together. The goals of this interdisciplinary collaboration are five-fold: 1) work in an ethic of care and reciprocity with FWFN and the land; 2) fully assess the industrial area to characterize it and identify prevention, management and remediation methods of the polluted sites; 3) co-produce culturally appropriate and accessible information to enable informed local decision-making now and in the future; 4) create pathways of ethical engagement with Indigenous community-driven research agendas for engineering students, enabling FWFN to become a “go-to, go through” community for student training on complex environmental problem solving, and 5) building a culturally safe nest to develop community capacity and mentor Indigenous students in environmental engineering and interdisciplinary studies in an Indigenous community setting.

City of Calgary - ATSC 3.0 Smart City

Funder: Build IE
Program: Build IE
PI Name: Orren Johnson
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology
Research Area(s): Other

The City of Calgary is developing Canada’s first ATSC 3.0 Smart City to deliver next-generation broadcast services using the ATSC 3.0 television transmission system. This new system is IP based and allow for the ability to deliver IP data for other applications beyond television video/audio programming services. These non-television services include datacasting applications including first responder networks, digital signage and remote education delivery services.

Humber Polytechnic’s B²C Lab will be designing, developing and implementing new applications for the City Calgary over a multi-year period for experimental broadcast deployment. These services will enhance the city’s data delivery capacity and robustness and offer greater resiliency and contingency in emergency response situations (first responder networks for Police, Fire and CEMA units). Other new services will provide enhanced information over broadcast (emergency alerting for the public and digital signage) and will provide more equitable delivery of services to address the digital divide and barriers to connectivity (remote education and learning models). As Calgary’s deployment capabilities expand additional new applications (such as traffic control, fleet data delivery, variable speed signage, AR/VR and Broadcast Positioning System (for GPS back up/augmentation) will be developed.

Cultural Similarities and Differences in Personal Photographic Displays

Funder: Internal Funds
Program: SEED
PI Name: Tanya Perdikoulias
Faculty/Department: Research & Innovation
Research Area(s): Other

People are affected by the photos they see of themselves and their loved ones. The person who displays the photos may or may not be aware of how others may feel about the photos they display. The people who are in the photos may be sensitive to how they are being portrayed, and those who are not in the photos may be sensitive to being excluded from the displayed photos. I hope to find out what people’s experiences are with the displayed photos they grew up with and how they might be emotionally/psychologically affected by being included and excluded from photos. Additionally, I am interested in learning if cultural backgrounds have any bearing on their perceptions and understanding. I hypothesize that individuals from collectivist cultures will be more sensitive to inclusion/exclusion in displayed photos compared to those from individualistic cultures. I also hypothesize that people who are included in displayed photos will report higher levels of positive emotional response compared to those who are excluded.

The final product will be a workshop (preferably at Humber Polytechnic’s Showcase 2025) discussing case studies from this project that will resonate with learners.

Developing a Best Practice Model for Mental Health Crisis Care: A Community-Engaged Approach

Funder: CIHR
Program: CCSIF
PI Name: Polly Ford-Jones
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Health Sciences & Wellness
Research Area(s): Social Innovation

When experiencing mental health crisis, many people rely on emergency services such as 9-1-1 dispatchers, paramedic services, police services and hospital emergency department services. Emergency response to mental health calls has recently gained significantly greater attention, recognizing that these interactions may have substantial, potentially life and death consequences for those already in distress. Many of these first response services lack sufficient resources and training and have few options to offer when providing care. Humber Polytechnic and TAIBU Community Health Centre & Middlesex-London Paramedic Service will collaborate on the “Developing a best practice model for mental health crisis care: A community-engaged approach” project which brings together community-based service providers and emergency care providers to develop a best practice model for response to mental health crisis care. This project plans to highlight and develop practices that appropriately support all members of the community requiring emergency mental health support with particular attention paid to those of lower socioeconomic status, Black and Indigenous communities, People of Colour, and LGBT2SQ+ and immigrant communities. In addition to a best practice model, the project aims to co-develop workshops and training for practitioners working in these fields. Along with the partner organizations, this multi-disciplinary team of researchers bring extensive academic and frontline experience from across care sectors.

Developing a fixture to automate the bending of manifold heating elements.

Funder: GRIF
Program: Mobilize / GRIF
PI Name: Ali Taha
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology
Research Area(s): Systems Integration; Sustainable Architecture & Energy Efficient Construction

"StackTeck is a local Canadian, Brampton-Ontario, provider of plastic tooling solutions for the injection molding industry, delivering higher productivity to the Caps, Closures, PET Preforms, Thin Wall Packaging, Technical and Medical worldwide market. There is a need to automate the bending of manifold heating elements that are assembled into their Hot Runner manifolds. This challenge arises due to the lack of this process being available in the market. As of now, the company has an entirely manual process which is dependent on one or a few stakeholders, which proves to be a significant risk for the company. This initiative is intended to benefit StackTeck by achieving higher quality products, time savings, increase in productivity, decrease in production waste and mitigating risks. To achieve these benefits, the project has the following goals, steps, and research challenges to be achieved: o Stage one: research the heating elements bending options, analyse, testing and product development strategy, o Stage Two: Handling and feeding product for automation process, concept generations and optimisation, o Stage Three: Heating elements 2D bending prototype design, build and test, with manual controller, concept testing and refining, o Stage Four: concept combinations and ranking study to redesign, rebuild and test the final prototype, with advanced control, and programmed logic HMI interface. o Stage Five: (to be included as a separate project): design and build a functional prototype, 3D bending capability, with an interface to obtain data from an advanced interface, prepared program or from a Computer Aided Design (CAD) mode. - This project will serve as a pilot to an ARD application for 2024 where the main goal will be to improve the automation solution initial design, test the product, and incorporate it into the everyday process of the company."

Developing Pharmacists’ Capacity to Support Harm Reduction in Cannabis Consumers

Funder: CIHR
Program: CCSIF
PI Name: Daniel Bear
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Social & Community Services
Research Area(s): Social Innovation

Engaging medical and non-medical cannabis consumers with evidence-informed clinical and harm reduction information has proven difficult due to the substance’s low risk to infrequent consumers (Nutt et al., 2007), and a history of stigmatizing and often unscientific public education efforts. Social media has made public health messaging even more challenging given its fragmentation and the potential for spreading misinformation. Thankfully, our previous CCSIF project, ‘Engaging and Educating Young-Adult Cannabis Consumers’ (EEYCC) has shown that harm reduction information about cannabis for both medical and non-medical consumers can be effectively delivered if the messaging is free from stigma, the creative and media aspects attune to the consumers’ needs, and the messenger is viewed as both trustworthy and scientifically well-informed (Bear, Hosker-Field, and Cresswell, 2022). We know that pharmacists can meet these requirements due to their medication management expertise and prominent role in harm reduction efforts for people who use opioids, but they have not yet been tapped to take on this work with people consuming cannabis. With our partners at the Canadian Pharmacists Association, Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction, and Canadian Public Health Association, we have already begun a project to identify gaps in the training provided to pharmacists in the 11 universities that have Pharmacy programs and all continuing educational courses accredited in Canada. Working with the same partners, our proposed CCSIF project will create an important new pathway to engage cannabis consumers and prospective consumers by training pharmacists to answer questions about medical and non-medical cannabis use and promote harm reduction practices. We will utilize a co-creation model with pharmacists and cannabis consumers to achieve the following outcomes: 1) ensure that pharmacists have the knowledge and training to effectively engage with consumers; 2) provide pharmacists with purpose built public education resources, and access to an accredited and free continuing education course we will build in partnership with Humber students. During EEYCC we hired 25 student Research Assistants (RAs) from across the college, and this project will enable us to hire at least 13 more student RAs who will benefit from the development of research and essential workplace skills through one-on-one mentorship.

Empowering Equity, Diversity, Inclusion: Developing and Implementing an Applied Research Mentoring Program for Research Assistants at Humber Polytechnic

Funder: Internal Funds
Program: Mobilize / GRIF
PI Name: Audrey Wubbenhorst
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design
Research Area(s): Social Innovation; User Experience (UX) Design; Other

Humber Polytechnic currently employs about 200 Research Assistants each year and this number is expected to grow as Humber builds its research practice and capabilities. Contracts are typically 4-8 months long. This project will involve researching, prototyping and launching a new mentoring program for Research Assistants at Humber Polytechnic. The focus of this mentoring program is to equip RAs from equity-deserving groups with a robust set of skills related to best practices in applied research. The intent is to build their capacity in their RA role as they launch into their careers.

Enhancing LocoMobi Mobi 1: A Comprehensive Study and Optimization of Robot Navigation and Safety – Phase 2

Funder: NSERC
Program: ARD
PI Name: Imran Khan
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design
Research Area(s): Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology

This project aims to revolutionize Mobi, LocoMobi World Inc’s (LocoMobi) existing operational parking robot, into the cornerstone of a fully automated, secure, and efficient parking operation. As automation continues to reshape parking infrastructures globally, the demand for autonomous mobile parking enforcement robots has surged. While Canada currently lacks such technology, the worldwide landscape is witnessing a rapid adoption of automated solutions to address parking challenges. In an article for the Canadian Parking Association, Shawn Walker (2016) states that the parking sector will be significantly impacted by robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous vehicles in the future. LocoMobi, a Smart City technology small and mediumsized enterprise (SME) headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, is at the forefront of this transformation. Specializing in diverse and innovative enterprise hardware and cloud-based software offerings for parking, tolling, transit, storage, asset tracking, and threat management sectors, LocoMobi customizes solutions tailored to specific Smart City needs. Recently, LocoMobi and Humber completed the first phase small-scale test bench project of autonomous vehicles with 3D LiDAR mapping made possible by Greenfield Research and Innovation Funds supported by Humber’s NSERC Mobilize grant. By harnessing advanced technologies, this collaborative effort promises to elevate the user experience and set new standards in parking automation. The engagement and cooperation between LocoMobi and Humber Polytechnic are crucial in realizing a parking solution that seamlessly integrates innovation, security, and efficiency. Toward the project's culmination, the objective is to deliver a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that Locomobi can leverage for commercialization. The MVP should achieve the following requirements: 1) a Fully Autonomous drive vehicle with manual remote control; 2) Mapping and navigation by avoiding object features using current edge technologies; 3) Light and sound systems to show or communicate various scenarios during operation, and 4) Take a picture of the license plate and process it from a safe distance.

Experiences of hope, self-compassion and authentic collaboration: Foundations for a consumer-informed compassion-based human services delivery framework in a Canadian context

Funder: CIHR
Program: CCSIF
PI Name: Tina Lackner
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Social & Community Services
Research Area(s): Social Innovation

The experiences of hope, self-compassion and authentic collaboration: Foundations for a consumer-informed compassion-based HS delivery framework in a Canadian context Human Services (HS) is a broad multidisciplinary field that is held together conceptually by the overarching goal of improving the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities in and through service delivery participation provided in public and non-profit organizations. Problematically, though, the HS field remains without an evidence base that can inform a guiding framework to root service provision principles across its multidisciplinary workforce and varied institutions. This study seeks to collect co-created lived experience narratives from human service Canadian consumers and providers about their lived experiences of hope, self-compassion and authentic collaboration in the course of HS service delivery. Four HS organizations with local, regional and national service coverage are partnering in this study for the purpose of deepening our understanding of how HS provision can foster aspirations and preferences in ways that strengthen consumers' abilities to lead self-directed lives. Ultimately, this three-year research study will establish a consumer-informed foundation for a much-needed consumer-informed guiding framework that can aid Canadian HS organizations and service providers in their ability to be responsive to the aspirations and preferences of consumers in ways that strengthen their ability to lead self-directed lives. It will do so by bringing together community engaged scholars and applied researchers, along with a vibrant team of local and national community partners.

External Research Project to test the Community Awareness and Strengths of the Toronto Police Service (TPS), Neighbourhood Community Officer Program (NCOP)

Funder: Other
Program: Other
PI Name: Doug Thomson
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Social & Community Services
Research Area(s): Social Innovation

Humber ITAL will assist the TPS in enhancing community awareness of the NCOP, assess the attitudes of the community of the police, and capture “what works” to enhance best practices by Neighbourhood Community Officers (“NCO”). This will be accomplished by: • Creating and distributing infographics and other resources highlighting the role of NCOs in the community; • Empirically measuring the effectiveness of the NCOP through community surveys, TPS crime data and TPS calls for service; • Empirically measuring community wellbeing through socio-economic data; and, • Interviewing NCOs and community members on what practices work in creating effective partnerships, trust and communication.

In Transition: Bridging the employability gap for international learners through integrated solutions

Funder: SSHRC
Program: CCSIF
PI Name: Parveen Gill
Faculty/Department: Longo Faculty of Business
Research Area(s): Systems Integration; Social Innovation

Prolonged temporary immigration status in Canada causes international students to face increasing challenges as they transition from post-secondary education to careers in Canada. This negatively impacts labour market outcomes compared to their domestic peers and those transitioning to Canada through bridging and settlement programs. The myriad of actors, ranging from government to post-secondary institutions, to community organizations and industry, and the role that each plays in supporting the successful transition to the world of work for international students, is not fully understood and presents significant gaps impacting outcomes. With global competition for talent rapidly increasing, a coordinated approach to engaging all actors to address barriers facing international students is instrumental in retaining talent to meet Canada’s anticipated labour market crisis. Through a human-centred design-based approach, working with our partners, the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) and Newcomer Women’s Services Toronto (NEW), including students, this project will map the journey of the international student from graduation to permanent residency documenting challenges and developing an innovative framework for new supports and programming that validates the skills and competencies of international learners, and expedites pathways to full-time employment. Through engagement in the project students, partners and the research will develop skills and competencies in research, project management, design thinking, systems thinking, communication and evaluation.

Integrated Mobile Digital Platform for Aircraft Maintenance, Tools Development and Integration

Funder: NSERC
Program: ARD
PI Name: Mihai Albu
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology
Research Area(s): Systems Integration

Through a collaborative partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries – Regional Jet (MHIRJ) Aviation Group (formerly Bombardier Inc. Regional Jet), Humber Polytechnic will provide applied research and development activities to design and develop innovative new tools and technologies in support of maintenance, repair, and operations for the aircraft industry. The proposed project is focused on addressing the evolving challenges faced by the Canadian aircraft industry in an increasingly connected digital environment that has led to a 60- fold increase in the number of data parameters collected from every flight. Project objectives are the creation of a mobile app for an integrated digital platform that functions offline – allowing aircraft technicians to access a mobile digital platform on their iPads or tablets and/or in conditions where WIFI access is limited or unavailable. Through the innovative development of an image-based mobile app, deliverables from this project will include new digital tools and software capable of analyzing multiple streams of data and information, and offline access to the technical manuals and support required by aircraft technicians. This offline data analytics capacity on a mobile platform will in turn support enhanced productivity by streamlining maintenance, and subsequently provide quicker turnaround times for aircraft repairs, and increase passenger and pilot safety. Project completion will allow MHIRJ to better serve its clients, scale its operational model into that of a service-based organization, draw in new customers, and position itself as an innovative leader in the development and adoption of ground-breaking aviation industry solutions.

Investigation of feasibility and impact of voice-based detection of prediabetes in the South Asian population in Ontario. A Pilot Study.

Funder: GRIF
Program: Mobilize / GRIF
PI Name: Kinza Malik
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Health Sciences & Wellness
Research Area(s): Systems Integration; Social Innovation

Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is a chronic disease that can be prevented with an early diagnosis; however, this can be difficult as early symptoms do not always appear. Nearly 9% of Canadians have diabetes, with 90% of all cases being diagnosed as T2D. While everyone is at risk of T2D, South Asians face a higher risk compared to the general Canadian population. This study seeks to screen prediabetes in younger demographic groups in the South Asian population living in the Peel and Toronto regions using voice recognition technology. The study seeks to uncover a specific vocal biomarker in the voice of individuals with prediabetes and to make sub-analyses using other factors such as: age, sex, gender, family history, socioeconomic status, smoking, drinking, postal code, and housing

Leading innovation in the Internet of Things

Funder: CFI
Program: Stream 1
PI Name: Tania Massa
Faculty/Department: Research & Innovation
Research Area(s): Industrial Internet of Things (Internet 4.0); Social Innovation

The global Internet of Things (IoT) market is expected to hit over one trillion dollars by the year 2022, with a roughly 12.6 percent compound annual growth rate for IoT spending across commercial and consumer segments between 2019 and 2022. With the number of connected devices estimated at over 75 billion worldwide in 2025 and the launch of fifth generation wireless technology, the growth of IoT will be transformative across sectors. We already see IoT in a range of consumer products, from smartwatches to security cameras, thermostats and home assistants. It has made its way into industrial processes; the Industrial Internet of Things enables data collection, analysis and predictive modeling to improve manufacturing and supply chain management efficiency and productivity. IoT is also used to manage infrastructure (smart buildings and highways) and logistics (moving cargo). IoT integrates technologies including sensor, communication, data storage, analytics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and user interface technologies. This presents a clear challenge for companies; rarely do companies, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises have all the resources to build end-to-end IoT solutions. The proposed CFI project will add state-of-the-art IoT infrastructure to Humber Polytechnic's current capacity to deliver a complete end-to-end ecosystem for a full spectrum of collaborators, from local SMEs and entrepreneurs, to multimillion-dollar corporations.

MyGigz - Increasing the nu and increasing revenue for venues/promoters and performersmber of accessible live show experiences for audiences while mitigating risks

Funder: GRIF
Program: Mobilize / GRIF
PI Name: Dor Zairi
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design
Research Area(s): Systems Integration; Social Innovation; User Experience (UX) Design

The specific challenge that Plasma Management & Productions Inc. is facing is the disparity in securing successful live and streamed performance opportunities for independent and racialized performers in live entertainment. The fact is that the internet has spawned thousands of entertainers but the number of opportunities to host live and streamed performances has not been able to stay on par with the exponential increase of live performers. MyGigz will be a digital application that integrates existing platforms of social media, crowdfunding, and live/streamed performance, as a way of creating an equal opportunity, independent artist and audience-driven touring industry. The digital application requires information derived from social media analytics, venues (live/virtual) and the accumulated commitment from audiences to attend pending shows in order to generate confirmations - this is described as the conversion rate of a "plicket" (pledged ticket) becoming a hard ticket. MyGigz increases the number of live show experiences available to audiences, mitigates risk for venues/promoters and increases revenue potential for performers at a significantly earlier stage in their careers.

Off-lecture support: exploring the impact of interactive programming exercise system on first year programming students learning

Funder: Internal Funds
Program: SEED
PI Name: Dina Sabie
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design
Research Area(s): Other

After teaching the foundation programming course in my program for two semesters (GAME101) and holding focus groups with the class at the end of each semester, all students agreed that they did not have time to practice well all the new materials presented in the class. This is true given how many contact hours we could offer. Moreover, many students felt shy and did not ask questions. Thus, for this research project we want to implement an interactive automated exercise system where there are coding exercises the students can answer and get immediate feedback in terms of whether their code works perfectly, suggestions to improve the code, or if there is a syntax error. I have used a similar system when I was an instructor at UofT and the students loved it because it gives them the time and space to exercise on their own and if they are stuck, they can try as many times as they want and can always reach out to the professor for help. Research has shown that such systems help students greatly with their programming skills and grades. Moreover, courses that implement such systems have a lower drop rate (Benotti, Aloi, Bulgarelli, & Gomez, 2018, Yeckehzaare, Resnick, & Ericson2019). After talking with countless people about how to implement this system and exploring different platforms, we found that the best starting point is using Code Lab (https://www.turingscraft.com/). It is a paid interactive exercise system that can be integrated into blackboard (for easy access as well as to get information about what every student has completed) and we can choose from a list of premade exercises or add our own. We are very interested in adding exercises of our own such that they are of interest to the students. For example, we want to add questions that are game-related and questions that relate to the other course they take (e.g., physics and math). This way, we can find out which exercises our students are most interested in completing and feel they are getting benefits from. Moreover, this has the potential to make the platform not only beneficial for a programming course but also for other courses too if we are to overlap content between the different courses.

Partnering for health access: Developing an innovative health clinic

Funder: CIHR
Program: CCSIF
PI Name: Heidi Siu
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Health Sciences & Wellness
Research Area(s): Social Innovation

The COVID-19 pandemic has widened disparities in access to care particularly for marginalized populations, further positioning them at a greater risk for increased poverty, food insecurity, mental health challenges, overdose deaths, social isolation, and discrimination. Seeing the impact of these challenges within their local communities, our partner organizations shared wishes to provide expanded health services support for their clients during these unpredictable times. Nurse-led mobile health clinics (MHCs), a nursing unit that travels to communities to provide health services, are promising care delivery models for reaching populations who face barriers in accessing healthcare. However, without an approach designed for integration, MHCs can result in transitory, fragmented care with unintended consequences for clients’ health. This project proposes a community-driven, collaborative research approach to co-create a nurse-led MHC that is integrated with our partners’ existing social services; thereby providing responsive and accessible care for their marginalized communities. This will result in a mobile health partnership model that can be adopted by interested academic and community organizations across Canada, as an innovative approach to effectively bridge the gap between health care and social services and provide better care for vulnerable people with complex health and social needs.

Smart Textile for Automated Electrical Muscle Stimulation in the ICU

Funder: NSERC
Program: ARTP 2
PI Name: Maryam Davoudpour
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology
Research Area(s): Systems Integration

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.

To understand & learn about the impact of caregiving on the mental health and well-being of Black Women

Funder: GRIF
Program: Mobilize / GRIF
PI Name: Sharon Broughton
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Health Sciences & Wellness
Research Area(s): Social Innovation

This project largely aims to uncover and explore the experiences of caregivers in the Black community, specifically as it relates to mental health in the regions of Peel and Etobicoke. The project will be led by CIHW and LAMP CHC and funded through Humber’s Mobilize research grant, and partly supported by Mississauga Ontario Health Team (MOHT) and the West Toronto Health Team (WTOHT). Statistics Canada (2022) reports that in 2022, almost 52% of Canadian women, provided some form of caregiving to children and/or adults. In a society with patriarchal roots, women often take on the unpaid caring work, which includes unpaid caregiving, in addition to household tasks, and even full-time employment. In 2020, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI, 2020) reported that 96% of individuals receiving long-term home care have an unpaid caregiver, and more than 1 in 3 of these caregivers are in distress. The demand on unpaid caregivers is quite high, with an average of 38 hours per week spent providing care. Caregivers report experiencing high levels of stress, which increase as the number of hours of care provided per week increases (Statistics Canada, 2020). The experience of caregiving differs between racial and ethnic groups, due to cultural differences in the roles and expectations of caregivers. In addition, experiences of systemic racism and discrimination shift the experience of caregivers, particularly those who identify as Black, and present increased barriers to accessing services that are supportive and culturally appropriate (The Ontario Caregiver Organization, 2022). While there is a lack of statistical data on the experiences of Black caregivers, health and social service organizations are able to report on experiences of Black carers. Sinai Geriatrics (Samir, nd) notes that there is a lack of culturally specific programs for Black care receivers, which may or may not correlate to the tendency for Black communities to provide care for older adults at home/within the family. Experiences of mental health, wellness, and illness also differ based on race and ethnicity. Studies on Black mental health showcase that regardless of age, Black Canadians fare worse than the general population when it comes to mental wellness (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2020). In light of the above, this project aims to answer the broad and overarching question: What is the impact of caregiving on the mental health and wellbeing of Black Canadians who identify as women? Through a mixed methods approach, the study aims to uncover the narratives of Black caregivers, explore the specific needs of Black female caregivers, and explore how the experiences of caregiving help or hinder their mental health and wellbeing.

wrAPParound 360 - Empowering Racialized Communities and Communities in Low-Income Neighbourhoods with Accessible, Inclusive and Rated Public and Social Services and Inspiring Providers to Ensure that they are Providing the Highest Quality, Most Acces

Funder: GRIF
Program: Mobilize / GRIF
PI Name: Dor Zairi
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Media, Creative Arts, and Design
Research Area(s): Social Innovation; User Experience (UX) Design

wrAPParound 360 is an application that will provide a list of all the available and accessible public and social services in low-income neighbourhoods. A feature of this application includes data on ratings and comments about the public and social service interactions and experiences of lower-income individuals and families when accessing these services. The goal is to inspire public and social service providers to ensure that they are providing the highest quality, most accessible, customer experience to people from diverse backgrounds in the communities that they are meant to serve. Another feature of this app is that Urban Rez Solutions plans to integrate wrAPP with the Inside/Out Program that they currently provide in federal and provincial correctional facilities across Canada because the necessities and concerns are virtually identical between people living at or near the poverty line and those coming out of incarceration. Urban Rez Solutions also plans to tie the wrAPParound Project to a Project they call Live After 5 which is a support hotline that will take calls during the currently unaddressed hours of need (5pm-9am) for people living at or near the poverty line and those coming out of incarceration.

Youth Ambassadors of Wellness, Addiction, and Community Mental Health- Phase One: Needs Assessment

Funder: GRIF
Program: Mobilize / GRIF
PI Name: Aqeel Saeid
Faculty/Department: Faculty of Social & Community Services
Research Area(s): Social Innovation

The COVID pandemic exacerbated the various mental and social determinants of health challenges for individuals, groups, and communities across the globe, including Canadian society. Extreme poverty rates, inequality, and the economic recession have created further inequities for disadvantaged groups regarding social and mental well-being. For example, Flemingdon and Thorncliffe Park neighborhoods in Toronto, Ontario, have extreme poverty rates, heterogeneity, mobility of residents, migration, and generational conflict due to migration, which creates social and psychological challenges for residents, especially at a younger age.

The current project builds on successful results from previous studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of mindfulness and holistic healing in improving mental health and reducing tendencies toward substance abuse and other types of addiction, such as addiction to gambling, social media, video games, and more. A key objective of this project is to create a generation of mindfulness youth ambassadors to raise awareness of the role of mindfulness and other healing practices in increasing wellness, improving community mental health, and promoting social integration. As ambassadors, these youth will work with the research team and participating community partners to co-develop mindfulness and holistic healing intervention sessions for youth between the ages of 15 - 18 years old. The mindfulness intervention and manual development topics may include depression, anxiety, academic stress, impulsivity, self-awareness, eating disorders, PTSD, and attitudes toward multiple addictions, such as substance abuse, gambling behavior, and violent video games.