*Updates for 2024 are in progress.

 

Supervisors

Akramul Azim | Atef Mohany | Brendan MacDonald | Daniel Hoornweg | Ghaus Rizvi 1 | Ghaus Rizvi 2 | Glenn Harvel | Greg Rohrauer | Haoxiang Lang | Hossam Gaber | Jaho Seo | Jana Abou Ziki 1 | Jana Abou Ziki 2 | Jennifer McKellar | Kamiel Gabriel | Lixuan Lu | Martin Agelin-Chaab | Matthew Kaye | Mohamed Youssef 1 | Mohamed Youssef 2 | Murat Aydin | Ramona Fayazfar | Sayyed Ali Hosseini | Scott Nokleby

 

Supervisor name: Akramul Azim

Project title: Test Case Prioritization using Machine Learning in Continuous Integration Environments

Summary of research project: Test case prioritization is of great importance in test process optimization to make efficient use of testing resources, especially when it comes to regression testing for different code submissions in continuous integration environments. Appropriate knowledge processing and learning techniques to deal with numerous and versatile sources of information can be used to address efficiently the peculiarities of each code submissions and evaluate their quality characteristics. In this research, we aim to develop a machine learning based strategy that can automatically select the test suites that could be impacted by a change and identify the most likely ones to fail based on a given change.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Research and development

Student qualifications required:

• Programming skills

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Research and development
• Programming skills
• Presentation and Communication
• Writing

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Atef Mohany

Project title: Energy Harvesting from Flow-Induced Vibration and Noise

Summary of research project: Over the past few decades significant efforts have been made to harvest energy from environmental sources. Nevertheless, there are still abandoned sources of wasted energy such as energy from flow-induced vibration and noise that presents a high potential for overcoming, or isolating, a certain problem while generating a useful amount of energy. This Project aims to develop efficient and innovative energy harvesting devices from flow-induced vibration and noise. The successful candidate will work with a multi-disciplinary team to learn about acoustics, vibration, and conduct experiments in a wind tunnel equipped with a state-of-the-art flow visualization system.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Develop models for testing in the wind tunnel
• Conduct experiments with the help of other team members
• Analyze and document the results
• Participate in the research group meetings and social gatherings

Student qualifications required:

• Willingness to learn
• Effective team player
• Good academic standing

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Training on different aspects of flow-induced vibration and noise
• Training on experimental aeroacoustics
• Training on measurements and data acquisition
• Training on communication skills through the presentation of results
• Training on flow-visualization and data processing

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Brendan MacDonald

Project title: Development and testing of Stirling engines for sustainable energy

Summary of research project: Stirling engines are capable of providing power from a wide range of heat sources, since the heat is external to the piston cylinders. This can include sustainable sources
such as wood, waste, solar etc., which means these engines have a high potential to
provide sustainable power. The Stirling engine is an external heat engine with high
promise, and we are developing prototype engines with some new technological
advantages to produce competitive and commercially viable engines. The prototyping
includes design work, analysis, and experimental testing.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• There are many tasks required for our current Stirling engine prototyping, mainly
  related to examining specific aspects of the engine design and improving the design. This
  can include things like numerical modelling, building experimental test rigs to analyze
  design changes, or testing with our current prototypes.
• Specific tasks will be determined with the Student to ensure interest and compatibility.

Student qualifications required:

• Most importantly, the Student should be curious, have a passion for discovery, and be
• It is beneficial for the Student to have thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and/or heat
  transfer knowledge.
• Hands-on experience is also beneficial for the engine building and
  testing aspects.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• The Student will be trained in solving engineering problems, and most importantly
  diagnosing the causes of problems.
• The Student will be trained in engine cycles, and the thermodynamics of engine cycles, and
  how the theory can be applied to improve actual physical engines.
• The Student will be trained in critical analysis of engineering designs, through brainstorming
  sessions and experimentation.
• The Student will be trained in sustainability and the different ways technology can improve
  our sustainability.

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Daniel Hoornweg

Project title: Energy and material flows in South Asian cities

Summary of research project: About 21 cities in South Asia will have populations above 5 million this century. Consistent with methodology developed for all cities (city-sustainability.com) researchers will determine energy use (current and projected) and greenhouse/particulate emissions for this century.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Complete energy and material flow assessments for largest cities in South Asia.

Student qualifications required:

• Preferably third year and above, comfortable with quantification and math, e.g., statistics.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Sustainability assessment for urban areas
• GIS
• Data management
• Report writing

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Ghaus Rizvi

Project title: Fabrication of nano fibers for industrial applications

Summary of research project: Electrospinning is extensively used for fabricating micro and nano fibers. This research involves: producing biocompatible and biodegradable material formulations that can be used in an electrospinning system to produce thin layered scaffolds that are reinforced with dissolvable threads so that the scaffold can be easily handled and used. Electrospinning is used to produce very thin fibers under the action of a large electric potentials. The fibers are collected on a cathode, usually a rotating drum, to obtain thin sheets of the fibrous mats. The fabricated mats will be characterized to determine their morphology so that their suitability for being used as scaffold can be assessed.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• The researcher’s responsibilities include preparing material formulations and using these for producing and collecting electro spun fibers on a rotating drum.
• A thin sheet is obtained from the drum, once the process is complete.
• Specimen from this film will be used for characterization studies.
• The characterization will involve use of image analysis and mechanical testing on a Dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA), among other equipment.

Student qualifications required:

• Should have completed two years of engineering with good grades.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Literature review capability
• Preparation of nano fibers
• Operation of sophisticated characterization equipment
• Analysis of results

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Ghaus Rizvi

Project title: Development of an injection molding machine

Summary of research project: An injection molding machine has been developed as part of capstone project. This project involves finalizing the control mechanism and preparing specimen of graphite filled composites so that their flexural strength can be evaluated. Composites of different formulations will be optimized for increased flexural strength. These advanced conductive composites will be used as bipolar plates, in fuel cells and electrolysers. The normal bipolar plates are made with thermoset resins which have longer processing times. If these are successfully made with thermoplastic matrix materials, the processing time will be significantly increased, resulting in great economic and environmental benefits.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

The researcher’s responsibilities include two components.

• Configuring the control system of the machine
• Using it for producing flexural test specimen.

The first task will involve programming Arduino based control system generating different shot sizes and speeds to obtain good quality samples.
The second task will be to actually use the machine to produce samples from different available formulations and evaluate the results

Student qualifications required:

• Ability to work with microprocessor and modify codes in C++
• Fundamental knowledge of solid mechanics and structure and properties of materials
• Preferable have completed 3rd year engineering

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Microprocessor configurations and coding
• Plastic processing methods
• Testing and analysis of material properties

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Glenn Harvel

Project title: Experimental Study of Nuclear Decommissioning

Summary of research project: The Nuclear Design Lab is currently studying different techniques related to decommissioning.  The proposed research will support the current studies by preparing and conducting experiments related to the plasma torch, bubbler systems, or gel systems.  The successful Student will prepare experimental procedures related to each type of experiment including safety related aspects.  The Student will also work collaboratively with the graduate students to conduct the experiments, and perform the preliminary analysis of the data obtained.  The work will cover decontamination and dismantling technologies as well as waste capture technologies.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

The Student will perform the following tasks:

• Work collaboratively with the graduate students
• Prepare experimental procedures
• Prepare the work area for experimentation and confirm PPE
• Conduct the experiment with others
• Clean up the work area after experimentation is complete
• Perform preliminary analysis of the results
• Document the results of the experiments in a lab report

Student qualifications required:

• Student in nuclear engineering program
• Able to work in MS Word and MS Excel or similar software
• Able to work in a team environment and follow safety instructions

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• The Student will receive updated experimentation skills and safety related skills associated with working in a radiation type laboratory
• The Student will obtain advanced knowledge of decommissioning technology and the issues surrounding this emergent field
• The Student will strengthen their team working skills
• The Student will attend weekly meetings and require to report progress improving communication skills

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Greg Rohrauer

Project title: High Order Model Predictive Control

Summary of research project: Model Predictive Control algorithms are a class of controllers that provide many advantages over standard control methodologies and provide a convenient entry mechanism for real-world artificial intelligence. The proposed research aims to extend the practical use of this class of controllers to the automation of higher-order systems. To achieve this goal the design and construction of some benchmark systems will be necessary.  The main goal of the URA Project will be to design and build one a mechatronics system that will be used as a test plant. The work will be conducted with the support of all lab members and help initiate a new research program at Ontario Tech.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• The Student will be responsible for identifying or generating designs of standard mechatronic benchmark system that exhibits challenging control dynamics such as a double inverted pendulum, flexible link manipulator, or a dual rotor test plant.
• They will participate heavily in the construction of the test plant and will be guided through the automation of the system.
• The Student will be responsible for generating a user manual for their work.

Student qualifications required:

• Mechatronics Student is preferred
• Completion of a Controls course
• Completion of at least one programming course
• Working knowledge of CAD
• Some Experience with microcontrollers
• Some Experience with 3D printing would be an asset
• Strong time management skills
• Desire to learn

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• The Student will receive hands-on training in design engineering and prototype construction
• The Student will receive training in building automation software and using standard electro-mechanical interfacing software
• The Student will receive training in conducting and documenting research and development.
• The Student will receive training in technical communications.

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Haoxiang Lang

Project title: Interactive General AI in Robotics

Summary of research project: The project is aimed to design and development of an AI platform that can be used by robotic applications. The project will explore the current techniques of understanding language, music, and arts using Machine Learning and seek ways of interaction between human and robots. 

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Setup and test the current AI framework. Run test scenarios and write a technical report of the findings.

Student qualifications required:

• Students from Mechatronics, or Computer Science or Computer Engineering with Python and Ubuntu experience.
• Music or Arts background will be needed.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Experience cutting edge Machine Learning platforms and applications
• Programming skills
• Robotic applications
• Writing skills

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Hossam Gaber

Project title: Demonstration of Hybrid Energy Systems for Interconnected Infrastructures

Summary of research project: Design hybrid energy system with interfaces to water-waste-transportation-food-health infrastructures. Multiphysics modeling will be proposed to link electricity, thermal, gas, water, waste, and transportation loads, storage, generation, and conversion components in real time, steady state, transient, and seasonal modes while analyzing coupling among design and operation parameters.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Study existing technologies, and conduct literature review on interconnected infrastructures; collect data and case studies, design hybrid energy system for demonstration, modeling and simulation, and performance analysis.

Student qualifications required:

• Knowledge of electric circuits, energy systems, modeling and simulation, data analysis, AI programming.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Simulation modeling
• Energy system design
• Data analysis
• AI applications

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Jaho Seo

Project title: Human-arm-based teleoperation and human-robot collaboration for electric excavators

Summary of research project: Construction equipment including excavators requires automation technologies to improve productivity in the required tasks. To deal with this issue, this Project aims to develop control techniques for autonomous excavation operations using a human-arm-based teleoperation system. Specifically, the developed gantlet system will be applied to communicate with the indoor electric excavator’s manipulator and control it for several excavation tasks.  In the second phase, human-robot collaboration techniques will be explored to achieve collaborative excavations between a worker and the excavator.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Providing a literature view on recent studies in the autonomous robot and excavation
• Developing own gantlet system to operate an electric excavator
• Designing sensing and control algorithms for human-excavator collaboration
• Verifying the performance of developed algorithms through both simulations and experiments.

Student qualifications required:

• The Student should have successfully completed the courses of Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines, Control Systems, Sensors & Instrumentation, Actuators & Power Electronics, and Microprocessors and Digital Systems (minimum B- for each course).
• The applicants who are good at utilizing the MATLAB/Simulink or ROS tool will be considered first.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Design detection and control algorithms for autonomous excavation using Matlab/Simulink and/or ROS.
• Learn how to use different types of sensors (depth camera, LiDAR, encoder, etc.) and electric linear actuators for an excavator and collect/analyze experimental data.

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Jana Abou Ziki 1

Project title: Additive metal manufacturing of precision parts

Summary of research project: Today, additive manufacturing has shown its potential in overcoming in many cases the limitations of traditional manufacturing. While plastic 3D printing methods are developed and can establish accurate surfaces, metal printing has limited accuracy, is expensive and hazardous. Electroforming is an additive manufacturing process that can cheaply and quickly produce metal parts starting from a plastic printed mold. The mold is sprayed with conductive paint and this layer is grown electrochemically to form a metal part. Electroforming can produce precise 2D metal parts but 3D parts have not been established yet. The objective of this project is developing mold designs to produce 3D parts.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• In this project, the student will develop multiple designs for molds to produce 3D metal parts with electroforming process.
• The student is required to identify the limitations of this process when it comes to producing certain geometries and feature sizes.
• The student will 3D print and assemble the designed molds, and spray them with conductive paint.
• The student will not be responsible for electroforming (to be done in another facility).

Student qualifications required:

• Engineering students with background in mechanical, manufacturing or mechatronics engineering are eligible to do this project.
• Knowledge of modeling and design with CAD is required.
• Experience with running FDM 3D printers is an asset.
• The student can be in second year (or above) of the engineering program.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• The student will develop knowledge about the electroforming process and design of FDM printed molds suitable to form parts electrochemically.
• The student will gain experience with operating the spraying setup and design of experiments. Also, the student will develop strong research and design mindset for additive manufactured parts.
• The student will learn how to professionally report the results (written and oral communication skills). Also dissemination of results in form of publication might result.

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Jana Abou Ziki 2

Project title: Precision cutting of glass fibers with SACE

Summary of research project: FIber cutting is a challenging task especially when it comes to cutting small fragile glass fibers while establishing smooth cuts at multiple angles. Spark Assisted Chemical Engraving (SACE) is a non-traditional machining process for non-conductive materials, mainly glass and ceramics. It allows hole drilling, 2D and 2.5D machining. Structures can be established with good surface quality (roughness below 0.3 micro-meter) and machined features can be as small as 0.1 mm in size. The objective of this project is to develop a robust fixture to hold the glass fiber to allow its cutting with the SACE machine. This enables fast, precise cutting of small glass fibers at multiple angles.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• The student will design the fixture to hold the glass fiber rigidly.
• The fixture shall allow loading the fiber, clamping it, and supporting it while machining.
• The fixture shall be added in the vicinity of the SACE machine cell, where the machining takes place.
• The student is expected to test the clamping system to assess its functionality and limitations.
• The system will be manufactured on campus with the help of a technician.

Student qualifications required:

• Students with background in Mechanical, Mechatronics or Manufacturing Engineering are suitable candidates for this project.
• The student is required to be knowledgeable in system design and to know how to do CAD design.
• The student shall be at least in the second year of the program.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• The student will learn how to design and build a functional precison system for real-world machining purpose.
• The student will learn about the SACE process (non-conventional machining) and will be able to run the machine to assess the system functionality for cutting glass fibers
• The student will learn how to communicate effectively (written reports and presentation)
• Knowledge in this project will be disseminated in the form of reports, presentations and potentially as journal publication

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Jennifer McKellar

Project title: SMR Supply Chain Sustainability

 Summary of research project: The development of a small modular reactor (SMR) sector in Canada will require the development of a supporting supply chain. At this early stage, there is an opportunity to design that supply chain to achieve net-positive sustainability.  This Project explores potential opportunities to develop a more sustainable SMR supply chain, through a combination of economic, environmental and social analyses.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• The Student will examine the results of existing analyses to identify opportunities for sustainability improvements.
• They will then conduct their own analyses of those improvements to verify net gains. The analytical techniques may include life cycle assessment and life cycle costing, for example.
• The work will be computer-based and will require searching for information and data online and in the literature, basic calculations and analysis.

Student qualifications required:

• Completion of third year in an engineering or science program preferred, but not required
• Knowledge of nuclear energy and/or industrial activities would be an asset
• Required: Familiarity with Microsoft Excel and comfort with spreadsheet operations; strong independent work and communication skills; general knowledge of energy and enviro. issues

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Familiarity with sustainability concepts
• Familiarity with the broader nuclear sector
• General research skills e.g., literature searches
• Familiarity with analytical techniques such as life cycle assessment

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Kamiel Gabriel

Project title: Low-Carbon Combined Heat and Power Design

Summary of research project: Global energy supply faces serious challenges to reduce greenhouse emissions by reducing its dependency  on fossil fuels. While renewables are growing rapidly, they have reliability issues and can cause grid instability. Fuel-based methods are a necessary part of a robust energy portfolio, and Hydrogen offers a unique way to provide reliable, responsive energy sustainable alternative. The Student will build on previous design and modeling work involving Hydrogen-Fueled Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant with on-site hydrogen production to support it.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Student will be asked to first analyze low and high net electrical load periods for a typical Ontario electrical consumption and utility demands of a potential end user, perform a cost/performance analysis based on fluctuating utility demands and prices on an hourly and monthly basis.
• The Project will be evaluated in terms of socio-economic costs, fuel consumption, and CO2 emission reduction.

Student qualifications required:

• The Student should have good background in Thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer and is interested in hands-on lab work.
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• CERL Lab safety and experimental procedure
• Student will be required to take and pass the WHIMPS online training course.
• Student will be trained on using ASPEN+ software

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Lixuan Lu

Project title: Reliability and Safety Assessment of Passive Safety Systems in Small Modular Reactors

Summary of research project: Passive Safety Systems (PSSs) have been widely adopted in SMR technologies. There are many special characteristics associated with PSSs that cannot be adequately captured by current Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) techniques. Therefore, a reliability and safety assessment framework that can address the dynamic aspects of PSSs is needed.
This Project will take a look at current practice adopted by regulators around the world to assess reliability and safety for Passive Safety Systems (PSSs), identify the special characteristics associated with PSS that cannot be adequately captured by current reliability assessment methods, and propose methods to address these issues.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

The Student will investigate the following questions:

• What is current practice by regulators to assess safety for Passive Safety Systems (PSSs)?
• What are the special characteristics of PSSs?
• What are the safety assessment methods that potentially could address the dynamics associated with PSSs?
• How to incorporate new methodologies into existing practices?

Final result from this research is expected to be a journal paper.

Student qualifications required:

• An interest in regulatory aspects of nuclear power plants
• Good technical writing skill is a must
• Technical literature survey skill is essential

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Guidance on how to perform a literature review
• Knowledge on regulation of Small Modular Reactors
• Provide input to regulatory bodies such as Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Martin Agelin-Chaab

Project title: Investigations of adverse weather effects on autonomous vehicle sensors

Summary of research project: Autonomous technology has been on the rise in the recent year. It is desired to understand the performance of sensors and their respective autonomous features in adverse weather conditions in order to facilitate signal enhancing strategies to ensure safety. A drive-thru tunnel method is employed to simulate precipitation and evaluate sensor performance under controlled conditions. The Student will establish evaluation metrics, investigate signal accuracy, and propose ways to minimize the effects of precipitation. The Student will design and fabricate features to be implemented in the setup with the goals to improve controllability, capacity, and to achieve more realistic weather conditions.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• The Student is expected to be able to work independently on literature review, engineering design, setup fabrication, conduct physical experiments, and perform data analysis. The Student will report to mentors regularly and have weekly meetings with supervisor. At the end of the term, a final report that documents all the research progress or a conference paper that showcases the research methodology and results should be submitted.

Student qualifications required:

• Minimum 3.7 GPA
• Students with lower GPA but demonstrate high capability may be considered
• Preferred to have completed the following courses: fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, structures and properties, mechatronics
• Demonstrate knowledge in mechanical design
• Preferred to have hands-on fabrication experience

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Experimental planning
• Technical writing skills
• Presentation skills
• Hands on fabrication skills
• Analyze literature

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Matthew Kaye

Project title: Evaluation and Modelling of Novel Oxyfuel Combustion Process

Summary of research project: An examination of commercial off-the-shelf equipment for the high temperature, oxyfuel combustion process train (i.e., O2 supply, boiler, condensate system and feed-water, CO2 storage & processing) will be made. This will include the evaluation of available commercial off-the-shelf options for upgrading internal turbine parts to withstand the higher temperatures with commercially available and/or near commercial-ready materials and coatings. Material and coating evaluations for this equipment and possible modelling of the behaviour will be conducted.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• The successful Student will be responsible for conducting a literature review in support of the research.
• Periodic reporting of findings will be required as well as communicating to the Project Supervisor.

Student qualifications required:

• It is preferred that applicants have completed 2 years in a related engineering discipline, but qualified first year students will be considered as well.

 Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Upon completion of this work, the student will have the ability to conduct an extensive literature review.
• Upon completion of this work, the student will have developed report writing skills.
• Upon completion of this work, the student will have gained insight into chemical processes.

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Mohamed Z Youssef 1

Project title: Hybrid Power Train for Future Cars

Summary of research project: Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. In this study, a model of an ICE mid size vehicle will be validated against literature experimental acceleration tests. The ICE vehicle model was modified by replacing the ICE power-train with a FC and battery power-train while keeping the other vehicle parameters the same. A comparison between ICE and hybrid FC/battery vehicle configurations will be conducted using a representative alignment load cycle in Toronto.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Building Different System Blocks in MATLAB/Simulink.
• Comparative study between the different configurations of vehicle power trains will be conducted.
• The results will be presented in a technical paper at the end of the project.

Student qualifications required:

• Third Year student with high GPA
• MATLAB Skills

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• MATLAB Coding
• Power Electronics Know-how
• Simulation and Prototyping
• Electric car research
• Standard Certification

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Mohamed Z Youssef 2

Project title: IoT based Power Supply Architecture

Summary of research project: This project spearheads the design of a compact and cost-effective wireless sensor node (mote) capable of harvesting energy from relatively shadowy illumination while operating from a 1.9V supply. The mote features a modular architecture with a compact hardware design. To minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI); the current version of the mote uses a 915 MHz low power medium-range transceiver, which differentiates it from most current short-range motes on the market that operates in the crowded 2.4 GHz spectrum.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Simulation and Prototyping

Student qualifications required:

• Third year with High GPA
• Programming experience preferred

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Coding
• Simulation
• Prototyping
• Sensors
• Electronics

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

  

Supervisor name: Murat Aydin

Project title: Physical informed machine learning for failure prediction of heat exchangers

Summary of research project: Gas flow heat exchangers are subjected to resonant conditions due to coupling of unsteady flow around the tubes with acoustic / structural resonant mode. When this materializes, dynamic loading on the tubes could be extremely high and catastrophic failures are inevitable. The objective of this Project is to developed a physical informed machine learning module to predict onset of resonant conditions during the design stage. The Student will learn different software to achieve this objective using data that were gathered from both industrial and lab experiments

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Sort the data and extract important parameters
• Use matlab among other software to cluster and sort the data
• Implement different machine learning algorithms
• Identify most qualified one
• Test model on new data and check it its effectiveness
• Summarize results in reports and peer reviewed articles

Student qualifications required:

• Strong knowledge of matlab
• Strong academic standing
• Ability to articulate and comment findings for publications

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Training in heat exchangers design
• Training in machine learning algorithms
• Training in communication skills

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Ramona Fayazfar

Project title: Examination of Thermal Barrier Coatings for Use in Novel Combustion Processes

Summary of research project: Combustion gas turbines require high-performance materials and coatings to withstand extreme operating conditions. Thus, different parts of the turbine are composed of different types of materials:
1. The compressor blades are often composed of martensitic stainless steels with aluminum slurry coatings;
2. Turbine disks, blades, and vanes are often made using advanced cast nickel-base super alloys; and
3. The combustor chamber material is often comprised of nickel or cobalt-based super alloys protected by a thermal barrier coating.
This project will propose and examine various thermal barrier coatings to determine their suitability for the intended industrial application.

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• The successful student will be responsible for conducting a literature review in support of the research.
• Periodic reporting of findings will be required as well as communicating to the project supervisor.

Student qualifications required:

• It is preferred that applicants have completed 2 years in a related engineering discipline, but qualified first year students will be considered as well.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Upon completion of this work, the student will have the ability to conduct an extensive literature review.
• Upon completion of this work, the student will have developed report writing skills.
• Upon completion of this work, the student will have gained insight into chemical processes.

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: Hybrid

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Sayyed Ali Hosseini

Project title: Surface Integrity Investigation of Additively Manufactured Metals

Summary of research project: Additive manufacturing creates geometries by depositing material layer-by-layer wherever desired. One of the major roadblocks toward the wide application of additive manufactured metallic parts is the lack of dimensional accuracy and poor surface quality, which necessitates post-process finish machining. This Project aims to perform an extensive experimentation on surface integrity and porosity of the additively manufactured metals. The Student will acquire extensive literature review skills along with hands-on experience in setting up 3D printers along with machining tests if needed. 

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Student will be stationed in the Machining Research Laboratory.
• The main task for the Student is to sourcing information and literature review.
• The Student will be involved in configuring a test setup to print samples and then test them under microscope to study the surface and subsurface integrity parameters including porosity.

Student qualifications required:

• Must have taken and passed MANE 3190U Manufacturing and Production Processes or MANE 4600 Additive Manufacturing with minimum A-
• Interpersonal, team work, communication, CAD Software, and academic report writing skills
• Preferably familiar with machine tools and manufacturing processes such as turning and milling

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Image processing software
• MATLAB
• Finite Element Analysis
• Metallographic Testing

Length of award: 14 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award

 

Supervisor name: Scott Nokleby

Project title: Confine Space Monitoring Using a Spot Legged Robot

Summary of research project: This Project will investigate the use of a Boston Dynamics Spot robot for confined space monitoring.  The Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act - Ontario Regulation 632/05: ‘confined space’ means a fully or partially enclosed space, (a) that is not both designed and constructed for continuous human occupancy, and (b) in which atmospheric hazards may occur because of its construction, location or contents or because of work that is done in it.  The regulation requires that an attendant remain outside the confined space and monitor any workers inside the confined space.  This Project will investigate the utilization of Spot for performing the task of monitoring confined space work.  

Student responsibilities/tasks:

• Work on research tasks related to the design and development of advanced robotic
• Duties include, but are not limited to: designing, developing, programming, and
  building prototypes; designing and conducting experiments; analyzing experimental
  results; writing reports and peer-reviewed publications.
• In addition, the candidate is expected to collaborate with other personnel working in the Mechatronic and Robotic Systems Laboratory.

Student qualifications required:

• The successful Student must have strong engineering, design, mathematics,
  programming, and written/oral English communication skills.
• Robotics experience is an asset.
• Minimum GPA B+ and completion of second year of their engineering program is preferred.

Expected training/skills to be received by the Student:

• Designing, programming, building, and testing/debugging robotic systems.
• Learning how to operate and program a Boston Dynamics Spot robot.

Length of award: 16 Weeks

Location of award: In-Person

Available Award: NSERC USRA or Ontario Tech STAR Award