The Rapid Seedling Award is an internal ICC/GLRC initiative to sponsor scalable research efforts within the institute. With the fall 2023 selection deadline passed, the joint institute has selected four projects to sponsor for up to $10,000 during the fall semester.
Vinh Nguyen (ME-EM), Flavio Costa (ECE), Guy Hembroff (AppComp), and Ryan Williams (GLRC) were selected for their proposed projects.
Vinh Nguyen‘s research aims to improve the production of metal parts through automation. The current issue with wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is that the porosity of the final result is often too great, making it weaker and less reliable. Through the use of machine learning (ML), however, a framework can be created to build prediction models for WAAM to create an automated one-stop-shop for production, which is especially important as a survey reveals a shortage of suitable workers to complete these tasks manually reported by many companies. His project was funded for $6,320.
Flavio Costa is the primary investigator (PI) of a $10,000 funded project on developing protection for offshore wind energy power systems, aided by co-PI’s Chee-Wooi Ten, Fernando Ponta, and Wayne W Weaver. These protection frameworks will work to counter a rising problem with the rapid adoption of renewable energy systems, which is that they are more prone to short circuits or faults. These occurrences can result in damaged equipment, destabilization, and safety risks, raising the need for responsive defensive measures built within the network. Dr. Costa regards that the research is of “great importance, as it aims to create a future that is safer, more efficient, and more sustainable, powered by offshore wind energy.
Guy Hembroff‘s project addresses mental health concerns, particularly amongst students, and how to infuse AI into mental health management Hembroff, director of the Health Informatics graduate program, aspires to achieve a AI-fueled support system that has scalable applicability to other groups outside of K-12 schools. This application of AI allows for an element of personalization and responsiveness to be available for users, streamlining the process with adaptive machine learning. His project has been awarded $6,000 for the Fall 2023 semester.
Ryan Williams, member of the GLRC and Assistant Director of the Geospatial Research Facility (GRF), aims to increase the capabilities of the GRF to include the collection and storage of real-time sensor based data underwater. His objectives include developing capture and dissemination of sensor data, enhance automated identification systems (AIS) and connect it to a platform accessible on campus, and expand publicly accessible information on water conditions in the Portage Waterway. Williams and co-PI/Director of the GRF Don Lafreniere will have access to $9,500 of awarded Rapid Seedling funds.