Applied Market Intelligence Research

Students will be working with a consortium of six global companies and the Town of Markham Economic Development office to identify key success factors and trends within B2B targeted industries. Partners will receive a summary report which will also be published as a white paper for broader readership. At least one senior representative of the partner companies will be on campus each week to work directly with the students in a mentoring role. The project is jointly funded by the partners.

Feasibility Study for the Conversion of a Municipal Solid Waste Site

This project will undertake the characterization of a closed, mixed use landfill order to establish an appropriate sampling grid for a baseline study. Sampling and monitoring programs will be developed for the full-scale pilot of an Aerobic Bioreactor that the municipality is planning to implement at the site.

Haptic Joystick Interface

Seneca students are developing software to evaluate force feedback (FF) joysticks designed for computer games. In partnership with Quanser and Communications and Information Technology Ontario (CITO).

Mon Ami Assistive Devices

Seneca faculty and students are working with Tertec Enterprises to develop wireless, unobtrusive electronic devices that will assist elderly and individuals living with physical challenges to connect with their caregivers while living independently. In partnership with Health Technology Exchange (HTX), Communications and Information Technology Ontario (CITO) and Tertec Enterprises.

Predictive Modeling of Failure Mechanisms in Electronics Equipment Correlating HALT
(Highly Accelerated Life Testing) Methodology

Through this project Seneca established a HALT lifetesting facility with the associated infrastructure and established some significant benchmark capabilities within that facility. The project investigated the possibility of determining a clear relationship between HALT lifetest results and corresponding results obtained using traditional means. Working with Autoliv Electronics, the research team was able to demonstrate failure of leaded test circuit boards, with a failure mechanism very similar to that observed in Autoliv’s standard lifetests. The HALT failures exhibited slight differences in nature, attributable to the vibration levels to which the boards were subjected. However, failures were of a decidedly similar type and occurred on the same devices as determined using standard tests by Autoliv. Time to failure through the HALT process developed in our lab was a factor of 30 to 100 shorter than that found through standard methods. This result implies that significant time (and hence financial) benefits could be obtained by companies interested in characterizing their circuit life expectancies through HALT rather than traditional lifetesting approaches. Similar testing was begun with a second industry partner, Redline Communications.

STRIKE Photon Interface Compatibility Management Layer

Seneca students and faculty are creating a Windows environment for an interface that will be integrated into a variety of industrial and consumer products. In partnership with Communications and Information Technology Ontario (CITO) and STRIKE Technologies.

Enhancing Student Success and Faculty Innovation
In Introductory Science And Mathematics Using College Classroom Technology

This project will evaluate the use of HP Tablet PCs for improving student engagement and learning in mathemat­ics and science. Tablet technology will be used to create an environment in which teachers can provide specific, rapid feedback and prevent the integration of misconceptions into their conceptual framework. The ability to use a stylus provides an interface that is both more familiar and less restrictive than a traditional mouse and keyboard. Students will be provided with appropriate digital learning activities in order to support the learning of difficult concepts and how these are applied. Learning in this environment will be compared with similar students in the same course where tablet PCs are not used in the classroom. Funding is provided through the HP Technology for Teaching grant.

Enhancing Student Success in Post-Secondary Education

Supported with funding from Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), the Enhancing Student Success in Post-Secondary Education Project was an important pilot project based on potentially ground-breaking research in two respects. First and foremost, the project used random assignment and experimental control techniques, and second, the study focused on student retention and success, a field of policy which remains under-studied and under-funded in Canada relative to the United States. This was an experimental research project based on both quantitative and qualitative data collected from three participant groups of college students assessed to be at risk of not completing their program. These were: a control group, a voluntary participation group, and an experimental group that was required to participate in one or more of 4 intervention strategies based on the individual student’s at risk assessment. Data analysis sought to determine the impact of each of these interventions, and led to the extension of the research to include students in two other colleges in the Foundations for Success project supported by the Millennium Scholarships Foundation.

Foundations for Success Project

This study extends the research of the Seneca’s Enhancing Student Success in Post Secondary Education Project. Supported by funding from the Millennium Scholarships Foundation, the Foundations for Success study seeks to determine the academic impact of two different interventions (i.e., required participation in academic support activities and bursary financial assistance) on the retention of students identified as at risk of not completing a two year program of study. Students from the three participating colleges (Seneca, Mohawk and Confederation) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the control group, the academic support intervention group, and the academic intervention and financial assistance group. Data are being analyzed to determine if student academic outcomes varied between the groups and whether the differences could be attributed to the different treatments received.

Learning Objects Repository Project

The focus of this project is to support the infrastructure to develop an open-source repository environment for use in primary to post-secondary schools. In partnership with McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Pearson Education and Sun Microsystems.

Restructuring and Equity in Community Colleges

This project explores the impact of economic globalization on the role of the college teacher, the reorganization of college academic labour, and the outcome for quality education. In partnership with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

AMCaT Project

The AMCaT Project (Animating MoCap Capacity and Training) is a partnership between Seneca College and Interactive Ontario to establish a motion capture “clean-up” facility, and provide training, research and awareness of motion capture and its importance in the entertainment industries. Motion capture is a technique of digitally recording movements for characters in entertainment, sports, and medical applications. It is widely used in video games and movies, such as Lord of the Rings. This project is funded through the Ontario Partnership Fund, administered through the Ontario Media Development Corp. 

Simulation and Advanced Gaming Environments (SAGE)

Students in Seneca's Computer Programming and Animation Arts Centre are providing the programming and 3-D animation for a computer game, which teaches children how everyday diseases are created and spread. In partnership with Simon Fraser University, York University, Tele Université du Quebec, Dalhousie University, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and CANARIE, Canada's advanced Internet development organization.

Biotechnology research projects are still in progress. Please see our Current Projects page.

Compliance Training in the Canadian Banking Sector

Seneca's Centre for Financial Services is conducting research with 13 Canadian banks to identify critical skills for compliance officers dealing with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada consumer provisions issues. In partnership with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.

Brownfield Best Practices Matrix

This research creates a best practices matrix system for brownfield development. In partnership with the University of Toronto, University of Windsor and the Ontario Centres of Excellence.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
Certification of the Earth Rangers Centre

Seneca faculty and students conduct research to provide data in support of the LEED certification of the Earth Rangers Centre at the Kortright Conservation Centre in Woodbridge, Ontario. In partnership with Enermodal Engineering and the Cement Association of Canada.

Neighbourhood Design Project

This project examines options for sustainable neighbourhood designs of new communities. In partnership with Wessex Institute of Technology (U.K.), University of Siena (Italy), Tartu University (Estonia) and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Porous Pavement Project

The project analyzes the on-site water distributing capacity of the porous pavement treatment of a parking lot alongside a traditional non-porous pavement parking lot. In partnership with the Toronto Region Conservation Authority, Environment Canada, Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation and Wal-Mart Canada.

Residential Desiccant Dehumidification

This project examines the ability of a desiccant dehumidification device to lower facility humidity with consequent lowering of electrical demand for air conditioning. In partnership with Enbridge Gas and Ontario's Centre of Excellence for Earth and Environmental Technologies.

Small Scale Wind Turbine

There are two aspects of this project: (i) examining the working capacity and safety of a four-blade small wind turbine for mounting and analysis in 2007, and (ii) mounting a wind turbine as part of a prototype piece of urban public art. In partnership with the Canadian Institute for Steel Construction.

Sustainable High-rise Residential Building Model

This project examines a 4-D high-rise model. Under the guidance of faculty, students survey the model and recommend a second stage to develop a live, interactive high-rise building model for studying multiple sustainable features. In partnership with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Minto Developments.