Reaction All Years

Sing it Out Karaoke Night

As part of our project for the Applied Project Management class, we, as project management students, were tasked with organizing a fundraising event for Make-A-Wish. We came up with Karaoke Night since it will serve as a platform for bringing together friends, families, and local businesses. Originally, we had planned various activities such as a volleyball game, pool event, gardening, photobooth for dogs, etc. The purpose of the event is to host a fantastic evening of music, entertainment, and fundraising while bringing attention to the needs of these brave wish children. The nonprofit Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to kid with life-threatening illnesses. Since its founding in 1980, it has developed into one of the most well-known wish-granting organizations in the world, operating in more than 50 countries. (Make-A-Wish) The foundation’s mission is to give children with life-threatening illnesses unforgettable experiences that will inspire them with courage, joy, and hope. The Make-A-Wish Foundation relies on the support of volunteers, donors, and sponsors to fulfil its mission. Volunteers provide their time and skills to grant wishes, organize events, and raise awareness. Donors and sponsors provide the required financial resources to grant the requests. Together, they help thousands of wish children, and their families have happier days. Long after a wish is granted, its effects endure. Studies show that granting wishes can improve kids’ mental and physical health, provide them with a sense of normalcy, and improve their ability to manage their medical issues. The Make-A-Wish Foundation strives to create lasting joy and give wish children and their families the strength to face the future with a new sense of hope. 

We sought to find talented local artists, singers, and artists to the event, and they generously donated their voices to make it an exciting karaoke experience. To promote a warm and enjoyable environment, participants are encouraged to demonstrate their vocal talents, whether as soloists or in groups. 

The event features fundraising activities that inspire attendees to give generously in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s goal. Fundraising activities can be done by the Open Box. A fun and participatory component can be added to the Karaoke Night event with the “Song Request Box” activity, making the audience feel more involved and engaged with the performances. 

Social Procurement & Enterprise Development (SPEnD)

SPEnD is a 3-year research initiative of Algonquin College’s Social Innovation Lab, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research of Council of Canada (SSHRC).
The SPEnD Summer 2023 cohort is focused on:

1. Data Collection/Analysis of College Sector fiscal capacity for social finance
2. Research global social enterprises with a focus on product/service diversity of offerings
3. Identification of demand driven tech enabled business concepts for new student run Social Enterprises
4. Creation of open access materials to support institutions in embracing social innovation.

NASA Space Apps Challenge – Sandglass

Inspired by the NASA Space Apps competition and its themes from previous years, Sandglass offers an interactive and interesting way to learn about universal expansion. Since its creation in 2012, the Space Apps competition has inspired hundreds of thousands of individuals to create solutions to challenges in the fields of Earth and space science and technology. Hosted annually in October, participants from 150+ countries contribute solutions to NASA’s challenges, which are released at the beginning of the event weekend and typically give participants two days to develop their solutions.
Though our project was not created to solve a specific challenge from the competition, it was inspired by solutions from previous years to resemble the type of project that would be created for the Space Apps competition, though more in depth thanks to the longer development time available. Because of this, our team’s project experience was different than most. There was no official client for our project, and so we were given free reign to come up with the requirements and features of Sandglass, with the help of our professor and surrogate client. This had its advantages and disadvantages; the team was able to determine its own creative vision for the project, and communication was streamlined without the need to coordinate schedules with a client. However, this meant additional time needed to be spent researching potential projects and the best medium to express these projects while other teams had already received expectations from clients. Surprisingly, even this turned into an unexpected additional advantage, since it made collaboration and communication within the team paramount from the very beginning and helped us to define strengths and roles later on.
This of course culminated in the creation of what Sandglass would become: an educational tool targeted at youth aged 12-17 that, with the help of NASA’s exoplanet archive database, demonstrates the time it would take for an exoplanet to leave Earth’s observable universe and, in doing so, disappear from our sky forever. Users are able to filter through a list of more than 5000 exoplanets to see a visualization animation that shows information about the selected planet and its movement through space. The application also presents the expansion algorithm developed by the team and explains how it is used to produce our results.
All in all, the project was a great learning experience for the team. Resourcefulness, adaptability, and problem solving were key qualities for the unique project experience that we underwent. We were also able to develop new technical skills; Python, the language Sandglass was developed in, was new to our entire team. Our team also had no prior experience developing animation, something that was required for the visualization aspect of the application. This experience has surely provided new and improved skills that the members of our team will be able to carry forward into future endeavors.

Grocery Chum

BR[AI]YT is a leading artificial intelligence (AI) solutions provider that assists public and private organizations in achieving their business goals by applying advanced AI techniques. With extensive experience in designing, developing, deploying, and maintaining AI solutions across a diverse range of business domains, BR[AI]YT specializes in helping small and medium-sized organizations integrate Automation, Cloud, Data Analytics, Discovery, Ethics, and Strategy into their operations.

BR[AI]YT’s engineering teams are currently working on the development of various modules aimed at creating a fully autonomous, cashier-less retail experience. The primary objective of the project is to develop neural network modules capable of detecting and tracking individuals’ movements within a physical space using multiple cameras, all while sharing data simultaneously.

Our team is focusing on a specific portion of this ambitious project, aiming to digitize receipts and invoices from multiple stores. The system must be robust enough to process images with varying intensities, shapes, and orientations and extract text and numbers accurately. Essential information includes the store’s name, the date the receipt was issued, the items purchased, and the cost of each item. The system must be smart and flexible, as input images will be highly variable.

The goal is to accurately parse information from different stores, each with unique receipt formats. Additionally, the digitization process must account for images acquired using various devices and sensors, such as smartphone cameras with distinct post-process coloring and image qualities. The system should require minimal effort from the user in terms of image quality, accommodating less-than-optimal lighting and possibly slightly blurry images. A standard for image processing must be devised to create a flexible and robust system.

This project offers numerous opportunities and applications. One potential use case is market research into consumer habits, which stores can leverage to gain a foothold in the industry. By tracking individuals’ spending habits, companies can better understand their target demographics’ behavior. Another potential application is a smartphone app that enables the general public to monitor and manage their spending habits.

By digitizing receipts for easy processing, the project aims to handle various image qualities, store formats, and extract key information effectively. The development of this innovative system will revolutionize retail experiences, offering a seamless and efficient solution for businesses and consumers alike.

BE WELL, BE YOU

There has been a noticeable surge in the demand for mental health services during the pandemic, particularly among the youth. However, the effectiveness of the mental health resources available to them on social media platforms remains unclear. The Public Health Agency of Canada recognizes this challenge and aims to gain insights into how young people access healthcare information through technology.
Our project aims to address the low utilization of the resources provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada among the youth population. Despite the availability of valuable information about youth health on their website, young people often don’t turn to the agency for support. Therefore, our study will focus on identifying ways for the Public Health Agency of Canada to connect better with young people and become a trusted source of information for their mental well-being.
Based on our secondary research, we have identified young residents of Canada aged from 18 to 24 as the target group for our focus group. This age range represents both students and young professionals in Canada. We have decided to focus on social media as the primary technology platform since it is widely used by this demographic.Our research has highlighted that mental health is a significant concern for young people. Therefore, it is the primary area of focus for our project.
Upon our research findings, we developed both quantitative and qualitative questions for our survey and semi-structured interviews. The survey focused on gathering information about the social media habits of young people. For instance, their primary use of social media platforms, their interest in mental health topics, and their willingness to learn more about mental health. We sought to understand the level of trust young people place in mental health information provided on social media and other online platforms through our semi-structured interviews. We aimed to gain insights into the reasons behind their preferences for certain sources of information, their trust in specific social media platforms, and their approach to searching for mental health information online. Additionally, we asked them about the usefulness and helpfulness of the information they found. This is to gain a comprehensive understanding of young people’s behaviours, attitudes, and perceptions towards mental health information on social media.
We recruited 490 participants to our research using social media, and 9 participants were selected for follow-up interviews. After analysis, we developed insights and recommendations based on what we found in our research.
Based on our research, we discovered that young people seek emotional support from their peers, while relying on mental health professionals for reliable information. To address this, we have developed an AI mentor that provides both emotional and professional support on social media. Our goal is to build trust with young people and create a safe and open environment where they can easily share their experiences. The AI mentor can also share positive thoughts, tips, or experiences and provide links to the PHAC’s website for easy access to more information.
We also worked on the PHAC’s website design, to enrich the format, and make it more attractive to youth. We are confident that our research and findings will provide a valuable contribution to improving public health information access for Canadian youth.