ASI Spotlight on HQP

Meet Jason Wong, Farzad Aghazadeh, Bahareh Lashkari and David Gordon. At first glance, their research may not seem to have a lot in common. Jason, featured in our ASI newsletter before (VOL 2/ISS 5), is trying to improve the diagnostic capabilities of ultrasound in children with idiopathic scoliosis. Farzad, still working in the medical field, is developing tools for the automatic and objective assessment of surgical skills. Bahareh’s attention is focused on the potential of blockchain for decentralized applications to improve the transparency, security and efficiency of the power trading systems in the energy sector. Swivel our attention again, and we find that David is seeking to improve the efficiency and reduce emissions of the internal combustion engine. Completely different, right?

Well, sort of. But they have two key things in common.

They are, of course, all HQPs of the ASI. This means that at the heart of their research are investigations into the fundamentals and applications of automated systems. Given the rapid growth of these technologies and their potential to completely revolutionize the world around us, this commonality makes their work of strategic importance to our industries and communities on both provincial and national levels. And, given the significant attendance at ASI’s recent annual symposium, entitled “Short Term Goals Long-Term Vision”, the imperative to find answers and solutions when implementing autonomous systems is at the forefront of people’s attention.

In addition, they were all winners of the student research poster competition at the symposium where their research ideas were presented and available for all online delegates to view. Having great ideas and sound research methodologies is of course important, and students were assessed by judges on the content. But equally important is the ability to convey that science clearly to audiences who may not have the same technical expertise. And that’s no mean feat.

Kelly Maher, Executive Director of the ASI, highlights the importance of these events for our students and HQP. “Certainly, the poster presentations showcased the novel research being conducted as part of the ASI to the academic and business communities. And, poster sessions provide an interactive forum for researchers to communicate their results in a visually succinct format. But, for students/HQP they are particularly beneficial allowing them to gain presentation experience, interact with a wide-range of audiences, and build their networks.”

All four students – Jason, Farzad, Bahareh and David – took the top prizes by being able to communicate their complex ideas in engaging and accessible ways. In order to implement the technologies of the future, we need our researchers, engineers, technologists and entrepreneurs to be able to do this effectively. These four are bright prospects looking forward.

If you would like to see any of the poster presentations from this year’s symposium, including the winning entries, you can link to our YouTube channel here.