Streptococcus pneumoniae is a type of pneumonia that affects approximately 200 million children under the age of five worldwide annually. The goal of this project is to simulate a mass production unit to produce 500,000 doses of the whole cell new generation vaccine that can build immunity through the release of bacterial antigens. This will include detailed analysis of biochemical components in the vaccine, detailed process and equipment design as well as environmental impact of a mass production plant.

Faculty Advisor: Marc Aucoin

Ontario produces more energy than required – in fact, often selling at a loss to neighbouring regions – resulting in an economic drawback for the province and needless non-renewable production. The challenge presented is one of seeking a way to rely primarily on renewable energy and retaining the excess. This project aims to design a battery storage system for the University of Waterloo such that renewable energy powers the campus, and excess energy is stored and discharged during hours of non-renewable use, all to drastically reduce emissions.

Faculty Advisor: Jason Grove

The demand for sustainable, clean energy sources is continuing to increase as time progresses - meanwhile hydro plant downtimes create a bottleneck for affordable green energy production. Our project seeks to improve the economics of hydroelectric power production through improved energy storage, allowing excess renewable energy produced to be stored for use when electricity costs are higher or when sudden increases in demand occur - reducing the demand of non-renewable sources during peak times.

Faculty Advisors: Ali Elkamel, Ali Ahmadian

Development of high protein fermented beverages specifically focusing on kombucha. The project focuses on creating the product and optimizing production while considering factors such as protein levels, flavour development, taste and texture.

Faculty Advisor: Marc Aucoin

With the concept of cultured meat (CM) becoming more popular, it is still unaffordable due to high manufacturing costs. One of the main steps is the production of the scaffold, which is currently at the laboratory-scale. The scaffold is the support structure that allows CM cells to grow on and proliferate. Our project focusses on the scaled-up design and optimization of the scaffold production process using the electrospinning technique by reducing costs. Moreover, recommendations will be made on the environmental impact and health & safety.

Faculty Advisor: Christine Moresoli