Volatile organic Compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) belong to the group of anthropogenic chemicals, meaning their effects are a result of human activity. VOCs are commonly found in the manufacturing process of paints, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, and refrigerants. Additionally VOCs can be used as gasoline additives, solvents and dry-cleaning agents. SVOCs are common to indoor environments and are often used in the production of plastics, detergents, furniture, and other household and consumer products. Through their use in industry, both VOCs and SVOCs can be a potential contaminant of ground water and surface water resources and as a result, pose as a potential human health threat as many are toxic and known carcinogens. It is therefore highly important to have accurate and precise methods for their identification and analysis. Throughout the duration of the internship, the intern will undertake the evaluation of solid phase micro extraction for environmental monitoring (SPME). Four individual projects have been selected, two involving the identification and analysis ofVOCs and two involving the identification and analysis ofSVOCs using SPME.

EnWave is developing custom microwave power sources for their vacuum pressure dehydration microwave drying products. The custom microwave power sources are based on arrays of 1.2 kW magnetrons. The microwave power sources require high voltage power supplies in the range of 4 kV with supporting control circuits to adjust the output voltage. Each 1.2 kW magnetron has an independent power supply and a typical system consists of a bank of high voltage supplies. Important design issues include controlling the relative phase of the current and voltage waveforms at the input of the supply and ensuring reverse current flow into the grid is minimized. These design issues relate to power factor and harmonic control circuits in the power supply. The primary project objective is to analyze, design and implement power factor control circuits for the high voltage supplies. The project work will directly support the design of new microwave drying systems currently being developed at EnWave.

Salt marshes are important coastal ecosystems as they provide many services to surrounding areas. However, due to their highly productive nature, they have a long history of being converted into farmland in the Maritimes and continue to be altered for human development. Salt marsh restoration has become popular recently to mitigate the increasing societal costs associated with rising sea level, as well as to increase amount of suitable habitat for wildlife including waterfowl. Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) initiated a salt marsh restoration project in 2010 near Fort Beauséjour in Aulac, New Brunswick, by breaching the dikes impound two farmland cells. The intern will continue to monitor the succession of the communities (terrestrial and aquatic), from farmland to mudflat to salt marsh, and provide insights on best management strategies for salt marsh restoration. This information is useful to the environmental consulting, agricultural, transport, fishery and hunting industries, and to agencies interested in salt marsh restoration.

The proposed research will include an analysis of video content to determine its implicit learning content based on the social and emotional domains. Once the videos are analyzed, a parent profile will be used to determine what videos are most applicable to each individual child, based on their developmental profile. Further activities will be recommended to parents in addition to the video content. This project will aid the organization in becoming more individualized in terms of content and domain development, according to what the profile indicates for the child. This specificity will allow the organization to market their product as developmentally appropriate, and it will also promote the capabilities to foster particular developmental skills.