Partnering with co-op students to solve real-world challenges
By: Christie Zeb (she/her)
Students work with the National Research Council of Canada on projects that solve the everyday challenges of Canadians.
As a federal research and development organization, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) partners with Canadian industry to take research from the lab to the marketplace, where it addresses some of the world's most pressing problems.
The NRC has long hired Waterloo co-op students to work on research projects. Students have made valuable contributions and been instrumental to the success of many of these projects.
Waterloo students have excellent capabilities in research and development. They also bring creativity and innovativeness.
Dr. Pengcheng Xi
How students are helping to solve real-world problems
Students helped to solve a challenge the NRC was facing with an AI model as part of its Pandemic Response Challenge program. They proposed solutions that increased the performance of the model, which was designed to help with COVID-19, pneumonia and melanoma diagnosis.
Even after their co-op terms ended, these students continued to contribute to the Pandemic Response Challenge program. “We’ve seen that students put in time and effort even beyond their co-op terms, which is a testament to their interest and commitment toward the projects they’re involved in,” says Xi.
Zara Cook (she/her), a second-year Computer Engineering student, is on her second work term at the NRC and has been pivotal to a project within the Aging in Place Challenge program. The program aims to develop technological solutions that enable older adults to live independently and safely in homes and communities of their choice as they age. Cook worked on activity recognition from videos and achieved state-of-the-art performance on the Toyota Smarthome dataset.
Zara Cook
Cook is also conducting robotics research using reinforcement and imitation learning techniques with a UR10e robot arm. This research aims to assist older adults in a home environment with everyday tasks.
In contributing to the NRC’s Digital Health and Geospatial Analytics program, Cook developed a novel AI methodology for predicting brain age from electroencephalogram (EEG) data, employing explainable AI techniques during her first work term at the NRC. She also incorporated generative AI models to improve EEG brain age prediction. This significantly reduced errors from previous approaches.
“Brain age prediction is important because it provides insights into a person's cognitive health, helping to detect early signs of neurodegenerative diseases or cognitive decline,” says Cook.
NRC’s support fuels student success
Students are drawn to the dynamic work they are involved with at the NRC and often return for multiple work terms. Many co-op students participate in groundbreaking projects that have a lasting impact on their academic and professional careers.
Cook notes that a highlight was getting her paper accepted at IEEE I2MTC 2024 in May in Glasgow, Scotland.
Her paper titled "Enhancing Brain Age Prediction: A Generative AI Approach for EEG Machine Learning Models," won two awards, the Student Travel Grant and the Best Undergraduate Paper.
Presenting her research in Scotland has inspired Cook to broaden her perspective. She met researchers from around the world and discussed their work.
Cook describes her co-op experience at the NRC as enriching and rewarding.
“This opportunity has provided me with hands-on experience in cutting-edge research, which is rare as a second-year undergraduate student. The exposure to real-world applications of AI and machine learning has been invaluable. It has deepened my understanding and sparked a passion for continuous learning and innovation,” says Cook.
Zara Cook winning an award for her research paper
When hiring, the NRC looks out for students who are dependable, independent and willing to learn. Students are matched to projects based on their interests and the NRC encourages them to challenge themselves in their roles.
“We want them to take risks and try different things. Most importantly, we like them to enjoy the success of their co-op terms. If they have outcomes from the co-op term, they can bring them to their resume or future co-op opportunities,” says Xi.
The NRC has a culture of treating students like colleagues and collaborators, while providing support. Students value the sense of ownership, which often attracts them to apply for positions at the NRC.
“Students are very professional in their jobs. We, in turn, treat them as colleagues and give them opportunities to have papers under their names. Their names are added as the first authors in those submissions,” says Xi.
It’s a win-win for both students and the NRC. As the organization continues to hire co-op students every term, it’s improving the health and well-being of Canadians through their contributions. At the same time, it’s providing valuable career-shaping experiences for these students.