Challenges Directory

Browse featured challenges for Neuro Nexus 2020

Welcome to the Neuro Nexus Challenge Directory! 

The 2020 Neuro Nexus competition received over 40 challenges related to brain science and mental health from health practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs, industry members, patient advocates all in an effort towards better understanding of the brain and how to recognize and treat neurological disorders and mental health conditions.

Below you will find our challenge database which includes challenges accepted into the program categorized into three unique project tracks: 

  • Industry: Advance, strengthen or test a product by addressing challenges relevant to the firm’s core technologies. These projects often originate from and stay within the firm, and require intellectual property claims to be kept by the firm. Award funding is structured to grant the winning team with an internship at the firm.
  • Research and Education: Projects that seek to accelerate scientific discoveries through tool development or provide improved training for brain and mental health care. Award funding is structured to grant the winning team with an internship at the research lab.
  • Entrepreneurship: Pursue an idea and develop solutions to directly impact brain and mental health practice. These projects may originate from almost any context. Award funding will be provided as seed funding to continue development of your prototype. 

Browse through the challenges by scrolling down and click on a card to learn more. Check back daily as we add more challenges to this featured list. 

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Challenge ID: 026
Improving Mental Health Treatment Using Real-time Assessment of Behaviours and Emotions

Champion Name: Gina Dimitropolis, Paul Arnold

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed: Mobile App Development, Psychology, Digital Illustration,

The COVID-19 pandemic and the unintended consequences of public health measures to curtail the spread of the virus ha…

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Challenge ID: 029
A portable encephalogram (EEG) solution for acute care

Champion Name: Sina Marzoughi, Ankur Banerjee

Project Track: entrepreneurship

Skills Needed:

We envision an EEG device created for medical use that is low cost, portable and wireless, and designed for use in Em…

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Challenge ID: 028
Going virtual - adapting a dual-language program for children who speak minority languages

Champion Name: Andrea MacLeod, Catrine Demers

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed:

By valuing the abilities that minority language children bring to school, we are building towards an inclusive societ…

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Challenge ID: 027
Machine learning tool for the rapid analysis of video-EEG recordings in mice

Champion Name: Deborah Kurrasch

Project Track: entrepreneurship

Skills Needed:

Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized predominantly by epileptiform discharges, otherwise known as seizures. The…

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Challenge ID: 002
Bounce forward with psychological assets

Champion Name: Brenda Leung, PhD

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed:

Chronic psychosocial stress is known to impact mental health by way of metabolic dysregulation, inflammation, and oxi…

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Challenge ID: 025
RemBRAINdt: Generating Art from Live Brain Data

Champion Name: Shane Eaton

Project Track: entrepreneurship

Skills Needed: Front-End Software Development, Python, Psychology, Machine Learning, Business, Marketing, Animation, Digital Illustration, Cloud Computing,

Development of RemBRAINdt, an EEG-based application for entertainment, as well as development of a business strategy…

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Challenge ID: 024
Using Neurotechnology Tools to Better Identify and Support Adult Concussion Management in Emergency Departments

Champion Name: Petra O'Connell, Eddy Lang

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed:

While some patients receive excellent post-concussion care in Alberta, especially those with sports-related concussio…

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Challenge ID: 023
Development of a Universal Daily Tracking App

Champion Name: Ashley Harris, Kate Godfrey, Carly McMorris

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed: App Development, Interface Development, Data Security,

In research, we are often interested in aspects of daily life that we wish we could track for days or weeks at a time…

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Challenge ID: 022
Creating Mental Wellness through UX

Champion Name: Ty McKinney, Shannon Snaden

Project Track: industry

Skills Needed: Front-End Web Development, UX Design, Django and Phaser Framework Experience, Mental Health Experience, Progressive Web Applications, Data Science, Communication Skills,

8-Bit Cortex is a social enterprise that aims to democratize and gamify mental health services. As the recipient of t…

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Challenge ID: 021
Low-cost, portable balance training and assessment platform

Champion Name: Shaun Fickling

Project Track: industry

Skills Needed: Data Science, Front-End Software Development, Mobile App Development, Physical Therapy, Kinesiology,

Having good balance means being able to control and maintain your body's position. Good balance helps you walk withou…

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Challenge ID: 020
Applying new machine learning techniques to the analysis of neural time-series data

Champion Name: Peter Blouw

Project Track: industry

Skills Needed: Python, Tensorflow,

This challenge is focused on applying a novel machine learning technique for time-series analysis to neurological dat…

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Challenge ID: 019
An APPetite for mental health

Champion Name: Catherine Swytink-Binnema

Project Track: entrepreneurship

Skills Needed: mobile app design, Mobile App Programming, Nutrition Science, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Mindfulness, Behavior Change Theory, Psychology,

Can we build an app that guides people to eat in a way that is both physically and mentally healthy? -- “Diet c…

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Challenge ID: 018
Sensory conditioned unconscious learning to play a piano

Champion Name: Ephrem Zewdie

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed: Electrical Circuit Building, Software Design, Music Playing, Cognitive Neuroscience, 3D Design,

Learning processes and outcomes can be conscious and unconscious. The unconscious processes range from registering in…

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Challenge ID: 017
Calculation of Muscle Asymmetry

Champion Name: Diana Pederson; Philippe A. Souvestre, MD, CEA/PhD

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed: Kinesiology, Software Design, Software Engineering, C++, Architecture, Biomechanics, Neurology, Physical Medicine,

Expand on gravity integrated locomotion modeling research to application in medical diagnostics -- The human musculo…

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Challenge ID: 016
Memory on hand

Champion Name: Cameron Clark, PhD, R.Psych.

Project Track: entrepreneurship

Skills Needed: Software Design, Hardware Design,

Wrist-based tactile feedback to help make memories stick -- As part of my practice in neuropsychology, I facilitate…

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Challenge ID: 014
Tech for teletherapy

Champion Name: Huong Hoang; Preeti Kar

Project Track: industry

Skills Needed: UX Design, Psychology, Software Engineering, Website Design, UI Design, Game Development,

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a shift to remote service delivery for many children with neurodevelopmental di…

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Challenge ID: 013
Exploring the Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Distinguish Typical Optic Neuritis (ON) from Atypical ON Subtypes

Champion Name: Etienne Benard-Seguin; Fiona Costello

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed: Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence,

Optic Neuritis (ON) is defined as an inflammatory injury to the the optic nerve that presents with acute vision loss.…

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Challenge ID: 012
Assistive chatbot

Champion Name: Dave Damer

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed: Psychology, Machine Learning, Behavioural Science, Linguistics,

Our goal is to build an intelligent conversational Natural Language Processing (NLP) based bot to serve as a personal…

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Challenge ID: 011
Creating happy experiences for our seniors

Champion Name: Peter Zhou; Ryan Bourns

Project Track: industry

Skills Needed: Behavior Therapy, Language Analysis, Data Mining,

Combining impactful technology with unique minds to advance community-based health interventions for our aging popula…

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Challenge ID: 010
Real-time visualization of large-scale dynamic functional brain networks from EEG recordings

Champion Name: Emma Towlson, PhD

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed:

Network science approaches help us understand the structure and function of the brain, in an integrative, data-driven…

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Challenge ID: 009
Precision Ergonomics

Champion Name: Jon Doan, PhD

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed:

Work-related musculoskeletal discomfort has both physical and mental health consequences. MSDs can generate work diss…

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Challenge ID: 008
Integrated Functional Neurology Assessment Kiosk

Champion Name: Diana Pederson; Philippe A. Souvestre, MD, CEA/PhD

Project Track: industry

Skills Needed: Kinesiology, Software Engineering, Neurology, Engineering, Mechatronics, Human Factors, User Design, Neuroscience, Business, Product Management, Marketing, Technical Writing,

Develop prototype and market assessment for medical assessment kiosk to capture posture and eye tracking There is a b…

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Challenge ID: 007
Universal remote controller paired with BCI

Champion Name: Hosein Bahari (E.I.T), Corinne Tuck (OT)

Project Track: industry

Skills Needed: Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering,

Brain-Computer Interface lab located at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital utilizes BCI technology to provide pedia…

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Challenge ID: 006
Mechanical design of miniature head-mounted optical system for wireless photometry in mice

Champion Name: Kartikeya Murari, PhD, PEng

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed: User Design, Mechanical Design, Optical Design, 3D Modelling/Printing, Machining, Fabrication,

In basic neuroscience, fiber photometry is a method for monitoring neural activity in deep structures of the brains o…

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Challenge ID: 005
Power mobility using SSVEP

Champion Name: Hosein Bahari (E.I.T), Corinne Tuck (OT)

Project Track: industry

Skills Needed: Software Engineering, Machine Learning, Neuroscience, Electrical Engineering, Signal Processing,

Brain-Computer Interface lab located at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital utilizes BCI technology to provide pedia…

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Challenge ID: 004
Mapping sensorimotor activation hotspots during cortical stimulation (MOSAICS)

Champion Name: Helen Carlson, PhD; Bryce Geeraert, PhD

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed:

Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), excitability of areas within the motor cortex can be mapped and motor…

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Challenge ID: 003
On Memory Neurotechnologies

Champion Name: Dong Song, Phd; Garrett Flynn

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed: UX Design, UI Design, Neuroscience, Neural Engineering, Web Development, Data Visualization, Animation, Digital Illustration, Bioethics, Neuroethics, Science Communication,

It is becoming increasingly accepted that user-centered design is critical for the development of effective neurotech…

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Challenge ID: 001
iPhone based Virtual Reality Image Guidance

Champion Name: Yves Starreveld, MD, PhD, Neurosurgeon

Project Track: research-education

Skills Needed:

The recent inclusion of capable VR libraries in iOS have significantly lowered the bar to adding overlay image guidan…

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