This summer, 32 Canadian universities have invited over 60 undergraduate students from Ukraine to take part in solving some challenging innovation projects through a unique program called the Mitacs Globalink Research Internship.
The Ukrainian students are part of a larger contingent of nearly 2,200 international students selected from 35 countries. Each student will spend 12 weeks working under the direction of Canadian professors and alongside local researchers to help solve complex problems ranging from health and wellness, to robotics, technology and the environment.
One groundbreaking project which has come out of this program involves creating the first-of-its-kind social robot. This robot will facilitate mental health aid to help people experiencing stress and anxiety. The robot, being developed at Ontario Tech University (OUT) in Oshawa, Ontario, will initially engage Ukrainians dealing with the impacts and trauma of war.
Another project centers around the development of a ground-breaking community services asset map and reference list to assist Ukrainian newcomers to Canada. The interactive map being designed at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, British Columbia, will facilitate locating appropriate resources and social supports while strengthening collaboration between the Ukraine and Canada in an effort to advance social work research and education.
Experiences from war inspire new ways of healing
Last fall, Ukrainian university student Iryna Parkhomchuk applied for a research internship in Canada. She was excited about a new adventure; this would be her first trip abroad.
Parkhomchuk never imagined in her wildest dreams that she would be cowering in a bomb shelter fearing for her life just before departing for Canada.
Thankfully, Parkhomchuk arrived safe and sound and is now using the life-altering experience of war to make an impactful difference in the lives of others. Using leading-edge research, Parkhomchuk is creating a social robot designed to help people cope with stress.
“The whole time I was in the shelter, I had my phone and I would try to play a game to distract myself from the reality going on around me,” said Parkhomchuk. “It made me realize that perhaps artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics could play a role in helping people cope with mental health issues.”
Parkhomchuk, is an undergraduate in Software Engineering at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv. Since May, she has been working at Digital Life Institute, under the guidance of Professor Patrick Hung at the Faculty of Business and Information Technology (IT). Digital Life Institute is an official research entity at the university that examines the human and social dimensions of current and projected digital technologies.
Initially, Parkhomchuk polled a sample group of Ukrainians that included those remaining in Ukraine as well as those who fled the country during the war. She then used that information to gauge their readiness to engage with robotics and artificial intelligence (AI). She soon discovered that 67 per cent of those surveyed thought robots was either a ‘very good’ or ‘good’ idea and that roughly 76 per cent of respondents were willing to communicate with a robot.
Parkhomchuk then researched five different coping strategies proven to help alleviate stress and anxiety. Those strategies included meditation, breathing, singing, art therapy, and music. She applied her findings to program a social robot called Zenbo designed to function as a mental health aid.
“The original goal was to build an artificial companion for anyone who is suffering from mental health issues, but by narrowing her focus to the current situation in Ukraine and using her personal experience as a guide, Iryna is making a very specific and unique contribution that I don’t think could be duplicated by anyone else,” said Hung.
The program developed by Parkhomchuk includes relaxing visuals of greenspace, natural fractals, and seascapes. It incorporates slow, simple melodies that hold a steady beat, tailored sing-alongs as well as meditations; and step-by-step breathing exercises. Parkhomchuk has also provided instructions for creating Tibetan mandala art and peaceful collages, both of which are shown to make people feel safe and at ease.
A ray of hope for those living with PTSD
Before coming to Canada, Roman Akhmetshyn endured daily artillery shelling in his hometown of Irpin, located on the Irpin River in Ukraine. He believes that he and many in his Ukrainian community now suffer from some form of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Akhmetshyn acknowledges:
“Constant awareness and fear of any loud sounds still haunt me. I strongly believe that the Zenbo robot has the potential to be a therapeutic tool. By delivering proven methods of stress and anxiety relief, it may help to ease some tension on the nervous system, and maybe even boost morale. Having Zenbo in shelters during shelling or bombardment may also help distract children from the horrors of war.”
The opportunity to do something meaningful for her fellow Ukrainians has been extremely fulfilling for Parkhomchuk, who said she is very appreciative of the way her internship facilitated strong academic connections.
Eventually Parkhomchuk plans to return to Ontario Tech to earn her Master’s degree and further develop the program to make it easier for anyone suffering from a mental health issue to access the aids.
Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions. It is funded by the Government of Canada and the Government of British Columbia, along with the Government of Alberta, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Quebec, Innovation PEI, the Government of Saskatchewan and the Government of Yukon.
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