INO awards a $50,000 scholarship to a student for a forestry project
As a tribute to its former president and CEO, who helped make the Quebec City region a prime location for research, bring about major changes in the regional economy, and encourage the establishment of numerous knowledge-based companies, INO has created the Jean-Guy Paquet Scholarship. This $50,000 scholarship is intended to enable a student to carry out an applied research project. Today, INO is proud to announce its first winner, Mr. Maxime Vaidis, a doctoral student in computer science who will carry out a project based on artificial intelligence and optics-photonics to increase the efficiency of forest harvesting and limit resource wastage.
With a bachelor's degree in physics and master's degrees in electronics, communications and engineering, Maxime Vaidis is completing a doctorate in mobile robotics and is now a doctoral student in computer science at Université Laval. During his spectacular academic career, he founded Groupe CARVI and developed a patentable prototype called ScanTree, based on the use of cameras and lidar sensors mounted on a harvester to analyze the shape of trees in real time in order to optimize their cutting.
Paired with an INO researcher, and in collaboration with his doctoral co-supervisors at Université Laval, Maxime will be able to pursue his project thanks to the Jean-Guy Paquet Scholarship, and benefit from optimal conditions to bring it to the commercial product stage.
"We turned to INO for their really advanced expertise in optics-photonics and commercial product design. Currently, 20% of value is lost during cutting operations. With our prototype, we hope to limit these losses to 10%, which would be an additional source of income for forestry contractors," said Maxime Vaidis, the first winner of the Jean-Guy Paquet Scholarship.
For Philippe Boivin, INO's Vice President, Corporate Affairs, "Maxime Vaidis' project has everything it takes to succeed, and INO is pleased to give it the extra push it needs to take it to the next level and create value for the Quebec forest industry."