Want to connect students with partners through open-ended projects?
Want to offer students more real-world research opportunities?
Want to infuse more EE into courses but don’t have the time?
If so, you have come to the right place!
Please use the drop-down buttons below, categorized by the UN Sustainable Development
Goals, to reveal the projects waiting for students inside. To learn more, click the challenge
question to see all the details relating to the projects and organizations involved. Once you
know which project(s) you are interested in and are ready to be put in contact with a
potential mentor, please contact us at ycn@yorku.ca for an e-introduction.
Search Projects by Keyword or Project Number
Project 1: How can we break down the barriers that impede the success of first-generation students in higher education?
Project 2: How can we change public perceptions around whistleblowers so that their critical messages can be heard and acted upon without the messengers becoming the target?
Project 5: How do we use technology to enable a sense of connection between caregivers, family, and the residents of long-term care homes?
Project 8 PIP*: How might students take the lead on York's contributions to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
Project 11: PIP* Can you locate examples of indigenous storytelling and story structure from around the world? Are there similarities in structures and ways of sharing that we can learn from as we develop our own writing workshops for kids?
Project 16: How can newcomer/immigrant youth become aware of the support they need and how to find it?
Project 20: How might we integrate existing modes of transportation with a campus ridesharing system to reduce environmental footprint and cost?
Project 21: What kind of basic income policy would help counter the effects of systemic racism within the existing welfare system?
Project 23: What kind of policy changes would counter the effects of systemic racism within the existing Ontario education systems?
Project 27: How can we develop affordable dialysis machines that work with renewable power and water sources for developing regions?
Project 32: What are the benefits and pitfalls of using AI as a tool to help students identify what their "dream job" might be?
Project 33: How might we redesign Canada’s support systems for older adults so that they are grounded in a fundamental valuing of our elders?
Project 35: In what ways can legal, political, educational, and social mechanisms in Ontario be changed to address their failings with regard to anti-Black racism in Toronto?
Project 36: In what ways do students want to connect with alumni, and how can we enable those connections to happen in a way that is fulfilling for both?
Project 37:How do we tackle the barriers that various communities face around accessing educational resources relating to entrepreneurship?
Project 38: In what way can a martial arts program, that is integrated at the national, provincial, and community level, engage youth in life-long learning opportunities?
Project 39: How can seniors give up their car keys and maintain their lifestyles and personal freedoms?
Project 41: What does a smart city/15-minute neighbourhood plan look like for a growing municipality like Whitchurch-Stouffville, and how can we use technology?
Project 59: How can the Peel Community Climate Council, a youth-led not-for-profit, work to divert food waste in the Region of Peel?
Project 61: PIP*: How can resident care and the working conditions for staff be improved in long-term care homes in Ontario?
Project 62: What is the public perception of gun ownership? How do we detect trends in public perceptions of gun ownership? What factors impact those trends?
Project 71: How can fair trade be brought into service for greater systemic change?
Project 72: How can we disseminate hydrological risk mapping of 22 watersheds to communities and local government in Chile?
Project 73: PIP*: How can educators approach indigenous perspectives in numeracy, literacy and the arts?
Project 74: PIP*: How can Grade 6 students promote environmental education in their local community?
Project 76: How can the state of affordable housing be tracked at the community level, and how can affordable housing providers assess the impacts of their projects?
Project 77: PIP*: How can agri-tourism be used as an opportunity for growth in rural areas to attract people and business?
Project 78: How can we develop supports for people who have challenges with daily tasks of dressing?
Project 80: What training and initiatives would you propose for people working in the Senate in Ottawa to change awareness and impact around workplace harassment?
Project 81: What actions are needed around the current government initiative of Elder Helpers for the federal prison population of indigenous origin?
Project 82: In what way could the federal government response to future issues like COVID-19 better address all communities more equitably?
Project 83: How can we remotely clean up our oceans?
Project 84: How can we help the public better determine their clothing size for online stores, to provide more equitable access to online shopping?
Project 85: How can trash and related materials be removed from Toronto's waterways?
Project 86: In what ways can AI encourage student use of imagery to support their writing?
Project 87: In what ways, if any, can an AI detection of "anomalies" in video monitoring of crowds be implemented, ethically?
Project 88: What can we learn from digital data regarding inequities in digital learning due to COVID-19?
Project 91: How can we make use of solar power for powering vehicles?
Project 92: How might we develop an equitable dashboard of city impacts on social and environmental challenges?
Project 93: How can we improve our experiences of public restrooms?
Project 94: How can we best address removing liquid pollutants from oceans?
Project 95: How might we implement an ultra-cold refrigeration system appropriate for rapid deployment anywhere in the world?
Project 96: How can York U set up a composting program?
Project 97: What steps can households take to increase recycling of plastics?
Project 98: How can AI be brought to bear on improving educational experiences and outcomes in the K-12 age range?
Project 99: Can we design an engaging, interactive, equitably accessible online virtual conference platform?
Project 101: How can social procurement be directed towards transformation in the community?
Project 102: In what ways can Mental Wellness and Domestic Violence Information and Resources be accessible and shared with specific communities?
Project 103: PIP*: How can we create a sustainable ecosystem to protect independent artists and freelancers against unfair wages?
Project 104: PIP*: What are the adaptability changes artists should be anticipating to continue to work and generate income in a post-COVID landscape?
Project 105: In what way can Canada play a role in supporting Canadian youth entrepreneurs that want to collaborate and seek opportunities in the Asia Pacific?
Project 106: How can we create a student led reuse facility on campus for project supplies and other materials that the university disposes of?
Project 107: PIP*: How can we create a circular economy for urban agriculture and promote biodiversity within the university campus?
Project 108: How do we engage students and build a culture of sustainability within residences to help meet our goal of carbon neutrality and reduce our ecological footprint?
Project 109: How might a fitness app be accessible for people with disabilities?
Project 110: How to create a beverage bottle collection program for large hospitality companies (restaurants, hotels, etc.) to donate bottles and deposits are donated to a charity?
Project 111: How might distributed food production system be used to provide food security and safety for homes and communities?
Project 112: Considering as a starting point the 17 protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code, how can we design an inclusive built environment for all?
Project 113: How might we assist students & classes across Canada in measuring the carbon impacts of their sustainability Action Projects?
Project 114: How to recycle materials found in landfills into reusable materials?
Project 115: PIP*: How can we help a municipality support the community move from fossil fuel property maintenance devices (lawnmowers/snow blowers etc.) to renewable energy sources?
Project 116: How can we help better simulate the signal environments that renewable energy systems work in, to help design them to be less susceptible to failure or to working in unintended ways?
Project 117: How can we support gaming cafes using open technology to support controlling timed access to more computer game console types?
Project 118: How can we better predict the motion of people and traffic around us, to improve the safety of self-driving vehicles?
Project 119: How can we tackle sustainability at Glendon Campus?
Project 120: How can we design a better approach to remove plastics from our waterways and oceans?
Project 121: How does Canada as a society move beyond “green washing” and “virtue signaling” and take responsibility for sound environmental and social decisions in our economy?
Project 122: Can you design a reliable, secure mechanism for collecting and protecting a sample of soil, autonomously, for later analysis?
Browse projects by Sustainable Development Goal
We are thrilled to be partnering with the Business + Higher Education Roundtable this year on the Project Commons!
Want to Learn More?
If you're interested in a project and want to be put in contact with the person behind it, contact us at ycn@yorku.ca