Dr. William (Bill) McIver’s CV reads like an encyclopedia of innovation. Over the past 30 years, his work as a computer science researcher has touched more than 15 different industry sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, senior care, sports, and transportation.
After finishing his doctoral studies on database systems, Dr. McIver found himself “bored” working on issues that were merely technical. He wanted his research to make more of a social impact.
“I decided I really wanted to find ways to apply technology to solve community issues, you know, life issues,” says McIver.
In 2013, he became the NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) Industrial Research Chair at NBCC, heading up the unit on mobile technology. This role has given him the opportunity to address “community issues” across a wide range of contexts. So far, he and his team have developed innovative IT solutions in collaboration with more than 60 partners, including businesses, non-profits, and government agencies.
Pairing scientific discovery with practical technology
Looking around Dr. McIver’s lab is like peeking into one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks. A whiteboard covered in algorithm formulas stands next to a monitor displaying live data from an apple orchard, where sensors are gathering data to prevent a crop-destroying fungus. A VR headset connects with software that enables a choreographer to train dancers remotely. Bits of hardware, a portable weather station (from the apple orchard project), and unopened boxes of supplies compete for floor space with computer workstations.
This is what applied research looks like. Dr. McIver’s problem-driven approach draws on scientific theories, methodologies, and findings, and it also involves tinkering with the latest tech.
Take the apple project. Belliveau Orchard in Memramcook needed a way to fight apple scab, a devastating fungus that is showing up earlier each year due to rising temperatures. To tackle this problem, Dr. McIver’s team didn’t invent the circular, leaf-sized sensor strapped to the tree branch, which registers the level of moisture in the orchard. Their research process involved combining existing equipment with recent scientific advances (in algorithms and predictive modeling, for example) to produce a never-before-seen solution.
Taking on “life-critical” issues
Given that NB’s apple industry is worth about $3M a year, Dr. McIver’s sensor innovation will yield a significant economic impact. But Dr. McIver talks just as enthusiastically about the solution he created to help the Atlantic Ballet train international dancers without flying them to Moncton. And he’s even more enthusiastic about current and upcoming projects pertaining to accessibility.
Making technology accessible has always been central to McIver’s work. Now, he and his team are developing expertise in using technology to help improve life for people with disabilities.
“Our current work on accessibility is the most important to me because it’s a piece that we still need to develop in our society to make it more equitable,” he explains.
Shortly after receiving the Ph.D. in 1994, Dr. McIver asked himself: “How could we actually design technologies that solve different life-critical issues?”
Over the past three decades, he’s answered that question in many innovative ways. Looking ahead, his applied research regarding accessibility could yield the most impactful answer to that question yet.
