Crystal light: New family of light-converting materials points to cheaper, more efficient solar power and LEDs
Engineers are shining new light on an emerging family of solar-absorbing materials that could clear the way for cheaper and more efficient solar panels and LEDs. The materials, called perovskites, are particularly good at absorbing visible light, but had never been studied in their purest form: as perfect single crystals. Using a new technique, researchers […]
The heart of the matter: BizSkule event to explore the future of wearable tech
Analysts have hailed 2015 as the “Year of Wearable Tech,” which bodes well for U of T Engineering spinoff, Nymi. The Toronto-based company, co-founded in 2011 by alumni Foteini Agrafioti (ElecE MASc 0T9, PhD 1T1) and Karl Martin (EngSci 0T1, ElecE MASc 0T3, PhD 1T0), has generated serious buzz with its Nymi Band, the world’s first wearable authentication […]
Three Engineering professors named Fellows of IEEE
Professors Deepa Kundur, Baochun Li (both ECE) and Yu Sun (MIE) joined an impressive roster of internationally renowned scientists this month when they were officially named Fellows of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The three professors join 25 faculty members who currently hold the grade of IEEE Fellow. The grade of Fellow […]
U of T Engineering receives over $1 million in CFI research funding
Somewhere across a massive water system, a toxic bloom of algae is polluting drinking water. But what’s the fastest way to find it? To U of T Engineering professor Angela Schoellig (UTIAS), the answer is flying drones—an entire swarm designed to zigzag across landscapes and spot environmental hazards. Schoellig and her pioneering drone development is […]
Identity crisis: Engineering more security on your smartphone
Originally published in the 2014 issue of ANNUM Magazine. It wakes up next to you, sits by to you at lunch, hits the gym with you after work. Face it—your smartphone is your best friend. But how good is it at keeping your secrets? Almost two billion people have a computer in their pockets right now. And […]
The U of T Engineering holiday gift roundup: Four must-have wearables
The holidays are upon us, and as savvy shoppers search for gift ideas with a personal touch, wearable gadgets from U of T Engineering-developed companies are pret-a-porter for the fashionable tech lover on your list. A motion-sensing glove for gamers? Check. Wristbands that let you make secure mobile payments? Check. This season, startups from U of […]
Machine learning reveals unexpected genetic roots of cancers, autism and other disorders
In the decade since the genome was sequenced in 2003, scientists, engineers and doctors have struggled to answer an all-consuming question: Which DNA mutations cause disease? A new computational technique developed at the University of Toronto may now be able to tell us. A Canadian research team led by engineering and medicine professor Brendan Frey […]
Former Engineering dean inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame
James Milton Ham (ElecE 4T3), the 10th president of the University of Toronto and former Dean of Engineering, was posthumously selected for induction into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame. Ham was a leading Canadian engineer and a public servant who made enormous contributions to the safety of Canada’s mining and metallurgy industries and the […]
Power players: How U of T engineers are building a smarter electricity grid
Originally published in the 2014 issue of ANNUM Magazine. A single unpruned tree was all it took. On Aug. 14, 2003, one hot day in a hot summer, a power line sagged onto some branches in the small village of Walton Hills, Ohio. The resulting cascading failure throughout Ontario and the northeastern United States shut down power […]
