Department news

Department of Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) news

Left: Fish such as tilapia can disperse and collect pigment granules in their skin to change their colour and shading. Right: An optofluidic cell created by U of T Engineering researchers achieves the same effect by mixing two immiscible fluids, one of which contains a dye. (Image credits: left, Richard Wheeler (licensed under Creative Commons); right, Raphael Kay.)

Dynamic building facades inspired by marine organisms could reduce heating, cooling and lighting costs

A U of T Engineering team used carefully controlled fluid injections to design active materials that can help reduce energy usage for buildings

The UTWind team, seen here next to their winning prototype turbine at the Open Jet Facility wind tunnel at Delft University of Technology, placed first overall in the International Small Wind Turbine Contest (ISWTC). (Photo: Niels Adema, Hanze University of Applied Sciences)

UTWind places first at the International Small Wind Turbine Contest

Student-designed prototype wind turbine is designed to provide power for rural regions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Edmund Shalhoub (MSE 2T2) came to Canada in 2017 as a Syrian refugee. (Photo: Safa Jinje)

From Syria to Turkey to U of T Engineering: How one student overcame the odds to complete his degree

Edmund Shalhoub (MSE 2T2) is graduating this June after starting his engineering undergraduate journey 12 years ago in Syria

Professors Yu Zou (MSE), left, and Nicolas Papernot (ECE), right, received Early Researcher Awards from the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities in the latest round of funding. (Photos: Submitted)

Ontario Early Researcher Awards support materials for next-generation vehicles and trustworthy applications of machine learning

Professors Yu Zou (MSE) and Nicolas Papernot (ECE) receive support in the latest round

Graduate research assistant Weiwu Chen (CivMin) counts microplastics using a microscope in the lab of Professor Elodie Passeport (CivMin, ChemE). (Photo: Shuyao Tan)

U of T Engineering researchers use machine learning to enhance environmental monitoring of microplastics

More accurate measurements are critical to preventing microplastics from entering the environment — or removing those that are already there

Professor Gisele Azimi (ChemE, MSE) and her lab group have received a 2022 Connaught Innovation Award for their work on high-performance and cost-effective aluminum batteries for electric transportation and renewable energy storage. (Photo: Roberta Baker).

Beyond lithium-ion: New battery technologies among nine projects supported by 2022 Connaught Innovation Awards

Professor Gisele Azimi (ChemE, MSE) is exploring aluminum as an alternative to lithium and cobalt to develop more cost-effective and reliable components for next-generation batteries

Featured image with photo portraits of interviewees for a U of T Engineering Black History Month segment

Community Matters: Black experiences at U of T Engineering

Left: A map of Toronto showing 17 of the TTC’s 75 stations. Right: A sample network connecting those 17 nodes, created by a computer model of a slime mould, Physarum polycephalum. (Images courtesy: Raphael Kay)

Could a ‘virtual slime mould’ design a better subway system?

A model based on the growth patterns of a single-celled organism could lead to networks with improved travel time or resilience to disruption

A new study of zebra mussels, like this one growing in a tank in the lab of Professor Eli Sone (BME, MSE), could offer insights into new medical adhesives as well as ways to prevent fouling of water intake pipes. (Photo: Angelico Obille)

Zebra mussels could point the way toward non-stick surfaces and medical adhesives

Professor Eli Sone and his team developed new techniques to measure how strongly mussels stick to a range of different materials