Three members of the U of T Engineering community were recently recognized with Engineers Canada awards for their contributions and achievements in engineering. Professor  Milica Radisic  (IBBME/ChemE) received the Young Engineer Achievement Award, Engineering Science student Saksham Uppal (1T2) garnered the Student Gold Medal Award and alumna Anna Dunets-Wills (CivE 7T6) received the Meritorious Service Award for Community Service. Established in 1972, the Engineers Canada Awards are national awards which honour the contributions of Canadian engineers to their profession, their community, and to the safety and well-being of Canadians.

A leader in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, Professor Radisic has achieved international recognition for developing patches of engineered tissue that mimic a beating heart. She was the first to use electrical stimulation during cellular growth, with the result that the developing tissue behaves in the same manner as normal heart tissue. Professor Radisic was also co-inventor of a completely novel cell-protective peptide known as QHREDGS. This peptide may be capable of enhancing cardiac regeneration, bone regeneration or wound healing, by directing cell response. Professor Radisic was named one of the world’s Top 35 Innovators Under 35 by MIT’s Technology Review in 2008 and received the 2011 Ontario Professional Engineers Young Engineer Award.

A committed volunteer and a natural leader, Uppal has created several avenues for his peers to engage in leadership and volunteerism, both within the university community and beyond. His interest in innovation and entrepreneurship, plus his passion for creating positive change, led him to develop the Nspire Innovation Network and its flagship event, the National Business and Technology Conference. He also created the Take Action! Organization which works to contribute to the community while developing socially aware youth leaders. This organization now hosts two university chapters (at Queens and U of T) and has more than 400 members. In 2011, Uppal was selected to participate in The Next 36 – a national entrepreneurship program – where he tied for the highest marks in the program.

For more than 30 years, Dunets-Wills has been using her expertise in water and sanitation systems to help remote communities. Dunets-Wills has worked with urban planning and design firm planningAlliance and its sister practice, rePlan, to create best practices for international organizations operating in developing nations. She is credited with pioneering strategies for the effective long-term local management of both public and private infrastructure systems. Over the past five years, Dunets-Wills has been involved with a local NGO called RAMBIA, in western Uganda, concentrating on water, sanitation and other infrastructure projects in the region. In 2011, she received the Ontario Professional Engineers Citizenship Award.

“I am extremely proud that Engineers Canada has chosen to honour three such deserving members of our community,” said Yu-Ling Cheng, Acting Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “These prestigious awards are representative of the many ways in which our faculty, students and alumni contribute to the profession and to society.”

The award recipients were honoured at the Engineers Canada Awards Gala in Niagara Falls on June 2, 2012.

With the support of new grants, auto research at the University of Toronto is being put in the fast lane. The funds will support a broad range of research, from building cars out of trees and plants to a new training program that will help drivers learn how to limit their gas consumption.

Six projects led or supported by U of T researchers will benefit from more than $3.3 million in funding announced on May 29 by the Honourable Gary Goodyear, the Federal Minister of State, Science and Technology. The research is coordinated by AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence, which aims to develop a stronger automotive sector in Canada through research collaboration between the public and private sectors.

“On behalf of the University of Toronto, thank you to the Government of Canada and AUTO21 for this investment,” said Professor Peter Lewis, U of T’s associate vice president, research. “When you look at the tremendous innovation with each of these projects, it is clear that U of T researchers are making impressive progress in the transition of the automobile into a mode of transportation that can still be a vibrant part of a more environmentally sustainable global society.”

Forestry Professor Mohini Sain, working with Professor Amar Mohanty at the University of Guelph, is developing hybrid biocomposite materials for use in car manufacturing. Biocomposites use natural fibres, like those derived from trees or plants, to reinforce plastic. The result is a material that is less costly to manufacture and has a smaller carbon footprint while still being sufficiently strong.

The other research projects are:

• Professor Andrew Howard (Surgery/Hospital for Sick Children) who will investigate the cause of child fatalities in car accidents;
• Professor Andrew Jardine (Mechanical & Industrial Engineering) who will explore new training strategies to help drivers operate vehicles in more fuel-efficient ways;
• Professor Chul Park (Mechanical & Industrial Engineering) who will use lightweight recyclable plastics to reduce the cost of materials used to manufacture cars;
• Professor James Wallace (Mechanical & Industrial Engineering) who will investigate the particulate emissions from biofuels such as ethanol; and,
• Professor Heather MacLean (Civil Engineering) who will conduct life cycle assessments of emerging automotive technologies.

The grants are supported by the Government of Canada through the federal Networks of Centres of Excellence program and contributions from Canada’s automotive sector, including numerous automakers, parts manufacturers and material suppliers.

“The ideas, products and technologies generated by these AUTO21-funded research projects will create jobs and businesses, help develop highly skilled people, strengthen our economy and improve the long-term competitiveness of our Canadian automotive industry,” said Goodyear.

“With their industry partners, AUTO21 researchers are developing solutions for cleaner, safer vehicles and roads,” said Stephen Beatty, chair of the AUTO21 board of directors and managing director of Toyota Canada Inc. “The projects supported by this investment will provide solutions to the issues most pressing in today’s automotive sector while providing training to hundreds of Canadian graduate students.”

The ambitions of a University of Toronto-based design team are about to take flight … again!

The team, led by U of T Engineering alumni Todd Reichert (EngSci 0T5, UTIAS PhD 1T1) and Cameron Robertson (EngSci 0T8, UTIAS MASc 0T9), is seeking to build a human-powered helicopter and be the first to win the Igor I. Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter Competition.

The American Helicopter Society International established the Sikorsky Prize in 1980. To win the $250,000 reward – the third largest monetary prize in aviation history – a human-powered helicopter has to maintain a flight duration of 60 seconds and reach an altitude of three metres (9.8 ft) while remaining in a 10 metre (32.8 ft) square. In the over 25-year history of the prize, no one has been able to claim the prize.

The team, known as AeroVelo, has good reason to believe they will be the first.

The core members of the team have been working together since 2006 when they founded U of T’s Human-Powered Vehicle Design Team. In August 2010, the team’s first project – the construction of the world’s first successful human-powered ornithopter – made aviation history by achieving the age-old dream of human-powered bird-like flight. Called Snowbird, the ornithopter sustained both altitude and airspeed for 19.3 seconds, and covered a distance of 145 metres at an average speed of 25.6 kilometres per hour.

The team is also responsible for U of T’s Human-Powered Vehicle, which reached 117 km/h at the 2011 World Human-Powered Speed Challenge, held in Battle Mountain, Nevada. That represents the ninth fastest time ever achieved and less than 17 km/h behind the current world record.

Now the team’s attention has turned to a human-powered helicopter, which has been named Atlas.

“An attempt at the Sikorsky Prize was the next obvious step for our team. The helicopter is where many of our contemporaries in human-powered flight are focusing, and it’s becoming a very exciting and competitive atmosphere. We’ve been driven to push the limits of engineering further than ever before,” said Robertson.

The AeroVelo team, which includes engineering students and professionals – many of whom are U of T graduates – has assembled in Tottenham, Ontario. They aim to have the helicopter built and flying by the end of August 2012.

To finance the project, the team has turned to an increasingly popular way to attract financial support: crowd funding. The notion is that a large number of people provide a relatively small contribution. In return, supporters receive perks and products. To be successful however, a goal has to be reached before the deadline for the team to receive the funds committed by supporters.

AeroVelo is hoping to raise $30,000 by June 16 through KickStarter, a well-known crowd funding website. That is less than 18% of the total budget of $170,000. To contribute to the project, visit the team’s KickStarter page.

Reichert, who also flew the Snowbird, will fly the helicopter. With an output of 772 watts per minute, he will be the most powerful athlete to ever fly a human-powered helicopter. Reichert explained that, “the Sikorsky Challenge provides an inspirational narrative: the project pushes the boundaries of possibility, showing that with creative solutions and innovative design we can do far more with far less.”

When you turn on your tap, you probably don’t give a second thought to the quality of the water that comes out.

North Americans can generally take for granted that the water provided from municipal supplies is clean and clear. However most are probably not aware of the engineering deployed to keep it that way.

Among those developing the research and techniques for water purification is Civil Engineering Professor Ron Hofmann, who has recently been named NSERC Associate Industrial Research Chair in Drinking Water. He explains that while confidence in our water supply is understandable, complacency can be deadly.

“Drinking water in North America is very safe, but given that there are over 300 million people drinking it every day, there are still occasional illnesses,” said Professor Hofmann, who added “… we are still trying to make drinking water safer.”

The public not only expects tap water to be safe to drink, but also to be clear and odourless, which is the challenge Professor Hofmann will tackle during the term of his research chair.

“From time to time there are algae blooms in Lake Ontario that make Toronto’s tap water unpalatable. The water is still perfectly safe to drink, but the earthy-musty smell erodes public confidence. I’m trying to improve the cost-effectiveness of removing these offensive tastes and odours,” he said.

He is exploring new ways to make the use of granular activated carbon (GAC) more cost-effective. GAC is currently used to remove taste and odour-causing compounds from drinking water and is familiar to anyone who uses black charcoal to purify their aquarium.

“GAC adsorbs organic molecules that create tastes and smells, removing them from the water. The GAC has a limited capacity for adsorbing the molecules, so eventually you need to remove the exhausted GAC and replace it with fresh material,” Professor Hofman said.

The challenge is that GAC is very expensive, so Professor Hofmann is working to better detect when it becomes exhausted and needs to be replaced. The aim is to use the material for a longer period, thereby reducing the overall cost. He is also exploring the benefits and challenges associated with using ultraviolet light and chlorine to destroy offensive taste and odour-causing chemicals.

The awarding of Professor Hofmann’s Associate Chair follows the recent re-appointment of fellow Civil Engineering Professor Robert Andrews as the Senior NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Drinking Water Research.

The funds associated with the research chair will support funding for five to six graduate students per year as well as additional research activities. The Industrial Research Chair is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) with corporate support from General Electric, Peterborough Utilities Corporation, Lake Huron and Elgin Area Water Supply System, as well as the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel and York, and the cities of Toronto and Barrie.

Professor Hofmann explained that the industrial partners not only provide financial support, but intellectual support as well.

“The industrial partners contribute intellectually to the research, first by identifying research needs from their perspective, and then working with me to translate those needs into appropriate research projects,” he said, noting, “there’s a very active channel of communication between the University and the partners.”

U of T Engineering are among the many who will benefit from today’s announcement by the Government of Canada and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) of $43 million in research and scholarship investment at the University of Toronto.

The funding will support 176 research projects and 186 students at U of T.

“Our government’s top priority is jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. To remain at the forefront of the global economy, our government is investing in the people and ideas that will produce tomorrow’s breatkthroughs,” said Gary Goodyear, federal minister of state for science and technology. “Through these investments, we are creating the best-educated and most skilled workforce in the world.”

Goodyear made the announcement at an event held in U of T Engineering’s Galbraith Building.

Universities across the country will receive more than $410 million in grants and scholarships over terms ranging from one to five years. These awards comprise the 2012 competition results for NSERC’s Discovery Grants, Discovery Accelerator Supplements, Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships.

“We are grateful to the Government of Canada and NSERC for this magnificent investment in our research community and our students,” said Professor Peter Lewis, associate vice president, research at U of T. “This funding will go directly to work that will have a tangible impact on areas that are of vital importance to global society.”

Among the recipients are nine U of T Engineering professors who received Discovery Accelerator Supplements, which are awarded to accelerate progress and maximize the impact of superior research programs. The award is valued at $120,000 over three years ($40,000 annually) and provides recipients with additional resources to compete with the best in the world. These resources may be used to expand the recipient’s research group (i.e., students, postdoctoral fellows, technicians), to purchase, or to have access to, specialized equipment, or for other initiatives/resources that would accelerate the progress of their research program.

One of the recipients is Professor Ted Sargent of The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE). Sargent received a Discovery Grant and a Discovery Accelerator Supplement to explore ways of harvesting solar energy. While solar power is abundant, clean and free, it is not easy to harvest inexpensively and efficiently. Sargent’s research will build low-cost, high-efficiency novel devices to help advance solar cell performance.

The other U of T Engineering recipients of the Discovery Accelerator Supplements are:

• Miriam Diamond (Geography/ChemE) who is researching emissions, fate, exposure and management of chemical contaminants indoors, outdoors and globally;
• Ashvin Goel (ECE) who is researching end-to-end data reliability with runtime verification;
• Giovanni Grasselli (CivE) who is researching the influence of rock micro-scale properties and material heterogeneity on rock engineering modelling;
• Axel Guenther (MIE) who is researching fluidic microprocessors for material assembly;
• Andreas Moshovos (ECE) who is researching next generation heterogeneous computer device architectures;
• Adam Steinberg (UTIAS) who is researching high-repetition-rate laser diagnostics experiments for prediction and control of thermo-acoustic instabilities in low-emission gas turbine engines;
• Ning Yan (Forestry/ChemE) who is researching value-added chemicals and other bio-based products from bark; and,
• Wei Yu (ECE) who is researching interference mitigation and network topology optimization for cooperative wireless cellular systems.

“Through these programs, NSERC provides direct support to an exceptionally strong base of scientific and creative talent in every field of the natural sciences and engineering,” said NSERC President Dr. Suzanne Fortier. “Our scholarships and fellowships programs help us recruit and retain the bright young minds that will lead the next generation of Canadian discoverers and innovators. The flexibility and broad base of research supported by our internationally recognized Discovery Grants Program maintains our capacity to promote important breakthroughs.”

An integral component of Canada’s support for research and training excellence at Canadian universities, the Discovery Grants Program funds ongoing programs of research in every scientific and engineering discipline. Of the 2,161 recipients across the country, 125 have been identified to receive a Discovery Accelerator Supplement, in addition to their Discovery Grant. Valued at $120,000 over three years, Discovery Accelerator Supplements are awarded to researchers whose research proposals suggest and explore high-risk, novel or potentially transformative concepts and lines of inquiry, and are likely to have impact by contributing to groundbreaking advances in the proposed areas of research.

Overall, 1,599 new NSERC scholarships and fellowships have been offered this year—consisting of the Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships. The funding announced today offers support at the master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral levels.

For the lists of recipients and descriptions of projects, visit NSERC’s website.

As a regular outpatient with cerebral palsy, 12-year-old Caleb spends a lot of time in waiting rooms. It hasn’t always been as fun as it is now.

Caleb was just one of the children from a focus group who helped launch ScreenPlay, an interactive waiting room installation, on May 18 at the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

Designed by Professor Elaine Biddiss, a scientist at the Bloorview Research Institute and a faculty member at the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), the installation boasts a pressure-sensitive floor comprised of 100 sensors. Calibrated from the microcontroller switches in the tiles, information is fed to a computer that then applies corresponding images to a glass wall from a ceiling-mounted projector. Anyone standing or sitting on the tiles can create elaborate, moving landscapes from the three rotating design motifs: flowers and bubbles, a forest blooming from a geometric grid, and abstract vines and patterns.

“We have a very vulnerable population here,” Professor Biddiss explained, and traditional waiting room toys have contact surfaces that easily spread infections. As many of the patients face mobility challenges, games requiring hand dexterity – including traditional and video games – are not practical. ScreenPlay allows anyone to interact without ever having to touch a contact surface or anyone else.

The longer a patient remains in one spot, the bigger the projection becomes, which allows those with the least amount of mobility to create the largest images. The floor likewise promotes collaborative fun: multiple children of all abilities can play together on the floor to create wall-sized forests, for instance.

“The only thing that all these kids have in common is that if you’re standing or sitting, you have gravity on your side. You have presence, and that presence is something we can always detect,” Professor Biddiss stated.

She noted that ScreenPlay was a “very collaborative effort” between engineers, the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation, as well as students from OCAD University who created the projector images for an interactive communications class.

Supported by a foundation established to honour the late Dr. Tammy Kagan-Kusher, the installation isn’t all just fun and games. The project was awarded a Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant that Professor Biddiss will use to study the effects of this type of interactive play on patient stress-levels and overall experience.

If Caleb’s grin is anything to go by, ScreenPlay is already a resounding success.