The groundbreaking photovoltaic research being conducted by U of T Engineers was recently featured in a series on Canada’s future in solar energy that appeared in the Postmedia Network, which publishes The National Post and other daily newspapers across Canada.

Professor Ted Sargent’s (ECE) development of quantum dot solar cell technology was highlighted as an innovative sustainable energy solution. Quantum dots are nanoscale semiconductors that capture light and convert it into electrical energy. Because of their small scale, the dots can be sprayed onto flexible surfaces, including plastics. This enables the production of solar cells that are less expensive than the existing silicon-based version.

In a recent paper published in Nature Materials, Professor Sargent’s lab reported 6% power conversion efficiency. Professor Sargent explains to Postmedia’s Margaret Munro that just five years earlier, the conversion efficiency was zero. As the technology reaches 10% efficiency, Professor Sargent said the opportunities for commercialization become viable. Already he has an agreement in place with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia for rights to Professor Sargent’s quantum dot solar cell technology. The license covers 38 countries in the Middle East, Western Asia, Russia and India. U of T and Professor Sargent continue to hold rights to the rest of the world.

Also profiled was PhD Candidate Graham Morse (ChemE) who is working with Professor Tim Bender (ChemE) on the development of organic solar cells. Morse created a new organic chemical compound called pentafluorophenoxy-boronsubphthalocyanine, which is a promising new material that can be used to harvest the sun’s power.

Morse is featured in “Solar technology scientists lured to leave Canada .”

Professor Bryan Karney, in a story prepared by CBC News, warns that failing to invest in water infrastructure can lead to higher costs in the long term.

“The reason why water pipes leak is really not a simplistic argument that people haven’t been paying attention. We’ve been saying that for years,” Professor Karney told CBC. “We keep patching systems and hoping somehow the problem will go away. It doesn’t. It just gets worse.”

Professor Karney’s remarks were featured in a story on the cost of water leaks, which cost Ontario 25% of its drinking water — equal to a loss of $700 million a year — according to a 2009 report. Professor Karney is a Civil Engineering Professor and Associate Dean, Cross-Disciplinary Programs.

You can read the full story on CBC’s website.

Civil Engineering graduate student Keith Cochrane has been named an inaugural Rob MacIsaac Fellow by Metrolinx, the Province of Ontario’s regional transportation agency for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

The fellowship will provide Cochrane, who is currently pursuing a Master of Applied Science degree, with the opportunity to conduct research in a public sector setting. Cochrane will study the impacts and challenges of moving freight on transit over a four-month period with guidance from his supervisors Professors Matthew Roorda and Amer Shalaby as well as senior Metrolinx staff. Following his studies, he will transition to an internship at Metrolinx related to his research.

“I am proud to be associated with these highly talented students through this fellowship program. The recipients will make a great contribution to broadening the horizons of knowledge in the field of public transportation,” said Rob MacIsaac, who served as Metrolinx’s first Chair from 2006 to 2009.

In June, Cochrane and fellow graduate students Mohamed Mahmoud and Aarshabh Misra won the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Canadian Traffic Bowl Championship. Cochrane and Misra, joined by Engineering Science undergraduate student Harvey Yang, also placed second at the 2011 International Collegiate Traffic Bowl in St Louis, Missouri. The Traffic Bowl combines traffic trivia and design challenges to test the transportation engineering skills of competitors.

“I congratulate Keith on being named a Rob MacIsaac Fellow. This opportunity will not only provide Keith with a wonderful learning experience, but will also ensure that his transportation research will be applied for the benefit of our civic region,” said Professor Brenda McCabe, Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering.

In addition to his studies, Cochrane is currently serving as the President of the Civil Engineering Graduate Students Association.

On November 11, U of T Engineering students Tarek El Fedawy (IndE 1T3), Kazem Kutob (IndE 1T3), Layan Kutob (IndE 1T2 + PEY) and Alberto Picard-Ami (IndE 1T3) took second place at the Wharton Undergraduate Consulting Competition, beating out teams from Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, New York University and Rutgers.

The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania is one of the top business schools in North America and the world. This year, the focus of the competition was on “The Aspiring Consultant.”

Teams were required to identify strategies to remediate a global financial service firm’s regulatory and operational deficiencies, while increasing annual revenues 60% by 2015.

The U of T Engineering team proposed strategies that tackled expansions in the global market and revenue streams, as well as new technologies and improvements on the operational system’s efficiencies. Though first place went to Yale, U of T still had an incredible showing.

“It was such an incredible moment of joy to be a finalist and to be awarded second place after competing against some of the world’s most respected and top-rated universities,” said Layan Kutob. “It made us, even more, appreciate the education and extra-curricular exposure that U of T Engineering gives us.”

“On behalf of the Faculty, I would like to congratulate the team on their richly-deserved achievement,” said Dean Cristina Amon. “Their success, among other world-renowned universities, illustrates the strength of our remarkable engineering education with business acumen.”

University of Toronto Engineering alumnus and current Harvard Medical School Professor Ali Khademhosseini (ChemE 9T9, MASc 0T1) is one of the recipients of the 2011 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers by American President Barack Obama. The award, which is the highest honour bestowed by the U.S. government on scientists and engineers in the early stages of their research careers, was announced September 26, 2011.

Professor Khademhosseini’s research focused on developing micro- and nanoscale technologies to control cellular behavior. He is particularly focused on developing microscale biomaterials and engineering systems for tissue engineering. His work in tissue engineering began under the supervision of University Professor Michael Sefton, under whose supervision Professor Khademhosseini completed his Master’s degree. He continued his work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a doctorate in bioengineering in 2005.

In addition to his appointment at Harvard, Professor Khademhosseini is an Associate Professor at Harvard-MIT’s Division of Health Sciences and Technology and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as well as an Associate Faculty at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.

This is far from Professor Khademhosseini’s first honour. In 2007, he was named one of the Top 35 Innovators Under 35 by MIT’s Technology Review. In the past year alone, he was recognized with the Pioneers of Miniaturization Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Lab on a Chip and Corning Inc, the IEEE Early Career Award in Nanotechnology, the Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship, the Society for Biomaterials (SFB) Young Investigator Award and the Y.C. Fung Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

“We congratulate Dr. Khademhosseini on the substantial recognition he has received at this early stage in his career for his contributions to the field of tissue engineering,” said Professor D. Grant Allen, Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry. “We are proud of Dr. Khademhosseini’s accomplishments and his association with our Department.”

With the 22nd anniversary of the École Polytechnique tragedy in December, the CBC’s The National takes a closer look at what has changed for women in engineering, as well as the legacy of the massacre.

Wendy Mesley sat down with 10 U of T Engineering students to talk about their experiences as a female engineering student, as well as how the tragic events 22 years ago have affected and inspired them.