Professors Dimitrios Hatzinakos (ECE), Javad Mostaghimi (MIE), Brent Sleep (CivE) and Murray Thomson (MIE), as well as alumnus Phillip (Rocky) Simmons (ChemE 6T4, MASc 6T5, PhD 6T9), have been recognized by the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) for their outstanding engineering achievements.
Professor Mostaghimi received the Julian C. Smith Medal “for achievement in the development of Canada.” Dr. Simmons was awarded the K.Y. Lo Medal “for significant engineering contributions at the international level.” Professors Hatzinakos, Sleep and Thomson have been named EIC Fellows for their exceptional contributions to engineering in Canada.
Professor Hatzinakos holds the Bell Canada Chair in Multimedia and serves as Director of the Identity, Privacy and Security Institute at the University of Toronto. His research interests are in the areas of multimedia signal processing, multimedia security, multimedia communications and biometric systems. He is particularly known for his research in blind deconvolution, digital watermarking and medical biometrics. His work in these areas has been cited more than 1,000 times. He is author/co-author of more than 230 papers in technical journals and conference proceedings, has contributed to 17 books and has seven patents. A committed educator, Professor Hatzinakos has supervised the research work and thesis completion of more than 50 graduate students.
Professor Mostaghimi is the Director and co-founder of the Centre for Advanced Coating Technologies and holds the title of Distinguished Professor in Plasma Engineering. World-renowned in the area of thermal spray coatings, Professor Mostaghimi led the development of CFD software packages that model the impact and solidification of molten droplets on solid surfaces. His work has led to advances in the aerospace, automotive and resource processing industries, and he has founded three companies based on his research. Professor Mostaghimi was named a Fellow of EIC in 2010. Other honours include the Ontario Professional Engineers Award for Research and Development and the NSERC Brockhouse Prize for Interdisciplinary Research.
Currently serving as Associate Chair, Research in the Department of Civil Engineering, Professor Sleep is internationally recognized for his research on remediation of contaminated soil and groundwater, as well as pathogen transport in the subsurface. His publications, from his seminal PhD research to his more than 50 peer reviewed journal papers and three book chapters, have been widely influential and highly cited. Professor Sleep is currently leading a multi-university project to create more cost-effective water treatment technologies using an innovative combination of methods based on physical, biological and chemical processes. He has served on the British Columbia Science Advisory Board and the Water Science and Technology Board of the U.S. National Science Foundation.
Dr. Simmons is President and CEO of Eco-Tec Limited, a global leader in water treatment and chemical recovery systems. Under his leadership, Eco-Tec has become a true Canadian success story, with operations all over the world and systems installed in 58 countries. Today, a number of Eco-Tec’s environmentally and economically sustainable processes have become the de-facto standard throughout several different industries. A champion of education and technology development, Dr. Simmons is currently Chair of the Advisory Board for the Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry. He has also served as Chair of the Board of Governors for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Durham College.
Professor Thomson has contributed significantly to the advancement of knowledge in the areas of alternative fuels, pollution control and combustion sensors, and his research has been widely applied in industry. He has commercialized and licensed four process sensors based on optics and spectroscopy, which are used by a number of companies to reduce energy consumption and pollutant emissions. He has also developed fundamental models of particulate emissions in flames, which he has applied to develop particulate emissions models for engines produced by companies such as Pratt & Whitney Canada. He has made outstanding contributions to the Canadian Section of the Combustion Institute, where he serves as Treasurer and as Member of the Board of Directors.
“We are delighted that the Engineering Institute of Canada has recognized the achievements of these five outstanding engineers,” said Cristina Amon, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “On behalf of the Faculty, I congratulate them for their accomplishments and thank them for their many contributions.”
Dr. Simmons, along with Professors Hatzinakos, Mostaghimi and Thomson, will be honoured at the EIC Awards Banquet on February 25, 2012, at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa. Professor Sleep will be honoured at a joint Canadian Society for Civil Engineering/Engineering Institute of Canada gala on June 7, 2012 at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton.
The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the election of Professor Milos Popovic (IBBME) to its College of Fellows.
Professor Popovic was nominated by his peers and was elected by the full membership into the official College of Fellows Class of 2012 for pioneering use of neuroprostheses for retraining brain functions in individuals following severe stroke and spinal cord injury.
AIMBE is a non-profit organization representing 50,000 individuals and the top 2% of medical and biological engineers. AIMBE represents academic institutions, private industry and other professional engineering societies.
Its College of Fellows is comprised of engineering and medical school chairs, research directors, innovators, and successful entrepreneurs who pursue AIMBE’s mission to provide leadership and advocacy in medical and biological engineering for the advancement of society.
“Dr. Popovic’s election is a great recognition of the scientific and engineering knowledge that the University of Toronto’s biomedical engineering community has to offer to international institutions such as AIMBE, which influence health technology in the USA,” said IBBME Director, Paul Santerre.
He joins IBBME core faculty members Peter Zandstra, Molly Shoichet, Michael Sefton and Paul Santerre as AIMBE fellows.
A formal induction ceremony will be held during AIMBE’s 21st Annual Event at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C. on February 20th, 2012.
Today’s cutting-edge robotics technology is about making life easier. Many robots are even being developed to do tasks that many would assume only humans can do.
The CBC’s The National spoke to MIE Professors Andrew Goldenberg and Goldie Nejat about their innovations.
Professor Goldenberg and his researchers are perfecting a patroller robot – equipped with security cameras and infrared vision. “The robot actually acts as a human being, in terms of identifying the sources of potential problems,” said Professor Goldenberg.
Professor Nejat’s Brian the Robot is designed to assist in health care facilities and those in long-term care. It is a highly intelligent, human-like, socially assistive and interactive robot. Not only can it display an array of emotions when interacting with humans, it can cognitively stimulate and help with memory functioning through numerous activities.
“This is a robot that is going to interact with you. It understands what you’re saying from your speech, your body language, and then be able to interpret that and have its own assistive behaviour to help you,” said Professor Nejat.
To see the full feature story, visit CBC.ca.
“Energy conservation and renewable energy are key components of our green energy future,” explained MSE PhD candidate Michael G. Helander in a blog post for the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation.
“With popular demand for flat-panel TVs on the rise, their alarmingly high energy usage … is increasingly becoming the focus of energy conservation efforts,” Helander added.
That is why he along with, PhD candidate Zhibin Wang (MSE) and supervisor Professor Zheng-Hong Lu (MSE), have created the world’s most efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) on plastic.
Current OLEDs provide high-contrast and low-energy displays and is rapidly becoming the dominant technology for advanced electronic screens. The U of T Engineering team’s OLED technology has the potential to be significantly more energy efficient than liquid crystal displays (LCDs), while less costly than traditional OLED manufacturing.
“Both OLED displays and new durable solar cells can be manufactured in the province, creating new jobs and investment opportunities,” said Helander. “Together they are poised to play an important role in our green energy economy, creating wealth and skilled labour in Ontario, while saving the environment.”
To read Helander’s article, visit the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation website.
The average commute time in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area will jump by a third in 20 years without a major injection into transit, according to expert calculations.
And the traffic congestion is only going to get worse unless cities answer to the increased demand.
“If we don’t mend our ways, the only thing that will answer congestion is when the jobs disappear because people can’t get to work,” said Professor Eric Miller (CivE), Director of Cities Centre at U of T.
Professor Miller said that cities like Hamilton may not have a congestion issue now, but as an economic and transportation hub, waiting until it comes is too late. Doing nothing, including not building light rail, will come at a heavy price for city growth.
“The first step is the toughest one. There is a leap of faith in the first step, but it has to happen,” he said.
To read the full story, visit the Hamilton Spectator.
Professors Sanjeev Chandra (MIE), Andrew Goldenberg (MIE), Chul Park (MIE), Michael Sefton (ChemE/IBBME) and Paul Young (CivE) have been elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS is the largest international organization dedicated to advancing science or its applications on a global basis. The University of Toronto received five of the 53 Fellowships awarded in the Engineering Section, more than any other single institution.
Professor Chandra is known internationally for his research on the dynamics of droplets and sprays, which has been applied in the fields of spray coating and forming, spray cooling, ink jet printing, agricultural spraying and forensic sciences. The co-founder and Associate Director of the Centre for Advanced Coating Technologies, he received the 2010 NSERC Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in recognition of his achievements as part of this world-leading organization. Professor Chandra was elected “for distinguished research contributions on the dynamics of droplets and sprays and the advancement of thermal spray coating technology through the Centre for Advanced Coating Technologies.”
Before joining the Faculty in 1982, Professor Goldenberg was employed at SPAR Aerospace Ltd. and participated in the development of the Canadarm, the first space shuttle remote manipulator system. Through his work at the Robotics and Automation Laboratory at U of T and his two successful spin-off companies, Professor Goldenberg is taking a leading role in the development of new robotics technology for a range of industrial sectors – his research has resulted in more than 30 patents. He was elected AAAS Fellow “for contributions to the robotics field by way of sustaining a leading academic career in parallel with founding and leading innovative robotics and automation commercial enterprises.”
Professor Park holds a Canada Research Chair (Tier I) in Microcellular Plastics and is the founding Director of the Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory, one of the world’s foremost research institutions in the field of microcellular plastics foaming technology. Professor Park jointly invented the MuCell™ technology for the manufacture of microcellular plastics with superior mechanical properties; this technology has been licensed by over 450 industrial companies. He was elected in recognition of his “distinguished contributions to the field of microcellular plastics through his research, his development of over twenty patented technologies and his creation of international consortia.”
University Professor Sefton is a pioneer in tissue engineering and a world leader in the fields of biomaterials, biomedical engineering and regenerative medicine. He holds the title of University Professor, the highest rank possible at U of T, and the Michael E. Charles Chair in Chemical Engineering. He has co-invented polymers with therapeutic benefits which address limitations in the use of medical devices. These novel materials, termed Theramers™ (for therapeutic polymers) are the first examples of a new class of biomaterials – materials with drug-like activity. He was elected for “distinguished contributions to tissue engineering, particularly the microencapsulation of live cells and combining live cells and synthetic materials to create artificial tissue.”
Currently serving as Vice-President, Research for the University, Professor Young pioneered many of the techniques used today in monitoring and interpreting induced seismicity in the mining, petroleum and nuclear waste disposal industries. His research has significantly advanced our understanding of the mechanics of fracturing in brittle materials, induced seismicity, micromechanical modelling and geophysical imaging. Professor Young has served as founding Director of the Lassonde Institute for Engineering Geoscience and as Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering. His election is based on his “distinguished contributions to research and technological advancement in rock mechanics and geophysics and an exemplary record of service in academic administration.”
“We are grateful and proud that the AAAS has honoured five of our faculty members for their exceptional contributions to engineering,” said Cristina Amon, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “The continuing recognition of our professors by this prestigious international organization demonstrates the outstanding global reputation our Faculty enjoys.”
The new Fellows will be announced in the December 23 issue of Science and honoured at the AAAS Fellows Forum on February 18, 2012 in Vancouver, B.C.