The University of Toronto has the top engineering program in Canada, according to the UK-based Times Higher Education (THE) rankings. Ranked 13th among global universities, U of T is one of only two Canadian institutions to make the top 50 list of engineering and technology programs. The University of British Columbia ranked 38th.
“It is rewarding that U of T Engineering has once again been recognized as one of the very best in the world,” said Cristina Amon, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “This is a great accomplishment for the University of Toronto, and for Canada. U of T graduates make up about 10 per cent of engineers in Canada.”
This year, not only did the Times Higher Education rankings partner with Thomson-Reuters, it also overhauled its methodology. The new approach takes into account teaching, in addition to research, reputation and citations. Times Higher Education also doubled its performance indicators.
U of T Engineering continues to lead all Canadian universities in all international rankings. Engineering at U of T recently placed 19th in the world by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), and eighth in the world in the 2010 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
In addition to placing strong in engineering and technology, U of T was also ranked first in Canada and 17th overall this year by Times Higher Education.
Future storage, computing and sensing technologies will invariably rely on an ability to measure ever smaller amounts of charge at the fastest possible speeds. To date, state-of-the art single electron transistors have held the record, but required cooling to extremely low temperatures (i.e., some 270 degrees C below room temperature).
The Harry Ruda group in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering was able to demonstrate recently the use of nanowire transistors to give comparable performance at temperatures close to room temperature, exceeding the performance of alternative approaches that work at close to room temperature (e.g., nanomechanical systems and conventional field effect transistors) by several orders of magnitude.
The nanowire transistors are so sensitive that they may be turned from conducting to insulating devices as a result of a single electron, with sensitivity down to about a hundred thousandth of one electron charge when measured at a frequency of one hertz. With optimization, the authors are optimistic that these devices can likely yield a further order of magnitude improvement in performance. Numerous practical applications of this new technology are envisaged, as is providing an exciting new tool to probing physical phenomena.
The results of the research were published September 19th on nature.com; follow the link to read the scientific paper.
A group of business people and academics has started counting Canadian “acts of innovation” in the hopes that it will motivate creativity and change among businesses across the country.
So far about 40 companies and government departments are involved in the partnership with the University of Toronto that is intended to bring engineering expertise to businesses such as Canadian Tire, Loblaws, Tridel or institutions such as hospitals.
The partnership involves a mandatory two-semester course for fourth-year Engineering students, where they solve problems for industrial clients such as how to optimize their supply chain or the placement of nurses and doctors in an emergency room for maximum efficiency, says Professor Jean Zu, Chair of the University of Toronto’s Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department.
The students are not paid and take four other courses at the same time. They are co-supervised by a business mentor and an academic mentor from the university.
Professor Zu says the program would help the younger generation become “business-innovation oriented.”
When asked if any concerns had been expressed about the level of corporate involvement in the course, Professor Zu says the program had received nothing but encouragement to date.
The group is currently in discussions about intellectual property issues that could arise when innovation is generated through research that both the businesses and universities want to claim.
Follow the link to read the full article on the CBC News website.
Aviation history was made when the University of Toronto’s human-powered aircraft with flapping wings became the first of its kind to fly continuously.
The “Snowbird” performed its record-breaking flight on August 2 at the Great Lakes Gliding Club in Tottenham, Ont., witnessed by the vice-president (Canada) of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the world-governing body for air sports and aeronautical world records. The official record claim was filed this month, and the FAI is expected to confirm the ornithopter’s world record at its meeting in October.
For centuries Engineers have attempted such a feat, ever since Leonardo da Vinci sketched the first human-powered ornithopter in 1485.
But under the power and piloting of Todd Reichert (EngSci OT5), an Engineering PhD candidate at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), the wing-flapping device 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 Snowbird represents the completion of an age-old aeronautical dream,” says lead developer and project manager Reichert. “Throughout history, countless men and women have dreamt of flying like a bird under their own power, and hundreds, if not thousands have attempted to achieve it. This represents one of the last of the aviation firsts.”
The Snowbird weighs just 94 lbs. and has a wing span of 32 metres (105 feet). Although its wingspan is comparable to that of a Boeing 737, the Snowbird weighs less than all of the pillows on board. Pilot Reichert lost 18 lbs. of body weight this past summer to facilitate flying the aircraft.
With sustainability in mind, Aerospace Engineering graduate students of UTIAS learned to design and build lightweight and efficient structures. The research also promoted “the use of the human body and spirit,” says Reichert.
“The use of human power, when walking or cycling, is an efficient, reliable, healthy and sustainable form of transportation. Though the aircraft is not a practical method of transport, it is also meant to act as an inspiration to others to use the strength of their body and the creativity of their mind to follow their dreams.”
The Snowbird development team is comprised of two University of Toronto Engineering graduate students: Reichert, and Cameron Robertson (MASc 2009, UTIAS) as the chief structural engineer; UTIAS Professor Emeritus James D. DeLaurier as faculty advisor; and community volunteers Robert and Carson Dueck. More than 20 students from the University of Toronto and up to 10 exchange students from Poitiers University, France, and Delft Technical University, Netherlands, also participated in the project.
“This achievement is the direct result of Todd Reichert’s dedication, perseverance, and ability and adds to the already considerable legacy of Jim DeLaurier, UTIAS’s great ornithopter pioneer,” says Professor David Zingg, Director of UTIAS. “It also reflects well on the rigorous education Todd received at the University of Toronto. We’re very proud of Todd and the entire team for this outstanding achievement in aviation history.”
Visit the team’s website and their YouTube channel.
U of T student makes history with human-powered ‘flapping-wing’ plane
Read the Toronto Star story.
Human-powered flight stays airborne
Read the Los Angeles Times story.
When Sukrit Ganguly (ChemE 0T5, MaSc 0T8) finished his undergraduate program, he set out on a traditional career track in oil-and-gas consulting. “The job was very technical,” says the 27-year-old, “and required me to work on models all day long.” Bored after a year, Ganguly wanted to try something new. So he returned to the University of Toronto for a Master of Applied Science degree, this time focusing on applied engineering in banking and setting his sights on Bay Street. “I wanted a job that looked at the bigger picture, and in finance you have to follow what’s going on all over the world,” he says.
The chemical engineer is now working on the trading floor for equity derivatives at TD Securities—on Bay Street. Instead of modelling pipelines and heat exchangers like many of his former classmates, he spends his days structuring financial products, reading international market commentary, and researching the activities of TD’s competitors. And he says an Engineering degree was the best possible training for the job. “As an engineer, you’re taught how to solve problems. The finance part I could learn on the fly.”
Professor Stavros Argyropoulos (MSE) and alumnus Dr. Zhi Li (MSE PhD 0T8) have been selected for a Metallurgical Society (MetSoc) Best Paper Award.
Professor Argyropoulos and Dr. Li’s winning paper was entitled “The Assimilation of Mn-Al Powder Compacts in Liquid Mg: Exothermicity and Recovery Issues,” and was published in the CMQ, Vol. 48, No. 4, in 2009. The award will be presented at the banquet during the Conference of Metallurgists in Vancouver, B.C. on Tuesday, October 5th.