Canadian importers, particularly those of children’s toys and imitation jewellery, should be extra-vigilant when purchasing from China. Lured by China’s intensely fragmented manufacturing sector, where thousands of small operators outbid each other with low per-unit costs, Canadian companies have been faced with recalls when the jewellery they imported was found to have high lead levels.
One study of Chinese-manufactured jewelry indicated it contained recycled lead acid batteries. Professor Doug Perovic (MSE) found high levels of antimony in such jewellery, pointing to a chemical link to car batteries.
Follow the link to read the full story as reported by Canwest News Service.
Ontarians can expect more days like Monday, July 5, when a Hydro One breaker burst into flames, leaving 240,000 sweltering Toronto residents without power during a heat wave. Much of the Crown-owned utility’s equipment is nearing the end of its design life, and as the provincial government reins in spending, it is neglecting the aging infrastructure that keeps the air conditioners humming, critics say.
The transmission grid that delivers power to local utilities throughout North America was developed about 50 years ago, Professor Reza Iravani (ECE) told The Globe and Mail. If the system is not refurbished, he said, it will become more prone to power outages.
“When the equipment reaches the end of its lifetime, it has to be replaced,” he noted. “Otherwise, the reliability is jeopardized.”
Follow the link to read the full story as reported in The Globe and Mail.
David Castelino, a second-year ChemE student, was honoured today with a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award of Achievement alongside 199 other young people from across Canada. On a visit to Canada, the Duke of Edinburgh handed out the awards before leaving Toronto the following day.
Castelino, who was interviewed along with another award winner on CBC Radio One’s Metro Morning on the day the award was received, said he was “very humbled” by the ceremony and by meeting the Duke of Edinburgh in person. The awards recognize youth for their volunteerism, physical activity, developing practical and social skills, participating in an expedition and completing a residential experience in which the recipient engaged in an activity away from home. Earlier this summer, Castelino was named one of Canada’s Top 20 Under 20.
Dean Cristina Amon has been selected for the “Most Important Hispanics in Technology” list for 2010. The honour, from American magazine Hispanic Engineer & Information Technology (HE&IT), was bestowed on the Dean today at an awards dinner in Baltimore, Maryland.
Extensive research was performed on thousands of employees from 100 candidate companies; HE&IT editors then evaluated and ranked the highest-achieving Hispanic executives, technologists and researchers in industry, government and academia in North America. Those chosen were women and men who demonstrated leadership on a broad front, in the workplace and in their communities. Full profiles of the 2010 Most Important Hispanics in Technology were featured in the spring edition ofHE&IT magazine, published in April 2010.
Professor Milica Radisic (IBBME, ChemE) has been awarded $120,000 over the next three years by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council’s (NSERC) Discovery Accelerator Supplements (DAS) program. The grant will assist Professor Radisic to hire more students and commit more resources to her research into the development of new therapies for heart disease. The grant recognizes Professor Radisic as an impact leader in her field.
Also receiving a Discovery Accelerator Supplements grant is Professor Murray Thomson (MIE, ChemE). Professor Thomson’s research concerns developing a fundamental understanding of biofuel combustion.
Follow the link to read more about 12 U of T Researchers who received Discovery Accelerator Supplements grants from NSERC.
Professor Farid N. Najm, Chair of The Edward S. Rogers Sr Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, has authored a newly released book, Circuit Simulation (John Wiley and Sons Ltd). Circuit simulators are used throughout the electronics industry to verify the performance of electronic components and systems prior to manufacturing, and are indispensable tools employed by thousands of design engineers across the industry. Professor Najm’s book describes the many numerical techniques and algorithms that are part of modern circuit simulation packages, with an emphasis on the most typically used simulation mode, transient analysis. Material for the book was tested in a Faculty graduate course on circuit simulation.