Sustainability news

Sustainability programs and research at U of T Engineering are at the forefront of alternative technologies that can mitigate the impact of climate change.

Alexander Ip and his U of T research team, led by Professor Ted Sargent, will receive nearly $1 million from the Ontario government for the semi-final round of the Carbon XPRIZE competition (Photo: Kevin Soobrian)

Ontario supports U of T Engineering researchers competing for Carbon XPRIZE

The Ontario government has invested $833,000 to support a team of U of T researchers trying to turn carbon into something useful for the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE

The winners of the RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, held March 31, 2017. Team Genecis, led by Luna Yu (sixth from right) took second place in the Early Stage category.

Hatchery startup Genecis receives RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Company aims to address the problem of food waste by turning table scraps into biofuel, plastics and other products

Professor Shoshanna Saxe (CivE) analyses the environmental and social impact of large public transit infrastructure projects, equipping policymakers with data as they decide which investments to make. (Photo: Tyler Irving)

Infrastructure’s impact: How public transit affects our environment

Shoshanna Saxe applies engineering methodologies to measure the social and environmental impact of transit projects

The new perovskite solar cells have achieved an efficiency of 20.1 per cent and can be manufactured at low temperatures, which reduces the cost and expands the number of possible applications. (Photo: Kevin Soobrian)

Printable solar cells just got a little closer

New research removes a key barrier to large-scale manufacture of low-cost, printable perovskite solar cells

Professor Fae Azhari (MIE, CivE) holds a sample of the self-sensing concrete she designed. Her work helps monitor the structural health of crucial infrastructure such as bridges, roads and hydroelectric dams. (Credit: Roberta Baker).

Concrete check-up: Fae Azhari develops diagnostics for critical infrastructure

U of T Engineering professor develops novel approaches to monitoring the health of large structures, from bridges to hydroelectric dams

Measurements taken by U of T Engineering researchers show that levels of certain airborne particles can be up to nine times higher in train cars pulled by diesel locomotives than on busy city streets. (Photo: Kevin Hiscott, via <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/portway-ave/110344606/" target="_blank">Flickr</a>)

Diesel trains may expose passengers to exhaust

Levels of certain airborne pollutants are up to nine times higher in train cars directly behind diesel locomotives than on busy city streets.

Professor Marianne Touchie (CivE, MIE) is working with Toronto Community Housing and The Atmospheric Fund to better understand how changes to energy use affect indoor environmental quality in multi-unit residential buildings. Toronto Public Health is collaborating to use their data to inform policy. (Photo: Kevin Soobrian)

Heat, housing and health: Marianne Touchie and the complexity of multi-unit residential buildings

Professor Marianne Touchie is working with Toronto Community Housing and The Atmospheric Fund to better understand how changes to energy use affect indoor environmental quality in multi-unit residential buildings

A U of T Engineering research team led by Professor Matthew Roorda (CivE) are assessing the safety impact of Bloor Street bike lanes. (Photo by Dylan Passmore via Flickr).

Bike lanes on Bloor Street: U of T Engineering partners with Miovision, City of Toronto to help evaluate pilot and track traffic safety

Matthew Roorda (CIvE) performing conflict analysis to help cities evaluate the impact to safety of any changes to a streetscape

U of T Engineering alumnus John Paul Morgan (EngSci 0T1, ECE MASc 0T5) was inspired to found his company, Morgan Solar, by his experiences with Doctors Without Borders in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Morgan is part of a new generation of entrepreneurs helping to bring inexpensive electricity to energy-impoverished regions. (Courtesy: John Paul Morgan).

The next generation of solar pioneers: Electrifying a nation

U of T Engineering alumni John Paul Morgan and Shawn Qu are entrepreneurs whose ingenuity is lighting up parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo