U of T Engineering post-doc wins Polanyi Prize for research into more efficient solar materials
Dr. Riccardo Comin, a post-doctoral fellow in The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, has won the 2015 John Charles Polanyi Prize for Physics for his research into a rapidly emerging new class of materials, called perovskites, that could lead to more efficient solar cells and lighting. The Polanyi Prizes are given […]
Meet undergrad Frank Gu, a U of T Engineering intern lighting up Nanoleaf
How does a second-year engineering undergraduate student nab a coveted internship with a global lighting startup like Nanoleaf? It helps to offer critical thinking, creativity and boundless energy — but having the boss share your intellectually impressive hobby doesn’t hurt. When Nanoleaf CEO Gimmy Chu (ElecE 0T6) met electrical engineering student Frank Gu (Year 2 ElecE), he discovered that the young applicant was a member of […]
Engineering alumni startup Nanoleaf launches new product for Apple home system
Nanoleaf, the fast-growing startup from U of T Engineering alumni, launched a new product Oct. 27 tied to Apple’s HomeKit line. “We’ve received Apple’s approval to join the HomeKit ecosystem,” said Nanoleaf spokesperson Leslie Chen. The Nanoleaf Smarter Kit combines “the world’s most energy efficient smart bulb” and a stylish, connected hub with Apple’s Siri-enabled HomeKit, Chen said. This will […]
An open data platform for improving Toronto transportation
This story is Part 6 of a seven-part series, U of T Engineering in the City, running throughout fall 2015. Last Friday, an unmanned octocopter lifted off from a grassy park in a Toronto ravine. It ascended 75 metres and then twisted its mounted camera to scan the volume of traffic moving along Don Mills Road. […]
Engineering a ‘social needs marketplace’ to help the urban poor
This story is Part 4 of a seven-part series, U of T Engineering in the City, running throughout fall 2015. Two years ago, U of T Engineering professor Mark Fox (MIE) spent 36 hours living on the street. He did it partly as a charity fundraiser, but mostly to get a better sense of how the homeless […]
A bumper crop atop U of T Engineering’s Sky Garden
This story is Part 3 of a seven-part series, U of T Engineering in the City, running throughout fall 2015. Every Tuesday through the late summer and early fall, a team of volunteers ascends to the roof of the Galbraith Building on U of T’s St. George Campus. They are there to pick corn, beans, squash, peppers, […]
On the right track: new iCity collaboration addresses Toronto’s transit woes
This story is Part 2 of a seven-part series, U of T Engineering in the City, running throughout fall 2015. Just before leaving by bike to interview U of T transportation guru Eric Miller (CivE), I checked my smartphone for new email. Fifteen minutes later, as I walked into the Galbraith Building on the St. George campus, […]
Plant biosensor could help African farmers fight parasitic “witchweed”
Engineering and biology professors at the University of Toronto have developed a new strategy for helping African farmers fight a parasitic plant that devastates crops. Plants in the genus Striga, also known as witchweed, act as parasites of other plants, tapping into their root systems and hijacking them for their own purposes. Though their purple […]
David Sinton elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists
Professor David Sinton (MIE) has been named to the 2015 cohort of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. Now in its second year, the College recognizes and brings together an emerging generation of Canadian intellectual leaders from multiple disciplines. Sinton is a pioneer in applying small-scale fluid mechanics research, […]
