Somewhere across a massive water system, a toxic bloom of algae is polluting drinking water. But what’s the fastest way to find it? To U of T Engineering professor Angela Schoellig (UTIAS), the answer is flying drones—an entire swarm designed to zigzag across landscapes and spot environmental hazards.
Schoellig and her pioneering drone development is one of six U of T Engineering research projects that just received, in total, $1,015,159 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI).
Through CFI’s John R. Evans Leaders Fund, the investment is intended to provide some of the world’s best and brightest scientists and engineers with cutting-edge research infrastructure.
At U of T Engineering, the funding enables groundbreaking research in sustainable energy, secure communications, health care and more. Recipients include:
Joyce Poon (ECE)
Project: Integrated Quantum Photonics for Secure Communications
Funding*: $399,999
Elodie Passeport (ChemE, CivE)
Project: Stable isotope facility for improved understanding of the fate and removal of emerging contaminants in water
Funding*: $200,000
Gisele Azimi (MSE, ChemE)
Project: Extraction, Processing, and Recycling of Strategic Materials
Funding*: $115,214
Amy Bilton (MIE)
Project: Laboratory for Prototyping Energy and Water Systems
Funding*: $100,000
Eric Diller (MIE)
Project: Laboratory for Micro-Robotics Research
Funding*: $100,000
Angela Schoellig (UTIAS)
Project: Indoor/Outdoor Testbed for Aerial and Ground Multi-Robot Research
Funding*: $99,946
Researchers across the University of Toronto received a total of $1,873,485 for eleven different projects. (Read more about other U of T projects.)
“It is wonderful that so many of our researchers will benefit from the support of the Canada Foundation for Innovation through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund,” said Dr. Peter Lewis, interim vice-president of Research and Innovation at U of T. “We can’t wait to learn about the discoveries that will surely arise from the recipients’ research.”
* Maximum CFI contribution
