News

Ontario Genomics Institute - SPARK 2015 Program: Disruptive Innovations

The Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the SPARK 2015 program which will provide investigators with catalytic funding to enable them to initiate novel, high-impact, highly innovative and early-stage projects in the genomics sciences with a focus on disruptive innovations. The intent of SPARK 2015 Disruptive Innovations is to instigate novel genomics research which can be eventually translated and used in various fields and disciplines. SPARK 2015 is intended to encourage collaboration between different fields and disciplines and will likely appeal to those who embrace the inter-disciplinary approach.

The SPARK program will provide up to four awards of $25,000 each to be used for Ontario academic research projects of 3-6 months. Disruptive innovations can come in the form of a new technology or the use of an existing technology to: displace a currently-used technology or to transform or create a new market. The SPARK grants are intended for projects where funding would otherwise be difficult to obtain due to the early-stage nature of the proposed research. Outcomes of such projects should enable the applicant the opportunity to achieve follow-on investment or funding for further research or development which in the long term has potential benefits for Ontario.

Proposal deadlines:
Internal Deadline: May 21, 2015
Sponsor Deadline: May 28, 2015

For more information, including the program guidelines and application forms, click here.

Publications

Evaluating thiophene electron-donor layers for the rapid assessment of boron subphthalocyanines as electron acceptors in organic photovoltaics: Solution or vacuum deposition?
Josey, D.S.; Castrucci, J.S.; Dang, J.D.; Lessard, B.H.; Bender, T.P.
ChemPhysChem 2015, 16 (6) pp. 1245-1250.

Commentary on: “In Vivo Remodelling of Vascularizing Engineered Tissues”
Dean Chamberlain, M.; West, M.E.D.; Lam, G.C.; Sefton, M.V.
Annals of Biomedical Engineering 2015, (in press).

Effect of Xylan Structure on Reactivity in Graft Copolymerization and Subsequent Binding to Cellulose
Littunen, K.; Kilpeläinen, P.; Junka, K.; Sipponen, M.; Master, E.R.; Seppälä, J.
Biomacromolecules 2015, 16 (4) pp. 1102–1111.

Progress in thermochemical hydrogen production with the copper-chlorine cycle
Naterer, G.F.; Suppiah, S.; Stolberg, L.; Lewis, M.; Wang, Z.; Rosen, M.A.; Dincer, I.; Gabriel, K.; Odukoya, A.; Secnik, E.; Easton, E.B.; Papangelakis, V.
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 2015, 40 (19) pp. 6283 - 6295.

Detecting changes in arabidopsis cell wall composition using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry
Tsai, A.Y.-L.; Goacher, R.E.; Master, E.R.
Surface and Interface Analysis 2015, 47 (5) pp. 626-631.

Functional and structural diversity in GH62 α-L-arabinofuranosidases from the thermophilic fungus Scytalidium thermophilum
Kaur, A.P.; Nocek, B.P.; Xu, X.; Lowden, M.J.; Leyva, J.F.; Stogios, P.J.; Cui, H.; Di Leo, R.; Powlowski, J.; Tsang, A.; Savchenko, A.
Microbial Biotechnology 2015, 8 (3) pp. 419-433.

Development of Lignin and Nanocellulose Enhanced Bio PU Foams for Automotive Parts
Faruk, O.; Sain, M.; Farnood, R.; Pan, Y.; Xiao, H.
Journal of Polymers and the Environment 2014, 22 (3) pp. 279-288.

Qualitative analysis of precipitate formation on the surface and in the tubules of dentin irrigated with sodium hypochlorite and a final rinse of chlorhexidine or QMiX
Kolosowski, K.P.; Sodhi, R.N.S.; Kishen, A.; Basrani, B.R.
Journal of Endodontics 2014, 40 (12) pp. 2036 - 2040.

Safety Training

The safety training for 2015 summer students are as follows:

Part I:  In-Person Training, May 5, 2015, WB-116, from 9:30-11:30am

Part II:  On-line, to be completed prior to the In-Person Exam

Part III:  In-Person Examination, May 11, 2015, WB-116, 10:00-10:30am

As per University and departmental guidelines, we are required to provide training to all personnel. If you have hired a summer student, please inform them of the date, time and location of the training program. It would be helpful if you could provide names of any summer students to Leticia Gutierrez for attendance and handouts purposes.

Students from our department that have completed their fourth year, AND ARE CONTINUING INTO GRADUATE SCHOOL in our department, do not have to attend this training session (their training for fourth year thesis will suffice). They need to attend the CHE2222F in September.

The training is compulsory for all other summer students/personnel, including those in volunteer positions and on co-op placements. 

Information Security Workshop

A reminder to register today for Information Security in a Connected World, a multidisciplinary one-day workshop hosted at the University of Toronto on May 5, 2015 in SF1105.

As connected devices permeate our lives, it is crucial that the computer infrastructure we rely on so heavily be secure and reliable. Two trends promise to make information security even more important in the future. First, computers are finding their way into new and exciting applications: from smart building controls, to autonomous robots, to medical devices, computing imparts both agility and unpredictability. Second, nearly every computer is connected in some way to another: from short-range wireless protocols, to increasingly ubiquitous cellular data and high-speed broadband, it is faster than ever to share data or compromise personal privacy. At the heart of whether the benefits that drive these trends will outweigh their inherent risks is the question of whether we can engineer these systems to be secure and reliable. This workshop will explore the security benefits and risks of these trends, how they can be addressed, and how multidisciplinary problems can bring together researchers from disparate fields to meet the challenges of achieving security in a connected world.

CEGSA Ping Pong Tournament

Do you take a break from research and work by playing a game of ping pong with your friends in the common room? Do you want an opportunity to show off your table tennis skills and have your name forever engraved in the common room?

Well, then CEGSA's annual Table Tennis tournament is for you! The tournament will take place on May 7, 2015 at 4:30pm in the Grad Common room (WB 247). Pizza will be provided for those participating. To sign up, please email Sam Huang by 4:30pm on May 6, 2015.

Winners will be glorified by having their name engraved on the champion plaque in the common room. So be sure to bring your A game and leave no mercy on the table.

Chem Eng Events

Click here for the Chem Eng Calendar

May 27, 2015 - BizSkule Presents: Leadership for Challenging Times, 5:45-8:30pm, Bennett Jones

May 30, 2015 - Spring Reunion Chemical Engineering Lunch & Tour, 12-2:30pm, Wallberg Building

June 4, 2015 - Molly Shoichet Symposium on Innovations in Regenerative Medicine, 1-5pm, Sandford Fleming Building, Rm. 1105

June 15, 2015 - Spring Convocation