'Hydro One Chair' named as building opens

The Energy Research Centre was formally opened yesterday, with a ceremony that included an announcement of electrical and computer engineering professor Claudio Cañizares (left) as the inaugural Hydro One Chair in Power Engineering.

The ERC building provides a focal point for energy research groups in the faculty of engineering at Waterloo, including the Centre for Advanced Photovoltaic Devices and Systems, solar thermal research laboratory, energy and pollution modelling, and fuel cell research and development labs. 

"The University of Waterloo has made energy a top strategic priority,” said Jatin Nathwani, executive director of the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy, “and through WISE we address the full spectrum of sustainable energy R&D, education, partnerships and commercialization. Energy challenges continue to command attention at the national and international levels. It is a reasonable premise that a healthy energy equation requires balance among the energy sources: those we know and those that we have yet to discover."

In its 14,000-square-foot research facility on the ground floor of the new building, CAPDS conducts key work in photovoltaic energy conversion. The ERC also houses laboratories in the department of mechanical and mechatronics engineering: solar thermal research lab, which develops new solar thermal technologies mainly aimed at housing; advanced glazing system lab, which analyzes energy-efficient glazing systems and shading devices; and lab for fuel cell and green energy research and development, which investigates cost-effective and reliable fuel cell technology and clean biodiesel engines. Research is also carried out in pollution dispersion and energy storage through computer modelling.

The rooftop features test platforms for the solar thermal lab and for wind turbine acoustics, which examines the causes of excessive wind turbine noise. The 43,200-square-foot structure cost $11.4 million to build, with funds coming from federal and provincial governments and industry. Federal and provincial government funding totals $31.3 million for lab equipment and research support.

The Hydro One Chair in Power Engineering is funded by a $2.5-million agreement signed last year with Hydro One Networks Inc. As Hydro One chair, Cañizares will support research in smart grid power distribution and management, alternative energy and sustainability projects, along with graduate student investigations. The chair is expected to contribute significantly to work on how to integrate clean energy technologies into the grid as well as address specific issues of the electricity sector through research, development and deployment projects, a news release yesterday said.

The Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy will oversee the Hydro One Chair agreement. WISE includes more than 80 faculty members with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows working in multi-disciplinary research teams across engineering, science and environment. Researchers investigate innovative technologies and alternatives to existing energy production and delivery systems, along with energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Hydro One is the firm that delivers electricity to homes and businesses across the province of Ontario and owns and operates Ontario's 29,000-kilometre high-voltage transmission network, as well as a 122,000-km low-voltage distribution system that serves end-use customers and smaller municipal utilities. Hydro One is wholly owned by the Province of Ontario.

Back to top

Engineering lists its award winners

Names of this year’s major award winners in the faculty of engineering have been made public by the dean, after they were celebrated at the faculty’s by-invitation dinner Thursday night.

“It’s my pleasure,” says a memo from dean of engineering Adel Sedra (right), “to announce the winners of this year’s Waterloo Engineering awards presented to faculty, staff and alumni.” And here they are:

The 2010 Faculty of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award was presented to Michael Fowler of chemical engineering, Andrew Heunis of electrical and computer engineering and Hamid Jahed of mechanical and mechatronics engineering.

There were four Faculty of Engineering Research Awards presented this year. The En-hui Yang Engineering Research Innovation Award for 2010 was awarded to Susan Tighe of civil and environmental engineering. The Engineering Research Excellence Award in the assistant professor category was received by Carolyn Ren of mechanical and mechatronics engineering; the Engineering Research Excellence Award in the associate professor category was awarded to Murat Uysal of electrical and computer engineering; and the Engineering Research Excellence Award in the professor category was received by Daniel Stashuk of systems design engineering.

Mary McColl of electrical and computer engineering and Erick Engelke of engineering computing were honoured with the Faculty of Engineering Outstanding Staff Award for 2010. McColl was recognized in the award’s administrative staff category and Engelke in the technical staff category.

The Friend of the Faculty Award, two Young Alumni Achievement Medals and four Alumni Achievement Medals were also presented. The Friend of the Faculty Award was presented to Xerox Research Centre of Canada “in recognition of the centre’s support of Waterloo Engineering over the past 35 years through the hiring of engineering co-op students and graduates, providing research support and grants, and organizing and participating in joint research seminars and conferences”.

The Young Alumni Achievement Medal was received by John Baker (BASc ’00, systems design), president and CEO of Desire2Learn, a company which provides an online environment for teaching and learning to universities and other institutions around the world; and Carlos de Oliveira (BASc ’04, civil), co-founder of Cast Connex, an industry leader in the design of customized cast steel structural components for building structures.

The Alumni Achievement Medal in the professional achievement category was presented to Bruce Bodden (BASc ’69, civil), president and CEO of MMM Group Ltd., a multi-disciplinary engineering company; Fred Grigsby (BASc ’71, electrical), who recently retired as senior vice-president of information technology for CN Rail; Kevin Negus (BASc ’84, MASc ’85, PhD ’88, mechanical), a general partner with Camp Ventures, a venture capital investment firm that specializes in early-stage technology start-up companies.

The Alumni Achievement Medal in the community service category was presented to George Newton (BASc ’64, electrical), “whose volunteer leadership and humanitarian endeavours have made a significant difference to Waterloo Engineering and communities throughout Ontario and Quebec”.

Back to top

Other notes as we start to talk turkey

The repair work that was supposed to be starting today at the Columbia Street entrance to campus has been postponed, thanks to a showery weather forecast. It's now scheduled for Thursday, says Gary Kosar of plant operations, and the intention is to get it finished on that one day. Traffic can enter the campus from Columbia in the usual way, but vehicles wanting to exit will have to use the roadway through the Village residences, or head south to the University Avenue entrance.

Engineering students are invited to a forum Thursday night about the new WatPD-Engineering professional skills development program, successor to the controversial PDEng requirements. “During this forum,” say Gord Stubley and Judene Pretti, the two administrators in charge, “we will describe the new program’s structure and courses, the plans for allowing students to switch from the PDEng program to the new program, and where to get advice and information on the new program. We will also be taking questions.” The forum runs from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday in Davis Centre room 1351. There will also be a live webcast, and a recording of the webcast will be made and posted on Friday. Information on the WatPD-Engineering program will be posted in the same location (watpd-engineering.uwaterloo.ca) before the forum. “We look forward to meeting you next Thursday,” say Stubley and Pretti, “and working with you as you develop your professional, technical, and academic skills.”

"Our international recruitment efforts continue in Mexico!" writes Mirjana Radulovic of the marketing and undergraduate recruitment office. She's in Queretaro today and will spend the next several days at school fairs and a "Canadian education promotion evening" in Mexico City. "This year's recruitment trip," says Radulovic, "has been organized by Camosun College and includes 12 Canadian universities and colleges."

A clarification: yesterday's Daily Bulletin, talking about the Research and Technology Park and its award-winning magazine Watch, said the magazine was edited by Carol Stewart, marketing manager for the park. In fact, Stewart says, it's edited by Karalee Clerk of Footprint Communications, "working closely" with Stewart "to capture and reflect the spirit of the park".

And . . . comments are wanted about the Daily Bulletin, as we've been saying daily of late. So, what do you think of this online publication? The office of communications and public affairs invited online feedback for a few days in the spring term. The invitation is open again now for those who missed it then: Please take a few moments to fill out our confidential and anonymous feedback form. A report on the results will appear here in due course.

CAR

Back to top