Chair's Office
August 8, 2011
Volume 3, Issue 6
In this issue:
Honours and Awards
Research Activities
Seminars
Graduate Studies
Student Affairs
Announcements
Job Opportunities
Vacation
Archives
Connect
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Dr. Matthew Mackay (MIE PhD 1T1) joins MIE as a lecturer as of Monday, August 8. Dr. Mackay received his BASc in 2006 in Computer Engineering from Queen's University where he was ranked 1st in his class, and his PhD (on fast track) in 2011 in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto. His area of research is in mechatronics.
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Matthesa Gregg joins MIE on Thursday, August 11, in the position of Reception & Office Operations Assistant. Matthesa obtained her Bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Toronto in 2008 and has since been working at the Rotman School of Management, Executive Programs. She looks forward starting her new position in MIE.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Mackay and Matthesa!
New Structure in the Business Office (MC134)
• Payroll (RA, TA, post doctoral fellow, research assistants, and casuals):
Teresa Lai Ho, (416) 978 2920
Jian Shen (assisting Teresa), (416) 978 8592
• Expense reimbursements and accounts enquiry:
Mohammad Rahman, (416) 978 8593
• MasterCard statements:
Donna Liu, (416) 978 5376
• Research grant applications and general enquiry:
Elisabete Augusto, (416) 978 6005
Honours and Awards
University of Toronto Excellence Award in the Natural Sciences and EngineeringMechanical Engineering student Alfie Tham has been s elected to receive a 2011 University of Toronto Excellence Award in the Natural Sciences and Engineering (UTEA-NSE). The program gives undergraduate students opportunities to experience different approaches to research; to help students learn and appreciate the investigative methodology of areas of particular interest; and, to provide students with an experience that will allow them to make informed decisions about pursuing careers in research. Alfie will be supervised by Professor Olivera Kesler. IndE student Orisetimeyin Agbeyegbe to compete in 5th Annual Impact Apprentice The James Dyson Award
PhD candidate Aaron Persad (supervised by Professor Charles A. Ward), Shyra Khosla (MIE 1T0), ECE PhD candidate Joshua Dian, Martin Labrecque (ECE 1T1 PhD) and Shervin Mehryar (ECE 1T2) were awarded the 2010 National James Dyson Award in Canada. They built an Automated Parasite Detection System (ADPS) to test blood samples for malaria. The APDS automates the slide creation and inspection processes that would normally be done by a highly qualified personnel. It prepares a monolayer of cells, and fixates and stains the cells in a repeatable, operator-independent manner. The device also includes a machine vision system capable of repeatable differentiation of infected from uninfected cells resulting in low false-positive and false-negative rates. The system outputs whether or the not the patient has malaria and the parasitemia if applicable. The group competed with 33 other Canadian entries. The device was later presented at the Biomedical Engineering Society 2010 Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas. The teams hopes that the APDS will one day enable quick and accurate diagnosis of malaria in third-world countries and reduce the number false-diagnostics that can result from traditional methods despite the presence of highly trained and experienced staff. Portable and accurate diagnostic tools will increase the number of people screened and ensure that expensive malaria medication is given to those who need it. The 2011 James Dyson competition closed on August 2, 2011. |
Research Activities
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NSERC Funded Research
NSERC announced the 2011 competition results for NSERC's Discovery Grants, Discovery Accelerator Supplements, Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarships, Postgraduate Scholarships and Postdoctoral Fellowships programs. Congratulations to Professors Birsen Donmez, Andrew A. Goldenberg, Andrew K.S. Jardine, Viliam Makis, Andreas Mandelis, James K. Mills, Hani Naguib, Chul Park, Craig Simmons, Yu Sun and Charles Ward. In total, 47 Engineers are among the U of T recipients of $42-million in NSERC Funding. A complete list of recipients from U of T is available online.
MIE Professors Awarded Ministry of Research and Innovation Grants
Seven U of T Engineers were awarded grants from the Ontario government to support projects that will improve the lives of people around the world and create skilled jobs within the province. The funds were provided by the Ministry of Research and Innovation on July 25 through its Research Infrastructure (RI) and Early Researcher Awards (ERA) programs. Grants were awarded to Professors Aimy Bazylak and Goldie Nejat. Professor Bazylak won $111,325 (RI) for Microscale Energy Systems Transport Phenomena and Professor Nejat won $96,363 (RI) for The Next Generation of Robotic Helpers.
Canada Foundation for Innovation's (CFI) Leading Edge and New Initiatives Funds
Draft call for proposals
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Funding Opportunity
Proof of Principle (POP) - Phases I and I
Canadian Rising Stars in Global Health competition: Round Two
This unique program is a call to action for Canadians to make their contribution to global health.
Deadline for proposals is Monday, September 19.
Nanomaterials for Energy Symposium
Date: Thursday, September 29 - Friday, September 30
Location: Royal Ontario Museum amphitheatre
Seminars
UTAT Aerodynamics Seminar
We will be hosting an Aerodynamics Seminar to cover some of the following material:
• Flow regimes (Subsonic, Supersonic, Hypersonic etc..)
• Aircraft Controls
• Aircraft Dynamics
• Dimensionless Numbers
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at utaeroteam@gmail.com.
Date: Tuesday, Aug. 9
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: BA 1170
University of Toronto Operations Research Group » Academic Job Searching
The University of Toronto Operations Research Group (UTORG) will be hosting a special seminar on academic job searching. Professor Timothy C. Y. Chan will discuss the key aspects of the academic job search process. The seminar will be of interest to all graduate students who are planning to pursue a career in academia. RSVP
Date: Thursday August 11
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: MC310
Untying the Knot between a Stochastic Program and its Distribution
The University of Toronto Operations Research Group (UTORG) will be hosting a featured seminar on stochastic programming and distributional robust optimization by Professor Erick Delage, HEC Montréal. The seminar will be of interest to all students and faculty members interested in optimization under uncertainty. RSVP
Speaker: Erick Delage, Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, HEC Montréal
Date: Tuesday August 16
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: MC331
Graduate Studies
2011 TA Day
This event is open to all University of Toronto students working as Teaching Assistants. Attendance is FREE but registration is REQUIRED (and is limited to 200 students). A detailed schedule will be available on Monday, August 8. Registration opens on Monday, August 15.
Date: Thursday, September 1
Time: 8:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: 100 St. George Street, Sidney Smith Hall
Graduate Student Blogging Opportunity
The Office of Student Life (Gradlife) is launching a graduate student blog this fall and they are looking for a graduate student to be their feature blogger. The mission of the blog will be to engage and connect graduate students on a wide range of topics related to graduate student life (such as balance, finance, time management, writer's block, etc.) The Gradlife blogger, will be required to write one post per week and will be paid an honorarium per term. Submit your resume and covering letter:
• If you were to create a blog post about graduate student life at U of T, what would it be about? (Think about what your fellow students would want to know.)
• Be creative. Provide a sample/URL of your writing (if applicable).
• Tell us of some other possible topics for postings.
Deadline for application: Friday August 12. Email applications to: Jennifer Pinker, Student Life Programs and Services
Internship Opportunities with ConnectCanada
Connect Canada is a national internship program that links Canadian companies with graduate students and post-doctoral fellows for research placements.
PhD Final Oral Exam
Sameh Mossaad Iskander Saad: Axisymmetric Drop Shape Analysis (ADSA) and Lung Surfactant
Date: Monday, August 8
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: School of Graduate Studies, 63 St. George St., Rm. 303
Exam committee: Professors James Arthur (exam chair, Department of Mathematics), A.W. Neumann (supervisor), M. Bussmann, M.L. Hair, J.K. Spelt and E. J. Acosta (non-voting member).
External examiner: Professor J. Adin Mann, Jr. (Case Western Reserve University, US).
PhD Final Oral Exam
Ali Kalantarian: Development of Axisymmetric Drop Shape Analysis No Apex (ADSA-NA)
Date: Tuesday, August 9
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: School of Graduate Studies, 63 St. George St., Rm. 303
Exam committee: Professors John Scherk (exam chair, Department of Mathematics), A.W. Neumann (supervisor), M. Bussmann, M.L. Hair, J.K. Spelt and E. J. Acosta (non-voting member).
External examiner: Professor J. Adin Mann, Jr. (Case Western Reserve University, US).
Student Affairs
North America Chinese Society of Automotive Engineers (NACSAE)
NACSAE is a non-profit organization for Chinese automotive professionals, scholars and students. Its Canadian chapter is based in Toronto and will build close ties with the auto industry in Ontario, US and China. Its activities will be focused on technology and career development for its members. Membership is free. More info can be found at www.nacsae.org.
Undergraduate Engineering Research Day (UnERD ) 2011
UnERD is a chance for undergraduate students undertaking summer research in applied science and engineering to showcase their research projects. All presenters will receive a certificate of participation while top presenters will receive prizes acknowledging their achievement.
Date: Wednesday, August 17
Announcements
Industrial Engineering 50th Anniversary Symposium & Gala Dinner
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the Industrial Engineering program at the University of Toronto. To mark this milestone, the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering has hosted a year of celebrations which will culminate on Saturday, September 24 with a symposium and gala dinner at the Fairmont Royal York, Toronto. All department alumni are invited to participate in this special event.
Symposium | Gala Dinner
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Free symposium & luncheon | Gala tickets $75 until September 1, 2011
Thank you to all our Industrial Engineering 50th Anniversary sponsors:
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Job Opportunities
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering » Tenure Track Positions
The Department currently invites applications for two tenure-stream appointments at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor.
Closing date: Tuesday, September 20
Vacation |
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Aug. 9 & 10 |
Sheila Baker, Purchasing Officer Joe Baptista, Director of Operations Gord Boudreau, Machinist Jho Nazal, Graduate Program Assistant Shannon Osborne, External Relations Liaison Mark Wlodarski, Undergraduate Program Assistant |
Newsletter Archives
Did you miss a past issue of The MIE Newsletter? Find it on the MIE Weekly Newsletter page.
The MIE Newsletter is a weekly summary of key headlines, events and opportunities for faculty and staff in the Mechanical & Industrial Engineering department within the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. If you have questions or comments, please contact: newsletter@mie.utoronto.ca.
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