UOIT receives more than $100,000 in CFI funding to support new researchers
March 11, 2005
OSHAWA, Ont. - The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) will receive $137,109 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to support advanced research being carried out by 13 of its newest faculty members.
"We appreciate the foundation's strong show of support for Ontario's newest university," said Kamiel Gabriel, UOIT's Associate Provost for Research and Graduate Programs. "These CFI funds are essential to the success of our faculty in carrying out their leading edge research."
The funding is part of the foundation's mission to help make Canada a global leader in research and development.
"These awards empower Canadian institutions to recruit and retain leading researchers from around the world," said Dr. Eliot Phillipson, the president and CEO of the CFI. "They also help to reverse the brain drain by keeping our nation's leading research minds in Canada."
At UOIT, the CFI funds will go toward two key projects. The Computational Science and Visualization Laboratory (CSVL) will receive a grant of $50,000, while the proposed Centre for Engineering Design, Automation and Robotics (CEDAR) will receive $87,109.
Computational science is an emerging area of scientific investigation that allows researchers to study phenomena that cannot be tackled by traditional methods because of their complexity, possible dangers, or prohibitive costs. UOIT's proposed CSVL will have specialized software and hardware tools for visualizing and analyzing data, and will be a perfect complement to SHARCNET, the Ontario-based high-performance computing network to which UOIT belongs. The lead researcher on the project is Greg Lewis, a professor in the Faculty of Science, and other UOIT researchers on the team are professors Dhavide Aruliah, Peter Berg, Pietro-Luciano Buono, Anatoli Chkrebtii, Fedor Naumkin, Eleodor Nichita, and Ed Waller.
The Centre for Engineering Design, Automation, and Robotics is being established to conduct innovative research into issues related to manufacturing, robotics, automation, mechatronics, and control. The research team will pioneer advanced techniques using flexible robotics, allowing manufacturers to respond more quickly to market changes and to reduce the cost of capital equipment. The lead researcher is Scott Nokleby, a professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. He is joined by professors Ebrahim Esmailzadeh, Remon Pop-Iliev, Ghaus Rizvi, and Dan Zhang.
Representatives from the Canada Foundation for Innovation were joined by the Honourable David L. Emerson, Minister of Industry, in Victoria today to announce a total of $23.8 million in funding. The CFI board of directors approved this investment through two funds: $18.3 million under the New Opportunities Fund; and $5.5 million under the Infrastructure Operating Fund, which assists universities with the incremental operating and maintenance costs associated with new infrastructure projects.
"The CFI's ongoing commitment to funding research infrastructure has made Canada a destination of choice when it comes to research," said Minister Emerson.
Judi Longfield, the member of Parliament for Whitby-Oshawa and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Labour and Housing, welcomed the news of UOIT's success.
"This outstanding university has quickly proven to be at the cutting edge in research and innovation," she said, "and is demonstrating that it certainly has the right stuff!"
A complete list of NOF projects, by university, can be found at: www.innovation.ca.
The CFI's New Opportunities Fund enables eligible universities to provide research infrastructure for newly recruited faculty members, in their first full-time academic appointment in Canadian degree granting institutions, so that these researchers can undertake leading-edge research. The fund also enables institutions to recruit new faculty members in the areas of research identified as priorities in their strategic research plans.
About the University of Ontario Institute of Technology
As the province's newest university, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology provides a unique combination of academic knowledge, vibrant student life, leading-edge research, and hands-on skills. The university offers career-focused undergraduate degree programs in the fields of business and information technology, sciences, engineering, nursing, social science, and education. It is also developing leading-edge research and graduate programs, and is Ontario's first laptop-based university. Sharing facilities and selected services with Durham College, UOIT has attracted over 1,800 students since its inception in 2003. To find out more, visit www.uoit.ca or call 905.721.8668.
About the Canada Foundation for Innovation
The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is an independent corporation created by the Government of Canada to fund research infrastructure. The CFI's mandate is to strengthen the capacity of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and other non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians.
For more information, contact:
Alastair Sinclair
Co-ordinator, Media Relations
Canada Foundation for Innovation
613.996.3160
613.447.1723 (mobile)
About Ontario Tech University
A modern, forwarding-thinking university, Ontario Tech advances the discovery and application of knowledge to accelerate economic growth, regional development and social innovation. We inspire and equip our students and our graduates to make a positive impact in a tech-focused world. For us, it’s not only about developing the next tech breakthrough. Understanding and integrating the social and ethical implications of technology differentiates us as university. Learn more at ontariotechu.ca.
Media contact
Tania Henvey
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
905.721.3111, ext. 2513
tania.henvey@uoit.ca
