UOIT awarded new research funding by Canada Foundation for Innovation
June 29, 2006
Funding provides significant boost to UOIT's research capacity
OSHAWA, Ont. - The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has awarded UOIT's Faculty of Science a $38,129 infrastructure grant through its Leaders Opportunity Fund. The prestigious grant will be used towards the development of a lab to conduct research leading to the next generation of drug treatments for parasites that infect animals and humans.
"This award represents a significant boost to the research capacity of UOIT," said Dr. Eliot Phillipson, president and chief executive officer of the CFI. "This announcement exemplifies what the CFI is all about - providing institutions with the means to attract and retain the world-class researchers that this country needs to remain at the forefront in terms of both quality of life and economic competitiveness."
Dr. Phillipson celebrated this important award at a luncheon held at the UOIT campus today, during which he also recognized the innovative research being conducted by UOIT faculty with funding received through the CFI's New Opportunities Fund last spring.
Dr. Sean Forrester, assistant professor in UOIT's Faculty of Science has been awarded the new Leaders Opportunity Fund grant to look at a group of ion channel receptors in parasitic nematodes (round worms that infect animals and humans) to determine potential targets for antiparasitic drugs. The funding will allow Dr. Forrester to unlock the properties of the receptors and understand their role in the parasite nervous system.
"I am thrilled to receive such a prestigious award from the CFI," said Dr. Forrester, lead researcher for the nematode ion channel research project. "With the CFI's support, my colleagues and undergraduate students will be able to carry out important research that could lead to new drugs to treat those infected with parasites."
In addition to the announcement of new funding for the upcoming academic year, 13 faculty members were honoured with plaques for their contribution towards the creation of UOIT's Centre for Engineering, Design, Automation and Robotics (CEDAR), and the Computational Science and Visualization Lab (CSVL), during the 2005/2006 academic year. UOIT's SHARCNET cluster, which is part of the university's participation in the $48.3 million CFI and Ontario government-funded, high-performance computing project, was also recognized.
Dr. Scott Nokleby, lead researcher and assistant professor; Dr. Ebrahim Esmailzadeh, professor; Dr. Remon Pop-Iliev, associate professor; Dr. Ghaus Rizvi, assistant professor; and Dr. Dan Zhang, assistant professor; received an $87,109 award from CFI's New Opportunities Fund to establish CEDAR in May 2005. The group is currently integrating and testing the infrastructure, including a mobile-manipulator system and a reconfigurable modular robotic arm, which was acquired through the award to enable them to conduct innovative research into manufacturing, robotics, automation, mechatronics, and control.
Dr. Greg Lewis, lead researcher and assistant professor; Dr. Dhavide A. Aruliah, assistant professor; Dr. Peter Berg, assistant professor; Dr. Pietro-Luciano Buono, assistant professor; Dr. Anatoli Chkrebtii, associate professor; Dr. Fedor Naumkin, assistant professor; Dr. Ed Waller, associate professor; and Dr. Eleodor Nichita, assistant professor; were honoured for the UOIT CSVL research project - the result of a $50,000 New Opportunities Fund also awarded in May 2005.
Computational science allows researchers to study phenomena unexplainable by traditional methods due to complexity, possible dangers, or prohibitive costs. Dr. Lewis and his colleagues established the CSVL to conduct different stages of their computational science research including problem and scientific code development, computation, and visualization of large data sets.
"The ongoing support of the CFI is critical to the success of our faculty's leading-edge research," said Dr. Kamiel Gabriel, associate provost of Research at UOIT. "CFI's funding will provide a significant boost to UOIT's overall research capacity and allow our faculty to continue their exceptional calibre of research."
On June 21, a total of $20.5 million in new funds to support 132 researchers at 33 institutions across Canada was awarded by the CFI through its Leaders Opportunity Fund. This program is designed to reflect Canada's fast-evolving research environment and give Canadian universities the added flexibility they need to both attract and retain the world's finest researchers at a time of intense international competition for leading faculty.
The New Opportunities Fund enables eligible universities to provide infrastructure for newly recruited faculty members in their first full-time academic appointment at a Canadian degree-granting institution to 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 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 non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians.
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. As Ontario's first laptop-based university, UOIT offers career-focused undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business and information technology, sciences, engineering, nursing, social science, and education. The university is committed to research excellence and has attracted significant research grants and awards including a Tier 1 Research Chair. Sharing facilities and selected services with Durham College, UOIT has attracted over 3,000 students since its inception in 2003. To find out more, visit www.uoit.ca or call 905.721.8668.
OSHAWA, Ont. - The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) has awarded UOIT's Faculty of Science a $38,129 infrastructure grant through its Leaders Opportunity Fund. The prestigious grant will be used towards the development of a lab to conduct research leading to the next generation of drug treatments for parasites that infect animals and humans.
"This award represents a significant boost to the research capacity of UOIT," said Dr. Eliot Phillipson, president and chief executive officer of the CFI. "This announcement exemplifies what the CFI is all about - providing institutions with the means to attract and retain the world-class researchers that this country needs to remain at the forefront in terms of both quality of life and economic competitiveness."
Dr. Phillipson celebrated this important award at a luncheon held at the UOIT campus today, during which he also recognized the innovative research being conducted by UOIT faculty with funding received through the CFI's New Opportunities Fund last spring.
Dr. Sean Forrester, assistant professor in UOIT's Faculty of Science has been awarded the new Leaders Opportunity Fund grant to look at a group of ion channel receptors in parasitic nematodes (round worms that infect animals and humans) to determine potential targets for antiparasitic drugs. The funding will allow Dr. Forrester to unlock the properties of the receptors and understand their role in the parasite nervous system.
"I am thrilled to receive such a prestigious award from the CFI," said Dr. Forrester, lead researcher for the nematode ion channel research project. "With the CFI's support, my colleagues and undergraduate students will be able to carry out important research that could lead to new drugs to treat those infected with parasites."
In addition to the announcement of new funding for the upcoming academic year, 13 faculty members were honoured with plaques for their contribution towards the creation of UOIT's Centre for Engineering, Design, Automation and Robotics (CEDAR), and the Computational Science and Visualization Lab (CSVL), during the 2005/2006 academic year. UOIT's SHARCNET cluster, which is part of the university's participation in the $48.3 million CFI and Ontario government-funded, high-performance computing project, was also recognized.
Dr. Scott Nokleby, lead researcher and assistant professor; Dr. Ebrahim Esmailzadeh, professor; Dr. Remon Pop-Iliev, associate professor; Dr. Ghaus Rizvi, assistant professor; and Dr. Dan Zhang, assistant professor; received an $87,109 award from CFI's New Opportunities Fund to establish CEDAR in May 2005. The group is currently integrating and testing the infrastructure, including a mobile-manipulator system and a reconfigurable modular robotic arm, which was acquired through the award to enable them to conduct innovative research into manufacturing, robotics, automation, mechatronics, and control.
Dr. Greg Lewis, lead researcher and assistant professor; Dr. Dhavide A. Aruliah, assistant professor; Dr. Peter Berg, assistant professor; Dr. Pietro-Luciano Buono, assistant professor; Dr. Anatoli Chkrebtii, associate professor; Dr. Fedor Naumkin, assistant professor; Dr. Ed Waller, associate professor; and Dr. Eleodor Nichita, assistant professor; were honoured for the UOIT CSVL research project - the result of a $50,000 New Opportunities Fund also awarded in May 2005.
Computational science allows researchers to study phenomena unexplainable by traditional methods due to complexity, possible dangers, or prohibitive costs. Dr. Lewis and his colleagues established the CSVL to conduct different stages of their computational science research including problem and scientific code development, computation, and visualization of large data sets.
"The ongoing support of the CFI is critical to the success of our faculty's leading-edge research," said Dr. Kamiel Gabriel, associate provost of Research at UOIT. "CFI's funding will provide a significant boost to UOIT's overall research capacity and allow our faculty to continue their exceptional calibre of research."
On June 21, a total of $20.5 million in new funds to support 132 researchers at 33 institutions across Canada was awarded by the CFI through its Leaders Opportunity Fund. This program is designed to reflect Canada's fast-evolving research environment and give Canadian universities the added flexibility they need to both attract and retain the world's finest researchers at a time of intense international competition for leading faculty.
The New Opportunities Fund enables eligible universities to provide infrastructure for newly recruited faculty members in their first full-time academic appointment at a Canadian degree-granting institution to 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 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 non-profit research institutions to carry out world-class research and technology development that benefits Canadians.
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. As Ontario's first laptop-based university, UOIT offers career-focused undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business and information technology, sciences, engineering, nursing, social science, and education. The university is committed to research excellence and has attracted significant research grants and awards including a Tier 1 Research Chair. Sharing facilities and selected services with Durham College, UOIT has attracted over 3,000 students since its inception in 2003. To find out more, visit www.uoit.ca or call 905.721.8668.
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.
