Click to read more!

On Friday March 3, 2017, twenty-one graduate and undergraduate students from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering made their way to Toronto to visit Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Canada Inc. and MDA.听 The visit to MHICA included a presentation by MHI Canada Aerospace President, Mike McCarthy, and a tour of their facility.听 The students also benefited from attending an MHI crash course on the fundamentals of aircraft assembly and enjoyed presentations by MHI engineers and other staff members on their career paths.听 Completing the MHI visit, groups of undergraduate students had the opportunity to present their Capstone Projects to MHICA leadership.听 Finally, the group finished the day by touring the robotics labs at MDA in Brampton where students and faculty got up close and personal with their state-of-the-art technology through demonstrations and interaction with MDA researchers.听 Thank you Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Canada Aerospace and MDA!

杏吧原创 University (Ottawa, Ontario)

An opportunity exists for a geophysics or physics student to perform their M.Sc. thesis work at the Geological Survey of Canada on studies of the performance of a directional gamma spectrometer on board an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV).

Building on decades of successful exploration for uranium and other precious ore by aerial survey of natural radioactivity, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has responsibility for aerial radiometric survey for nuclear emergency response (NER). The NRCan NER team will be commissioning an advanced gamma-ray spectrometer to fly on their recently acquired UAV over the years 2016 to 2018.

Equipped with novel directional and mapping technology, the UAV will advance the team鈥檚 capability to respond, providing a platform which can enter areas too hazardous for manned vehicles.

Projects:

The project is suitable for a geophysics or physics student.

1. A geophysics student would register for an M.Sc. in the Department of Earth Sciences at 杏吧原创 University. The student will be co-supervised by Dr. Laurel Sinclair and Dr. Claire Samson. Emphasis will be on survey and mapping with the UAV-borne system and characterization of the performance in flight with applications in prospecting for ore.
2. A physics student would register for an M.Sc. in Medical Physics in the Department of Physics. The student will be supervised by Dr. Laurel Sinclair. Emphasis will be on image reconstruction methods for data collected during a grid flight pattern.

Terms and Required Assets:

• Student with an excellent academic standing accepted at 杏吧原创 University Earth Sciences or Physics Departments to begin Sept 2016.
• The ideal candidate has an undergraduate degree in Earth Science, Engineering or Physics and is interested in computational methods, quantitative data analysis and software development.
• Research Assistantship funding adequate for a student paying domestic tuition fees will be offered.

Interested students should send an e-mail to laurel.sinclair@canada.ca

杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering and Design and NAV CANADA have teamed up to offer a joint Professional Short Course on uninhabited aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as drones. The five-day course will be delivered at the NAV CENTRE facility in Cornwall, Ont., from June 20-24, 2016.

A broad assortment of topics pertaining to both fixed wing and rotary UAVs will be covered, including in-depth analysis of flight principles, functionality, application, detection, tracking and more. Potential opportunities and risks related to drone use will also be discussed, along with current and pending policy and regulations.

鈥淭he use of UAVs is increasing exponentially worldwide as people explore opportunities in a variety of different fields,鈥� says Garry Brown, director of International Training Programs and Delivery for NAV CANADA. 鈥淭his course is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of issues from flight principles and propulsion systems to safety and government regulation concerns.鈥�

Course instructors will include members of 杏吧原创鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering and Design, with additional expertise provided by NAV CANADA. Course participants will be presented with a 杏吧原创 University and NAV CANADA joint attendance certificate upon completion.

An enrolment fee of $2,000 per participant (plus applicable taxes) will be collected by NAV CANADA, which helps covers the academic and ancillary costs of the course, including instructors, accommodation and meals, classroom space and use of simulators, simulator support resources and supplies. People interested in registering are invited to contact Katherine MacLean at 613-936-5006 orkatherine.maclean@navcentre.ca.

This course is an example of the growing partnership between 杏吧原创 and NAV CANADA. In late 2015, an agreement was signed to work towards establishing an听Aerospace Centre of Excellence in Cornwall听that would integrate the expertise of NAV CANADA, the country鈥檚 air navigation services provider, and 杏吧原创, home of Canada鈥檚 first Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering program.

杏吧原创 杏吧原创鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering and Design

杏吧原创 University鈥檚 research-intensive Faculty of Engineering and Design is recognized as a leader within Canada and beyond, offering one of the most extensive ranges of engineering and design programs in the country. Located in the nation鈥檚 capital, 杏吧原创 delivers real-world training through partnerships with industry and collaboration with government departments and agencies.

杏吧原创 NAV CANADA

NAV CANADA is the country鈥檚 private sector civil air navigation services provider. With operations from coast to coast to coast, NAV CANADA provides air traffic control, flight information, weather briefings, aeronautical information services, airport advisory services and electronic aids to navigation.

杏吧原创 the NAV Centre

The NAV Centre is a training and conference venue owned and operated by NAV CANADA. It offers access to 550 guest rooms, 70 state-of-the-art classrooms and meeting rooms, as well as an auditorium. Other amenities include a gymnasium and fitness facilities, as well as multiple dining options. The NAV Centre is also an accredited member of the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC), provided for adhering to globally-recognized standards in hospitality service.

Media Contact
Steven Reid
Media Relations Officer
杏吧原创 University
613-520-2600 ext. 8718
613-265-6613
Steven_Reid3@杏吧原创.ca听

杏吧原创 University is a Canadian leader in rotorcraft research and education, which has been recognized on 18 May 2016 at the world鈥檚 leading technical conference on vertical flight, the 72^nd Annual Forum of the American Helicopter Society (AHS), held between 16-19 May in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The research paper co-authored by undergraduate students Mark Kotwicz Herniczek, Dustin Jee, Brian Sanders and associate professor Daniel Feszty, entitled 鈥淩otor Blade Optimization and Flight Testing of a small UAV Rotorcraft鈥�, has been awarded the Runner-Up prize in the world finals of the prestigious Robert L. Lichten competition of AHS. The Lichten competition is for research papers co-authored by young researchers who present at an AHS Forum for the first time.

Each chapter of the AHS organizes a local round of the competition, which winners enter the world finals. 杏吧原创 University has a strong track record in the Canadian local rounds of this competition, 听since it has won regional competition organized by the Ottawa-Montreal Chapter of the AHS (which is the largest international chapter of AHS with more than 400 members) two years in a row. As such, 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 paper was nominated for the world finals of the Lichten competition, where it was awarded a Runner-Up prize.

鈥淭he great thing about our paper is that it was written by our undergraduate students from the results they achieved within the Rotorcraft Unmanned Aerial System (RUAS) capstone project in the 2014-15 academic year. Despite the rigorous peer-review process, the paper made it to the main program of the conference even before being awarded the Lichten competition runner-up prize. This is great evidence of the world-class quality of rotorcraft education and research at 杏吧原创 University鈥� 鈥� says Daniel Feszty, associate professor of aerospace engineering, leader of the Rotorcraft Research Group and the 2014-15 Project Manager for the RUAS capstone project. 鈥淭he real strength of our paper was that it involved not just the design and theoretical analysis of UAV helicopters, but the experimental proof via flight testing鈥� 鈥� he added. 听The RUAS capstone project has been supported by Bell Helicopter Textron Canada.

Two of the students, Mark Kotwicz Herniczek and Dustin Jee, were also awarded one of the 24 AHS Scholarships for their excellent academic results and their track record in helicopter research and education. Mark and Dustin are the only non-American winners of such scholarship this year and the 3^rd and 4^th Canadian ever to win such scholarship in its 40 years history.

The recipients received their awards at the Grant Awards Banquet of the 72^nd Annual Forum of the AHS in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Mark Kotwicz Herniczek and Dustin Jee are currently MASc students of the Rotorcraft Research Group, while Brian Sanders has just finished his BSc studies and is expected to enter graduate studies soon.

杏吧原创 University presented another paper at this conference too, authored by former MASc research student Daniel Gosselin, who currently works at Transport Canada, and associate professor Daniel Feszty.

Mark Kotwicz Herniczek receives the Robert L. Lichten Runner-Up prize from David A. Peters, AHS International Technical Director, during the Grant Awards Banquet.

Dustin Jee (front row, 5th from right) and Mark Kotwicz Herniczek (front row, 2nd from left) receive the AHS Vertical Flight Foundation Scholarships during the Grant Awards Banquet.

杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Blackbird UAV Team has been awarded a prize for innovation at the 2016 Unmanned Aerial Systems Student Competition.

Blackbird UAV was one of 14 student teams from across Canada to compete in the final stage of the competition in Southport, Manitoba, from April 29 to May 1.

Students were given a real-world agricultural scenario that required them to fly an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over a field in order to examine the health of a farmer鈥檚 crop. Each team was asked to measure soil conditions and map the location of the crops using a sensor system. Teams also submitted a written report on their results.

杏吧原创 placed third out of 18 teams in the design paper phase of the two-part competition in January.

杏吧原创 the听Unmanned Systems Canada Student Competition:
The purpose of the competition is to promote and develop Canadian expertise in unmanned systems technologies at the university and college levels. Even small-scale unmanned systems are complex vehicles requiring a well-planned and executed design approach. The competition takes place in two phases 鈥� the phase one design report from each team due in January and the operational flying demonstration in May.

Teams are graded on the quality and completeness of their design report and the results of the demonstrations. Separate prizes are awarded for each phase. The format of the competition is designed to be an equal challenge for both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, with some teams flying both platforms. To be eligible, students must be registered in a full-time program at a Canadian university or college, and design and successfully fly their UAV, with confirmation in a qualifying video.

杏吧原创 University鈥檚 Blackbird UAV Team has placed third in the design paper phase of the Unmanned Aerial Systems Student Competition.

The 杏吧原创 team is now among 18 teams that have qualified for the flying phase to take place in Southport, Manitoba from April 29 to May 1.

Students are tasked with finding a variety of targets scattered over an airfield. As an added challenge, the students are faced with real life scenarios involving the environment, agriculture, mining, transportation and oil and gas sectors, where they must locate the scenario components, collect the data and provide analysis in a written report, all within a time limit. Prizes for both phases will be presented at the competition awards banquet on the closing evening.

This year鈥檚 Student Papers Competition winner is also from 杏吧原创. Michael Cunningham was awarded first prize on a topic of his choice related to Unmanned Vehicle Systems, which he presented at the annual conference in Halifax in November 2015. Next, Cunningham will be hosted by Unmanned Systems Canada at the international Unmanned Vehicle Systems conference in New Orleans in May 2016.

杏吧原创 the Unmanned Systems Canada Student Competition:
The purpose of the competition is to promote and develop Canadian expertise and experience in unmanned systems technologies at the university and college levels. Even small scale unmanned systems are complex vehicles requiring a well-planned and executed design approach. The competition takes place in two phases 鈥� the Phase I design report from each team due in January and Phase II, the operational flying demonstration in May.

Teams will be graded on the quality and completeness of their design report and the results of the demonstrations 鈥搒eparate prizes are awarded for each phase. The format of the competition is designed to be an equal challenge for both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft with some teams flying both platforms. To be eligible, students must be registered in a full-time program at a Canadian university or college, and design and successfully fly their UAV, with confirmation in a qualifying video.