Hubert Jean-Ruel is the new Canada Research Chair in Advanced Photonic Sensing Components and Systems at 杏吧原创 University. The Tier II Canada Research Chair (CRC) recognition is awarded by the Government of Canada to exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. The new chair is a testament to the caliber of 杏吧原创鈥檚 faculty and researchers 鈥� signifying their profound impact in critical areas of study.

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A rising tide may lift all boats, but a flood can destroy everything in its path. With climate change driving higher temperatures and more rainfall around the world, the risks posed by weather events are growing increasingly acute. And when extreme weather events strike, it is often society鈥檚 most vulnerable that live in the areas most exposed to the consequences.

But there is hope. In November 2023, the published its , which seeks to provide assessment of current climate technologies, innovation, policies, and financial investment. In early December, 杏吧原创 professor Dr. Elisabeth Gilmore of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering presented on its key findings at the  in Dubai.

As the lead author of one of the report鈥檚 five chapters, Dr. Gilmore assessed the state of technologies that can play a critical role for climate action for water management, public transport, building cooling, social housing, and energy distribution and generation. Her team found that many of the technologies we need the most are already available and feasible to implement.

鈥淭here is high feasibility, but there are barriers too. Institutional challenges are hindering the implementation options that are already available, and there is a need to improve this,鈥� says Anas Alhusban, a PhD candidate who served as a chapter fellow on the project.

Some of the most effective and impactful technologies do not require complex engineering or even large amounts of money. For example, green roofs and urban canopies can help absorb heavy rainfall, and can be highly effective tools in managing heavy rainfalls.

鈥淕reen roofs can store greenhouse gases and absorb water, and have been implemented in many places, especially Germany. This is just one of the examples that is highly feasible technologically but underutilized due to institutional barriers,鈥� says Alhusban.

“This is the difference between simply putting in electric vehicles (EVs), and having those EVs in place along with better public transit and better urban planning to establish more transformative ways of how we choose to move ourselves around.鈥�

But for Gilmore, the Climate Technology Progress Report provides something more than assessment of the status of climate technology and possible blueprint for the future. It provides a dose of hope in a troubling time.

鈥淭his report stands out from other UN climate reports because it is much more hopeful. People read about the harms of climate change all the time, and this underscores the need for immediate action,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut the Climate Technology Progress Report is a place we can find hope that we can meet these challenges. It is not just about barriers, but also about how we can enable innovation and further climate action. Technology is not going to do everything, but there are so many ways that it can help.鈥�

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Have you ever wondered how an autonomous vehicle knows how to drive? One of the industry 鈥渟ecrets鈥� for self-driving vehicles is a sensing technology called Lidar that uses pulsed laser light to measure the distance to objects. Devices, using this technology, are mounted on a vehicle鈥檚 rooftop and they then rotate to assess the surrounding environment examining things such as road conditions, pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles.

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This fall, 杏吧原创 will open a purpose-built innovation space at Kanata North鈥檚 Hub350, a brand new ecosystem in Canada鈥檚 largest technology park where industry, finance and academic partners will collaborate and connect. For the university, the initiative will establish an important springboard to expand research and educational partnerships. 鈥淭his unique facility in Kanata North fully leverages our proximity to this national innovation hub and further enhances 杏吧原创鈥檚 reputation as a leader in high-tech research, teaching and innovation,鈥� said 杏吧原创 President Benoit Antoine-Bacon. 鈥淚n close contact with tech industry leaders, our students will cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and benefit from hands-on learning towards leadership positions in this critical sector.鈥�

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From the moment that our ancestors built the first fire, humans have been using combustion to create nanoparticles. But we are only just beginning to harness the power of fire to control the properties of the nanoparticles that we produce. 鈥淲e are all familiar with the black smoke coming out of a candle. These particles are one type of combustion-made nanoparticle, and they have been used for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt and China, nanoparticles from smoke were captured and used to make ink. However, these are just one type of nanoparticle that we can make with combustion,鈥� says Reza Kholghy, an Assistant Professor and Canada Research Chair in Particle Technology and Combustion Engineering.

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This past spring, 杏吧原创 University established an internal funding opportunity to support pioneering and time-sensitive research aimed at developing solutions to a variety of challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Known as CU COVID-19 Rapid Research Response Grants, the all-new funding initiative required submissions from full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty for globally-minded research demonstrating an ability to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 or its effects on communities.

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杏吧原创 University researchers are contributing in multiple ways to helping people identify and manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media analysis and smart technologies for seniors are two projects yielding results.

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Seven 杏吧原创 University researchers have received Engage Grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The funding will support research on a range of subjects including wearable smart devices, snow science and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), data encryption, virtual reality, manufacturing, edge computing and turbines.

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