Innovation paves the road to success in the new global economy - The 2006 Synergy Awards
Monday evening this week, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada held the Synergy Awards in Winnipeg. These awards recognize outstanding achievements in Canada which have resulted from people in Universities and in Industry working together. The winners of this years Synergy Awards were
1) Dr. Edwin Bourget of the University of Sherbrooke working with Dr. Maher Boulos of Tekna Plasma Systems. There are four states of matter - solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Plasmas are generally created at very high temperatures. Together Dr. Bourget and Boulos have developed what is called an induction plasma torch. This torch is used in advanced manufacturing processes in the microelectronics, cosmetics, energy and aerospace industries.
2) Dr. Yvon Savaria and Dr. Michel Meunier of Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal, working with Dr. Yves Gagnon of LTRIM Technologies have used laser based technology to provide precise tuning of microelectronic circuits used in telecommunications, in video systems and instruments for making precise measurements.
3) Dr. Helen Burt of the University of British Columbia working with Dr. Bill Hunter of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals have developed a coronary stent (in essence a sustitute blood vessel for someone whose blood vessle is blocked or badly damaged) - used for treating people with coronary heart disease (those with angina and heart attacks). The stent has attached to it a drug called Paclitaxel which inhibits the growth of blood vessels (called angiogenesis) and thus prolongs the life of the stent by preventing growth of the blood vessel cells which will cause narrowing or blockage of the stent.
4) Dr. Suong Hoa of Concordia University has worked with Dr. Robert Fews of Bell Helicopter Textron Canada have developed composite materials for use in making the landing gear of aircraft and in wing-box panels for airplanes.
5) A wide variety of university and industry partners who make up the Agile All-Photonic Networks (AAPN) received their award for their joint efforts to develop ultra-fast communication networks (in essence highly advanced telephone and internet networks) in which optically activated devices are used to control routing, switching and clocking functions which are critical to the network. Dr. David Plant of McGill University played a critical role in starting and leading AAPN. Nortel has been the lead industry company.
6) Dr. Paitoon Tontiwachuthikul of the University of Regina and industry partner Malcolm Wilson of EnergyiNet working with a variety of other partners including SaskPower and EnCana have developed new techology to address climate change. For more see my blog note http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/10/fighting-climate-change-by.html.
7) The IBM Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) in Toronto at the IBM Toronto Software Development Laboratory received an award for 16 years of intensive collaboration which has produced many new ideas, patents and prototypes. There are many university partners in Canada, though sadly for Manitoba, none of the Manitoba Universities are partners. Of particular note, the CAS has been very effective in training many graduate students.
8) Individual awards for graduate students were presented to Dragan Tubic of Laval University who received first prize for a very fast new approach to computer modeling of three dimensional surfaces to facilitate constuction of three dimensional models and prototypes. Runner up awards went to Elizabeth Gray of Brandon (see photo above) who discovered Theracin 17 a new toxin that has much potential to kill certain bacteria and to help in preserving foods and pehaps to treat certain antibiotic resistant infections. Also receiving a runner-up award was Lucien Junior Bergeron of the University of Sherbrooke for the development of a specific on/off adapter ribozyme - to allow specific on or off switching of particular cell functions. This approach has many potential applications including the treatment of diseases like HIV/AIDS, lymphoblastic leukemia, hepatitis C and Alzheimer's disease.
1) Dr. Edwin Bourget of the University of Sherbrooke working with Dr. Maher Boulos of Tekna Plasma Systems. There are four states of matter - solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Plasmas are generally created at very high temperatures. Together Dr. Bourget and Boulos have developed what is called an induction plasma torch. This torch is used in advanced manufacturing processes in the microelectronics, cosmetics, energy and aerospace industries.
2) Dr. Yvon Savaria and Dr. Michel Meunier of Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal, working with Dr. Yves Gagnon of LTRIM Technologies have used laser based technology to provide precise tuning of microelectronic circuits used in telecommunications, in video systems and instruments for making precise measurements.
3) Dr. Helen Burt of the University of British Columbia working with Dr. Bill Hunter of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals have developed a coronary stent (in essence a sustitute blood vessel for someone whose blood vessle is blocked or badly damaged) - used for treating people with coronary heart disease (those with angina and heart attacks). The stent has attached to it a drug called Paclitaxel which inhibits the growth of blood vessels (called angiogenesis) and thus prolongs the life of the stent by preventing growth of the blood vessel cells which will cause narrowing or blockage of the stent.
4) Dr. Suong Hoa of Concordia University has worked with Dr. Robert Fews of Bell Helicopter Textron Canada have developed composite materials for use in making the landing gear of aircraft and in wing-box panels for airplanes.
5) A wide variety of university and industry partners who make up the Agile All-Photonic Networks (AAPN) received their award for their joint efforts to develop ultra-fast communication networks (in essence highly advanced telephone and internet networks) in which optically activated devices are used to control routing, switching and clocking functions which are critical to the network. Dr. David Plant of McGill University played a critical role in starting and leading AAPN. Nortel has been the lead industry company.
6) Dr. Paitoon Tontiwachuthikul of the University of Regina and industry partner Malcolm Wilson of EnergyiNet working with a variety of other partners including SaskPower and EnCana have developed new techology to address climate change. For more see my blog note http://www.manitobaliberals.ca/2006/10/fighting-climate-change-by.html.
7) The IBM Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) in Toronto at the IBM Toronto Software Development Laboratory received an award for 16 years of intensive collaboration which has produced many new ideas, patents and prototypes. There are many university partners in Canada, though sadly for Manitoba, none of the Manitoba Universities are partners. Of particular note, the CAS has been very effective in training many graduate students.
8) Individual awards for graduate students were presented to Dragan Tubic of Laval University who received first prize for a very fast new approach to computer modeling of three dimensional surfaces to facilitate constuction of three dimensional models and prototypes. Runner up awards went to Elizabeth Gray of Brandon (see photo above) who discovered Theracin 17 a new toxin that has much potential to kill certain bacteria and to help in preserving foods and pehaps to treat certain antibiotic resistant infections. Also receiving a runner-up award was Lucien Junior Bergeron of the University of Sherbrooke for the development of a specific on/off adapter ribozyme - to allow specific on or off switching of particular cell functions. This approach has many potential applications including the treatment of diseases like HIV/AIDS, lymphoblastic leukemia, hepatitis C and Alzheimer's disease.
posted by Jon Gerrard @ 21.10.06
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