Research

IDEAS START HERE

Our next generation of researchers gets a strong leg up from the province
May 4, 2012  

uWaterloo Systems Design Engineering professor Alexander Wong is working to slam the door on prostate cancer, the most common cancer diagnosed in Canadian men and the third leading cause of cancer death in Canada. The need for faster, more accurate diagnostic imaging for prostate cancer is underscored by the 15-20% of cases that go undiagnosed by current methods every year.

Wong joined Waterloo in 2011, and promptly launched a new research program to develop advanced computer-aided systems that will better characterize, identify and localize prostate cancer. These technologies will lead to entirely new diagnostic approaches, improved disease management practices, and development of minimally-invasive treatments for prostate cancer sufferers. Wong’s ambitious goals to improve patient care and ultimately the quality of life of Canadians just got a major leg up from the Province of Ontario’s Early Research Award (ERA) program.

Wong is one of three recently-appointed uWaterloo engineering professors to be honoured with an ERA, which provides Ontario’s most promising, early-stage researchers with $140,000 to help build high quality teams that will address cutting-edge research challenges.

Faculty of Engineering Associate Dean of Research and External Partnerships Richard Culham sees the importance of this award for new researchers.

 “The ERA is an invaluable program that recognizes our talented, young researchers and enables them to build upon existing research strengths but more importantly allows them to explore and innovate with the entrepreneurial spirit that Waterloo is known for.”

ERA recipient Zhongwei Chen’s research is a perfect example. He recognizes the potential fuel cells have to provide a sustainable energy source that will help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and plans to address key technical barriers to broader adoption of these technologies. Chen’s team in the Department of Chemical Engineering will develop novel nanomaterials that can improve performance and at the same time reduce costs, bringing us closer to moving these technologies from the laboratory into our vehicles, homes, and work places.

ERA funding will also support Chemical Engineering professor Boxin Zhao’s creative approach to adhesives research, which takes inspiration from the unique foot pad surfaces of gecko lizards. Zhao’s team will develop “smart” adhesives that mimic the bonding capacity of gecko footpads – these materials will attach to almost any surface, whether rough, smooth, wet, or dry, in milliseconds. The practical implications for these technologies are immense, particularly for advanced manufacturing, as well as micro-scale devices and machines.

Culham notes, “On behalf of the entire faculty, I want to congratulate our ERA winners. The caliber of research they have achieved in their short careers is outstanding, and serves as an example of what we are capable of here at Waterloo.”