Events

ABSTRACT:  Implanted medical devices are at significant risk of developing bacterial biofilm-associated infections and approximately 60% of all hospital-acquired infections are due to biofilm formation on implanted devices. Bacterial biofilms are encased in an extracellular matrix, largely polysaccharide, which protects from antibiotics and the host immune system. Herein I will present three ‘bio-inspired’ approaches to design surfaces to prevent bacterial attachment and biofilm formation.

1 Slide. 3 Minutes. Outstanding Ideas!

Date:   Thursday, February 16, 2017

Time:  10:00 am- 12:00 pm

Location:  E6 2024

Please arrive early so the event can start on time.

Attendance at this event may be counted  toward Masters and PhD students Seminar Attendance milestone.   Please note, you will be required to stay for the duration of the competition.

 Light refreshments provided. 

ABSTRACT:  A reflection on over three decades of Li-ion and EDLC development from my personal involvement. I would recount my experiences and try to connect them with either the significance in advancement in energy storage or to the significance of personal development. I would try to be inspirational in expressing the excitement of the challenges that exist for those who pursue them. I would also talk about our latest patented EDLC chemistry.

ABSTRACT:   The Regenerative Medicine and Skeleton laboratory (INSERM U1229, Nantes, France) has developed an injectable and self-hardening silated-HydroxyPropylMethyl Cellulose (Si-HPMC) hydrogel. In this talk, we will go through our recent approaches using Si-HPMC hydrogels as a drug and/or cell carrier in the context of degenerative diseases. Intervertebral disc (IVD) disease is a major cause of low back pain and a low-invasive approach for intradiscal delivery of therapeutics is of particular interest.

ABSTRACT:   IGPC Ethanol located in Southwestern Ontario is a first generation corn to ethanol plant commissioned in September 2008. Today, IGPC produces 200 million litres of ethanol and 170,000 tonnes of distiller’s grains on a yearly basis, as well as 4,000 tonnes of corn oil for biodiesel production.

ABSTRACT:   Polyolefins are ubiquitous in polymer technology, yet conductive nanocomposites based on these materials are very difficult to manufacture, because of the inability to efficiently disperse conductive nanoparticles, and the poor interfacial adhesion between polymers and fillers. During the last decade we have done extensive research to develop melt compounded electroconductive polyolefin composites, containing well dispersed conducting fillers, such as carbon black, multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), graphite and graphene.

ABSTRACT:  Regenerative medicine offers great hope in curing many currently untreatable diseases. Tissue engineering and stem cell therapy are the two main components of regenerative medicine. In this talk, I will discuss how engineering can make contributions to this highly interdisciplinary field, including biomaterials as 3D scaffolds, bioreactor design, and stem cell bioprocessing.

Bio-Sketch:  Professor Hua (Cathy) Ye, University of Oxford

ABSTRACT:  Fine particles under 30 microns are very sticky and therefore extremely difficult to handle, due to the stronger interparticle forces, leading to poor powder flowability and fluidization.  However, they are also very useful due to their small size and the very large specific surface areas.  A nanotechnology has been developed that can significantly enhance fine particle flowability by coating a small fraction of nano particles onto their surfaces.

ABSTRACT:  The field of additive manufacturing (often referred to as 3-D printing) is experiencing a period of tremendous growth.  Applications are being found and continue to emerge in numerous sectors, such as consumer products, aerospace, healthcare, automotive, and many more.  Today's talk will give a brief overview of the various additive manufacturing technologies, some industrial examples will be shared, and finally, challenges within each technology will be highlighted.