Monday, August 13, 2018

New research ethics system launches

A message from the Office of Research.

A new research ethics system is available for researchers to use.  

Please begin using the system immediately for research ethics applications; the previous system is no longer available. If you had active applications in the previous system, they have been imported into the new system.

The new web-based platform supports the development, review, and clearance of research ethics applications by facilitating each step of the process and documentation completely online. The online form helps to accelerate and clarify the process by automatically presenting relevant questions and omitting those that are not pertinent to the research. Additional features and benefits such as electronic approvals, automated workflows, and notifications, further improve the process as well as the ability to collaborate through joint application development.

For more information to support the transition to this new system, including training documentation and details about training sessions, please visit the Gateway website. Please also contact our office at researchethics@uwaterloo.ca if you need more information about the system.

Researchers awarded $15.6 million for strategic partnerships

by Rebekah Wiesel. This is an excerpt of an article that was originally featured on Waterloo Stories.

Ten researchers from the University of Waterloo received more than $15.6 million from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to fund two networks and eight projects that will further research efforts through academic and industry collaborations.

The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport, announced the Strategic Partnerships Grants at Promation in Oakville Ontario; one of the industry partners Waterloo is currently working with to further additive manufacturing. These grants help bring together expertise from academia, Canadian-based companies, government institutions, and international entities to collaborate on innovative research with commercialization potential.

Of these grants, two networks have been funded to explore timely research. These include: professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering Ehsan Toyserkani’s “Network for Holistic Innovation in Additive Manufacturing,” and professor of civil and environmental engineering Monica Emelko’s “Network for Forested Drinking Water Source Protection Technologies.” Both Professor Toyserkani and Emelko have demonstrated leadership by bringing together like-minded organizations to further their research and to consequently enhance Canada’s role on the international scale.

Professor Toyserkani’s network is quite promising as it is the first national academic additive manufacturing (AM) initiative in Canada. The creation of this network is well-timed considering the global market for AM is set to quintuple by 2020. This network will draw on the collective power of over 50 corporate, academic and government partners, and Professor Toyserkani’s eighteen-year background in AM research, and role as Canada Research Chair in Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing.  The overall goal of this network is to tackle the foremost challenges preventing industry from adopting AM applications, and to ensure Canada is a leader in the AM sector.

Professor Emelko is leading the “forWater” network in identifying new source water protection technologies for climate change adaptation. To ensure secure community water systems, this network will focus on forested source watersheds, because that is where the drinking water for most urban, rural and Indigenous communities originates. With the delivery of safe drinking water being a national strategic priority, Professor Emelko’s network, co-led by Uldis Silinis from the University of Albert, is pivotal to climate change adaptation and global water security.

In addition to these two networks, eight projects were awarded Strategic Partnership Grants.

Read the rest of the article on Waterloo Stories.

Monday's notes

It's that time of year again - Back to School at the Book Store! Faculty and staff members are invited to bring their kids back-to-school shopping at the Book Store and receive a free plush goose with each purchase. The promotion runs until August 31, 2018. Purchase is required, but no minimum is necessary, with a limit of one plush goose per child (13 years of age and under).

Human Resources is reporting that retiree Cameron Elliot died on February 13, 2018. Elliot started at the University in April 1964 and retired in July 1996 under the Special Early Retirement Program (SERP) as Equipment Operator in Plant Operations.