Wednesday, December 7, 2022

Waterloo and NRC celebrate opening of innovation hub

A message from the Office of Research.

A new collaboration centre on campus is the next stage in a long-term research partnership between the University of Waterloo and National Research Council of Canada (NRC).

The NRC-Waterloo Collaboration Centre brings together more than 20 researchers from both organizations to collaborate on research projects related to Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things and Cybersecurity.

“We are very pleased to celebrate the opening of this collaboration centre with the National Research Council of Canada today,” said Charmaine Dean, Vice-President, Research and International. “Partnership and collaboration are an essential part of research and this innovation hub is an excellent resource to support research excellence for both Waterloo and NRC researchers, and an important part of supporting student training as well as innovations that arise from diversity in research perspectives.”

Charmaine Dean, Vice-President, Research and International, Iain Stewart, President, National Research Council of Canada, Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor, and Joel Martin, Chief Digital Research Officer and Chief Science Officer, National Research Council of Canada.

The collaboration centre, which was launched in summer of 2019, is an innovative hub of researchers working together to discover and advance intelligent logistics and other applications, and the new space will help keep Canadian researchers at the forefront of digital innovation. As the potential for artificial intelligence spans all areas of research and development, the centre will support collaborative research between the two institutions while providing students and early career researchers with a place to develop their skills.

The celebration also included an announcement of 14 projects which have received funding and are advancing research innovations through the connections these projects make within both organizations.

Projects funded in 2019

• Automated Material Synthesis using Deep Reinforcement Learning (Mark Crowley, Isaac Tamblyn, Colin Bellinger)
• Battery-free Touch Sensors for Internet of Things (IoT) (Omid Abari, Dan Vogel, Keiko Katsuragawa, Peng Hu)
• Reliable Gesture Recognition in Virtual Reality Environment (Ed Lank, Dan Vogel, Keiko Katsuragawa)
• Neuromorphics for Vision-based Movement Planning and Control (Chris Eliasmith, Terry Stewart)
• A Secure Scalable Quantum-Safe Blockchain for Critical Infrastructure (Srinivasan Keshav, Michele Mosca, Koray Karabina, Eric Paquet)
• The Triangular Approach to Generative Models in Machine Learning (Yaoliang Yu, Sun Sun)
• AI-Assisted Solutions to Network Operations Automation for Remote Communities (Yeying Zhu, Peng Hu)
• Predict and improve IRAP's performance based on portfolio (Alex Wong, Shimon Schwartz)
• Covid-net (Alex Wong, Ashkan Ebadi, Pengcheng Xi)

Projects funded in 2022

• Artificial Intelligence-enabled, printed, sound driven sensors for Internet of Things applications (Dayan Ban, George Xiao, Pengcheng Xi)
• Towards privacy-preserving anomaly-based detection (Florian Kerschbaum, Koray Karabina)
• Quantum Secure Cryptographic Primitives with Applications to vehicle-to-vehicle networks (Michele Mosca, Koray Karabina, Philippe Lamontagne, Taufiq Rahman)
• AI-enabled security and resilience for IoT in 5G integrated satellite networks (Raouf Boutaba, Peng Hu)
• Breakthrough the Arctic routes: AI-empowered multi-physics multi-scale perception for connected (autonomous) ships operating in ice-covered oceans (Zhao Pan, Andrea Scott, Matthew Garvin)

TD Walter Bean Lecture and art exhibit on December 13

Join the Faculty of Environment online or in person on December 13 for The Meaning of Ice: Co-production of Knowledge and Community Action in a Changing Arctic featuring Dr. Shari Fox, Senior Research Scientist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Director of the Ittaq Heritage and Research Centre in Clyde River, Nunavut.

Drawing on experience from over two decades of close collaboration with Inuit communities in the Arctic, Dr. Fox will illustrate the powerful ways our understanding of the changing Arctic climate can be advanced when we link Inuit knowledge and visiting science. She will be accompanied by her colleague, friend, and photographer Robert Kautuk, whose photography exhibition accompanies this year’s lecture.

The TD Walter Bean Professorship in Environment was founded in 1992 by the late Walter Bean, who was president of Waterloo Trust until its merger with Canada Trust in 1968. Since 1994, the professorship has promoted hands-on learning and a focus on youth, education and the environment. Formerly a partnership between the University of Waterloo's faculties of Engineering, Environment and Science, as of 2019, the Faculty of Environment is the host of the TD Walter Bean Professorship in Environment.

Dr. Shari Fox is a Senior Research Scientist with the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Director of the Ittaq Heritage and Research Centre in Clyde River, Nunavut. For over 25 years, Shari has been working alongside Inuit on collaborative environmental research and action in the Arctic. She is dedicated to research that centres Inuit knowledge and together with Inuit, works on many local to international-scale research initiatives. A decade-long project she co-led with a team of Inuit, “The Meaning of Ice”, won the 2018 inaugural International Mohn Prize for, “outstanding research related to the Arctic”. She was named an International PEW Fellow in 2019, has been a leader in several national and international climate assessments, and was shortlisted for the 2022 Shackleton Medal “in recognition of her work linking Indigenous and scientific knowledge systems”. Dr. Fox holds bachelor and Masters degrees from the University of Waterloo, a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder, and completed a postdoc at Harvard University.

Robert Kautuk is a photographer based in Kangiqtugaapik (Clyde River), NU who uses drones and Digital SLR cameras to document stunning views of his community in the Canadian Arctic. Kautuk’s use of technology provides a special look at rarely seen moments, activities and landscapes that are not accessible or possible to capture using conventional cameras. In addition to his own practice, Kautuk is also a regular contributor to Nunatsiaq News. He works in IT for the Ittaq Heritage and Research Centre and is a noted contributor to northern mapping projects. Through Ittaq, he also actively partakes in knowledge sharing initiatives, including Picturing Arctic Moder-nity: North Baffin Drawings from 1964 (co-organized between the Agnes Etherington and the Canadian Museum of History, 2017), an exhibition and accompanying website with interviews and video clips that underscore the importance of cultural heritage to contemporary Inuit communities. Kautuk has been featured in many publications including Inuit Art Quarterly and their guide on photography called Views from the North (Art Toronto, 2018), as well as in Up Here, and Above&Beyond.

The event takes place on Tuesday, December 13 with the art exhibit opening at Federation Hall from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. followed by the public lecture from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Register now to watch the livestream. A link to the YouTube livestream will be provided after registering.

Going into the weeds to improve outcomes for bypass surgery

This article was originally published on Waterloo News.

Researchers are using a natural material derived from seaweed to promote vascular cell growth, prevent blood clots and improve the performance of synthetic vascular grafts used in heart bypass surgery.

The new approach, developed and tested at the University of Waterloo, is especially important in cases involving small artificial blood vessels - those less than six millimetres in diameter - which are prone to clots that can develop into full blockages.

“There is a crucial need to develop synthetic vascular graft materials that will increase the rate of long-term functions,” said Dr. Evelyn Yim, a chemical engineering professor and University Research Chair who leads the project.

Photo of the synthetic grafts made by the researchers.

Researchers added a material called fucoidan, which is made from seaweed, to modify synthetic blood vessels. Fucoidan has a structure similar to heparin, a drug used as an anticoagulant.

When applied with a nanotechnology technique known as micropatterning, fucoidan promotes the growth of vascular cells around the inner surface of the graft, significantly reducing the chances of clots forming.

For patients, the potential benefits include fewer complications, better quality of life and less risk of the recurrence of blockages requiring additional drug treatment or surgery.

“A functional, off-the-shelf, small-diameter vascular graft will help save lives,” said Yim, director of the Regenerative Nanomedicine Lab at Waterloo. “What’s important is that they will be much longer-lasting and allow blood to flow freely.”

Bypass surgery is performed to restore blood flow to areas of the heart when vessels become blocked. Vessels harvested from the patient are the gold standard for grafts, but limited availability often requires the use of artificial vessels.

In addition to heart bypass surgery, grafts are used in medical procedures to treat vascular diseases and restore blood flow to vital organs and tissues, including the brain and legs.

When synthetic graft material doesn’t allow vascular cells to grow on the inside of an artery or vessel, there is a high chance of clots, which can develop into full blockages or cause inflammation that restricts blood flow.

Yim has successfully tested the new technique using fucoidan and micropatterning on small animals and plans to expand to large animal testing before advancing to clinical trials.

Several researchers from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Waterloo and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Oregon Health and Science University have collaborated on this project.

A paper on the work, Fucoidan and topography modification improved in situ endothelialization on acellular synthetic vascular grafts, appears in the journal Bioactive Materials.

Centre for Extended Learning celebrates Dina Meunier

A message from the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL).

It is with some sadness (and perhaps a bit of envy) that the team at the Centre for Extended Learning (CEL) shares the news that Dina Meunier, Associate Director of Online Learning, has elected to take early retirement to spend more time with her family (and likely a fair amount more on the golf course).

Dina started her career with CEL 12 years ago as an Online Learning Consultant. Later she assumed the role of acting Associate Director multiple times when CEL’s director took on other duties, formally becoming Associate Director in 2018.

During her time with CEL, Dina has guided and overseen much growth and enhancements in online learning and teaching, including implementing a new intake process and the Agile Development Team – not to mention helping navigate the last couple of tumultuous years with unflappable patience and grace. Over the years she has become a thoughtful, kind, witty, and respected leader, mentor, and colleague to many. Her loss will be felt significantly both within CEL and across the University.   

CEL will be holding a small farewell gathering for Dina on Dec 14. Members of the University community can share their best wishes for her on Dina Meunier’s Kudoboard or email extendedlearning@uwaterloo.ca if you wish to participate virtually in her sendoff. Dina, we thank you for your extensive contributions and wish you all the best in your retirement!

Nominations open for WUSA board of directors

A message from the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA).

Do you know of Waterloo undergraduates who are passionate about student life and who would be a good fit for the WUSA Board of Directors? We are looking for students passionate about quality of education, housing, affordability, or international student needs. They will gain valuable leadership experience to support their future career path. Being a WUSA elected representative will help them improve student life in so many ways. Please share this opportunity with them: https://wusa.ca/elections.

Students can now run for a position on the 2023-2024 WUSA Board of Directors. These are 12-month positions. Hours per week vary between roles and an honorarium is available. 

The 13 elected positions include: 

• 11 Directors;
• 1 President; and
• 1 Vice President.

 The nomination period closes Wednesday, January 25, 2023. The nomination package and more details about the WUSA’s General Election, including important dates, can be found in the link at: https://wusa.ca/elections.