Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Reusing batteries to cut greenhouse emissions

by Christian Aagaard. This is an excerpt of a story originally published on Waterloo Stories.

A group of University of Waterloo researchers say the salvage yard need not be the end of the road for exhausted electric-vehicle (EV) batteries.

They’ve found that refurbished EV batteries can have a second career as power sources for everything from lighting to refrigeration.

“The idea is you take the batteries out of the car, remanufacture them and use them in a stationary application,” says Steven B. Young, an associate professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), Faculty of Environment.

Repurposing batteries cuts greenhouse gas emissions

Working with a team of Waterloo researchers, Young has found that repurposing batteries means a further reduction to greenhouse gas emissions, essentially doubling the environmental advantage of buying electric vehicles.

“I was surprised by how beneficial it was,” Young says. “Researchers are keen on recycling (stripping batteries for valuable components). So to say, ‘Hold on, before you do that, we can integrate this into the power system and get this value-added use from the product,’ is kind of neat.”

Lithium-ion EV batteries are larger and heavier than batteries used to start cars with internal-combustion engines. The EV batteries gradually lose the muscle necessary to move an electric car - but they can still draw power and store it for later use.

Using old EV batteries could save businesses money

The team wants to take the research another step further — a trial, possibly in a warehouse with lighting, refrigeration and electric equipment that need power. A bank of refurbished electric-vehicle batteries could capture electricity at cheaper, off-peak times of the day, and use it later to offset costs during peak periods. 

Re-using batteries this way formed the basis of a masters thesis completed by Leila Ahmadi in the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering.

Sustainable Technologies and Assessments, a scholarly journal, has published the team’s work.

The research team is a classic Waterloo collaboration. Besides Ahmadi and Young, it includes Roydon Fraser, a professor of mechanical and mechatronics engineering; Michael Fowler, a professor of chemical engineering; Sean Walker, a post-doc in chemical engineering; and Arthur Yip, a Waterloo undergrad. Mitsui and Co. (Canada) Ltd. and Nuvation Engineering are industry partners.

Depending on the driving they handle, electric-vehicle batteries may last about eight years. As stationary batteries doing lighter duty, they could work for another 12 years, Young says.

Read the rest of the article on Waterloo Stories.

Mapping Canada's First World War experience

This article was originally published on the Library News website.

The Geospatial Centre, in collaboration with the Department of History and the Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies (LCMSDS) at Wilfrid Laurier University would like to share an online "deep mapping" exhibit that was created just in time to mark the 100th anniversary of the Second Battle of the Ypres on April 22.

This week marks the 100th Anniversary of what Canadians know as the Second Battle of Ypres. On the afternoon of April 22, 1915, the forward elements of 1st Canadian Division were still preparing their shallow trenches in the farmland just north of Ypres, Belgium. At 5 p.m., reports began of a greenish yellow cloud drifting past the Canadians’ shallow trenches into the ranks of the 45th Algerian Division troops to the west. It was chlorine. Through the next days, the Canadians and British fought to stem the advance of the 26th German Reserve Corps. It was a brutal baptism of fire, giving places like St. Julien, Kitchener’s Wood, and Mauser Ridge a lasting place in the Canadian imagination. It was in response to this battle that Colonel John McCrae lamented a friend by writing "In Flanders Fields." The cost was grim: over 6,000 Canadians, or one in three, became a casualty. Over 2,000 Canadians died between April 22 and May 25, 1915 to defend Ypres. Most of those graves are lost; their names are found on the walls of the Menin Gate that leads into the centre of Ypres.

This "deep map" of Second Ypres gives viewers a chance to "see" the battle from different perspectives. It follows the battle’s first stages in April, drawing from archival material to help us explore the fighting through those crucial days. It gives special focus to the Canadian and British troops who won the Victoria Cross during the battle. It also captures the commemorative landscape that followed the battle, from the St. Julien Canadian Memorial with its brooding soldier, to the dozens of cemeteries that are found throughout the countryside.

The exhibit also lists the nearly 65,000 Canadian war dead from the First World War on a timeline.

Researchers can follow the fatal cost of the war day by day. Some 387 Canadians died on April 22, 1915. Among them were Thomas James Young of the 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish, Victoria, B.C.) who died, likely in the fighting for Kitchener’s Wood. Tags allow us to discover that Private Young was among the first of 1,351 fatalities suffered by the Canadian Scottish over the next four years.

This "deep map" is the first of a series that examines both world wars in new and innovative ways. It is a collaboration between the Department of History and the Geo-Spatial Centre, University of Waterloo, and the Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies (LCMSDS) at Wilfrid Laurier University. Waterloo History graduate student Brandon Strnad is the principal author of this exhibit.

Feel free to explore the map. Learn something new about an important event in the life of Canada.

Why employers want first work term students

by Clare Flood.

Waterloo co-op employers are realizing the value of first work term students. In the past two years, 7 per cent of all co-op hires were on their first work term, and the number of employers hiring first work term students has increased by ­­­­3 per cent since 2014. Evaluations by employers of this group remain high.

“Hiring a first work term student can be very beneficial as employers have the opportunity to ‘mold’ the student, making them a great choice for future work terms with the same company,” says Central West Account Manager Kerry Lazenby.

Feedback from first work term employers shows an appreciation for the open minds of students. They offer fresh perspectives while also absorbing company practices and objectives with ease.

“We hire a lot of first work term students because they are so eager to learn,” says Katelyn Poyntz, senior project engineer at St. Michael’s Hospital. “They ask a lot of questions and don’t make assumptions – two important components of being successful during their work term.”

As students talk about positive experiences from their first work term, they increase other students’ interest in a position with the same company. Similarly, students often return to their first employer for a following work term.

“First work term students surpass the goals we set for them, and do so with a combination of enthusiasm, commitment, and passion,” reports Process Engineering Manager Ali Hamza of Imtex Membranes Corporation.

First work term jobs give students foundational experience for their future. Co-operative Education & Career Action (CECA) offers plenty of support for first work term students to help them succeed. Services include account managers encouraging an employer to post a junior level job, career advisors critiquing student résumés, student advisors visiting students in their workplace and more. 

Find more information on CECA’s website about how to hire a first work term student or support for first work term students.

Staff International Experience Fund deadline fast approaching

The deadline for the 2015 Staff International Experience Fund (SIEF) application is on May 15. The SIEF is a maximum award of $6,000 and up to three awards will be granted each year. The Staff International Experience Fund provides staff members with the opportunity to travel to an approved University of Waterloo partner institution to engage in collaborative work. The SIEF is a strategic initiative which supports the international engagement of the university community and is in line with the University’s goal of becoming one of the most internationalized universities in Canada. Talk to your supervisor today to see how the SIEF could enhance your professional development and internationalize your department/unit. 

Retirees, Odd Couples, and other notes

Human Resources has announced that the following employees retired effective April 1:

• Roslyn Yeung, who joined the University in August 1981 retired as  Student Account Specialist - Finance Student Accounts.

In addition, the following employees will retire effective May 1:

• Professor Alicja Muszynski, who joined the University in July 1991 and will retire as Associate Professor in Sociology and Legal Studies;

• Therese Sabaryn, who began working at Waterloo in September 1984, retires as Staff Language Instructor in French Studies;

• Olaf Naese, who started working at the University in August 1976 retires as Communications Specialist in Co-operative Education and Career Action (CECA);

• Jose Gouveia, who began working with the University in August 1976, retires as Custodian I in Plant Operations; and

• Garry Spencer, who started at Waterloo in January 1974, retires as Stationery Engineering 4^th Class in Plant Operations.

Community theatre company JM Drama is presenting Neil Simon's The Odd Couple from Thursday, April 23 to Saturday, April 25 at Kitchener's Registry Theatre. All proceeds from the opening night performance will go towards the Notre Dame Chapel, which is part of St. Jerome's University's Campus Renewal 2015 initiative. Furthermore, the role of Oscar Madison is being played by Information Systems and Technology's (IST) very own Tim Farrell.

Plant Operations will be making repairs to the entrance closets to Tim Hortons in the Student Life Centre and entrances 1501 and 1502 (facing Ring Road) will be closed starting Friday, April 24 through May 1 as ceramic floor tiles are replaced. The Tim Hortons will also be closed for repairs. All other building entrances will be open during the repairs.

Quest will be down and unavailable on Wednesday, April 29 from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. as updates are applied to the system's load balancers.