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A research team led by Nanotechnology Engineering (NE) instructor Professor  Hamed Shahsavan has developed a new process to reinforce smart, rubber-like materials—paving the way for their use as artificial muscles in robots, potentially replacing traditional rigid motors and pumps.

The research group incorporated liquid crystals (LCs)—commonly used in electronic displays and sensors—into liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), which serve as promising materials for constructing soft robots.

The LCEs go through a huge shape-change when heated, in a programmable manner. When a small amount of LCs are mixed with LCEs, they become stiffer and up to nine times stronger than before.

Capstone group 4, Vivra sponsored by BDO Canada, won the second place award for the Nanotechnology Engineering (NE) Program.  

Their project, supervised by Professor John Saad, was directed at solving the problem of chronic dehydration. For their Capstone Project, the group was eager to showcase the diverse skills they had attained through both their coursework and co-op experiences. 

Team members Michael Hanley, Tina Hanna, Mathew Maradin and Wyatt Sullivan researched the problem of dehydration in North America and found a study that indicated 75% of people are chronically dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to a myriad of health problems, including electrolyte imbalances, migraines, urinary and kidney problems and more. 

Nanotechnology Engineering alumna CT Murphy’s start-up CELLECT Laboratories is a finalist in the Odlum Brown Forum Pitch, a Canadian program for women entrepreneurs.

Murphy’s partner and COO, Ibukun Elebute presented at the event and secured $44K in winnings for CELLECT.

The initial idea for the menstrual product was part of Murphy’s fourth-year Capstone Project. She aims to create a menstrual pad infused with nanomaterials that could collect cervical and bacterial cells. The pad could then be sent to a lab to test for cervical cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV).

People say that tears can tell you about the emotions that people are feeling, but as Capstone Group 5 discovered, tears can also reveal a lot of other useful information.

Tears also contain rich biomarkers such as proteins and glucose, which are useful for diagnosing both ocular and systemic conditions like diabetic retinopathy.

Nanotechnology Engineering Capstone Group 5 explored the diagnostic potential of tears and embarked on a successful and exciting journey doing their Fourth-Year Design Project.

They won first place in the Nanotechnology Engineering Program, but they did not stop there. They also won the Engineer of the Future Award, the Bayliss Medical Award, and an award from the Sanford Fleming Foundation.

The group competed in the OEC Innovative Design Competition and won second place. They also took second place in the National Canadian Engineering Competition.

Drew Davidson (Class of 2011) is developing innovative materials for creating firefighting gear. These new materials will not degrade and cause occupational cancer as current materials do. The inspiration behind his research is his mother, who has been serving as a firefighter in the Cambridge Fire Department for over 32 years. She urged him to use his engineering background to address this crucial health issue for firefighters.

Davidson’s innovative research has earned him a Deep Tech Scholarship which is a new scholarship, the first of its kind, recently launched by Mary Wells, Dean of the University of Waterloo Faculty of Engineering. The scholarship is designed to help students launch deep tech start-ups.

As a high school student, Davidson had decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in Nanotechnology Engineering (NE) because seemed like a promising and exciting field.

Nanotechnology Engineering Team 18 won this year’s Esch Competition with their project GeneDetek. Team members Karla Castro, Andrea Parra, Sara Thompson, and Nube Torres developed an electrochemical biosensor for genetic mutation detection.

Depression is a complex mental health condition that affects millions worldwide. For many patients, finding an effective treatment can be a daunting challenge, often complicated by adverse side effects of prescription drugs.

Capstone Team 2 had two big wins at this year’s Capstone Design Symposium. They won the Baylis Medical Award along with Team 3. They also won the UN Sustainable Development Goal Award for the Nanotechnology Engineering Program. The team’s project was titled “ A+ Blood Typing”.

This team aimed to address the increasing demand for O-negative blood for blood transfusions. The demand for O-negative blood, also known as the "universal donor" blood type, is high because it can be safely transfused to patients of any blood type in emergency situations. This is critical when there isn't enough time to determine the patient's blood type. O-negative blood use is crucial in trauma situations, where quick transfusions are necessary to save lives.

Cervical cancer is diagnosed in over 1,000 Canadian women each year, and approximately 410 women die from the disease annually. Women need to undergo regular cervical cancer screening, as early detection can significantly increase the chances of successful treatment.

However, in Ontario, women are only eligible for the Pap Test (or Pap smear) every three years. CT Murphy a Nanotechnology Engineering (NE) graduate (BASc ’23) aims to create a new testing method that allows women to screen for the human papillomavirus (HPV) that usually causes cervical cancer.