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Helping Patients Breathe

COVID-19 has shaken the world, challenging societies and altering life as we know it. But from this crisis, opportunities have emerged calling us to action as we prepare to reboot from the COVID-19 lockdown. In this series of six free, weekly, online panels, experts from the University of Waterloo and representatives from some of Canada's leading companies will share their research, real-world expertise, and experience to help identify the risks and plot the future of adapting to this new normal.

Prof. Nathwani (Executive Director, WISE) and Prof. Olaf Weber (School of Environment, Enterprise and Development) looked at restarting, rebuilding, and reimagining both local and global supply chains. Through a lens of environmental and social sustainability, they discussed changes in governance, the rise of populism, and cost vs. other drivers in building, or rebuilding, supply chains.

Prof. Nathwani (Executive Director, WISE) was invited to give a webinar on the topic of Covid-19 crisis leading to a clean energy future. He discussed the three dimensions of energy, environment, and economy in his talk. He also emphasized on four key, interrelated global trends that not only pose a serious threat to the long-term viability of the oil and gas sector in Canada, but also point to clear pathways for alternatives that will sustain a low-carbon energy future: (1) Divestment of fossil fuel securities and disclosures of carbon liability, (2) Decarbonization, (3) Diversification of supply, and (3) Digitalization and electrification to replace existing energy sources.

Research Spotlight: Tackling electrical traffic jams in microgrids

The CAST-LASG Workshop was a week-long collaboration between the Living Architecture Systems Group and the Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (CAST) at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, held February 17-22, 2020. The workshop focused on the terminology and form-language of polyhedral and related geometry, culminating in the design and installation of a lightweight architectural scaffold which integrated CAST’s ongoing experiments concerning fabric as form-work for liquid-to-solid casting and shell structures. A new form-making method was advanced during the development of the scaffold installation, by which basic hexagon-to-pentagon geometries were scaled up to produce dramatic changes in surface curvature. The workshop was preceded by preparatory talks and instructional folios as well as an introductory lecture by Prof. Beesley (School of Architecture).

Research Spotlight: Compressed air calculations offer energy storage insights

Research Spotlight: Valuing the knowledge of Inuit in diesel-dependent communities

This 1.5 day workshop explored current activity in all geothermal technologies being used or considered in Canada, and generated a short synthesis outlining future pathways to greater adoption of this green energy source. The participants discussed the following topics: technical barriers and the financial viability of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), growth in the installation of ground source heat pump systems (GSHPs), and co-generation options, i.e. geothermal-electricity-combined-heat-power for different regions of Canada.

WISE Public Lecture: Quantum Oil Refinery:  A Viable Path To Meet The Paris Target

Nano-engineered Membranes for Water and Energy Harvesting from Wastewater