Backgrounder

August 4, 2010

Early Researcher Awards

Ontario is providing more than $11 million to support 80 emerging researchers and their teams at 16 institutions across Ontario through the Early Researcher Awards program. Lead researchers will receive up to $140,000 through the program.

University of Guelph

Identifying the role of skin and vestibular input in postural control
Finding out how our feet help us maintain our balance
Lead researcher: Dr. Leah Rachel Bent
Number of researchers benefiting: 6

Dr. Leah Rachel Bent at the University of Guelph is investigating which receptors in the skin on the soles of our feet are most important in controlling our posture, as well as how feedback from our soles and our inner ears helps us keep our balance. Her findings could lead to the development of specialized shoe insole devices that would help improve the mobility of people who suffer balance-related problems due to age or other conditions.

Geochemical controls on electron transfer processes, carbon sequestration, and methane production in aquatic systems
How climate change and the nutrients in our waters are affecting each other
Lead researcher: Dr. Christian Blodau
Number of researchers benefiting: 4

In the absence of oxygen, decomposing biomass in bodies of water emits methane – a potent greenhouse gas – into the atmosphere. At the University of Guelph, Dr. Christian Blodau is examining the chemical and physical mechanisms that control the decomposition of biomass in wetlands, lakes, and rivers. His goal is to determine the role of soils and sediments in stabilizing our climate, and the effects of climate change on the nutrients in Ontario’s freshwater resources.

Biomimetics of high performance protein fibres
Seeking biomaterials to replace petroleum-based industrial materials
Lead researcher: Dr. Douglas Steven Fudge
Number of researchers benefiting: 3

At the University of Guelph, Dr. Douglas Steven Fudge is developing technologies that mimic biological systems in order to build biomaterials that are as good as or better than petroleum-based synthetics. His goal is to make these environmentally-friendly biomaterials from sustainable raw materials without using toxic solvents or generating toxic by-products.