Backgrounder
November 17, 2009
Projects Funded In Hamilton
Today, through the Ontario Research Fund–Research Infrastructure program, Ontario is investing more than $33 million at McMaster University to support 18 research projects and more than 300 researchers. This investment is part of a broader $268-million provincewide investment that will support 214 projects and more than 3,300 researchers in 14 cities, and help to create and preserve more than 1,300 construction jobs over the next four years across the province.
CLEAN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Thermal Energy Recovery and Management Testing Platform
Recovering waste heat energy to meet future energy needs
Lead Researcher: Cotton, James S.
Provincial Funding: $99,492
Researchers Affected: 18
Recovering waste heat energy is one of the most effective ways of increasing energy availability without harming the environment. But it is not one common to Ontario’s energy system. At McMaster University, Dr. James Cotton is developing clean technologies to recover waste heat energy and store it until it is needed. It is research that could help to meet Ontario’s fast growing energy needs – while protecting the environment – and keep the province at the forefront of clean energy technology.
Laboratory for Advanced Photovoltaic Research
Advancing solar energy
Lead Researcher: Kleiman, Rafael
Provincial Funding: $5,123,758
Researchers Affected: 30
Dr. Rafael Kleiman is convinced that Ontario can leapfrog current photovoltaic technology and produce a new generation of advanced solar cells that capture and convert a broader range of the solar spectrum. At the new Laboratory for Advanced Photovoltaic Research, he is leading a team of scientists focused on doing just that by leveraging the province’s advanced semiconductor technology and expertise developed for the telecommunications industry. If successful, their research will not only provide solutions to meet Ontario’s growing energy needs, but solutions we can export to the world.
Centre for Advanced Nuclear Systems
Advancing nuclear power
Lead Researcher: Luxat, John
Provincial Funding: $9,172,600
Researchers Affected: 28
As countries worldwide struggle with the growing demand for energy, nuclear power is gaining attention because it is clean, cost-effective and dependable. Ontario is a leader in nuclear technology and McMaster University researcher Dr. John Luxat is focused on ensuring that the province maintains its international reputation. At the new Centre for Advanced Nuclear Systems, Dr. Luxat is developing innovative applications in heat transfer and leading materials research that will improve the safety and effectiveness of nuclear energy systems. As well, the new centre will provide state-of-the-art infrastructure for testing new medical isotopes that could be used in early disease diagnosis and cancer treatment.
Environmental Isotope Biogeochemistry
Investigating how contaminants impact our environmental systems
Lead Researcher: Slater, Gregory
Provincial Funding: $63,999
Researchers Affected: 13
What are the sources of organic contaminants? How do they interact with other contaminants? How long do they take to degrade? These are increasingly important questions for people living in Canada’s manufacturing heartland. McMaster University researcher Dr. Greg Slater hopes to help answer these questions using compound-specific radiocarbon analysis. It is an innovative new approach to investigating and monitoring organic contaminants in environmental systems – one that Dr. Slater is confident will lead to better methods for predicting and preventing the health risks associated with this form of pollution.
Infrastructure to Support Research In Watershed Ecohydrology: Ecosystem Impacts and Restoration
Developing ways to restore and conserve our peatlands
Lead Researcher: Waddington, James
Provincial Funding: $153,029
Researchers Affected: 21
Peatlands cover a large portion of northern Ontario. Not only are they of vital importance as a source of fuel, they provide essential ecosystem services, including climate regulation, energy and water storage, and purification. But with climate change and as the demand for water and resources increases, our peatlands are increasingly threatened. Restoring and conserving these essential ecosystems is the focus of research being conducted by Dr. James Michael Waddington at McMaster University. Dr. Waddington and his team are investigating the impacts of land-use change, drought, and wildfire on peatlands, with the goal of developing effective remediation technologies.
Greater Insights into How Organisms Respond to Environmental Stress
Understanding how the changing environment at the organism level
Lead Researcher: Wood, Chris
Provincial Funding: $179,639
Researchers Affected: 13
Southern Ontario’s dense population and development has had a major impact on the surrounding ecosystems. Combining their expertise in water quality, human respiratory pathology, and the effects that cumulative stress have on the stability of an organism’s genetic material, Dr. Chris Wood, Dr. Ana Campos, and Dr. Colin Nurse will examine the impact that a changing environment has on a wide range of organisms. Their research findings will provide insights on how to address environmental and health issues that concern Ontarians (e.g., safe drinking water) in ways that are compatible with the province’s continued economic growth.
HEALTH SCIENCE
Biointerfaces Institute
Developing sophisticated new biomaterials and devices
Lead Researcher: Brennan, John
Provincial Funding: $7,227,157
Researchers Affected: 22
In July 2009, Dr. John Brennan and his research team made headlines when they announced they had developed specially treated paper – bioactive paper – capable of testing for the presence of toxins. Nobody had ever done it before. The biochemist, who heads a new Biointerfaces Institute at McMaster University, expects many more “firsts” to follow. His research intertwines materials science, biochemistry and analytical chemistry in a unique way to produce new materials and devices that have the potential to revolutionize the areas of biosensing and drug discovery – and spin out new biomedical companies to sell them in global markets.
Making Discoveries with Stem Cell Research
Expanding the pool of stem cell researchers
Lead Researcher: Draper, Jonathan
Provincial Funding: $225,755
Researchers Affected: 12
Stem cells have the potential to make tissue for repairing or replacing diseased or damaged organs. Dr. Jonathan Draper will seek to identify and control the genes that permit stem cells to form lung, liver, pancreas and other tissue. This timely research could lead to major benefits for people suffering from devastating diseases like diabetes and cystic fibrosis.
Infrastructure to Study the Interactions Between Immune and Endocrine Systems in the Gut in the Context of Intestinal Pathophysiology and Host Defense
Developing a better strategy for treating gastrointestinal disorders
Lead Researcher: Khan, Waliul
Provincial Funding: $250,341
Researchers Affected: 15
Gastrointestinal (GI) disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis have a huge economic impact. They are responsible for 15 per cent of all health care costs in Canada and cost over $1 billion in lost productivity annually. GI disorders also greatly affect the quality of life of their victims. McMaster University researcher Dr. Waliul Khan is determined to find out how the human immune system regulates intestinal endocrine cell biology, and what effect probiotics have in treating GI disease. His work could lead to a more effective strategy for treating these debilitating conditions.
Understanding Why Intestinal Illness-Causing Bacteria are Able to Overcome Immunity in People and Domestic Animals
Preventing and treating acute intestinal infections
Lead Researcher: Coombes, Brian
Provincial Funding: $374,758
Researchers Affected: 9
Lost productivity and health care costs to treat acute intestinal infections due to contamination by domestic animals (e.g., as occurred in Walkerton, Ontario) are about $3.7 billion per year in Canada. In addition, there is growing evidence of links between these infections and the development of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. Dr. Brian Coombe’s research is aimed at increasing understanding of how disease-causing bacteria infect domestic animals and human beings. The findings will allow focused approaches to new vaccine development, molecular diagnostics and alternative therapies to reduce the disease severity. It will also make important contributions towards preventing future outbreaks and their associated social and economic impacts.
Combating the Effects of the Obesity Epidemic by Increasing Understanding of How Hormones Regulate Fat Storage, Breakdown and Insulin Responsiveness
How hormones affect obesity
Lead Researcher: Steinberg, Gregory
Provincial Funding: $391,154
Researchers Affected: 24
Obesity is associated with many health problems, including insulin-resistant type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and fatty liver disease. Canada has an obesity epidemic with more than 4.5 million people currently obese — an increase of over 51 per cent since 1972. In Ontario, this represents 1.5 million people and an annual cost to the health care system of $1.4 billion. Dr. Gregory Steinberg will focus on understanding how hormones regulate the body’s storage and breakdown of fat and responsiveness to insulin. The findings will contribute to the development of new medicines to treat obesity and diabetes. It will also enhance cardiovascular disease prevention, improve individual quality of life, and reduce costs to the health-care system.
INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL MEDIA TECHNOLOGY
G-ScalE: Gaming Scalability Environment
Designing digital games for multiple devices
Lead Researcher: Carette, Jacques
Provincial Funding: $258,884
Researchers Affected: 18
Developing and producing digital games is big business in Ontario – and a multidisciplinary research team at McMaster University is determined to help it grow even bigger. Dr. Jacques Carette, Dr. Andrew Mactavish and Jeffrey Trzeciak are investigating the effects of digital display size and resolution on the user experience. Their goal is to help developers create games that allow content to be delivered through multiple devices of differing sizes, with little adverse impact on the experience. It is research that will help to position Ontario as a leader in a market that is worth $42 billion a year – and growing fast.
Extreme Dynamic Load Simulator
Ensuring safe buildings and critical infrastructure
Lead Researcher: El-Dakhakhni, Wael
Provincial Funding: $110,000
Researchers Affected: 18
Assessing and improving the performance of Ontario’s buildings and lifeline infrastructure is the goal of research being done by Dr. Wael El-Dakhakhni at McMaster University. Dr. El-Dakhakhni is using advanced techniques to simulate blasts and seismic loading, with the goal of developing and testing new construction and retrofit techniques for buildings and critical infrastructure. His research will help the design and construction sectors lower costs and improve performance and safety.
The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging: Understanding the complexity of aging health through interdisciplinary research
Preparing for the graying of Canada’s baby-boomers
Lead Researcher: Raina, Parminder and Chambers, Larry
Provincial Funding: $4,849,308
Researchers Affected: 29
Today, Canadians 65 and older make up 13 per cent of the population. By 2026, that number is projected to grow to 22 per cent. What impact will a rapidly aging population have on health care and social services? That is what the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging aims to determine. Led by McMaster University researchers Drs Parminder Raina and Larry Chambers, the study involves collecting, storing and analyzing population health data and biological samples from participants who will undergo repeated waves of data collection over the next 20 years. The goals? To identify strategies to help Canada’s aging population maintain better health and identify more cost-effective treatments and programs for seniors.
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Creation of a Transdisciplinary Laboratory for Neurocognitive Studies Of Language Function, Dysfunction And Acquisition
Exploring how the brain works
Lead Researcher: Connolly, John and Service, Elisabet
Provincial Funding: $252,607
Researchers Affected: 4
McMaster University researchers Dr. John Connolly and Dr. Elisabet Service are modern-day pioneers. Their territory is the brain. Using sophisticated neurocognitive assessment tools, they are exploring how we acquire language, how we use it, and how we lose it. It is research that will help educators design better language training for new immigrants and people learning a second language. It will also help therapists develop new rehabilitation techniques for people with brain injuries.
McMaster Archaeological XRF Lab (MAX Lab)
Discovering our past
Lead Researcher: Carter, Tristan
Provincial Funding: $63,301
Researchers Affected: 1
Reconstructing the lives of those who lived in Canada and the eastern Mediterranean over the past 20 millennia is the goal of research being conducted at McMaster’s MAX Lab, Canada’s first research centre dedicated to archaeological characterization. Headed by Dr. Tristan Carter, scientists are mapping the dissemination of specific raw materials across Canada, which will tell where people traveled, who they interacted with, and how craft traditions were linked to group identities – providing important new information about our nation’s past.
BASIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH
McMaster Intense Positron Beam Facility
Engineering advanced new materials
Lead Researcher: Mascher, Peter
Provincial Funding: $2,326,166
Researchers Affected: 13
Engineering new materials with properties and capabilities not found in nature is the focus of research being done by Dr. Peter Mascher at the new McMaster Intense Positron Beam Facility, one of only four such facilities worldwide. By using positrons (positive electrons) to help probe and characterize new materials, Dr. Mascher and his team are accelerating their development. It is research that promises to give Ontario’s advanced manufacturing industry an important competitive advantage.
The McMaster Intense Positron Beam Facility infrastructure will also serve as a unique tool to conduct ground-breaking experiments in the creation and characterization of positronic atoms and enable next generation antimatter physics.
Auditory Interaction and Communication in Complex Environments: Neural, Developmental and Applied Aspects
Developing new and better hearing technologies
Lead Researcher: Trainor, Laurel
Provincial Funding: $2,346,412
Researchers Affected: 26
Chances are, if we live long enough, we will all suffer from hearing loss. And while hearing aids amplify sounds, they don not work well in noisy environments, leaving users frustrated and isolated. At a unique new Neuroscience Auditory Interaction Lab (NAIL) at McMaster University, Dr. Laurel Trainor is revolutionizing auditory research by taking it out of the laboratory and into realistic environments, studying how children and adults communicate through language and music. Her work will lead to, among other things, better understanding of the effects of early music experience on social development and the creation of better hearing aids for our rapidly aging population.
The Ontario Innovation Agenda
Investments in research at McMaster University are an example of Ontario leading the world in the quest for new knowledge and discovery. Support for this kind of work is part of Ontario’s Innovation Agenda, the province’s $3.2-billion strategy to make innovation a driving force of Ontario’s economy. By targeting investments toward areas where Ontario already is, or is poised to become a global leader, and by building on our greatest strength – the talent and ingenuity of our people – Ontario is harnessing innovation to ensure ours is one of the winning economies of the 21st century.
Support from the Ontario Research Fund–Research Infrastructure program
Part of Ontario’s Innovation Agenda, the Ontario Research Fund (ORF) is key to the province’s plan to move world-class research from the lab to the global marketplace. The role of the ORF is to help ensure that Ontario researchers have the tools they need to lead the world, or lead international collaborations, in their respective fields.
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