October 17, 2008

BUILDING ONTARIO’S INNOVATION ECONOMY

Basic and Applied Research

GREATER TORONTO AREA

University of Toronto

Dr. Mark Taylor
Developing new chemical tools to solve problems of critical importance
Provincial funding: $330,000

Developing new chemical tools to solve problems of critical importance is the focus of research being conducted by Dr. Mark Taylor at a new state-of-the-art laboratory at the University of Toronto. Dr. Taylor and his research team aim to develop new methods for the preparation of value-added chemicals and to design advanced materials to detect toxic molecules in the environment by preparing and testing new molecules and materials. Innovations arising out of this research could well impact on the preparation of pharmaceuticals and advanced materials, the development of sustainable chemical processes, public health and security and medical diagnostics.

Dr. Geoffrey Ozin
Developing the next generation of information technology components
Provincial Funding: $40,000

Nanotechnology is the science of the control of matter on a scale smaller than one micrometre, as well as the fabrication of devices of this size. It holds the promise of transforming virtually every high-tech industry – from advanced manufacturing, to life sciences, to information technology. Using an important new tool called an ellipsometric porosimeter, Dr. Geoffrey Ozin at the University of Toronto will analyze the properties of new classes of nanoporous materials. These materials are targeted for electronic, optical, photonic and medical applications.

Dr. Joseph Thywissen
Creating a new type of microscope to image ultra-cold atoms
Provincial Funding: $140,000

One of the most pressing questions in physics today is what are the mechanisms behind high-temperature superconductivity. Dr. Joseph Thywissen at the University of Toronto hopes to answer it by creating a new type of microscope to image ultra-cold atoms. Dr. Thywissen’s research will not only help understand exotic properties of advanced materials, which will keep Ontario’s high-tech industries at the leading edge, it will also take a major step towards creating a quantum simulator with the power to solve mathematical problems beyond the reach of today’s computers.

Dr. Doug Stephan
Developing new materials and process technologies
Provincial Funding: $400,000

Materials with new properties and purposes are critical to the development of the advanced products that will keep Ontario’s chemical and materials companies competitive – and our economy strong. At the University of Toronto, Dr. Doug Stephan is focused on the chemistry of new classes of organic compounds and polymers, as well as new environmentally friendly process technologies. These materials and processes have potential applications ranging from electronics to medicine, agriculture to plastics.

Dr. Jack Quarter
A database to help organizations calculate the value of volunteer contributions
Provincial Funding: $100,000

Volunteers make a huge contribution to Ontario’s communities and its economy. Just how large is part of the research being conducted by Dr. Jack Quarter through the Social Economy Centre at OISE/UT. Dr. Quarter is developing an online database called VolunteersCount which aims to help nonprofit organizations keep better records of volunteer contributions and to generate social accounting reports that enable these contributions to be understood by funders and other important stakeholders. As an open source system, VolunteersCount will be available free of charge to all nonprofit organizations, which will encourage continued development of the system.

Benjamin Levin
Testing educational success through new research
Provincial funding: $198,000

Professor Levin’s research aims to discover how to increase educational success for all students through a variety of research studies and partnerships. The project request focuses on the goal of improving educational outcomes and achieving more equity in those outcomes through creating stronger connections between research and evidence as well as policy and practice. The request will assist in creating stronger connections between research, evidence, policy and educational practice.

Dr. Timothy Barfoot
Creating independent robots
Provincial Funding: $200,872

From the start of the space age, Canada – and Ontario – has captured the attention of the world through technological accomplishments such as the earth-observing satellite, Radarsat and the space shuttle and space station robotic arms, the Canadarm 1 and 2. The secret to our success has been our focus on key enabling technologies, in particular, space robotics. Dr. Timothy Barfoot at the University of Toronto intends to build on that expertise. Using a unique planetary rover testbed, he will develop control methods for next-generation planetary rovers that will make them independent (not subject to exterior control). His research will also impact Ontario’s mining industry, which shares many of the same issues as space, including a harsh and unsafe environment and poor communications.

Dr. Karen Mundy
Developing education cooperation/collaboration across borders
Provincial funding: $60,108

Over the past few decades, international organizations have become increasingly important in influencing national education policy debates and actions in both developing countries and industrialized nations. The World Bank, for example, has played a major role in introducing cost recovery and privatization into African educational systems. Dr. Karen Mundy at the University of Toronto is one of a small but growing group of education scholars exploring the growth of supranational, or "borderless," forms of governance in education. She believes that globalization processes – economic, political and cultural – are intensifying the opportunities and necessity for educational cooperation across borders. Using advanced information technologies, Dr. Mundy and her team are modeling supranational problems and trends in education to develop recommendations for policy makers in Ontario and abroad. 

Dr. Steven Short
Discovering how viruses affect the foundation of the aquatic food chain
Provincial funding: $142,184

Phytoplankton are microscopic plants that live in water and they’re the foundation of the aquatic food chain. Small fish eat them as food. Larger fish then eat the smaller fish. Humans catch and eat the larger fish. But recent research shows that many phytoplankton are susceptible to virus infections, the effects of which are not well understood. At a new laboratory at the University of Toronto Mississauga Dr. Steven Short is exploring the role of viruses on phytoplankton, specifically, how they influence phytoplankton ecology. His work will lead to better management policies for Ontario’s precious – and fragile – freshwater resources.

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See also:

• News Release: Ontario Turning Ideas Into Stronger Economy
• Backgrounder: Supporting Basic and Applied Research
• Backgrounder: Basic and Applied Research Projects
• Recipients