U of S Awarded $700,000 for Research in Environment, Medicine, and Manufacturing

Posted April 26, 2004


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 26, 2004 2004-04-20-OTHER

U of S Awarded $700,000 for Research in Environment, Medicine, and
Manufacturing

Today seven University of Saskatchewan researchers were awarded grants
totaling nearly $700,000 through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
New Opportunities Fund.

The grants will back a wide range of research that could yield tools to help
combat greenhouse gas emissions, help industry clean up their waste streams,
yield new manufacturing processes, offer insights into some genetic
diseases, and even offer more efficient ways to heat food.

"The research supported by this round of CFI funding highlights the breadth
of outstanding scientific inquiry at the University of Saskatchewan," said U
of S Vice-President Research Steven Franklin. "We enjoy a vibrant,
interdisciplinary environment, one that fosters ideas and innovation."

CFI will provide up to 40 per cent of the total $1.75 million in funding for
the research projects, with the balance to be made up from other partners.
To date, the CFI New Opportunities Fund has provided $6.9 million for 56
projects at the U of S.

"Today's investment in state-of-the-art infrastructure will help support the
development of world-class expertise in communities across the country and
help to attract the best research minds in the world to Canada," said
Lucienne Robillard, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the
Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

"Today's announcement is a good news story for the U of S which will bring
economic and social benefits to the local community and the region," said
Ralph Goodale, Saskatchewan regional MP and Minister of Finance.

The seven latest recipients and their CFI New Opportunities Fund grants are:

- Jens Müller (chemistry) -- $183,690 to examine "intermediates",
unstable chemical compounds formed during chemical reactions. Understanding
intermediates is key to a deeper knowledge of chemistry, and may yield new
insights into chemical vapour deposition, a process used in everything from
protective coatings to electronics.
- Matthew Paige (chemistry) -- $137,008 for a state-of-the-art imaging
laboratory for the development of experimental techniques to measure
properties of individual molecules one at a time. This innovative new branch
of research has the potential to revolutionize current understanding of the
physical and biological sciences.
- Helen Nichol (medicine) -- $91,619 for cryostats, a high resolution sample
positioner and other equipment for X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). This
synchrotron-based technique is shedding light on the chemical form and
cellular location of iron that accumulates in the brain and nerves when
specific genes are disrupted. This work may lead to better treatment for
metal overload disorders, as well as diseases like Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's.
- Reza Fotouhi (engineering) -- $86,200 for a mobile robot, its industrial
arm, and a set of flexible manipulators for a robotics and control
laboratory. This facility, unique in the province, will allow research into
robotics motion and control. Robots have applications in mining, space,
bioengineering industries, and in the not too distant future, farming.
- Mehdi Nemati (engineering) -- $74,000 to develop environmental
technologies based on the principles of biochemical engineering and life
sciences. His program targets problems encountered in the petroleum and
mining industries, including management and treatment of specific waste
streams and tailings, control of souring in oil reservoirs, biocorrosion,
and microbially enhanced oil recovery.
- Hui Wang (engineering) -- $67,600 for a laboratory to explore and develop
processes to chemically convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into valuable chemical
commodities from which products such as fine chemicals and plastics can be
made. These processes will also help reduce this greenhouse gas emission
into the atmosphere. Wang's research will focus on the development of the
commercial catalysts that speed the transformation of CO2 and methane into
carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
- Oon-Doo Baik (engineering) -- $59,504 to explore the physics behind radio
frequency (RF) heating of foods and biomaterials. RF heating offers rapid
and uniform heat distribution, superior penetration and high energy
efficiency. Baik will look at how RF heating affects the quality of
products, and how these techniques may be adapted for Canadian industries.

"These awards represent a strategic boost to the research capabilities of
these universities," said Carmen Charette, CFI Interim President and CEO.
"These projects were selected following a thorough assessment process and
will help ensure that researchers and graduate students at the U of S have
access to a world-class facility and training environment."

The CFI works to strengthen the capability of Canadian universities,
colleges, research hospitals, and other not-for-profit institutions to carry
out world-class research and technology development. More information is
available at www.innovation.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Michael Robin
U of S/CLS Research Communications
(306) 966-2427
michael.robin@usask.ca
www.usask.ca/research

Valérie Poulin
Coordinator, Media Relations
Canada Foundation for Innovation
(613) 996-3160
Cell: (613) 447-1723