August 22, 2011
U of S-Led Study Developing Tools for Underground Carbon Storage
Posted August 22, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 22, 2011
2011-08-04-ENG
University of Saskatchewan geological engineering researcher Chris Hawkes is putting the squeeze on rocks in a project that will involve laboratory testing and the development of new, powerful computer simulations to find out how to inject carbon dioxide (CO2) deep underground and make sure it stays there.
“What we have to do is emulate the conditions that exist in Earth’s subsurface,” Hawkes explains.
The project is supported by a $633,000 grant from Carbon Management Canada, a Network of Centres of Excellence that supports game-changing research to radically reduce carbon emissions from the fossil energy industry.
The innovative multi-institution project is an integral part of finding out whether carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a viable option to help deal with carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from coal-fired power plants. There are about 50 such plants in Canada, each producing more than a million tonnes of the greenhouse gas per year.
For years, oil companies have injected CO2 into porous oil-bearing rock formations to “push” the oil towards the well heads in a process called enhanced oil recovery (EOR). With CCS, the aim is to use similar injection techniques to store CO2 underground indefinitely, where it won’t contribute to global climate change. However, for this process to work, the porous rock needs to lie under a layer of impervious “caprock” that must remain intact.
To help predict performance of these porous rock-caprock formations, Hawkes and the U of S geomechanics group are collaborating with researchers at the University of Waterloo and the University of Calgary, including graduate students funded by the U of C’s Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy (ISEEE).
“This unconventional approach brings together state-of-the-art tools and methods from geomechanics and reservoir engineering and is expected to yield better, more powerful computer simulations,” Hawkes said.
To mimic field conditions, the researchers squeeze rock cores to simulate conditions deep underground, then inject them with pressurized water or CO2 to see how they deform under stress and how fluids flow through them. The cores can also be heated to test how they hold up to temperature change — an important consideration, as sudden temperature changes can cause some rock types to crack.
This information will form the basis for computer simulations to predict how injected CO2 might behave underground. These powerful tools will allow assessment of potential CCS sites, from deep saltwater aquifers to mature oil reservoirs, and point to the most effective injection methods.
“These enhanced tools are badly needed to determine whether underground CO2 storage is a viable and secure option that can be scaled up to play a significant role in managing global emissions,” Hawkes said.
While the typical rate of injection in CO2 storage pilot studies is one megatonne (million tonnes) per year or less, it is thought this rate needs to be several times higher. Enhanced simulation tools, such as those developed by this research, will allow engineers to predict and respond to changing conditions at CO2 storage sites where the rate of injection is an expected 10 to 30 megatonnes per year.
In the 2011 round of Carbon Management Canada funding, $10 million is being awarded to Canadian researchers working on 18 projects. Decisions to fund research projects are made after a rigorous international peer-review process.
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For more information, please contact:
Ruth Klinkhammer
Carbon Management Canada
(403) 210-7879
ruth.klinkhammer@cmc-nce.ca
Michael Robin
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
306) 966-2506
michael.robin@usask.ca
About Carbon Management Canada (www.cmc-nce.ca)
Carbon Management Canada is a Network of Centres of Excellence supported by federal and provincial governments as well as industry. CMC is a community of over 140 university researchers, and industry and government practitioners with the vision, the commitment, and the enthusiasm needed to take the upstream fossil energy industry to zero carbon emissions.
August 18, 2011
U of S Law professor earns top national award
Posted August 18, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 18, 2011
2011-08-03-LA
University of Saskatchewan law professor Ronald Cuming is the recipient of the 2011 Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law, given annually by the Canadian Bar Association. The award recognizes outstanding contribution to the law or legal scholarship in Canada.
“I am very honoured to receive an award from the Canadian Bar Association initiated by the late Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn, a fellow Saskatchewanian and friend,” Cuming said after receiving the award August 13 in Halifax. “It has been a great privilege for me to have had the opportunity over the last several years to make a contribution to the development of aspects of Canadian and international law. My ability to make this contribution has been facilitated by the College of Law, University of Saskatchewan, which encourages faculty to look beyond the narrow confines of the academic world.”
Cuming earned the award for his work that has led to improved and modernized commercial and financing laws in Saskatchewan, Canada and numerous international locations. Past recipients of the award include such legal giants as Peter Hogg, Canada’s pre-eminent constitutional scholar and the Honourable Roy McMurtry, former Chief Justice of Ontario and one of the authors of the so-called same-sex marriage judgment.
“The College of Law is extremely proud that Professor Ronald Cuming has been awarded the 2011 Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law,” said Sanjeev Anand, University of Saskatchewan dean of law. Anand added that it is fitting that Cuming – “the ‘father’ of modern secured financing law in Canada and a leading figure in international commercial law” – be honoured in this fashion.
“For the past 43 years, Ron has been a prolific scholar whose work has heavily influenced both judicial and legislative decision making at the highest levels, both here and abroad. The impact of his work is incalculable and the College of Law is privileged to have him counted as one of our own,” added Anand.
Cuming has been a professor of commercial law for 43 years and an international consultant with expertise in secured financing, leasing and insolvency law for 26 years. He received a USSU Teaching Excellence Award in 1992-93, the University of Saskatchewan Distinguished Researcher Award in 1998 and the College of Law Teaching Award in 2007. His research focuses on national and international secured financing law, leasing law, judgment enforcement law and insolvency (bankruptcy) law.
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For more information, contact:
Kate Blau
Advancement Officer
College of Law
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1062
Katherine.blau@usask.ca
August 16, 2011
U of S researchers turn Aboriginal lens on oilsands, resource management and law
Posted August 16, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 16, 2011
2011-08-02-OTHER
Aboriginal issues – from oilsands impact to incorporating indigenous knowledge and the legal duty to consult – form a strong theme running through University of Saskatchewan research awarded $1.2 million by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
“Aboriginal engagement and scholarship are identified within a signature area of strength at the U of S, one with real impact on the lives of people,” said U of S Vice-President Research Karen Chad. “This support from SSHRC provides critical resources for our researchers to share knowledge that will advance Aboriginal ways of knowing and address social and economic disparities.”
Some of the 23 recipients are:
Duty to consult: Law professor Dwight Newman is awarded $29,000 to examine how – and whether – international law is applied to the inherent rights of indigenous peoples in the wake of the 2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Newman will look at examples from around the world to see if governments actually “walk the talk” with regard to issues such as the duty to consult for resource development and land use, and how law can more effectively respond to the rights of indigenous peoples, as understood by the people themselves.
Oilsands impact: Anthropologist Clinton Westman is awarded $62,000 to examine the social, cultural, economic and health impacts of oilsands development in northern Alberta, including traditional land use by Aboriginal Peoples. He will also look at how oilsands development aligns with national and international law and policy on impact assessment with regard to Aboriginal Peoples, and look at how – and whether – Aboriginal experiences are incorporated into current environmental assessment processes. He will also work with specific communities to help them respond during the public hearing process of major proposed oilsands projects. Westman is an assistant professor in the department of archaeology and anthropology.
Resource management: Education and environment researcher M.J. Barrett is awarded $75,000 to develop effective ways of incorporating Aboriginal knowledges and perspectives into resource management such as environmental assessment, parks management, and co-management processes. Her cross-cultural, interdisciplinary team includes both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal scientists and community members, who will not only create new knowledge, but also teach it through educational modules for graduate students, university faculty and environmental professionals. Barrett is an assistant professor in the College of Education and School of Environment and Sustainability.
Coping with environmental change: Centennial Chair and Assistant Professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability Douglas Clark is awarded $37,000 to examine how Aboriginal and local knowledge can be respectfully integrated with scientific knowledge to strengthen decision-making processes for natural resource management. Clark’s work focuses on the southwest Yukon and Mongolia, two mountain ecosystems where local knowledge is vital to wildlife conservation but used in very different ways. In both places, climate change impacts are real and current concerns to wildlife managers. This project promises to help them enhance the ways they involve Aboriginal and local people in adaptive decision-making.
Our sense of place: Education and environment researcher Marcia McKenzie is awarded $112,000 to explore how our relationships with our environment as we grow up affect how we think and act about environmental sustainability. She will look at formation of youth identity in relation to place across Aboriginal, settler and transnational populations, and explore implications for learning and sustainability education policy. McKenzie is an assistant professor in the College of Education and the School of Environment and Sustainability.
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is the federal agency that promotes and supports postsecondary-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences. The grants described above are provided through SSHRC’s standard grant program and new Insight grants program.
For a complete listing of projects awarded, visit www.sshrc-crsh.gc.ca.
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For more information, contact:
Michael Robin
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1425
michael.robin@usask.ca
August 03, 2011
Prestigious scholarship awarded to U of S student developing computer apps to combat obesity
Posted August 03, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 3, 2011
2011-08-01-OTHER
Today Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the 167 winners of the prestigious 2011 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, including University of Saskatchewan graduate student Rita Orji who was ranked among the top five in Canada.
Orji, a PhD computer science student, will receive $150,000 ($50,000 per year for three years) through the federal research granting agency NSERC. Her research focuses on developing novel computer applications for smart phones or Facebook that promote healthy eating and address Canada’s obesity epidemic.
“We are very proud of the achievement of this outstanding graduate student whose innovative computer science research will benefit the health of Canadians,” said U of S Dean of Graduate Studies and Research Lawrence Martz.
"Her success exemplifies the top-quality research talent at the U of S where graduate student enrolment has increased by 60 per cent over the past decade, helping to drive the province's knowledge-based economy and position Canada as a leader in science and technology."
The Vanier scholarships help Canada develop, attract and retain some of the world’s best doctoral candidates. The scholarship is available to both Canadian and international PhD students studying at Canadian universities.
“I really appreciate that the Canadian government has provided equal opportunity to Canadian citizens and international students to compete for this scholarship. It inspires me to research, explore and show what I can do,” said Orji who was born in Nigeria and came to the U of S from Turkey last year.
Paying tribute to her supervisors Julita Vassileva and Regan Mandryk whose work is advancing the use of computer technologies to improve fitness and health, Orji said, “I’m interested in technologies to help people live healthier.”
Launched in 2009, the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship program provides successful candidates with significant freedom to pursue and complete doctoral studies. Nominees undergo a rigorous selection process. Potential scholars are nominated by their Canadian university and then evaluated by selection committees struck by Canada’s three federal research granting agencies. An international, blue-ribbon selection board then ranks Vanier scholarship recipients and recommends them for funding.
“This announcement brings the program to its full capacity of 500 scholars,” said NSERC president Suzanne Fortier. “The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships program enables Canada to position itself as a centre of research excellence, supporting leading Canadian doctoral candidates and attracting some of the world’s most promising researchers to our universities.”
For a complete list of all recipients, visit www.vanier.gc.ca
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For more information, contact:
Michael Robin
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1425
