Research News

2022

Tornado researchers expand scope to study hail
Western News | January 25, 2022
The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) is changing the way researchers investigate and predict tornadoes and mitigate their damage in Canada. As its impact continues to grow, why stop with tornadoes?
[ Read more]
Study aims to prevent deadly sport injury in young athletes
Western News | January 14, 2022
Grant Dickey's master’s research provides new metrics for testing baseball chest protectors and identifies the most vulnerable impact locations over the chest that may result in commotio cordis.
[ Read more]
Transforming waste, industrial by-products to reduce environmental impact
Western News | Jan. 11, 2022
The climate change crisis and the push for sustainable technologies are driving the work of five engineering professors and their research teams at Western’s Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR).
[ Read more]

2021

Varma receives 2021 IEEE PES Nari Hingorani FACTS Award
Western News | November 22, 2021
Dr. Rajiv K. Varma, Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has recently received the 2021 IEEE Power & Energy Society (PES) Nari Hingorani FACTS Award.
[ Read more]
Key to safer hockey helmetz: Mitigating for angle and 'torque' of impact
Western News | November 10, 2021
A Western Engineering team, led by Canada Research Chair Haojie Mao, ran a simulated human brain through a battery of tests and found the latest in helmet technology could be improved to withstand blows coming indirectly.
[ Read more]
Project to study climate effects on electric vehicle energy use
Western News | November 08, 2021
A new joint project between Western Engineering and Fanshawe College’s Centre for Research and Innovation (CRI), in collaboration with London Hydro, is investigating household energy consumption for electric vehicles (EVs) and how weather factors affect it.
[ Read more]
Flood-impact map a Canadian first
Western News | November 03, 2021
Western Engineering researcher Slobodan P. Simonovic shows how – and where – flooding will put humans and property at risk under changing climate. 
[ Read more]
Western Engineering awards new diversity-focused fellowship
Western News | November 01, 2021
Two doctoral candidates receive inaugural Indigenous and Black Engineering and Technology Momentum Fellowship.
[ Read more]
Free book teaches DIY for solar energy
Western News | October 25, 2021
Western's John M. Thompson Chair in Information Technology and Innovation Joshua Pearce promotes low-cost access to sun power with free book, To Catch the Sun.
[ Read more]
PhD student uses grant to empower underrepresented youth in STEM
Western News | October 7, 2021
Environmental engineering PhD candidate Sadaf Mehrabi recently received an NSERC Student Ambassador grant to support the promotion of STEM to Canadian youth.
[ Read more]
Rasoulinezhad receives Emerging Leader award for cleantech innovation
Western News | October 5, 2021
Dr. Ramtin Rasoulinezhad — MESc’17, PhD’21, and Western Engineering instructor — received a 2021 Clean50 Emerging Leader award for his work in cleantech innovation, while serving as Director of Hybrid Solutions for AVL Manufacturing Inc.
[ Read more]
Patch could give new life to weak heart
Western News | September 30, 2021
An ultra-flexible cardiac patch, designed by professor Kibret Mequanint and his collaborators, may one day be used to restore function to a damaged heart following a cardiac arrest.
[ Read more]
Alumna drives design quality at LA-based luxury vehicle start-up
Western News | September 27, 2021
For Western Engineering alumna Michelle Lo, BESc/HBA’15, engineering brings the ‘spice’ to design. And, what better way to spice up a career in design engineering than to work for luxury electric vehicle start-up Faraday Future in Los Angeles?
[ Read more]
Summer research program offers experiential learning for undergrads
Western News | September 16, 2021
This past summer, 81 students participated in Western Engineering’s Undergraduate Summer Research Awards program, where they had the opportunity to work with faculty members on novel research topics.
[ Read more]
Joshua Pearce brings open-source, sustainable tech to the fore
Western News | September 9, 2021
Joshua Pearce, the new John M. Thompson chair in information technology and innovation, has a huge passion for solar energy development and creating sustainable, shareable technology, which will be a big focus for his research projects at Western.
[ Read more]
Western student promotes 'shop local' with AI-enabled platform
Western News | August 30, 2021
Founded by software engineering and Ivey HBA dual degree student, Alykhan Kara, Shomigo is a digital marketplace designed to help small businesses broaden their customer base and help consumers buy local.
[ Read more]
Water detectives: Scientists test wastewater for signs of virus
Western News | August 17, 2021
A new international collaboration, that includes assistant professor Chris DeGroot, investigates how wastewater can be used to detect signs of an emerging virus in a population.
[ Read more]
Bridge-check tech among research grants
Western News | August 12, 2021
Western Engineering faculty members Ayan Sadhu and Arghya Paul are among the nine Western researchers to be granted $2.6 million in funding through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF).
[ Read more ]
Expert insights: How to reinforce your house against hurricanes
Western News | July 29, 2021
Lead researcher for the Northern Tornadoes Project, Greg Kopp addresses how hurricane straps keep roofs on houses and can improve safety during tornadoes.
[ Read more]
Life-saving snake venom
Western News | July 14, 2021
Professor Kibret Mequanint and his international collaborators have found a novel use for snake venom: a body tissue ‘super glue’ that can stop life-threatening bleeding in seconds.
[ Read more]
Improving antiepileptic drug delivery
Western News | July 7, 2021
Current antiepileptic drugs do not match seizure peaks, but new research from chemical and and biochemical engineering professor Kibret Mequanint is aiming to change that.
[ Read more]
Western student creates vaccine locator tool
Western News | June 16, 2021
Brock Lumbard, a member of Western’s Class of 2021, realized that people needed easy-to-access information on how to locate and book at local clinics while finishing his last year of studies remotely from his home in Regina.
[ Read more]
12 Western scientists and scholars named Canada Research Chairs
Western News | June 15, 2021
Western Engineering Outreach receives a new $120,000 grant over the next three years, provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
[ Read more]
Western Engineering Expands Outreach to Underserved Communities
Western News | June 08, 2021
Western Engineering Outreach receives a new $120,000 grant over the next three years, provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
[ Read more]
El Damatty honoured for excellence in research
Western News | May 28, 2021
Civil and Environmental Professor and Department Chair Ashraf El Damatty is this year’s recipient of the Engineering Award for Excellence in Research.
[ Read more]
New Tool helps 'tune' cochlear implants to improve hearing
Western News | May 27, 2021
Researchers have designed a mathematical tool to help program cochlear implants with precision for each patient’s unique anatomy.
[ Read more]
BFC Technologies partnership works towards smart, sustainable cities
Western News | May 27, 2021
Creating sustainable cities to be resilient to the impacts of climate change is an urgent matter — one that Western Engineering researchers and their industry partners are working hard to address.
[ Read more]
Engineering prof named among world's top climate scientists
Western News | May 11, 2021
Professor emeritus Slobodan Simonovic, who studies flood risk and prevention, was named one of the world’s 1,000 most influential climate scientists.
[ Read more]
Alumna creates groundbreaking medical device to control blood loss
Western News | April 06, 2021
Western Engineering alumna Asha Parekh (BESc’07, MESc’11, PhD’15) never planned on co-founding medical device company Front Line Medical Technologies, but she was willing to take the risk of transitioning to entrepreneurship and hasn’t looked back since.
[ Read more]
An early warning system: Testing wastewater for COVID-19
Western News | April 01, 2021
Western Engineering assistant professor Chris DeGroot leads a study collecting wastewater samples from a number of strategic locations in London, Ont. and analyzed at Western’s ImPaKT Facility.
[ Read more]
Western engineer explores 3D printing in space
Western News | March 18, 2021
Western Engineering professor Jun Yang's current project – a mix of space flight and medical applications research – is about perfecting artificial intelligence-enhanced methods for 3D printing in outer space.
[ Read more]
Online voting is here, but are we ready? Western research shows not even close
Western News | March 04, 2021
Over the past five years, software engineering professor Aleksander Essex and his team investigated Ontario’s online voting practices and procedures and found numerous issues and irregularities.
[ Read more]
'Perseverance' paysoff for Western alumnus
Western News | February 17, 2021
Western alumnus Raymond Francis serves as an engineer on NASA’s science operations team for the Perseverance rover, which is set to land in Jezero crater on Mars.
[ Read more]
New international study extends 'lifetime' of materials used in cars and nuclear reactors
Western News | February 02, 2021
Western materials engineer Hamid Abdolvand and his collaborators discovered important factors into the deformation of metals used in automobiles and nuclear reactors, and developed new models to predict the lifetimes of these materials.
[ Read more]
Engineering fellowships created for Indigenous and Black doctoral students
Western News | January 18, 2021
Western is among six Ontario universities that have together created new fellowships for Indigenous and Black students pursuing doctoral degrees in engineering.
[ Read more]
Combined forces help combat the pain and disability of arthritis
Western News | January 14, 2021
Professor Joy MacDermid's research, done through Western’s Bone and Joint Institute in collaboration with engineering professors Louis Ferreira and Emily Lalone, has received recognition from the Arthritis Society as one of its Top 10 Research Advances of 2020.
[ Read more]
Northern Tornadoes Project verifies 77 tornadoes in Canada for 2020
Western News | Jan. 13, 2021
Western’s Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) conducted 409 investigations in 2020, verifying 77 tornadoes across Canada and increasing the verified count by a remarkable 166 per cent using advanced methods.
[ Read more]

2020

Four Western faculty have been named to the Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list, including Materials Engineering professor Andy Sun.
Western News | Nov. 19, 2020
Materials engineering professor X.A. (Andy) Sun (materials science), Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry professor Brian Feagan (clinical medicine category), biology professor Danielle Way (plant and animal science) and Ivey Business School professor Klaus Meyer (economics and business) have each been recognized for their work.
[ Read more]
‘Inside-the-box’ technology solves organ and vaccine transport issue
Western News | Sept. 23, 2020
Western researchers have developed a portable temperature regulating device for transporting temperature-sensitive items like organs for transplants and vaccines.
[ Read more]
New international partnership launches Western into space
Western News | Sept. 23, 2020
Professor Jayshri Sabarinathan and her Western Space collaborators will contribute a one-unit CubeSat to a MILOInstitute and University of Texas at El Paso flight mission.
[ Read more]
Research leads to re-design of transmission lines
Western News | Sept. 15, 2020
Research conducted by Professor Ashraf El Damatty and his team lead to new guides for the redesign of transmission line structures to resist downbursts and tornadoes.
[ Read more]
Royal Society celebrates Western scholars
Western News | Sept.8, 2020
New Royal Society of Canada honours go to Western Engineering scholars Jin Jiang and Slobodan Simonovic.
[ Read more]
Research touts lower-cost, longer-life battery
Western News | Aug.17, 2020
New materials engineering research led by professor Andy Sun could translate into significant real-world benefits like longer battery life for cell phones.
[ Read more]
Engineering researchers receive COVID-related grants
Western News | July 29, 2020
Researchers Jin Zhang and Eric Savory have received funding for partnership research projects that will help understand and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
[ Read more]
Investment bolsters pandemic research
Western News | June 19, 2020
Nine additional research projects received university backing for their work in supporting recovery efforts for disease outbreaks, including MME prof Chris DeGroot's project.
[ Read more]
Floryan inducted into Canadian Academy of Engineering
Western News | June 15, 2020
Mechanical and Materials Engineering Professor Jerzy Floryan is among the 52 new Fellows inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE).
[ Read more]
Western experts talk tornadoes:
Western News | May 29, 2020
Tornado experts Greg Kopp and Dave Sills took part in a webcast to discuss the upcoming tornado season and how to best detect tornado occurrence in Canada
[ Read more]
‘Cough chamber’ shows six-feet not far enough
Western News | Apr. 14, 2020
A recent Western-led study says two metres might not be far enough away if someone lets an uncovered cough loose in your direction – meaning sneeze and cough etiquette is more than a simple social nicety, but a key to stopping the spread of diseases like COVID-19.
[ Read more]
Engineering alumnus and professor earn Ontario Professional Engineers Awards
Western News | Apr. 9, 2020
Western Engineering alumnus and President of Zibi Canada Jeff Westeinde, BESc’89, PEng, earned the Engineering Medal for Entrepreneurship, and Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor and NSERC/UNENE Senior Industrial Research Chair Jing Jiang earned the Research and Development Medal. Both recipients will be honoured at the OPEA Gala in November 2020.
[ Read more]
El Naggar, MacDermid earn top scholar honours
Western News | Apr. 8, 2020
A pair of Western scholars – Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Hesham El Naggar and Physical Therapy professor Joy MacDermid – have been honoured with Distinguished University Professorships.
[ Read more]
Helping bend, shape needs of Western, world
Western News | Apr. 2, 2020
Earlier this month, Clayton Cook and his University Machine Services team constructed a much-need bracket for a local neurosurgeon – a device to hold a patient’s head in place during lifesaving surgery.
[ Read more]
Big data project lights path to energy savings
Western News | Mar. 2, 2020
Through London Hydro, Budweiser Gardens authorized an examination by Western researchers of its total energy usage as it sought to get a better handle on the real and predicted costs of different events. The team provided big-data computations that not only saved energy but helped the facility’s bottom line.
[ Read more]
Network unites students in disaster resiliency efforts
Western News | Mar. 10, 2020
Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Clare Robinson is the principal investigator on the Scholars Network for Building Disaster Resilient Communities project, a recently funded partnership between Western and Cuban institutions on physical and social resiliency around natural disaster management.
[ Read more]
Advanced Manufacturing pivots to face shields
Western News | Mar. 29, 2020
The Advanced Manufacturing Team at University Machine Services, an ancillary service based in Western Engineering, shifted its normal operations to producing face shields for health-care workers combating COVID-19.
[ Read more]

Future-focused network to boost industry foresight
Western News | Feb. 19, 2020
WIN 4.0 (Western’s Industry Network), led by the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, is utilizing the latest industry revolution – cyber-physical systems – to give businesses the ability to anticipate what will happen in their facilities and address problems even before they happen. Mechanical and Materials Engineering PhD student Amir Zarinchang, WIN 4.0 Associate Director Tengyuan Zhang and Longterm Technologies Services Inc. President Aaron Guo explore how digital-twin technology is improving resource and production efficiency.
[ Read more]

CSA grant backs Western Space rover tech
Western News | Feb. 25, 2020
Western will play a key role in humanity’s return to the Moon, thanks to a major investment by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) in a university-led advancement that could represent a flagship Canadian contribution to international missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
[ Read more]

The Engineer’s Impact: Your inside look at faculty’s research and its effect on society
Western News | Jan. 21, 2020
In this new Q&A series, we’ll feature Western Engineering faculty members to gain a succinct overview of their research, understand its impact on society, and discover intriguing little-known facts. Our inaugural faculty member is software engineering associate professor Aleks Essex.
[ Read more]

Former Dean named among Order of Canada recipients
Western News | Jan. 29, 2020
Former Western Engineering Dean (1987 – 1999) and nationally renowned electrical engineer Mohan Mathur is among the latest Canadians to join the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest honours. Mathur has been honoured for his leadership in the field of electrical engineering in academia and industry, as well as for efforts to enhance and expand the profession in Canada.
[ Read more]

2019

Research bridges big data, infrastructure needs
Western News | Nov. 25, 2019
Western Engineering professor Ayan Sadhu is using a sensor monitoring technique to remotely collect big data in order to identify inherent structure damage in everything from vehicle/pedestrian bridges and dams to other large-scale structures, including new construction.
[ Read more]

Researchers recognized for high citations
Western News | Nov. 21, 2019
Mechanical and Materials Engineering lab manager Ruying Li and professor Andy Sun (Cross-Field category – two or more categories) have each been recognized for their work.
[ Read more]

Research extends life of rechargeable batteries
Western News | Nov. 18, 2019
Western-led research may ‘charge up’ consumers by addressing their frequent complaint that rechargeable batteries gradually hold less charge over time. The solution to longer battery life, researchers contend, may be found in adding a carbon-based layer to lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.
[ Read more]

Research takes brewing technology to new high
Western News | Nov. 11, 2019
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering professor Lars Rehmann has partnered with a Canadian company to work on creating a hybrid yeast to be used in crafting beers made from hemp and cannabis.
[ Read more]

Data point way to more efficient, secure networks
Western News | Nov. 6, 2019
Electrical and Computer Engineering professor Abdallah Shami, along with his team at the Optimized Computing and Communications (OC2) lab in Western Engineering, uses a database of 450 million data points to search for patterns and anomalies that could jam telecommunications services and compromise the intermediary servers.”
[ Read more]

Fellowship provides platform for nano work
Western News | Nov. 6, 2019
Western Chemical & Biochemical Engineering professor Arghya Paul recently received the Wolfe-Western Fellowship At-Large for Outstanding Newly Recruited Research Scholars”
[ Read more]

New chair looks to ensure ‘nothing is waste’
Western News | Oct. 17, 2019
Franco Berruti’s work is all about making something out of ‘nothing.’ Biofuels from biomass. Pharmaceuticals from forestry byproducts. Soil supplements from heaps of tomato leaves. “Nothing is a waste,” said the Chemical and Biochemical Engineering professor. “Everything should be seen as a resource.”
[ Read more]

Western Space fueled by passion, expertise
Western News | Oct. 7, 2019
Held at the International and Graduate Affairs Building, the launch event featured recorded congratulations from the Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques, whose 204 days in orbit set a record for Canadian astronauts.
[ Read more]

Civil and Environmental Engineering working to combat phosphorus levels in water
Western News | Oct. 4, 2019
Dagnew’s lab has received a $200,000 investment – part of $2.2 million newly awarded to 12 Western projects – through the Ontario Research Fund-Research and the Early Researcher Awards program announced Friday at the Amit Chakma Engineering Building.
[ Read more]

CARL revolutionizing audiology education
Western News | Sept. 30, 2019
Developed by Western Engineering graduates in consultation with the National Centre for Audiology, CARL has quickly become an invaluable tool for students and professionals in training, research and product demonstrations.
[ Read more]

Western Engineering welcomes three new faculty members
Western News | Sept. 13, 2019
Over the course of the summer, Western Engineering welcomed three new faculty members to its team.
[ Read more]

Western emerging generation among New College
Western News | Sept. 10, 2019
Two Western scholars were named among the newest members of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
[ Read more]

New homes built upon Western research
Western News | Aug. 15, 2019
Engineering professor Greg Kopp discussed a new partnership between Doug Tarry Homes, Western and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction that will see the homebuilder incorporate two Western-led research findings into its new construction.
[ Read more]

Six Western projects earn CFI backing
Western News | Aug. 12, 2019
From hearing loss and brain activity, to cancer and joints, to sustainable energy and social cues, six Western-led projects, involving 10 researchers within four faculties, received more than $1 million through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund, Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Sport announced Monday in Edmonton.
[ Read more]

New centre takes aim at water solutions
Western News | Aug. 1, 2019
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering professor Mita Ray was named the inaugural director of the university’s new WesternWater Centre, a research group eyeing water and environmental issues.
[ Read more]

Researchers examine Prairie twister outbreak
Western News | July 8, 2019
Two campgrounds in ruins. Houses lifted and shifted on their foundations. Thousands of trees felled as if by a giant meteorological axe.
[ Read more]

Database helps put Canadian tornadoes on the map
Western News | June 13, 2019
No longer will important information about severe storms across the country – information that could save countless lives – be simply gone with the wind.
[ Read more]

Tornado alley childhood shaped meteorologist
Western News | June 13, 2019
David Sills still remembers the smells and sounds of that mercurial evening in July 1980.
[ Read more]

Tornado project expansion to deepen understanding, save lives
Western News | June 13, 2019
Western is poised to become the country’s leading authority on tornado tracking and research thanks to a major expansion of its Northern Tornadoes Project.
[ Read more]

Hellmuth Prize 2019 awarded to Jaffe, Sun
Western News | May 22, 2019
Education professor Peter Jaffe and Engineering professor Andy Sun have been awarded the 2019 Hellmuth Prize for Achievement in Research.
[ Read more]

Five receive Frontiers research funding
Western News | May 13, 2019
Five Western researchers have been awarded more than $1.2 million in funding for interdisciplinary research, ranging from pre-term birth predictors to concussions, as part of the federal government’s New Frontiers in Research Fund, Minister of Science and Sport Kirsty Duncan announced today.
[ Read more]

Professor Jun Yang honoured for Excellence in Research
Western News | April 29, 2019
Each year, Western Engineering presents a faculty member with the Engineering Award for Excellence in Research to recognize their outstanding research contributions. This year’s recipient is Mechanical and Materials Engineering professor Jun Yang.
[ Read more]

New investment sparks next-gen battery research
Western News | April 11, 2019
“I am confident to say that Western should be No. 1 in five years for research in the field of solid-state batteries – among the top in the world,” said the Canada Research Chair in Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion and Storage.
[ Read more]

Designations honour wind tunnel’s significance
Western News | April 5, 2019
Western’s Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory is considered the birthplace of modern wind engineering.
[ Read more]

New valve gets to heart of implant issue via design
Western News | April 2, 2019
A Western researcher has teamed up with colleagues across the country to develop a next-generation heart valve that may provide patients with a safer, longer-lasting implant alternative thus greatly reducing complications after surgery, according to a new study released this week.
[ Read more]

Innovation puts charge in smart knee implants
Western News | January 31, 2019
Knee replacement surgery is one of the world’s most common orthopedic procedures, but those implants don’t last forever.
[ Read more]

Exhibit features power, beauty of tornadoes
Western News | January 9, 2019
Tornadoes carry destructive power and fearsome beauty – and a new exhibit at the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre attempts to convey both.
[ Read more]

Torndado Project takes a national spin
Western News | January 9, 2019
A Western-led project to discover and decode tornadoes in remote Northern Ontario has spun into a nationwide mission to identify every Canadian tornado in 2019.
[ Read more]

2018

WindEE's El Damatty receives Ontario Honour 
Western News | December 4, 2018
Western Engineering professor Ashraf El Damatty has been honoured for his research in developing resilient structures that can withstand earthquakes and high winds.
[ Read more]

World-changing research fueled by new CRCs
Western News | November 15, 2018
Western will be home to three new Canada Research Chairs whose work will have global impact on earthquake disaster preparedness; psychology and brain science; and neuroimaging to help people with epilepsy.
[ Read more]

South Korea deal seals materials research with Western, Fraunhofer
Western Engineering | November 9, 2018
Western University has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) at a special ceremony to launch Fraunhofer Project Centre for Composites Research @ UNIST.
[ Read more]

Grant to CREATE new opportunities for students
Western News | July 25, 2018
Led by Engineering professor Jeffrey Wood, an advanced polymer composite materials and technologies team will CREATE more opportunities for the next generation of engineers thanks to $1.65-million grant from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
[ Read more]

Grant backs work offering tremor relief
Western News | June 24, 2018
Engineering professor Ana Luisa Trejos, Health Sciences professor Jayne Garland, along with Evan Friedman of Intronix Technologies, have received a Collaborative Health Research Projects grant to look into creating a wearable device that assists with the suppression of tremor in Parkinson’s patients.
[ Read more]

Salamander Foundation backs advances in environmental engineering
Western News | June 14, 2018
Western Engineering will continue to lead the charge in mitigating the effects of pollution on the environment and public health with today’s announcement of a $1-million donation from The Salamander Foundation.
[ Read more]

Wind tunnel officially takes its place in history
Western Engineering News | May 4, 2018
Peter King vividly recalls being a high school student and touring Western’s Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory (BLWTL) in the late 1960s. Little did he know, that spark of interest generated what would be the start of a four-decade career within one of the university’s premier facilities.
[ Read more]

NSERC taps two for elite national honours
Western Engineering News | April 30, 2018
Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Jason Gerhard is working with his partners at Savron, a division of Geosyntec Consultants International Inc.,
[ Read more]

Study uncovers historic tornado outbreak
Western News | April 25, 2018
Following an extensive ground and aerial survey led by wind engineering experts at Western, it has been determined that the tornado outbreak of June 18, 2017 in southern Québec is officially the largest recorded in the province’s history and, consequently, one of the largest ever recorded in Canada.
[ Read more]

Albion builds Research Park momentum in Sarnia
Western News | January 25, 2018
After Katherine Albion became Director of Commercialization at Western’s Sarnia-Lambton Research Park in 2012, tenancy ballooned to include more than 30 companies working in advanced manufacturing, water treatment, ethanol production and other clean-tech initiatives.
[ Read more]

2017

Construction Corner: Will 2018 be the year Canada takes resilience seriously?
ConstructiConnect | December 29, 2017 
Greg Kopp, Professor and Associate Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, spoke with ConstructCorner about his research on how heavy windstorms affect structures. 
[ Read more]

Partnership to move new plastics forward
Western News | November 23, 2017
A Western Engineering professor’s work in developing an advanced plastic could soon have the attention of the automotive and aerospace industries for its potential benefits to manufacturing upgrades.
[ Read more]

Work pushing wave of printable electronics
Western News | November 23, 2017
Western researcher Jun Yang is looking to push the ‘paper’ envelope when it comes to printable electronics, a rapidly growing area of research that could soon revolutionize the electronics industry.
[ Read more]

Civil Engineering ranked tops in Canada
Western News | November 9, 2017
Ashraf El Damatty can think of no better motivator than when the 2017 Shanghai Rankings Global Ranking of Academic Subjects tapped Western’s Department of Civil Engineering No. 1 in Canada and No. 12 globally.
[ Read more]

Book celebrates hundred issues of certitude
Western News | November 2, 2017
It was exactly 30 years ago when Slobodan P. Simonovic published the first volume of the Water Resources Research Report, also known as the Blue Book, while at the University of Manitoba.
[ Read more]

UNENE's 13th annual workshop held at Bruce Power
Western News | October 13, 2017
This annual event was organized by Jin Jiang, a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Western and the NSERC/UNENE Senior Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in Instrumentation and Control.
[ Read more]

Researchers building resilience amid the roiling waters
Western News | September 14, 2017
At Western – where world class labs focus on mitigating the effects of wind, rain and flood, researchers are determined to find ways to reduce the human cost and property loss.
[ Read more]

Western Engineering professor Clare Robinson, Haojie Mao and Girma Bitsuamlak – Canada Research Chairs
Western News | September 7, 2017
Four Western researchers have been named Canada Research Chairs (CRC), a program which recognizes the country’s best scholars across disciplines.
[ Read more]

  BASF supports chair in composites materials at Western University
Western Engineering News | September 6, 2017
BASF Canada has announced its support for a proposed research chair at Western University in the area of composite materials for high volume production, especially in the automotive sector.
[ Read more]

At Three Little Pigs Lab, Western researchers break buildings to save them from hurricanes
CBC | September 6, 2017
Professor Greg Kopp and his team of researchers break buildings to save them from hurricanes.
[ Read more]

Work keeps a ‘smart’ eye on glaucoma
Western News | August 30, 2017
Western Engineering professor Aaron Price and PhD candidate Ben Holness capitalize on funding provided by the Peter Maurice Fellowship to develop 3D-printing techniques for conductive polymers used in the early detection of glaucoma.
[ Read more]

On July 7, Professor Slobodan Simonovic received a special prestigious award by the European Water Resources Association “for outstanding contribution to the field of water resources management” at their 10th World Water Congress in Athens, Greece. The Association is celebrating 30 years of its existence and this is only the 7th time this has been awarded.

Western Engineering welcomed four new faculty members on July 1st
Western Engineering | July 1, 2017
Dr. Ryan Willing and Dr. Haojue Mao in Mechanical and Materials Engineering and Dr. Katarina Grolinger and Dr. Pirathayini Srikantha in Electrical and Computer Engineering
[ Read more]

Western Engineering Professors Timothy Burkhart and Emily Lalone are part of ground breaking research at Western’s Bone and Joint Institute
Western News | June 29, 2017
Patient health may be compromised, and health costs higher, when the same kind of stabilizing plate is used in a woman’s forearm as in a man’s after a bone break.
[ Read more]

Professor Andy Sun announces new research partnership with Beijing battery company
Western News | June 7, 2017
MME Professor Andy Sun has partnered with The China Automotive Battery Research Institute Co. Ltd.
[ Read more]

Professor Clare Robinson working toward improving region’s water quality
Western News | May 25, 2017
Robinson has partnered with the City of London on a project to determine the effectiveness of stormwater management technologies.
[ Read more]

Professor Jim Johnson recognized for excellence in research
Western Engineering News | Apr 18, 2017
Dr. Johnson, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering is being awarded the 2016 Western Engineering Award for Excellence in Research. Dr. Johnson has been a faculty member at Western since 1998 and has made significant contributions to the Departments of Mechanical & Materials Engineering and the Department of Surgery.
[ Read more]

Western’s top science award goes to CBE professor Beth Gillies
Western Engineering News | April 3, 2017
The Florence Bucke Science Prize is awarded annually to a faculty member based on quality and importance of their research.
[ Read more]

Dr. Girma Bitsuamlak and his team are setting out to transform the way we think about wind
Western News | April, 2017
Prof. Girma Bitsuamlak and his research team are working with Canada’s fastest super­computer, the BGQ, to develop numerical models that simulate the effects of extreme microclimates on cities,
[ Read more]

Western Engineering professor Elizabeth Gillies has received the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship
Western News | Feb 8, 2017
The Steacie Memorial Fellowship, from NSERC, honours some of the countries outstanding and highly promising scientists and engineers.
[ Read more]

Professor El Damatty inducted as EIC Fellow
Western News | Jan 5, 2017
The Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) announced recently that Professor Ashraf El Damatty has been inducted as an EIC Fellow
[ Read more]

2016

Four nab Strategic Partnership Grants
Western News | Jan 28, 2016
Four Western research projects recently shared in nearly $2 million in Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Strategic Partnership Grants, the funding body announced last week.
[ Read more]

Researchers investigating Nipigon River Bridge failure
Western News | Mar 9, 2016
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has sought the expertise of Surface Science Western (SSW) and the Faculty of Engineering to conduct testing of the bolts from the Nipigon River Bridge. On Jan. 10, the decking on the newly built $106-million bridge lifted about 60 cm, forcing a 17-hour shutdown and closing the Trans-Canada Highway link between the east and west. One lane of the bridge has since been re-opened.
[ Read more]

Hellmuth celebrates elite researchers
Western News | Apr 28, 2016
Western professors John Leonard (Arts & Humanities) and Jesse Zhu (Engineering) have been awarded the 2016 Hellmuth Prize for Achievement in Research. The honour recognizes faculty members with outstanding international reputations for their contributions in research – one of the defining hallmarks of a university. Two prizes are offered annually, one in the area broadly defined as the natural sciences and engineering, one in the social sciences and humanities.
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Western University Experts are improving Water Treatment, Protection and Management with help from SOWC
Western News | May 5, 2016
Western University’s researchers are leading the way in finding solutions to the problems related to wastewater treatment, water resource management and groundwater remediation. Western’s academic lead for SOWC’s wastewater node is George Nakhla, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering.
[ Read more]

Influential research wins Ray recognition
Western News |June 6, 2016
Mita Ray, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, is this year’s recipient of the Engineering Award for Excellence in Research. She is being recognized for her outstanding contributions in treatment technologies for water and waste water and environmental modelling.
[ Read more]

El Damatty honoured by the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering
Western News |June 8, 2016
Professor El Damatty, Professor and Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is the 2016 recipient of the CSCE Horst Leipholz Medal.
[ Read more]

Vinay Sharma and Andy Sun inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering
Western News |June 30, 2016
Western Engineering congratulated Vinay Sharma, CEO of London Hydro and Professor Andy Sun on their induction into the Canadian Academy of Engineering on June 27.
[ Read more]

Professor Xueliang (Andy) Sun named among Royal Society elite
Western News |Sept. 7, 2016
Andy Sun and seven other Western professors have been named among the nation’s top scholars in the arts, humanities and sciences by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).
[ Read more]

Western Research Parks named tops among peers
Western News |Sept. 29, 2016
Western Research Parks, including WindEEE and the Fraunhofer Project Centre recognized as tops among peers by receiving the 2016 Outstanding Research Park Award from the Association of University Research Parks.
[ Read more]

Fed investment backs new facilities, collaboration
Western News |Sept. 30, 2016
Western Engineering’s new building received an investment boost thanks to the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund.
[ Read more]

Western Engineering Partners with Ontario Science Centre
Western News |October, 2016
Western Engineering has partnered with the OSC in the Wild Weather exhibit that will educate and empower Ontarians about severe weather. The Wild Weather exhibit which opened on October 5 will run until January 7, 2017 and features interactive exhibits, multimedia experiences, models and large scale graphics.
[ Read more]

10 Western Engineering Professors receive WORLDiscoveries Vanguard Innovator(s) awards
Western News |October 26, 2016
WORLDiscoveries – the technology transfer and business development office for Western, Lawson Health Research Institute and Robarts Research Institute – recently recognized local researchers who have achieved various market-readiness milestones with the 2016 Vanguard Awards.
[ Read more]

Western Engineering Professor Greg Kopp breaking things in the name of science
Western News |November 9, 2016
Professor Greg Kopp was recognized for his work with the Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes.
[ Read more]

UNENE workshop focused on cyber-security for nuclear power plants
Western News |November 11, 2016
On November, 11th, university researchers, industry experts and representatives from the Canadian nuclear industry gathered together at CANDU Energy, a subsidiary company of the Montreal-based global engineering giant, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. for the 12th Annual University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE) Workshop.
[ Read more]

Western Engineering’s Partnership with Ontario Science Centre makes news
Western News |November 26, 2016
Outreach Programs Coordinator Joanne Moniz spoke with The Gazette about WE’s partnership on the Wild Weather exhibit.
[ Read more]

Four new professors set to join Western Engineering faculty in January, 2017
Western News |November 23, 2016
WE is pleased to welcome four new professors to the faculty beginning in January, 2017.
[ Read more]

WE professor Rajiv Varma recently introduced new technology to ‘wake up’ solar farms at night
Western News |December 13, 2016
Western Engineering and Bluewater Power came together to celebrate the culmination of a seven-year research partnership involving the utilization of solar panels at night.
[ Read more]

2015

Three Western Engineering researchers tapped for NSERC Strategic Project Grants
Western News | Feb 12, 2015
Professors Hugo De Lasa, Andy Sun and Denis O’Carroll were three of 78 grant recipients announced at the University of New Brunswick on Feb. 12.
[ Read more]

Students celebrate research opportunities in China during Chinese New Year luncheon
Western News | Feb 24, 2015
Six of the 16 Western Engineering students who completed summer research in China during one of the past two summers celebrated Chinese New Year a few days early at a luncheon hosted by Jesse Zhu – a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering and Canada Research Chair in Powder Technology Applications and Director of the Particle Technology Research Centre.
[ Read more]

Undergraduates engineer ‘smart implant’ for hip replacement patients
Western News | Mar 18, 2015
A group of four Western undergraduates are on the forefront of the latest technology to detect issues that hip replacement patients can experience with loosening caused by bone weakening – long before the best current equipment in hospitals can discover it.
[ Read more]

CFI backs Western effort to build safer structures
Western News | May 29, 2015
Aging structures – like bridges, roads and pipelines – that supply basic services are crumbling around us, at a considerable cost to Canadians. According to Civil & Environmental Engineering professor Timothy Newson, it’s often not just age, but the shifting ground beneath them that speeds the process.
[ Read more]

Western University and partners receive nearly $20M in funding for research excellence
Western News | June 18, 2015
Western University and Lawson Health Research Institute have received an extraordinary financial boost from the Government of Ontario as 20 potentially transformative projects are now being supported with more than $19 million ($19,465,828) from the Ontario Research Fund.
[ Read more]

Trio of scholars named to Royal Society of Canada
Western News | September 8, 2015
Three Western scholars have been named among the 87 new Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). They have been elected by their peers in recognition of outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievement. Election to the academies of the Royal Society of Canada is the highest honour a scholar can achieve in the arts, humanities and sciences.
[ Read more]

Vanier celebrates nation’s finest graduate students
Western News | October 8, 2015
Four Western PhD candidates have been named among 166 nationwide recipients, across all three Tri-Council Agencies, of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. Each winner receives $50,000 annually for up to three years. Vanier scholars are selected based on leadership skills and high standard of scholarly achievement in the social sciences, humanities, natural sciences, engineering and/or health sciences.
[ Read more]

Canada not playing games with voting technology
Western News | October 22, 2015
This past summer, when Aleksander Essex attended a conference in Washington, D.C., he managed to snag a decertified American electronic voting machine, thanks to a colleague at the National Science Foundation.
[ Read more]

2014

Three projects tapped for NSERC Strategic Project Grants
Western News | January 16, 2014
Projects led by Abdallah A. Shami, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Jun J. Yang, Mechanical and Materials Engineering, are among 77 scientific teams receiving more than $43 million in Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) programs. The projects are funded through the Strategic Project Grant.
[ Read more]

Welcome, our newest faculty member 
Western Engineering News | February 26, 2014
Lauren Flynn comes to Western continuing her exploration of novel biomaterials and tissue engineering strategies that will improve health.
[ Read more]

Engineering 'nightmare' may be a dream for future surgeons 
Western News | February 13, 2014
Ali Tavallaei lives 'an engineer's worst nightmare' every single day at Western. And he wouldn't have it any other way. The Biomedical Engineering PhD student's work at Western’s Robarts Research Institute involves designing and fabricating robots for image-guided surgery that can function within an MRI machine.
[ Read more]

Xueliang (Andy) Sun upgraded to Tier I Canada Research Chair 
Western News | March 28, 2014 
Xueliang (Andy) Sun had his Chair upgraded to Tier I Canada Research Chair in Development of Nanostructured Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion. Sun is developing nanotechnologies to address challenges in use for clean energy.
[ Read more]

Professor charges toward better electric vehicle battery life
Western News | March 27, 2014
While you may see a Chevrolet Volt here, or a Nissan Leaf there, the future of the electric car has a way to go when it comes to safety, cost and, especially, performance. However, Engineering professor Andy Sun may have an answer to that final challenge.
[ Read more]

Xueliang (Andy) Sun upgraded to Tier I Canada Research Chair
Western News | March 28, 2014
Xueliang (Andy) Sun had his Chair upgraded to Tier I Canada Research Chair in Development of Nanostructured Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion. Sun is developing nanotechnologies to address challenges in use for clean energy.
[ Read more]

El Damatty named Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering
Western Engineering News | April 28, 2014
Ashraf El Damatty, Civil and Environmental Engineering chair, has been elected a Fellow of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE). El Damatty will be presented this honour at the CSCE Annual Conference awards banquet, held at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel on May 30.
[ Read more]

PhD candidate taking the pressure off glaucoma diagnosis
Western News | June 5, 2014
Mansur Mulk, a PhD candidate in Biomechanical Engineering, is working to improve the standard, yet fallible, techniques used to diagnose glaucoma, the second leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world’s aging population.If successful, Mansur Mulk might not only help glaucoma sufferers retain their sight, but save health-care providers big bucks as well.
[ Read more]

Welcome to the Western University tornado factory
Metro London | June 9, 2014
They’re making something unusual at London’s Advanced Manufacturing Park, and it could change the world. They’re making miniature tornadoes – or, at least, something a lot like them. The experts behind Western University’s huge, hexagonal wind factory, the WindEEE Dome, took Metro on a tour Monday of a unique facility that’s already grabbing the attention of the scientific community worldwide.
[ Read more]

Western University facility creates mini tornadoes
Globa; News | June 10, 2014
Canada may not be as tornado-prone as our southern neighbours, but that hasn’t stopped Canadian researchers from trying to better understand one of the most destructive forces of nature.
[ Read more]

New wind research laboratory seeks to understand effects of storms
The Globe and Mail | June 11, 2014
Horia Hangan doesn’t hesitate when you ask him why he finds wind so fascinating. His brainchild is the newly completed Wind Engineering Energy Environment Research Institute – WindEEE – a $34-million domed laboratory that sits like a giant tortoise over the rural landscape near London, Ont.
[ Read more]

Research team excited about WindEEE Dome
Western Engineering News | June 13, 2014
Western University offered media a sneak peek of WindEEE (Wind Engineering, Energy and Environment) Dome, the world's first 3D wind testing chamber, on Monday, June 9. WindEEE Dome is world's first three-dimensional wind testing chamber, which allows scientists to address important scientific, economic and societal challenges related to wind, while evaluating energy potential and damage risks.
[ Read more]

Western student wins top prize at national 3-Minute Thesis competition
Western News | June 16, 2014
Western University biochemical engineering student Joseph Donohue has won the top prize at Canada’s National 3-Minute Thesis competition (3MT), a research communication competition where graduate students have three minutes or less to present their research and its impact to a panel of non-specialist judges and peers.
[ Read more]

Could Angus tornado damage been prevented?
Toronto Star | June 20, 2014
As Gregory Kopp toured tornado-ravaged homes in Angus, Ont. this week, his thoughts turned to depressingly familiar terrain. The damage could have been greatly mitigated with some simple building fixes to roofs, he says.
[ Read more]

Collider centre to accelerate research and development
Western News | June 23, 2014
Western’s Collider Centre for Technology Commercialization (Collider) is anticipated to be one of North America’s go-to centres for research, testing and commercialization of advanced manufacturing technology. The facility, located at the Advanced Manufacturing Park, officially opened its doors on June 23 with the help of Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for FedDev Ontario, and Joe Preston, Member of Parliament for Elgin–Middlesex–London.
[ Read more]

NSERC awards help Western, Canada ‘lead in the world’
Western News | June 26, 2014
Western Engineering professor Ana Luisa Trejos is a recipient of a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant. Trejos is one of more than 130 Western researchers who will share $15 million in awards from NSERC over the next five years. Trejos is working on finding solutions to musculoskeletal disorders by designing, testing and creating wearable mechatronic braces for rehabilitation of sprains, injuries and chronic conditions such as arthritis, for which it is hard to find suitable treatment.
[ Read more]

Margaritis inducted Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering
Western Engineering News | June 30, 2014
Argyrios (Gerry) Margaritis, professor of the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, has been inducted a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE). The ceremony took place on June 26 in St. John’s, in conjunction with the 2014 Annual General Meeting and Symposium.
[ Read more]

Western Engineering Research eNewsletter
Western Engineering | July, 2014
As Western University and Western Engineering look to realize our new strategy, "Achieving Excellence on the World Stage", we focus on strengthening our research impact and infrastructure to attract and support the best faculty members and students, as well as enhancing opportunities for interdisciplinary and collaborative research.
[ Read more]

Creating ‘smart,’ sustainable buildings
Western Engineering News | July 9, 2014
Western Chemical and Biochemical Engineering professor Argyrios Margaritis, along with 48 other distinguished engineers, were recently named fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE). The honour was announced at the academy’s 2014 Annual General Meeting and Symposium in June.
[ Read more]

Margaritis named Canadian Academy of Engineering fellow
Western News | July 11, 2014
Western Chemical and Biochemical Engineering professor Argyrios Margaritis, along with 48 other distinguished engineers, were recently named fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE). The honour was announced at the academy’s 2014 Annual General Meeting and Symposium in June.
[ Read more]

Three Western Engineering alumni develop Western’s new mobile app
Western Media Relations | August 26, 2014
Developed by London-based DivergentSoft Technolgy Group Inc., a firm owned by three Western Engineering graduates, the new WesternU Mobile app features up-to-date transit information, improved maps, detailed locations of all eateries on campus, and access to academic tools and information.
[ Read more]

Dibakar Mondal named Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship recipient
Western News | September 11, 2014
Dibakar Mondal is among seven Western graduate students named recipients of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship, each receiving $50,000 annually for up to three years. Mondal is preparing novel materials capable of bone regeneration and replacement by using bioactive polymer and calcium phosphate minerals.
[ Read more]

Professor looks to zero in radiation treatment
Western News | November 6, 2014
Engineering professor Kibret Mequanint, whose research focuses on the design and development of materials for biomedical applications, is working to improve something he’s developed – a hydrogel dosimeter for radiation therapy, which is a material that can measure the dose of radiation delivered to a cancer tumour.
[ Read more]

At Western, it’s written in the wind
The Globe and Mail | November 7, 2014
Western University has been named among Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2015. Read about the research being conducted by Western Engineering professor Horia Hangan, director of WindEEE Research Institute, on page 52.
[ Read more]

Striving for lifelong mobility
Western Media Relations | November 7, 2014
Western Engineering professor Jim Johnson is among the researchers of Western’s new Cluster of Research Excellence in Musculoskeletal Health.
[ Read more]

Western Engineering Water Research Video
Western News | November 15, 2014
Through partnering with industry, researchers at Western Engineering work with students to create real-world solutions for the management and treatment of water supplies, and the remediation of wastewater.
[ Watch the video]

Climate study offers insight into ‘skin’ of buildings
Western Engineering News | November 26, 2014
Buildings can be more environmentally friendly and able to withstand harsh climate elements, and Girma Bitsuamlak is working to see both characteristics set in stone.
[ Read more]

‘Groundbreaking’ research improves box culvert designs
Western Engineering News | November 26, 2014
Osama Abuhajar has received accolades for his research into improving the design guidelines of box culverts.
[ Read more]

Protecting renewable energy sources from electrical distribution faults
Western Engineering News | November 26, 2014
Mohammad Dadash Zadeh is investigating how to protect Ontario's renewable energy infrastructure, such as solar panels and wind turbines, from faults, which affect power generation and distribution.
[ Read more]

New tool will help coastal cities minimize effects of changing climate
Western Engineering News | November 26, 2014
As the damaging effects of climate change threaten urban infrastructure, economies and human health across the globe, Slobodan Simonovic is aiming to help municipalities adapt to rapidly changing conditions.
[ Read more]

Xu turning forestry and agricultural ‘waste’ into usable products
Western Engineering News | November 26, 2014
Charles Xu is looking to turn corporate sustainability goals into reality by assisting companies seeking new ways to produce and use environmentally friendly products.
[ Read more]

UNENE workshop helps match research with nuclear industry’s needs
Western Engineering News | November 27, 2014
More than 20 academic researchers, graduate students and representatives of the Canadian nuclear industry met in Toronto for the 10th annual University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE) Nuclear Instrumentation and Control Workshop in October, to discuss the latest developments in instrumentation and control systems in the nuclear energy sector.
[ Read more]

WindEEE tour highlights Prime Minister’s whirlwind trip to London
Western News | November 27, 2014
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper chose Western’s Collider Centre for Technology Commercialization in the Advanced Manufacturing Park Monday afternoon as a backdrop for a $5.8 billion announcement of new infrastructure spending across the country, including projects here in London. After the announcement, the Prime Minister also took the opportunity to tour the WindEEE Research Institute.
[ Read more]

Book released by Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction describes how London is “adapt to extreme rainfall”
London Free Press | November 28, 2014
A pilot project in London that stopped basement flooding on a Sherwood Forest street for a fraction of the typical sewer-work costs is getting national recognition. London has been named one of Canada’s top 20 municipalities to “adapt to extreme rainfall,” in a book released by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction.
[ Read more]

2013

London Hydro Launches a New Research Lab in Partnership with Western University
London Hydro | January 24, 2013
The $1 million state-of-the-art Lab “Watts Lab for Smart Grid and Innovative DG Control Studies” is a unique model of successful collaboration between a university and a local electricity distribution utility. The initial funding provided by London Hydro for several Western research grant proposals has successfully leveraged substantial funds from various Federal and Provincial funding agencies.

Jenkyn research team receives CFI funding 
Government of Canada | January 15, 2013 
The multi-disciplinary team led by Mechanical and Materials Engineering professor Tom Jenkyn and Western researchers David Holdsworth and Trevor Birmingham received $1,342,675 to better understand how joints move under normal conditions and after therapy.
[ Read more]

Western Researchers Aim to Improve Wireless Networks
Western Media Relations | February 25, 2013
With the proliferation of mobile devices such as cell phones, GPS and tablets, modern society has become increasingly reliant on wireless networks. In order for wireless providers to deliver consistent, high-quality services, it is essential that they are able to monitor and understand the radio environment and network traffic.
[ Read more]

Charpentier, Robinson earn Strategic Project Grants 
Western News | February 11, 2013 
Western researchers Paul Charpentier and Clare Robinson have been named among 83 scientific teams at universities across the country receiving Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Strategic Project Grants.
[ Read more]

Cedric Briens named Scientific Director of Lignoworks
Western Engineering News | February 2, 2013
Western Engineering professor Cedric Briens has been named the Scientific Director of Lignoworks – an NSERC research network that strives to provide alternatives to fossil fuel feedstocks by creating technology platforms for lignin-based chemicals and materials.
[ Read more]

Berruti joins international network in biochar carbon research
Western Engineering News | March 25, 2013
Franco Berruti, Western Chemical Engineering professor and Director of the Institute of Chemical and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR), is part of a team that recently launched Biochar Carbon for Carbon Capture, a UK-Canada Research Network. Sponsored by the Leverhulme Trust, the Network’s official launch took place on in January 2013 at the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
[ Read more]

Building safer homes
Western Engineering News | March 20, 2013
Can we make homes more resilient without adding cost? Western Engineering wind experts say yes. Research conducted at the Insurance Research Lab for Better Homes will produce the results.
[ Read More]

Thinking outside the bowl
Western Engineering News  | March 20, 2013
An estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe, affordable sanitation. Civil Engineering professor Jason Gerhard and a team from the University of Toronto are working to fix this issue.
[ Read More]

Research Centre Spotlight: ICFAR
Western Engineering News | March 20, 2013
The Institute for Chemicals and Fuels from Alternative Resources (ICFAR) at Western University is committed to being a leader in the development of technologies and processes that produce chemicals and fuels from alternative resources – with an emphasis on green engineering and environmental sustainability.
[ Read More]

Margaritis appointed Associate Editor, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering
Western Engineering News | March 11, 2013
Western biochemical engineering professor Argyrios Margaritis has been appointed Associate Editor of the internationally renowned, Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering.
[ Read more]

Zhu among best biomedical papers published in the last two years
Western Engineering News | April 24,2013
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering professor, Jesse Zhu, has been recognized by Biomedical Materials as having one of the best papers published within the last two years.
[ Read more]

Scientists discover how to build cheaper, more efficient fuel cells
Fuel Cell Works | May 27, 2013
Using the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron, researchers have discovered a way to create cheaper fuel cells by dividing normally expensive platinum metal into nanoparticles (or even single atoms) for use in everything from automobiles to computers. The research findings, led by Western University’s Xueliang (Andy) Sun and Tsun-Kong (T.K.) Sham, were published recently by Scientific Reports, Nature’s online, open access, multidisciplinary publication: Single-atom Catalysis Using Pt/Graphene Achieved through Atomic Layer Deposition.
[ Read more]

Zhu to receive the Ontario Professional Engineers Engineering Medal - Research & Development Award
Western Engineering News | August 22, 2013
Jesse Zhu, a Canada Research Chair in Powder Technology Applications and Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at Western University, has been named a 2013 Ontario Professional Engineers Engineering Medal - Research & Development Award recipient.
[ Read more]

Simonovic continues work to develop climate change adaptation polices
Western Engineering News | August 21, 2013
Slobodan Simonovic has received $130,000 (for 18 months) from the Canada Water Network to develop a "Computerized Tool for the Development of Intensity-Duration-Frequency Curves under Climate Change."
[ Read more]

Funding helps Xianbin Wang CREATE opportunities in Communications Security, Privacy and Cyberethics
Western News | August 13, 2013
Western Engineering professor Xianbin Wang, a Canada Research Chair in Wireless Communications, has been named among 15 initiatives receiving a portion of $24 million in funding through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)’s Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) initiative. Wang’s project, NSERC CREATE Program in Communications Security, Privacy and Cyberethics, will receive $1.65 million over six years.
[ Read more]

Engineering professor builds a cleaner future
Western News | September 26, 2013
Western Civil and Environmental Engineering professor Ernest Yanful is confident residents of remote African villages will be able one day to pour clean drinking water. The opening of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Institute of Sanitation and Waste Management in Ghana, in which he had a major role, is the first step toward that goal.
[ Read more]

Abdallah Shami leads Western team to land Samsung Global Research Outreach (GRO) Award
Western News | September 12, 2013
A Western research team, lead by Electrical and Computer Engineering professor Abdallah Shami, has won the university’s first-ever Samsung Global Research Outreach (GRO) Award, an academic research collaboration platform, held annually with a call for proposals open to the world’s leading universities.
[ Read more]

Momentive Specialty Chemicals and Western's Fraunhofer Project Center collaborate on automotive composites
azom.com | September 4, 2013
A new collaborative agreement between Momentive Specialty Chemicals Inc. (“Momentive Specialty Chemicals”, “MSC” or the “Company”) and the Fraunhofer Project Center for Composites Research at Western University will bring a total solutions approach to high-volume, lightweight composites for the North American automotive market.
[ Read more]

Engineering medical treatment
Student Awards Recipient Report | October 2013
Thanks to innovative research conducted by Jeremy Cepek, BESc’08, MESc’10, improved treatment for prostate cancer may be coming. The PhD student in Biomedical Engineering is exploring a potential therapy that could pose fewer side effects, but still control the cancer.
[ Read more]

WindEEE Research Symposium and Public Lecture
Western Engineering News | October 17, 2013
Over 80 wind experts from around the world attended a research symposium, public lecture and tour of Western's new WindEEE Dome on Oct. 16 and 17.
[ Read more]

Team looks to steel tower power against storm
Western News | October 10, 2013
Ashraf El Damatty, along with Engineering professors Eric Savory, Horia Hangan and Girma Bitsuamlak, eight graduate students and two postdocs, have initiated a research program with Hydro One to mitigate future failures of transmission line structures during those events.
[ Read more]

Securing wireless access to cyberspace
Western Engineering News| November 22, 2013
Almost every aspect of our daily life has been transformed by wireless technologies. From text messaging and photo posting to social networks, to online banking and cloud computing, our digital life in cyberspace is increasingly interconnected with wireless communications technologies.
[ Read more]

Breakthrough adds a new dimension to printing
Western News| November 21, 2013
Mechanical and Materials Engineering professor Jun Yang along with graduate student Tengyuan Zhang are developing a new approach to printing 3-D materials with easy-to-modify surfaces.
[ Read more]

Jin Jiang opens labs to industry partners
Western Engineering News| November 8, 2013
Throughout the month of October members of the energy sector had the opportunity to tour Electrical and Computer Engineering professor Jin Jiang’s labs in the Claudette MacKay-Lassonde Pavilion.
[ Read more]