Allyson Rowley

Students give high marks to new kind of science lab

sgupta — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 09:16:01 +0000

Students give high marks to new kind of science lab sgupta Thu, 09/13/2012 - 05:16

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The atmosphere in a Physics Practicals session often resembles that of a lively coffee shop, as students work together to solve problems, says lecturer Jason Harlow (Photo by Amanda Keenan)

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��οMississauga unveils $60 million Boundless campaign

sgupta — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:03:16 +0000

��οMississauga unveils $60 million Boundless campaign sgupta Mon, 05/28/2012 - 08:03

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Steve Frost)

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Students were front and centre as more than 325 members of the ��οMississauga community gathered on May 23, 2012 in the Instructional Centre to celebrate the public launch of the campus’ $60-million fundraising campaign.

On stage, chalkboards were covered in original artwork—illustrating the theme of “boundless”—created by Laura Biggs and Daniel Deus, two award-winning ��οMississauga art and art history students. All music for the program was performed by students from U of T’s Faculty of Music, and among the opening speakers were two ��οMississauga student leaders: undergraduate Marijana Josifovska, the founder of Investors Beyond Borders, and PhD student and youth advocate, Eugenia Duodu.

“I am one person, but my impact can be global,” said Duodu, echoing the theme of the evening’s celebration.

Community leaders, campaign volunteers, donors, students, faculty, staff and alumni attended the ceremony, which paid tribute to ��οMississauga’s remarkable 45-year history, its deep roots within the community and its bold plan to take the next leap forward as a global innovation leader.

Hazel McCallion, Mayor of Mississauga, kicked off the program, remarking that she has worked with every ��οMississauga principal since the campus’ founding.

“We are very fortunate to have such a community-focused, innovative university in our midst, helping to power our economic engine and educate our young people,” Mayor McCallion said.

Deep Saini, ��οVice-President and Principal of ��οMississauga, took the podium to highlight the campaign’s priorities: to seek visionary private-sector funding to increase scholarships, student mentoring programs, unique learning environments, faculty chairs and professorships—and to launch two bold initiatives, the Centre for South Asian Engagement , which will broaden the study of traditional subjects by engaging the community’s South Asian diaspora, and the Institute for Management and Innovation , the cornerstone of the campaign, which will provide the leadership needed “to foster the intellectual strength to create an innovation culture for our nation.”

“��οMississauga is at a turning point in its evolution,” Professor Saini continued. “We are entering an era defined by transformative growth, social impact, community engagement and boundless potential.” He was quick to point out, though, that ��οMississauga would retain its special “people vibe,” fostered by a collegial, close-knit environment in which “students can grow, flourish and spread their wings.”

U of T’s Vice-President of Advancement, David Palmer, announced that ��οMississauga has already raised more than half its $60-million goal. He applauded honorary campaign co-chairs William G. Davis and Ignat Kaneff for their extraordinary leadership, and he recognized philanthropists Terrence Donnelly and Carlo Fidani for their visionary generosity, which has fueled the Mississauga Academy of Medicine and the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex. Palmer noted that the Donnelly Complex has just been honoured with a 2012 Governor General’s Gold Medal for Architecture.

Palmer also recognized entrepreneur Vasu Chanchlani for his catalytic gift of $2 million to the new Centre for South Asian Engagement , as well as Amgen Canada for their generous $425,000 donation to create a fellowship in biotechnology and a professorship in health system strategy.

��οChancellor David Peterson concluded the program, remarking that ��οMississauga’s phenomenal growth has been “a joy to behold.”

The campaign for ��οMississauga is an integral part of U of T’s $2-billion Boundless campaign, which was publicly launched in November 2011 and which surpassed the $1-billion mark in January 2012. Through the Boundless campaign, ��οseeks to address the pressing global challenges that affect us all, by preparing global leaders who have the skills to work across borders, boundaries and disciplines.

Student leader Josifovska exemplified this boundless aspiration in her opening remarks at the May 23 event: “At ��οMississauga, I’ve learned there is no dream too big and no vision that’s unreachable.”

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A computer screen you can fold

sgupta — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:55:20 +0000

A computer screen you can fold sgupta Mon, 03/26/2012 - 09:55

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Zhibin Wang, Professor Zheng-Hong Lu and Michael Helander (Photo by Mark Neil Balson)

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Thinner, more flexible displays could radically affect how we use computers

��οresearchers have discovered a better way to make flat-panel displays that could one day lead to computer screens you roll up like a newspaper and wallpaper that lights your living room.

Michael Helander and Zhibin Wang, PhD candidates in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, are members of a research team that has developed the world’s most efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) on flexible plastic. Good news for manufacturers and consumers alike, the discovery means a less costly, more efficient and environmentally friendly way to build brighter flat-panel displays on a thinner, more durable and flexible surface.

“It was a happy accident after years of work,” said Helander. He and Wang have collaborated for four years in U of T’s department of materials science and engineering under the supervision of Professor Zheng-Hong Lu.

The students had been cleaning sheets of indium tin oxide – a material used in all flat-panel displays – when they noticed that devices built using their cleaned sheets had become much more efficient than expected, using less energy to achieve much higher brightness. After some investigation, they determined that this greater efficiency was the result of molecules of chlorine picked up from their cleaning solvent. With this surprising discovery, the two students engineered a prototype for a new kind of OLED device, which is both simpler in construction and more efficient.

Invented about 25 years ago, OLED technology uses organic compounds – molecules made of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen – to create colours. The organic dyes are then electrically stimulated to emit light of different colours. OLED displays are simpler and less toxic to make and require less energy than other kinds of displays. Over time, though, OLED devices became more complex – the original two layers of molecules became many layers, which raised manufacturing costs and failure rates.

“Basically, we went back to the original idea – and started again,” said Wang. The team’s findings were published, and in December, Helander and Wang, together with Lu and another ��οgrad student, launched OTI Lumionics, a startup that will take the next steps toward commercializing the technology.

“The industry recognizes that devices are much too complicated now,” said Helander, who added the only way to make the manufacturing process cost-effective on a mass scale is to keep the design “simple, simple, simple.”

While the roll-up screen and light-emitting wallpaper are still distant applications, Helander and Wang expect the discovery could soon lead to a sturdier smartphone that doesn’t need to be recharged so often. Now there’s something to light up your day.

Watch the Video: http://vimeo.com/32678094

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Allyson Rowley

Students give high marks to new kind of science lab

��������οMississauga unveils $60 million Boundless campaign

A computer screen you can fold

��οMississauga unveils $60 million Boundless campaign