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December 2009
CANARIE funds world's first wind and solar-powered network
CANARIE, Canada's Advanced Research and Innovation Network, recently announced $2.4 million in funding for four ground-breaking Green IT projects aimed at reducing ICT's carbon footprint and measuring the impact of ICT and cyberinfrastructure on university electric consumption. CANARIE's biggest Green IT funding recipient is the GreenStar Network, an alliance of Canada's leading IT companies, universities and international partners, led by Quebec's École de technologie supérieure in Montreal. CANARIE has given the GreenStar Network $2 million to develop the world's first internet network where the network nodes will be powered entirely by wind and solar energy and yet will provide the same reliability to users as the current Internet network does. Read about the three other funding recipients at www.canarie.ca/news.
Ontario invests in digital media commercialization centre
The provincial government announced an investment in a new commercialization centre that will help digital media entrepreneurs build new companies and create jobs. The province plans to invest more than $26 million in The Communitech Hub: Digital Media & Mobile Accelerator ("The Hub"), a new centre that will help emerging digital media companies grow and succeed in the global market. The Hub will look beyond the entertainment sector to focus on companies creating hardware and software for industries, including advanced manufacturing, healthcare and finance. Based in Waterloo Region, The Hub will focus on commercialization, business development, and access to financing. Read more at www.mri.gov.on.ca/news.
Perimeter expands with new Stephen Hawking Centre
Waterloo's Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI) is doubling its physical research space. The new 55,000-square-foot addition, already underway, will be known as the Stephen Hawking Centre at Perimeter Institute. To date, $35 million has been raised or pledged from the private and public sectors for the building expansion, including over $10 million from each of the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Ontario's Ministry of Research and Innovation. Learn more at www.perimeterinstitute.ca/news.
LHC fires up again
After a year of repairs, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland has fired up again. Located 100 metres below the Swiss-French border, the LHC was first switched on in 2008, but had to be shut down when a faulty electrical connection caused one tonne of helium to leak into the tunnel. Engineers have already completed low-intensity collisions. After this, the beams' energy will be increased so that the first high-energy collisions can take place. These will mark the real beginning of the LHC's research program. Researchers at the University of Toronto and the team led by Prof. Robert Orr have now mobilized with configuration and testing. Data from the experiment has already started streaming to their lab, transmitted over CANARIE and ORION. The LHC seeks to recreate the conditions just after the Big Bang to search for the elusive Higgs-Boson particle and involve hundreds of scientists around the world. Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk.
Fleming, UN develop software to treat wastewater
Fleming College in Peterborough has collaborated with the United Nations to develop a new tool to improve water sanitation. Subwet 2.0, a software program developed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and by Fleming College's Centre for Alternative Wastewater Treatment, will be used by experts to design constructed wetlands to treat waste water and improve water quality. Constructed wetlands or treatment wetlands are an environmentally sound method of using plants to treat waste water. Science and engineering principles are used to study problems and provide solutions. The Subwet 2.0 software will be used by water resource managers, engineers and regulators around the world and in Canada's far north. Read more at www.flemingc.on.ca/news.
Boréal unveils wireless system
Collège Boréal in Sudbury recently unveiled a state-of-the-art wireless and videoconferencing system in all of its 7 campuses, reaching an additional 7 access centres. The new system, developed with various private and public sector partners, opens the door to direct-to-home distance learning that will benefit its students. "This amazing technology adds to the 28 videoconferencing classrooms Collège Boréal already operates in 13 Ontario cities," said president Denis Hubert. "When we include our partnership with Contact North | Contact Nord, Collège Boréal is the only postsecondary francophone teaching institution that can provide 111 additional service locations throughout Ontario." In addition to increased use of "green," travel-saving videoconferencing technology, reducing the server population from 50 to 27 constitutes a substantial decrease in material resource, electricity and air conditioning requirements. By facilitating distance learning, this technology also allows students who live in non-urban environments to move forward with their studies while remaining in their community. Read more at www.borealc.on.ca/news.
UHN scientists develop technology to aid cancer detection
MaRS Innovation (MI) and the University Health Network (UHN) have entered into an agreement to collaboratively commercialize new promising technology to improve early detection and treatment of cancer. A pair of Toronto scientists has developed a unique technology that combines contrast agents with targeted, long-lasting nano-particles for use in multiple medical imaging platforms. "Here is a strong example of how collaboration across scientific disciplines spawns innovation," said Dr. Christopher Paige, Vice President, Research at University Health Network (UHN), which consists of Toronto General, Toronto Western and Princess Margaret Hospitals and is affiliated with the University of Toronto. Read more at www.newswire.ca/.
Pacific Ocean goes live
Witness the public launch of live data from NEPTUNE Canada's deep-sea instruments and sensors and learn how it will shape public policy at a live webcast on December 8 at 1 pm EST from the University of Victoria. The NEPTUNE Canada project has built the world's first regional-scale underwater ocean observatory that plugs directly into the Internet. View the webcast at www.neptunecanada.ca.
ORION in the community
ORION has ramped up its presence in the research and education community. Most recently, ORION co-sponsored a panel session on Nov. 24 at the Cultural Knowledge and the Healthy Society: A Research and Innovation Summit, organized by the Ontario College of Art & Design. ORION President/CEO Phil Baker was in attendance to introduce the panellists and moderator of the "Integrating Art, Science and Health: Visualization" panel. ORION also participated in York University's Research Computing Day on Nov. 23, where staff presented on the new O3 Collaboration service and upcoming value-added services to ORION member institutions. ORION also presented at the OCUTINA conference on Oct. 14 and the Ontario Colleges Heads of Media Committee event in London on Oct. 19, and attended the annual Partners in Research and Banting Research Foundation event in Toronto on Oct. 22.
RISQ celebrates 20 years
Congratulations to RISQ, Québec's advanced research and education network, on its 20th anniversary this year. RISQ (le Réseau d'informations scientifiques du Québec) marked the milestone at its annual conference in Montreal Nov. 26, when it recognized the Québec network's pioneers. RISQ has 130 member organizations and operates a fibre infrastructure that spans 6,000 kilometres. Members include universities, CEGEPs school boards, research institutions and cultural organizations. ORION collaborates closely with RISQ. The two networks interconnect directly at Ottawa. Read more about RISQ at www.risq.qc.ca.
Team Digital Preservation and the Deadly Cryptic Conundrum
"Team Digital Preservation and the Deadly Cryptic Conundrum" is the latest video animation which attempts to raise awareness and share information on the importance of digital preservation of scientific and other data. It is part of the Representation Information and the Registry and Repository of Representation Information (RRORI) initiative. Read more at www.othree.ca.
ORANO board chair receives award
ORANO Board Chair and Contact North | Contact Nord President and CEO, Maxim Jean-Louis was recently awarded the 2009 World University Service of Canada (WUSC) Alumni Award at the organization's Annual General Assembly, in recognition of his decades-long involvement with WUSC (he was a former chair of the board of directors) and his commitment to providing education to all through his ongoing work with Contact North and other organizations. Read more at www.orion.on.ca/news.
People News
McMaster University recently appointed as its next president, Patrick Deane, currently Vice-President (Academic) at Queen's University. Dr. Ted Hewitt has been reappointed Vice-President (Research & International Relations) at the University of Western Ontario. Earlier this month, Dr. Nicole Onetto replaced Bob Phillips, who recently retired, as Deputy Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. ORION welcomes Owen Deveney as Content and Programming Leader with the ORION Interactive Media Platform project. Owen's role will be working with schools, faculty and students in identifying and developing content and interactive elements of the new platform.
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