U of T Engineering researchers are collaborating with Toronto startup FlowMix to study technology that could improve hot water distribution — eliminating cold showers and accidental scalding for the 1.9 million Canadians who live in condominiums.

“The problem of hot water delivery in condos or high-rise buildings can be substantial. Not much has changed since mechanical valves — driven by pressure and temperature difference — were introduced over a century ago,” says Professor Pierre Sullivan (MIE), director of the Turbulence Research lab at U of T Engineering. Sullivan combines experimental and computational tools to better understand fluid physics with his research. His work has spanned aerodynamic control, wind power, small aircraft and weather gauges.

In residential buildings, where hot water must be supplied to multiple residents, there are demand spikes, such in the morning when people are getting ready for work. Longer periods of time when water is not in use, like overnight or while residents are at work, can also cause issues. During these down times hot water lines cool, which can lead to a chilly morning shower.

FlowMix, a company that designs hot water control systems, has developed a method that maintains a cycle of hot water in residential water delivery systems. Sullivan and his team reviewed the FlowMix design, and through testing and modelling, showed the effectiveness of the company’s solution.

“Simulations helped us to understand the flow structure inside the device for the purpose of improving the performance. We also modeled the traditional mixing devices to compare the performance of these devices with FlowMix,” said Ali Rahmatmand, a former post-doctoral fellow in the Turbulence Research lab.

“We also provided an AI model to predict the supply temperature of a building based on a basic demand and cold-water temperature to improve the control system,” said former post-doctoral fellow Marin Vratonjic.

With the team’s recommendations, FlowMix was able to optimize their system in both new construction and retrofitting high-rise buildings. This collaboration also means FlowMix can now quantify its impact on energy savings and CO2 emission reduction, which could help inform decisions made by condominium boards.

“The collaboration with Professor Sullivan and his team at the University of Toronto has been phenomenal. Quantifying and validating our best-of-class product was not a simple task,” says Louie Mazzullo, owner of FlowMix. “The results on this two-year project have exceeded even our initial high expectations.”

FlowMix clients include leading developer, Tridel, engineering firms, MCW Consultants Ltd., M&E Engineering Ltd., and contractors, Stellar Mechanical Inc., Network Mechanical.

“With the potential to apply this novel technology to any urban centre around the world, this Toronto innovation is world-leading,” says Sullivan.

-Published December 14, 2020 by Lynsey Mellon, lynsey@mie.utoronto.ca

Members from across U of T’s three campuses gathered virtually to mark the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

On Dec. 6, 1989, a gunman entered an engineering classroom at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal and murdered 14 female students, injuring another 10 women and four men. The victims were targeted because of their gender. The date of the massacre has become a day of remembrance and action against gender-based violence and discrimination.

Each year, the university community marks the day with an event at Hart House. On the 30th anniversary of the massacre in 2019, U of T Engineering was among 14 engineering schools from across the country to shine one of 14 beams of light — one for each of the women killed — into the sky from coast to coast.

This year’s tri-campus virtual memorial was led by U of T Engineering and the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre, in partnership with Hart House.

“Today we are here to remember the past, the 14 women who died from violence,” said Marisa Sterling, Assistant Dean & Director, Diversity, Inclusion and Professionalism at U of T Engineering. “We are here to acknowledge how far we have come in the present, and we are here to take actions, reimaging a future without violence or aggression towards women within the intersections of many identities.”

“This a song for all of our sisters, my Indigenous sisters, my kin, and extending out to all the sisters, including transwomen and non-binary. We have a lot of violence pushed up against us,” says Jenny Blackbird, coordinator, Ciimaan/Kahuwe’ya/Qajaq Indigenous Language Initiative Program, Centre for Indigenous Studies, who gave a performance at the start of the event. “I love you all, this is for you.”

Students from across the university then led in reading the names of the 14 women before a moment of silence.

Professor Micah Stickel (ECE), Acting Vice Provost, Students, also announced this year’s three recipients of the Award for Scholarly Achievement in Gender-Based Violence, in recognition of U of T students who have shown commitment on issues around gender-based violence and discrimination through research and prevention.

The recipients are:

• Ferdinand Lopez (Women & Gender Studies Institute)
• Rajpreet Sidhu (Department of Human Geography, UTSC)
• Kanishka Sikri (Centre for Critical Development Studies)

The event culminated in a fireside chat, facilitated by Jennifer Flood and Bristy Chakrabarty of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre, and featuring panelists Dean Chris Yip, U of T Engineering; Alana Bailey, president of the National Society of Black Engineers U of T Chapter; Tee Duke, assistant director, Indigenous initiatives, at UTM’s Indigenous Centre; and, Andi Alhakim, intercultural programs assistant, UTM International Education Centre.

The conversation highlighted concrete actions individuals can take to question, call out and take action to end violence against women — the discussions emphasized the need to centre the narrative around protecting and preventing violence against racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ communities.

“It’s crazy how [violence is] happening to us, Black women, Indigenous women, the most — and yet less focus is on us,” says Bailey. “People need to wake up and not be desensitized. This energy is what makes society look away. To centre the narrative, I think we need to create spaces where we have a voice, spaces where we won’t be shamed, ignored and looked over.”

The group also discussed how non-Black, Indigenous and people of color (Non-BIPOC) U of T students, staff and faculty can commit to taking actions, informed by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

“I encourage folks to actually read the report,” says Duke. “It’s going to take some time, it is 1,200 pages with 231 recommendations, but it’s not that we don’t have a roadmap. It comes down to everyone having a responsibility in ending violence.”

Angela Treglia, director of the Sexual Violence Prevention and Support Centre, closed the event with a call to action: “Today we reflect, we remember, but we need to respond. May we all find the courage and strength to take action and speak out against violence against women and may we continue to work for change.”

– This story was originally published on the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering News Site on December 4, 2020 by Liz Do

Products created by MIE alumni Amol Rao (MIE MASc 1T8) and Huda Idrees (IndE 1T3) are featured in the 2020 U of T Engineering Holiday Gift Guide.

Blue Block Glasses

With many of us working from home, we’re feeling the consequences of our tech-reliance in the quality of our sleep. Created by U of T Engineering MIE alum Amol Rao (MIE MASc 1T8), Somnitude Blue Block Glasses are an easy way to combat the restlessness caused by nighttime blue-light exposure – and they’re backed by solid science.

Studies show that blue light negatively affects the body’s natural circadian rhythm, suppresses melatonin production and delays the onset and quality of sleep.

Scroll in style with Somnitude’s new wayfarer style, or pick up a pair for the kids in your life with youth sizes. Impact and scratch resistant, Blue Block Sunglasses are the perfect way to cut down on blue-light exposure and maximize rest this holiday season.

Dot Health

Put your health first this holiday season with Dot Health – the real-time personal health data platform founded by Huda Idrees (IndE 1T3).

Dot Health makes it easy to stay on top of your health, with personalized data management that keep ups with. Keep track of appointments, manage personal health records, and track vaccinations all in one place.

Handy data visualizations and terminology help simplify even the most complicated of lab reports, and with instant access to a resident physician, Dot Health helps you find what you need, when you need it.

Check out the full Holiday Gift Guide for more gift ideas with a U of T Engineering connection.

-The 2020 U of T Holiday Gift Guide was published on the U of T Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering News Site on December 1, 2020.

As cars keep getting smarter, automation is taking many tricky tasks — from parallel parking to backing up — out of drivers’ hands.

Now, a U of T Engineering study is underscoring the importance of drivers keeping their eyes on the road — even when they are in an automated vehicle (AV).

Using an AV driving simulator and eye-tracking equipment, Professor Birsen Donmez (MIE) and her team studied two types of in-vehicle displays and their effects on the driving behaviours of 48 participants.

The findings, published recently in the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention, revealed that drivers can become over-reliant on AV technology. This was especially true with a type of in-vehicle display the team coined as takeover request and automation capability (TORAC).

A “takeover request” asks the driver to take vehicle control when automation is not able to handle a situation; “automation capability” indicates how close to that limit the automation is.

“Drivers find themselves in situations where, although they are not actively driving, they are still part of the driving task — they must be monitoring the vehicle and step in if the vehicle fails,” says Donmez.

“And these vehicles fail, it’s just guaranteed. The technology on the market right now is not mature enough to the point where we can just let the car drive and we go to sleep. We are not at that stage yet.”

Tesla’s AV system, for example, warns drivers every 30 seconds or less when their hands aren’t detected on the wheel. This prompt can support driver engagement to some extent, but when the automation fails, driver attention and anticipation are the key factors that determine whether or not you get into a traffic accident.

“Even though cars are advertised right now as self-driving, they are still just Level 2, or partially automated,” adds Dengbo He (MIE) postdoctoral fellow and lead author. “The driver should not rely on these types of vehicle automation.”

In one of the team’s driving scenarios, the participants were given a non-driving, self-paced task — meant to mimic common distractions such as reading text messages — while takeover prompts and automation capability information were turned on.

“Their monitoring of the road went way down compared to the condition where these features were turned off,” says Donmez. “Automated vehicles and takeover requests can give people a false sense of security, especially if they work most of the time. People are going to end up looking away and doing something non-driving related.”

The researchers also tested a second in-vehicle display system that added information on surrounding traffic to the data provided by the TORAC system, called STTORAC. These displays showed more promise in ensuring driving safety.

STTORAC provides drivers with ongoing information about their surrounding driving environment, including highlighting potential traffic conflicts on the road. This type of display led to the shortest reaction time in scenarios where drivers had to take over control of the vehicle, showing a significant improvement from both the TORAC and the no-display conditions.

“When you’re not driving and aren’t engaged, it’s easy to lose focus. Adding information on surrounding traffic kept drivers better engaged in monitoring and anticipating traffic conflicts,” says He, adding that the key takeaway for designers of next-generation AVs is to ensure systems are designed to keep drivers attentive. “Drivers should not be distracted, at least at this stage.”

Donmez’s team will next look at the effects of non-driving behaviours on drowsiness while operating an AV. “If someone isn’t engaged in a non-driving task and is just monitoring the road, they can be more likely to fall into states of drowsiness, which is even more dangerous than being distracted.”

– This story was originally published on the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering News Site on November 30, 2020 by Liz Do

Professor Cristina Amon (MIE), Alumni Distinguished Professor in Bioengineering and Dean Emerita of U of T Engineering, has been named a Member of the Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. The new appointees were announced today by Governor General Julie Payette (ECE MASc 9T0).

A distinguished scholar in mechanical engineering, devoted educator, innovative academic leader and university administrator, Amon served as Dean of U of T Engineering from 2006 to 2019. During that time, she established the Faculty as a world leader in multidisciplinary engineering research and education while making incredible strides in advancing gender equity, diversity and inclusion.

Under Amon’s leadership, the international profile of U of T Engineering and Canadian engineering programs in general rose tremendously; the Faculty is now acknowledged as one of the world’s top public engineering schools in all international rankings. This is in large part due to her unwavering commitment to creating innovative educational programming, establishing structures to ensure student success, fostering multidisciplinary research and strong partnerships with industry, and promoting Canadian engineering internationally.

“The Order of Canada recognizes those who devote themselves to enriching the fabric of this great country, and I am therefore tremendously proud to be honoured with this appointment,” said Amon. “My inclusion also acknowledges the vital role of excellence in research and education as the engine of Canada’s innovation economy, critical to the future prosperity of this country. I am enormously gratified that today we can stand proudly alongside world leaders on the global stage.”

Amon’s research pioneered the development of Computational Fluid Dynamics and hierarchical modeling for thermal design subject to multidisciplinary competing constraints. She has made ground-breaking contributions to concurrent thermal designs, innovation in electronics cooling, optimization algorithms for renewable energy, design of biomedical devices and, most recently, transient thermal management of electrical vehicle batteries and chargers.

Cristina Amon has served the engineering profession with distinction and dedication. She was the founding Chair of the Global Engineering Deans Council and Chair of the Research Committee for the National Council of Deans of Engineering and Applied Science, and has served in numerous leadership and committee roles both in Canada and abroad.

Amon has been inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Royal Academy of Spain, Royal Society of Canada, and the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and is a fellow of all the professional and technical societies in her field. She has received the highest recognitions for Canadian engineers, including the Engineering Institute of Canada Sir John Kennedy Medal and the Engineers Canada Gold Medal.

“It is impossible to overstate the contributions Cristina has made to enhancing the student experience, catalysing trans-disciplinary research collaboration, and strengthening the vibrant community in this Faculty,” said Chris Yip, Dean of U of T Engineering and the inaugural holder of the Decanal Chair in Innovation. “This Order of Canada acknowledges her lasting legacy of excellence at U of T Engineering, and her impact across the engineering profession.”

“Years ago, I made the choice to pursue my life’s work in Canada, a country that values and celebrates the diversity of cultures, backgrounds, abilities and perspectives of each one of its people,” said Amon. “It is deeply meaningful for me to receive this award in recognition of my own contributions to advancing that diversity and inclusion, and to creating new opportunities for generations yet to come.”

Liping Wang has had a remarkable career by many standards but he says it’s just the beginning as he graduates from the flex-time PhD program this November. Wang and his family moved to Canada in 2000, partly for the educational opportunities available for his son. Although he already had a BASc in Electro-Optics and a Master’s degree in Physics, Wang found it challenging to jumpstart a new career in Canada. He opted to return to school to obtain a second Master’s degree in Mechatronics and in turn help further his career and become more familiar with Canadian terminology, standards and requirements in his field.

Wang is now a Chief Engineer at Stackpole International with a focus on Mechatronics. He first joined Stackpole as an Advanced Engineering Manager in 2016 after completing his Master’s degree at MIE in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering.

“Completing my Master’s degree at U of T was very helpful. It allowed me to get familiar with the Canadian way of doing things, and it inspired me to want to keep learning. With a PhD you become a leader in your field and get to be immersed in state-of-the-art research,” said Wang.

Most PhD programs require full-time study and are completed in 4-5 years, but for Wang, the flex-time PhD program offered the perfect opportunity: he could continue working and developing his career while engaging with cutting-edge research that related to his role. Over the last seven years Wang has focused his research on automotive pumps, something that directly affects his work. He has succeeded in developing new technology that adds efficiency to how automotive pumps operate. In many ways, Wang believes creating a connection between his work and his studies contributed to his success. It allowed him to garner support from his company to pursue his PhD and create solutions to challenges he encountered in his working life.

“Liping clearly values new ways of doing things and is very enthusiastic about bringing new technology and novel ideas to the automotive industry. He is a very good engineer with extensive insight and experience in terms of what the industry needs and how to make it happen and this extensive experience helped him achieve his objectives,” commented Professor Ridha Ben Mrad, Wang’s PhD advisor.

As Wang reflects on the hard work he has put in over the last seven years he shared his advice for others interested in pursuing their PhD:

“Focus on balancing your time, you must have a plan to succeed. Reach out to the people around you, your work colleagues and your academic colleagues can help inspire you in unexpected ways. Try your best to enjoy everything you are doing, approach your work and your studies with happiness and the possibility of growth.”

Convocation going virtual this year won’t dampen the celebrations. Liping and his family plan to watch the online ceremony together and he looks forward to hanging his graduation picture on the wall next to his son’s, who also holds a PhD.

Professor Chul Park has been elected as Foreign Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (EURASC). Established in 2003, EURASC is made up of the most distinguished scholars and engineers whose research is at the forefront of their field and are contributing to the development of advanced technologies. EURSAC’s primary goal is to “establish efficient collaboration among scientists, researchers, educators, engineers and public authorities world-wide”. Professor Park is being recognized for his outstanding work in the Materials Science Division.

Park is a world leader in the development of innovative, cost-effective technologies for the foamed plastics. Dr. Park has been extensively involved in industrial projects both in consulting and research contracts on various foam processes including microcellular processing, inert gas-injection processing, rotational foam molding, wood-fiber composites, and open-cell foams.

He has been the director of the Microcellular Plastics Manufacturing Laboratory at the University of Toronto since 1993 and has been involved in pioneering work on the concepts of microcellular foaming. The laboratory is recognized as the leading facility in the world for research and development of microcellular plastic foams.

In recognition of his outstanding research achievements, he has received numerous honours and awards in his career. Awards include: the NSERC Strategic Network Grant ($5M) in 2010, the Julian C Smith Award from the Engineering Institute of Canada in 2010, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2010, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012, the C.N. Downing Award from the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering in 2012, the M. Eugene Merchant Manufacturing Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers / Society of Manufacturing Engineers in 2012, and Fellow of the Korean Academy of Science of Technology in 2012.

Editor’s note: Just days prior to publishing this story, Frank Milligan passed away on what would have been his 95th birthday. The U of T Engineering community mourns this substantial loss. He would have been delighted to meet and hear from this year’s 2020 Fellows. Read more about the Tribute Campaign: In Honour & In Memory recognizing the legacy of Frank Milligan.

This story is featured in the new issue of Collective Impact, sent digitally to all U of T Engineering alumni.

For more than a decade, alumnus Frank Milligan (MechE 4T8) and his wife, Barbara, have generously supported biomedical engineering research at the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering by way of the Barbara and Frank Milligan Graduate Fellowship, which are awarded annually from the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (MIE) and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (BME) to students pursuing graduate work in biomedical engineering.

The Milligan Graduate Fellowships are instrumental in fostering students’ curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit, leading to groundbreaking research and launching their careers. The Milligans’ keen interest in helping the next generation of researchers, innovators and engineers advance the frontiers of biomedical research, and translate that research into useful technology, is inspirational.

“The Milligans’ contribution has been critical to many of the engineering and scientific advances in the Institute,” says Warren Chan, director and professor of BME. “The contribution has left a significant footprint in the field of biomedical engineering for many years to come. More importantly, the Milligans’ contribution has allowed our students to focus on education and developing new technologies to better themselves and society.”

Despite COVID-19 and the immense challenges it has brought to society, students are still working hard by going into laboratories and clinics. The support of the Barbara and Frank Milligan Graduate Fellowships is more important now than ever, shared Markus Bussmann, chair and professor of MIE.

“The Fellowships benefit the students who are training with us,” Bussmann says. “But especially in a year when our healthcare system is so often in the news, I think it is important to recognize that ultimately the Milligans’ generosity will extend way beyond these students, to the many Canadians who will benefit from our students’ research, and from what these young people will go on to do and become. The Milligans are building a lasting legacy that will extend many, many years into the future, as Milligan Fellows go on to careers in academia, industry and government, building on the education and training that they received while at U of T.”

See below two MIE projects selected from this year’s Barbara and Frank Milligan Graduate Fellowship recipients and a snapshot of their innovative research. View the projects from across the Faculty in the full article.

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Wenkun Dou (MIE PhD candidate) is a mechanical engineering PhD student who is working under the supervision of Professor Yu Sun (MIE, BME) in the Advanced Micro and Nanosystems Laboratory.

His current research focuses on developing microdevice platforms and integrating them with on-chip biosensors in order to measure cardiac contractility and electrophysiology. Through his research, Dou plans to create in vitro cardiac tissue models and screen compounds and new drugs for cardiac therapy development.

Confocal image taken by Wenkun Dou in 2018 of a cardiomyocyte monolayer cultured on the microdevice platform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lucas Temor (1T9 MIE, MASc candidate) is working in the Biomedical Simulation Lab under the supervision of Professor David Steinman (MIE, BME), designing and evaluating audiovisual representations of data from patient-specific blood flow simulations. His research focuses on understanding how to best design representations to offer an augmentation to existing clinical workflows.

This research space straddles the conventional boundaries of mechanical, industrial and biomedical engineering. Temor strives to supplement his understanding of traditional engineering design with influences from visual art, music and perceptual psychology, all in a push towards bridging the gap between engineering research and the clinic.

 

Ray tracing and shading techniques are explored to facilitate the simultaneous visualization of particle path lines and vortex cores in a cerebral aneurysm blood flow simulation. Render by Lucas Temor

– This story was originally published on the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering News Site on October 26, 2020 by Jamie Hunter