2019 Summer Research Recap

The 2019 Summer Terms featured a number of noteworthy research-related achievements in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

New Canada Research Chairs

The department received the addition of two new Canada Research Chairs (CRC):

The Canada Research Chairs Program designed Tier 2 Chairs to support “exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field,” making this an important recognition of the work by Dr. Jin and Dr. Zimmerman. These CRC positions are new to UBC, bringing the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Canadian Research Chairs up to a total of six.

Council of Canadian Academies’ Expert Panel on Connected and Autonomous Vehicles

Dr. Zimmerman was also appointed to an Expert Panel on Connected and Autonomous Vehicles and Shared Mobility by the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA).  This interdisciplinary panel of experts drawn from academia and industry will investigate the question:

In light of the current trends affecting the evolution of connected and automated vehicle technologies and shared mobility, what impacts, opportunities, and challenges do these present for Canadian industry, governments, and Canadians more broadly?

More information on the panel and their findings can be found here.

New Frontiers in Research Funding

Two projects, run by three Mechanical Engineering researchers, received funding from the competitive New Frontiers in Research Fund. In its inaugural year, this fund was created to support “international, interdisciplinary, fast-breaking and high-risk research.” Dr. Lyndia Wu received funding for her research into “Investigating Brain Trauma Accumulation from Subconcussive Head Impacts and Differences between Male and Female Ice Hockey Players”, while Dr. Mattia Bacca (Primary Investigator) and Dr. Gwynn Elfring received support for their project “The Energetics of Life: a new perspective in Cytoskeletal Mechanics.”

Michael Smith Foundation Award and Funding

Dr. Wu also received recognition for her work as a Michael Smith Foundation 2019 Scholar Award recipient for her research program, “Investigating the Biomechanical Mechanism of Concussions in Sports.”

Dr. Hongshen Ma will also receive funding from the Michael Smith Foundation’s Innovation to Commercialization (I2C) Program, to help move his project, “Technology for image-based screening to enhance protein production,” towards commercial realization.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering would like to congratulate all our researchers above on these exciting achievements!

The above is a summary of some important research happening at the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Check back over the next eight weeks for in-depth features exploring these projects.