Researcher receives MSFHR Trainee Award to investigate the mechanics of cancer spread
Mechanical Engineering Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Daniele Agostinelli has received a 2021 Research Trainee award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR). The MSFHR Research Trainee Program provides support to post-doctoral researchers or health professionals, helping them to develop their research careers in their field of medicine and health. Providing recipients with $45,000 per […]
Researchers awarded BC Knowledge Development funding
Two projects lead by faculty from the Department of Mechanical Engineering have been awarded funding from the BC Knowledge Development Fund. The main investment in research infrastructure offered by the Province, “the BCKDF is pivotal to the development of vital research infrastructure, allowing institutions to attract a critical mass of researchers, skilled technicians, and research […]
Media Mention: Dr. Naomi Zimmerman on the poor air quality of wildfire season and how to stay safe
CBC: As more than 200 wildfires continue to burn in British Columbia, experts are advising residents to start preparing for wildfire smoke and poor air quality. Air quality warnings are already in place for most of B.C.’s southern Interior, and fire risk in the province is very high. The warnings come after a record-breaking heat wave […]
Media Mention: Do we really need to mask up outdoors? Dr. Steven Rogak comments on the need to evaluate risk.
MONTREAL GAZETTE: Despite emerging science that has changed what we know about how the coronavirus is transmitted, there’s been one constant over the past year: that outdoors is safer than indoors. But lately that message is getting murky, with Quebec recommending the wearing of masks outdoors, then rescinding the recommendation — kind of, and Ontario […]
New Paper from MEMs Lab increases accuracy in measurement of eye movements
The Mechanical Engineering Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) Lab has published a new paper “A Fusion Algorithm for Saccade Eye Movement Enhancement with EOG and Lumped-element Models” in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering. Working in the MEMS Lab as a PhD student under supervisors and co-authors Dr. Mu Chiao and Dr. Clarence de Silva, author Hiroshan Gunawardane […]
Media Mention: EGBC’s Innovation Magazine features mask research by Dr. Steven Rogak
INNOVATION: With the advent of multiple COVID-19 vaccines, things are definitely looking up. But experts warn that the wearing of masks will not end any time soon. Many of us prefer wearing reusable cloth masks over disposable medical masks, but which fabrics are the most effective? A Surrey Memorial Hospital anaesthesiologist and a UBC engineer […]
New algorithm can identify cells that humans can’t
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed an algorithm that can accurately identify different types of cells pictured in microscope photos, even when those cells are indistinguishable to the human eye. The advance may help pave the way for new technology — a so-called “electronic eye” — that could help scientists rapidly identify […]
Steven Rogak recieves $250K for COVID-19 Research Project
Steven Rogak, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of British Columbia, has been awarded $250,000 through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Exceptional Opportunities Fund to “cover the urgent need for equipment” for his ongoing research related to COVID-19. Rogak’s project, which aims to assess the effect of aerosol and droplet control measures in indoor spaces, is one of […]
Quantifying the bond between SARS-CoV-2 and human cell receptors
At its heart, mechanical engineering is the understanding of energy transfer and forces, physics concepts not usually associated with medicine. However, even at the scale of a human cell, those concepts are at play, and understanding them could be the key to designing effective treatments. SARS-CoV-2 is a tiny particle that has stopped the world, […]
New book “Microneedling in Clinical Practice” edited by Dr Boris Stoeber
Mechanical Engineering faculty member Dr. Boris Stoeber has edited a new book on microneedle technology – the use of needles smaller than a milimetre long as a minimally invasive way to deliver drugs and monitor compounds in the body – alongside co-editors Dr. Raja K. Sivamani (UC Davis Health) and Dr. Howard I Maibach (UC […]