UBC team deploys pollution-sniffing mobile lab
Watch out, Vancouver. The PLUME van is coming soon to a location near you. An “air pollution lab on wheels,” PLUME will be used to measure concentrations of air pollutants across the city including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ground-level ozone, black carbon, methane, volatile organic compounds, and various sizes of ultrafine particles that can affect […]
New “See-N-Seq” technology enables RNA sequencing of specific single cells identified using microscopy
The Multi Scale Design Laboratory (MDL) lead by Professor Hongshen Ma has recently published a new paper, “See-N-Seq: RNA sequencing of target single cells identified by microscopy via micropatterning of hydrogel porosity”. MDL researchers have developed a new method, “See-N-Seq,” that uses a micropatterned hydrogel to capture target cells for single cell RNA sequencing. This […]
Media Mention: CBC talks to Dr. Rogak on how masks are still effective & recommended indoors, despite relaxation of rules in Canada
CBC News: Should you wear a mask? Advice for navigating a mask-optional Canada | Experts who study airborne particles still recommend wearing masks in crowded indoor settings. With masks now optional in most public spaces and Quebec recently joining the rest of Canada in relaxing its rules, the mental gymnastics required to figure out whether or not […]
High-tech mouthguard tracks head impacts during varsity hockey playoffs
UBC concussion study could pave the way for safer hockey A high-tech mouthguard worn by UBC Thunderbird hockey players will record every big hit of the upcoming playoffs to capture data for UBC researchers who study concussions. The study is led by Dr. Lyndia Wu, an expert in brain injury biomechanics at UBC’s Faculty of […]
Media Mention: CBC highlights Smell Vancouver research
CBC News: Smell something funky? UBC researchers want to borrow your nose – “Rotting waste, garbage cheese, pungent vinegar, death, fresh vomit.” That’s how one person described an odour they detected in Vancouver, in a report submitted to the Smell Vancouver project. While the odour sounds particularly unpleasant, Sahil Bhandari, one of the University of British Columbia researchers behind the project, […]
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 […]