Fighting the global scourge of microplastics, cryopreserving human cells to combat disease and improving efficiency in Canada's construction industry are just three University of Alberta projects recognized by the Alberta Science and Technology (ASTech) Awards for inspiring innovation in science and technology that benefit society.
Eleven of the U of A's outstanding researchers in science, technology and agriculture were celebrated for the excellence of their work — and its societal impact. The awards, given out each year since 1989 by the non-profit Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Foundation, are considered the province's highest honour in science and technology.
"The work of these innovators exemplifies the University of Alberta's recognized excellence in research toward net-zero energy solutions, environmental sustainability, and improved health and well-being for all," says U of A president Bill Flanagan.
"In addressing some of the most pressing challenges of today and tomorrow, they are making an impact not only in Alberta but across Canada and around the world."
The winners were among more than 30 finalists from the U of A.
Outstanding Woman in Innovation - Research
Aminah Robinson Fayek, vice-president of research and innovation, won the ASTech award for Outstanding Woman in Innovation - Research for her work on advancing construction innovation and performance using artificial intelligence.
A professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Robinson Fayek is a renowned expert in construction engineering and management. Her research focuses on fuzzy logic and fuzzy hybrid modelling techniques, and the application of artificial intelligence for decision support in construction.
Because the construction industry is a key sector in the Canadian economy — contributing between six and eight per cent of total GDP during the last four years, and employing more than 1.6 million people — it is continually seeking ways to improve productivity and performance, reduce risks and costs, and otherwise optimize the daily work of construction organizations.
"Our work has changed how the construction industry models operations and decisions, and has helped solve delivery-related issues, improve productivity and outcomes, and increase profitability," says Robinson Fayek.
Outstanding Agri-Economy Innovation - Collaboration
For Outstanding Agri-Economy Innovation - Collaboration, three faculty members from the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences — professors Patricia Dolez and David Bressler and faculty service officer Jane Batcheller — were honoured for their work with Davey Textile Solutions, TechFibre Industries and Mark's Work Wearhouse.
The team's initiative — called Regenerated Cellulosic Fibre From Hemp and Post-Consumer Textiles — aims to establish a made-in-Canada supply of regenerated cellulose fibres using Canadian sources of cellulose such as farming residues, hemp and recycled textiles.
The fibres are produced using the more environmentally friendly Lyocell process, which has low water consumption and employs a non-toxic solvent that is more than 99 per cent recoverable. The lyocell fibres will find applications in a wide range of products, including personal protective equipment, workwear, dental floss and health-care products, nonwoven products, filtration media and consumer apparel textiles.
"Since the cellulosic fibres will be produced using local sources of cellulose and the environmentally friendly lyocell process, this innovation will help reduce the environmental impact of the textile industry in Canada," says Dolez.
Innovation of the Year
PanTHERA CryoSolutions received the Innovation of the Year Award. The company led by president, CEO and co-founder Jason Acker of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology was recognized for its work pushing the boundaries of cellular preservation with ice recrystallization inhibitors.
As the senior research scientist with Canadian Blood Services' Centre for Innovation, Acker develops scientific and technical evidence to support innovative changes in blood product manufacturing, storage and utilization at Canadian Blood Services.
"Cells are the future medicines for treating and curing disease, and one of the challenges in delivering these new medicines to patients is their requirement to be stored at low temperatures," says Acker.
His research has focused on understanding how natural systems survive seasonal freezing and thawing, and how to apply those strategies to the stabilization of cell-based therapies.
"This research has resulted in us discovering new technologies that we have translated into new processes for cryopreserving cells and commercial products that aid in stabilizing and protecting cells during freezing and thawing," he says, adding that his team is also applying the technology to areas outside of cell therapy, including animal husbandry, aquaculture and conservation of rare and endangered species.
Outstanding Innovation in Construction
For his work on "Bridging Academia and Industry in Construction With Simulation-Based Solutions," dean of engineering Simaan AbouRizk received the ASTech Award for Outstanding Innovation in Construction.
AbouRizk's research focuses on developing innovative information technologies for modelling, analyzing, simulating and optimizing operations in the construction and natural resource extraction industries. He aims to improve construction processes and enhance decision-making in construction settings, while refining theoretical advancements to simulation science to provide a suitable medium for construction operations analyses.
Towards that goal, he has developed a number of tools for decision support in construction engineering and management, and has helped transmit research knowledge throughout the construction community.
"The overall goal of my research is to develop a better framework for the planning and control of construction projects through advancements in simulation," says AbouRizk. "The software I developed is widely used in the construction academic community and by many in industry."
Hydrogen Innovation
Hassan Dehghanpour, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, won the ASTech Award for Hydrogen Innovation for his work on "Large-Scale Hydrogen Storage in Canadian Bedded and Domal Salts."
The petroleum engineering researcheris exploring the potential of storing hydrogen in enormous underground salt caverns, each capable of holding more than 2,000 tonnes of the increasingly valuable fuel source, a key component of Alberta's Hydrogen Road Map.
The research is supported by a consortium of industry partners and federal and provincial agencies, including Alberta Innovates' Hydrogen Centre of Excellence, NSERC, Mitacs and NRCan. The team is currently testing this technology in the Robinson River salt formation in Newfoundland and the Lotsberg salt formation in Fort Saskatchewan.
This laboratory and field-scale study aims to provide the knowledge and tools needed to optimize and regulate hydrogen storage operations, while also enhancing public awareness and social acceptance of a sustainable hydrogen economy.
"Building on our successful lab-scale feasibility study, we have progressed to field-scale testing of this technology, gaining valuable insights and opportunities," says Dehghanpour. He adds that if the field trials go well and sufficient investments are secured, the storage caverns could be operational in about five years.
Environment, Water and Air Innovation
Monireh Faramarzi, associate professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, received the ASTech Award for Environment, Water, and/or Air Innovation for her work on predicting water-related risks and opportunities in Alberta.
Faramarzi leads the Watershed Science and Modelling Laboratory, developing and applying physical and process-based tools such as hydrological, agricultural and climate models to study water and food challenges in the context of climate change.
Climate events like droughts are expected to become harsher and more frequent. Understanding how much water we can expect to have, and how we can best manage it, is essential. Faramarzi's research focuses on assessing trade-offs and interactions between water and land resources, crop production and geophysical drivers for environmentally informed management plans.
Her work will allow field researchers to project how climate change will affect water supply, location and quality, and how a changing water supply will affect all of us in the future.
Sustainability Solutions Research
Wenming Zhang, an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is winner of the ASTech Award for Sustainability Solutions – Research for his work on linking water resources and environmental engineering for improving water environments.
Zhang's research explores critical water challenges faced by Alberta, Canada and other countries, finding ways to satisfy development needs while minimizing impacts to the environment.
One project examines key knowledge gaps on winter river water quality, to develop ways of improving winter river management — including water quality, ice and flow — in the context of climate change, urbanization and industrialization.
Another examines the challenge of managing microplastics, pollutants that are now ubiquitous across the world's rivers, lakes, oceans and poles. A third project looks at outdated urban drainage systems and problems of sewer odour, corrosion, clogging, flooding and pollutant loads.
"Our research team has been working with municipalities, including Calgary and Edmonton, to address these issues and build sustainable, smart and resilient urban drainage systems," says Zhang.
Medical, Health-Care and Pharmaceuticals Research
Lara Mahal, professor in the Department of Chemistry, received the ASTech Award for Medical, Healthcare, and/or Pharmaceuticals – Research for her work on decoding the glycome to advance biomedical research.
Mahal's work focuses on identifying sugars critical to human health that are involved in diseases from pancreatic cancer to HIV — sugars that may hold the key to more rapid discovery of targets for new drugs to treat the diseases.
Glycans, also known as carbohydrates, oligosaccharides or sugars, are now understood to be pivotal in nearly all biological processes and could be part of new solutions to many health problems. The Mahal Lab is a world leader in creating and using systems-based approaches to decode the glycome.
In a pair of glycomics papers published in 2020, Mahal's team showed that high mannose glycan — a sugar that shows up in the lungs during influenza infection — is directly correlated with death from the disease. The research could point to new drug targets with the potential to reduce death rates and prevent future flu pandemics.
"Glycosylation plays a critical role in every major disease, and yet it is probably one of the most understudied areas of science," says Mahal, who is also director of the Glycomics Institute of Alberta and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Glycomics.
Medical, Health-Care and Pharmaceuticals Applications
Martin Ferguson-Pell, principal investigator of the Rehabilitation Robotics Lab and a professor in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, took home the ASTech Award for Medical, Healthcare, and Pharmaceuticals – Application (Academic Collaboration). Ferguson-Pell was recognized for his work on innovative technologies in telerehabilitation medicine to increase accessibility.
Working with collaborators from Alberta Health Services, the Evergreens Foundation and the University of Calgary's Health Everywhere and A-MEDICO programs, Ferguson-Pell's team develops technologies that bridge the gap between specialist clinical services in urban centres and patients with access to limited care in rural health centres.
The Rehabilitation Robotics Lab seeks ways to reduce the cost and winter risks associated with travel from rural to urban specialist clinics, which also help to ensure that rural patients' care is not delayed.
"A major practical challenge of the project is the installation of specialized equipment in remote areas," says Ferguson-Pell. "Once set up, this telerehabilitation equipment allows rural patients to connect with urban specialists, creating a clinic-to-clinic model that enhances the safety and effectiveness of clinical assessments."
