Memorial University and its teams are producing world-class research across many disciplines. In addition to expansion of knowledge, this research assists industry with identification of new opportunities and solutions to ongoing challenges. The Provincial Government today announced over $1.3 million for five research and development projects. These projects are leveraging over $4.3 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation and other sources.

Investments announced include:

• $400,000 for Dr. Uta Passow to lead a Memorial and Dalhousie University project to strengthen Canada’s capacity in ocean technology, observation, and prediction. This research project will examine the effects of the warming waters and oxygen loss in the North Atlantic by collecting sustained and cost-effective measurements of essential properties. The integration of these observations will allow researchers to address questions about ocean productivity and carbon export in the North Atlantic Ocean. The total cost for this project is $8,855,072.

• $343,761 for Dr. Karl Jobst to undertake a project to establish a chemical separations laboratory for clinical, environmental, and exposomics research. Exposomics, which is the study of internal and external exposure assessment methods, is vital to identify the causes of most chronic diseases and an individual’s susceptibility to infectious diseases. This project will develop instrumentation to help identify chemical species in complex biological, environmental, and marine samples. This project will increase interdisciplinary collaboration, while making otherwise cost-prohibitive research accessible in-house, increasing the complexity of environmental and health research at Memorial. The total cost of this project is $979,700.

• $325,055 for Mohammad Al Janaideh to lead a team to develop infrastructure to better characterize material vibration response for advancing microstructures, microsystems, and Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS). This newly developed infrastructure will allow for proof-of-concept research that facilitates new technologies into a variety of industries, including oil and gas, where sensors can be used to detect the oil flow in pipelines and assist with the rapid detection and location determination of pipeline leakage. This equipment will benefit several different research programs, in both engineering and science, and will bring technology not yet available anywhere in Canada to Memorial’s research community. The total cost of this project is $763,496.

• $127,359 for Dr. Kelly Hawboldt to lead a team that will develop innovative bioproducts from fish and forest biomass residues. Through the use of a Supercritical Fluid Extractor, the researchers will extract bio-fuels from various bio-mass residues to maximize the value of these natural resources. This innovative infrastructure can turn “waste” into value; thereby decreasing the overall environmental burden for oceans and landfills, reducing costs associated with handling and managing waste, and creating additional products for processors. These by-products can be used in medicinals, nutritional supplements, and agriculture, in addition to alternatives for petroleum based plastics. The total cost for this project is $254,718.

• $125,153 for Dr. Kathryn Hargan to lead a research team that will track historical environmental changes in Newfoundland and Labrador. This support will allow researchers to develop and apply molecular biomarkers and biological subfossils to help identify the drivers of ecological changes, and their associated impacts on aquatic ecosystems. This research will strengthen new findings that identify habitat use, population trends, and responses to environmental change for species important to the province. By reconstructing the history of the province’s ecosystems, this project aims to predict how species will respond to changes in the future. This comprehensive set of sedimentary analyses, across a broad range of disciplines, is not offered at any other university in the country. The total cost for this project is $317,626.

Quotes
“These R&D projects demonstrate the diversity of our province’s researchers. By creating linkages to industry relevance, skills development, and industry collaboration, these innovative projects are helping to expand the capacity and capability of our knowledge base. These collaborations help train highly qualified personnel and increase the development of advanced products, serving as a catalyst to potentially bring these products to market.”
Honourable Andrew Parsons
Minister of Industry, Energy and Technology

“As Newfoundland and Labrador’s university, Memorial is proud to play an integral role in driving innovation and fostering new research ideas. The dynamic work of our research teams, right across our university and on all campuses, has both global reach and local relevance. This latest investment will strengthen our research capacity in strategic areas and ensure Memorial’s researchers can address challenges facing our world.”
Dr. Neil Bose
Vice-President (Research), Memorial University

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Media contacts
Eric Humber
Industry, Energy and Technology
709-729-5777, 725-9655
erichumber@gov.nl.ca

Jeff Green
Office of the Vice-President (Research), Memorial University
709-864-4073, 687-9243
jeffg@mun.ca