This page features a (reversed) chronological list of major events and activities, past and future, associated with the ORF-SPSN consortium. Among other purposes, it can be used to trace the historical development and progress of our group, since the inaugural meeting in March 2009.
Since the project involves a diverse team of researchers from different departments, faculties and even nations, the coordination and management issues represent a challenge on their own. Moreover, we have found it beneficial, if not essential, to organize and partition a suitable balance of individual group vs. entire team meetings. For instance, while individual group meetings are conducive to specialized and in-depth discussions, it is during the entire team sessions that more holistic issues can be duly considered.
First ORF - SPSN Workshop, 14th June 2011
First ORF-SPSN Workshop. The aim of the workshop is to bring the most recent viewpoints and insights together, and present up-to-date status and progress from each sub-project within the consortium.
The workshop will take place on 14th June, 2011, at Bahen Centre for Information Technology, University of Toronto, room BA 7180.
The full program of the workshop, with the abstract of each presentation, can be found here.
| 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM |
Welcome - Introduction - General Comments Professor Dimitrios Hatzinakos |
| 9:30 AM - 12:00 AM | Research Group Presentations |
| 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM |
Session 1: "Modeling and Analysis of a Micromachined Piezoelectric Energy Harvester" Professor Nazir P. Kherani |
| 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
Session 2: "Photovoltaic – Electrochemical Capacitor Systems as an Energy Source" Professor Keryn Lian |
| 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM |
Session 3: "New materials and methods for sensing biological entities and threats" Professor Ted Sargent, Professor Shana O.Kelley |
| 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
Session 4: "Energy Efficiency and Interference Mitigation in Proactive Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Networks" Professor Konstantinos N. Plataniotis |
| 11:30 AM - 12:00 AM |
Session 5: "Network Architecture for Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Networks" Professor Dimitrios Hatzinakos |
| 12:00 AM- 1:00 PM | Lunch Break |
| 1:00PM - 2:00 PM | Industrial Partners Presentations |
| 1:00 PM - 1:30 PM |
Session 6: "Realistic time-variant channel predictions for wireless sensor networks" Yves Lostanlen, VP & CTO at SIRADEL, SIRADEL |
| 1:30 PM - 2:00 PM |
Session 7: "High Resolution Spectroscopy Techniques to the improvement of current RAMAN and FTIR Spectrometers" Pedro Martinez , Antonio Alcayde, (AD Telecom CEO) , AD TELECOM |
| 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Discussion – Progress evaluation and future actions |
Early 2011
"How Nano Will Save the World" is the working-title for the second episode of a fascinating three-part series on nanotechnology, now in production for a global audience by three of the world's top broadcasters – Arte (France), NHK (Japan) and CBC (Canada). The focus of this episode is how the new, nano revolution is being applied to answering the most challenging environmental themes of our time.
A large section of this program on Nano and the Environment will focus on Ted Sargent's groundbreaking work at the University of Toronto, and the unique partnership being formed now with KAUST, which is gathering to it some of the brightest minds on the planet.
From his labs in Toronto to the ultra-modern installations at KAUST, we will follow Ted Sargent and learn how nanoscience is the key to unlocking the full power of science to change the world.
The three-hour documentary series, The Nano Revolution, will be shot in HD in locations in Europe, North America, Saudi Arabia and Japan, and is slated for broadcast for early 2011.
April, 2010
Upcoming project meeting.
February 5, 2010
Tentative partnership agreement with SIRADEL established.
December 16-21, 2009
AD Telecom headquarter visit. Facility tour and group meetings with company personnel in Barcelona, Spain. Also meetings and seminars with researchers from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, regarding collaboration opportunities on LIDAR technology and wireless sensor devices.
November 17-19, 2009
Project meetings. Annual review, including laboratory demonstrations, status updates and proof of concept discussions.
November 9, 2009
Engineering Science Nobel Prize Lecture Series for undergraduate students at the University of Toronto:
- Science, Peace, and Science & Peace, Prof. John Polanyi (winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize)
- Physics: Imaging, Communications, and the Quantum Future, Profs. Ted Sargent, Joyce Poon, and Li Qian
- Chemistry & Medicine: Ribosomes, Telomeres, and the Future of Medical Diagnostics, Profs. Shana Kelley and Aaron Wheeler
October 20, 2009
The Canadian Foundation for Innovation "Eye on Innovation" event on Parliament Hill - with 5 journalists resulting in coverage in Maclean's magazine.
October 15, 2009
Meeting with SIRADEL for potential partnership formation.
September 24, 2009
Seminar to Research in Motion regarding the potential to unite a point-of-care biosensing diagnostic technology with a smartphone.
September 9, 2009
Seminar to the incoming class of Engineers at the University of Toronto, on the potential of nanotechnology in energy and medical diagnostics.
July 14, 2009
Seminar for Kangaroo Inc. regarding the design of a new point-of-care biosensing device.
July 13, 2009
Seminar to SoundDesign regarding opportunities for collaboration in making biosensor chips.
May 14, 2009
Project meeting. Investigation of network architectures and selection of application scenarios.
March 05, 2009
Inaugural project meeting, with the industrial partner AD Telecom via teleconferencing, from Barcelona, Spain. High-level group organization, and clarification of project objectives.