Aerospace / en With the launch of its first satellite, student team charts a course to new knowledge /news/launch-its-first-satellite-student-team-charts-course-new-knowledge <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">With the launch of its first satellite, student team charts a course to new knowledge</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-01/UTAT-Space-Systems-HERON-launch-crop.jpg?h=d082dac7&amp;itok=9Wa3UXmZ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-01/UTAT-Space-Systems-HERON-launch-crop.jpg?h=d082dac7&amp;itok=JbfGqxc8 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-01/UTAT-Space-Systems-HERON-launch-crop.jpg?h=d082dac7&amp;itok=FhGwd94z 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-01/UTAT-Space-Systems-HERON-launch-crop.jpg?h=d082dac7&amp;itok=9Wa3UXmZ" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-01-19T12:44:03-05:00" title="Friday, January 19, 2024 - 12:44" class="datetime">Fri, 01/19/2024 - 12:44</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base on Nov. 11, 2023, carrying a satellite designed and built by the&nbsp;University of Toronto Aerospace Team (photo courtesy of SpaceX)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6738" hreflang="en">Safa Jinje</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/aerospace" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/electrical-computer-engineering" hreflang="en">Electrical &amp; Computer Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mechanical-industrial-engineering" hreflang="en">Mechanical &amp; Industrial Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/space" hreflang="en">Space</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utias" hreflang="en">UTIAS</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">“We worked on this project for so long with such a narrow focus that actually seeing it deployed was very rewarding”</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Students in the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering recently&nbsp;gathered in the basement of the Sandford Fleming Building – known to many as “The Pit” – to witness the deployment of HERON Mk. II into space.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The 3U CubeSat satellite, built and operated by the space systems division of the University of Toronto Aerospace Team (UTAT), was launched into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket on Nov. 11, 2023 as part of SpaceX’s Transporter-9 rideshare mission that lifted off from the Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc, Calif.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The feat was entirely student funded with support from ֱ Engineering through student levies and UTAT-led fundraising efforts.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“The experience of the launch was very surreal,”&nbsp;says master’s degree student<strong>&nbsp;Benjamin Nero</strong>, HERON’s current mission manger.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“We worked on this project for so long with such a narrow focus that actually seeing it deployed was very rewarding.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“There are any number of things that could go wrong that might prevent a satellite from deploying,”&nbsp;adds&nbsp;<strong>Zachary Teper</strong>, a fellow master’s degree candidate<strong>&nbsp;</strong>who is part of the technical development team working on HERON’s ground station.&nbsp;</p> <p>“So, watching each of the call outs coming out of the SpaceX mission control, seeing the rocket go up and meet every one of its mission objectives and then finally seeing our satellite get ejected out of the dispenser in the correct trajectory was a big relief&nbsp;– because we knew that it was finally in space and on the right path.”&nbsp;</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-01/UTAT-Space-Systems-team-ground-station-crop.jpg?itok=fBLrHH7z" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Members of the UTAT space systems division gather on the sixth-floor roof of the Bahen Centre for Information Technology with the fully assembled ground station (photo by UTAT Space Systems)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Launching HERON – short for High frequency Educational Radio communications On a Nanosatellite –&nbsp;was the culmination of years of teamwork that brought together the efforts of more than 100 students.&nbsp;</p> <p>HERON Mk. II, the second iteration of UTAT’s spacecraft, was originally designed and built between 2016 and 2018 for the fourth edition of the <a href="https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/060.nsf/vwapj/CSDCMS.pdf/$file/CSDCMS.pdf">Canadian Satellite Design Challenge</a>.&nbsp;Since space systems division was formed in 2014, many of the students who worked on the initial HERON design and build have since graduated. But the current operations team continued to develop the satellite and renew the student levy that allowed them to secure their space launch.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“The original objective for HERON was to conduct a biology experiment in space,” says Nero, who joined the team in 2019 during his second year of undergraduate studies.&nbsp;“But because of delays in the licensing process, we were unable to continue that mission objective. So, we re-scoped and shifted our focus to amateur radio communication and knowledge building.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-01/5-crop.jpg?itok=pLDFm8_s" width="750" height="422" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>From left to right: HERON Mk. I (2016), HERON Mk. II Prototype (2018), HERON Mk. II Softstack (2020), HERON Mk. II Flight Model (2021) (photos by UTAT Space Systems)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Once the satellite’s final assembly was completed in 2021, the team began flight model testing and assembling a ground station, while also managing the logistics of the regulatory approvals needed to complete the launch.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“It’s difficult to put something in space, both technically and bureaucratically,” says Nero. “There are a lot of different governments that care about what you’re doing and want to know when and how you’re doing it.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Getting to space was a significant milestone for the team, but it’s still only the beginning of their work.&nbsp;</p> <p>“The goal for us as a design team is to start gathering institutional knowledge that we didn’t have before,” says&nbsp;<strong>Reid Sox-Harris</strong>, an undergraduate student&nbsp;who is HERON’s ground station manager and the electrical lead for UTAT’s next space mission, FINCH&nbsp;(Field Imaging Nanosatellite for Crop residue Hyperspectral mapping).&nbsp;</p> <p>“We’ve never operated a satellite. So, we’re taking a lot of lessons learned with us through this process.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>For example, when a satellite is deployed for the first time, the ground control team only has a rough idea of its movement and eventual location. They must simulate the launch to figure out exactly where it is before they can establish a connection. And when they receive new positional data, they must rerun their simulation.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“We have to take into account effects such as air resistance, or the sun’s solar cycles and the gravitational effects of the sun, the moon and the Earth – it’s a fairly complicated simulation,” Sox-Harris says.&nbsp;<br> <br> Nero adds: “Part of the difficulty with a simulation is that a model is only useful for a certain period. An old estimate could result in as much as a few kilometres of drift from the satellite’s actual position per day.”</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-01/HERON-gs_937-crop.jpg?itok=FpwF15sA" width="750" height="500" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>HERON’s ground station on the roof of the Bahen Centre (photo by UTAT Space Systems)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>The team was not only tasked with designing a ground station capable of communicating with a satellite more than 500 kilometres away, but one that can survive a frigid and snowy Canadian winter.</p> <p>“For any project, the most important thing you should be doing is testing,” says second-year student&nbsp;<strong>Swarnava Ghosh</strong>, who primarily works on the ground station software.&nbsp;&nbsp;“One challenge with our ground station currently is that there are too many variables that are not fully tested – and everything needs to be perfect in the chain for the communication to work. If the ground station is not pointing in the right direction, we won’t get a signal and we won’t establish communication. And if the amplifier is not working, then we won’t establish communication.” &nbsp;</p> <p>The team is confident that they will ultimately resolve any outstanding issues and establish communications with HERON. More importantly, they will be able to take what they’ve learned and apply it to the next&nbsp;mission.</p> <p>“With FINCH, we want to make sure the&nbsp;ground station software and satellite can communicate on the ground,” says Sox-Harris. “Right now, there are over 500 kilometres between the satellite and ground station, so we can’t fly up there and test whether a command has worked.”&nbsp;</p> <p>FINCH is set to launch in late 2025 on a rideshare rocket flight. Its&nbsp;current mission objective is to generate hyperspectral imaging maps of crop residue on farm fields in Manitoba from a low-Earth orbit.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>There are many technical developments that are new to FINCH that weren’t applicable to HERON, the team says, including a novel optic system for remote sensing that is being developed by students.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“The risks associated with FINCH are mitigated by the work that is being performed by HERON right now.&nbsp;We’re learning many lessons that&nbsp;will be directly applicable to our next mission, and we’ll continue to learn from HERON for at least another year or more,” says Sox-Harris.&nbsp;</p> <p>“This means the FINCH mission can be more complicated, it can move faster and ultimately we can have better reliability, which is something that we always strive for in aerospace.”&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 19 Jan 2024 17:44:03 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 305347 at ֱ engineering and life sciences students to test how changes in gravity affect human genetics /news/u-t-engineering-and-life-sciences-students-test-how-changes-gravity-affect-human-genetics <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">ֱ engineering and life sciences students to test how changes in gravity affect human genetics</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-05/iss058e003901-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Lu2yfoNP 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2023-05/iss058e003901-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ygLEi6de 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2023-05/iss058e003901-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=dp0-ooGX 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-05/iss058e003901-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Lu2yfoNP" alt="Astronaut David Saint-Jacques"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>geoff.vendeville</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-08-18T13:12:39-04:00" title="Wednesday, August 18, 2021 - 13:12" class="datetime">Wed, 08/18/2021 - 13:12</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p>Astronaut David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency takes pictures of the Earth below from inside the International Space Station's "window to the world," the seven-windowed cupola (photo courtesy NASA)</p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/christina-heidorn" hreflang="en">Christina Heidorn</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomedical-engineering" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/aerospace" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/life-sciences" hreflang="en">Life Sciences</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A team of University of Toronto&nbsp;students is preparing to see its research take off next week.</p> <p>They are among just six university teams from across Canada selected to conduct a study in a microgravity environment aboard the <a href="https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/sciences/parabolic.asp">National Research Council Canada’s (NRC) Falcon 20 jet</a>&nbsp;–&nbsp;the same plane used to train the Canadian Space Agency’s astronauts.&nbsp;</p> <p>As part of the <a href="http://seds.ca/can-rgx">Canadian Reduced Gravity Experiment Design Challenge</a>&nbsp;(CAN-RGX), the team –&nbsp;called TelOmG –&nbsp;has spent the past year designing and building a unique experiment to examine the impact of space flight on astronauts’ genes.&nbsp;</p> <div class="align-center"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2023-05/TelOmG%20Team%20Photo-crop.jpg?itok=11jAILnR" width="750" height="643" alt="The members of team TelOmG" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <p><em>The members of team TelOmG, from left to right, are Erin Richardson, Anthony Piro, Miranda Badovinac in the top row; Taylor Peters, Dunja Matic, Luca Castelletto in the middle row; Samantha Aberdein, Emma Belhadfa, Nicole Richardson, Krish Joshi, and MacKenzie Campbell in the bottom row&nbsp;(photos courtesy of team TelOmG)</em></p> <p>During the flight, scheduled for Aug.&nbsp;19, the students will investigate the effects of changes in gravity on the genetic regulation of human telomeres. Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes that are linked to genomic stability. Shortening of telomeres is associated with aging, while lengthening can be associated with cancer.&nbsp;</p> <p>The idea for the experiment came to team lead <strong>Erin Richardson</strong>, a fourth-year student in engineering science in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering,&nbsp;while reading <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-landmark-twins-study-reveals-resilience-of-human-body-in-space/">NASA’s landmark Twins Study</a>, an investigation of spaceflight’s effects on the human body. The study focused on American astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent nearly a year in space, and his twin brother Mark who remained earthbound, and found Scott’s telomeres unexpectedly grew longer during his space flight. They returned to normal shortly after his return to Earth. In contrast, his twin’s telomeres remained stable during the same period.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p>“Our experiment investigates whether this increase in telomere length was due to reduced gravity or some other factor, such as increased radiation or stress during the space flight,” says Richardson.&nbsp;</p> <p>Flying parabolic manoeuvres on the NRC’s Falcon 20 will allow the team to isolate microgravity from the other factors present on the International Space Station. However, while Kelly spent months in space, the experiment will only undergo five, 20-second periods&nbsp;of microgravity.&nbsp;</p> <p>The students had to devise a way to test whether telomeres are affected by microgravity in under 20 seconds. “Telomere length won’t change that fast,” says Richardson. “The key was to focus on the transcription of the genes that control them. Previous studies found transcriptomes changed significantly within 20 seconds of altered gravity.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Richardson recruited other students from engineering science's&nbsp;aerospace and biomedical systems majors as well as from the life sciences. In addition to Piro, the team includes: <strong>MacKenzie Campbell</strong>, a graduate of engineering science and master's student in chemical engineering; <strong>Dunja Matic </strong>and <strong>Taylor Peters</strong>, both in their fourth year&nbsp;of engineering science; <strong>Emma Belhadfa </strong>and&nbsp;<strong>Luca Castelletto</strong>&nbsp;in year three of engineering science; year three life science student, <strong>Miranda Badovinac</strong>;&nbsp;and Grade 12 students Samantha Aberdein, Krish Joshi, and Nicole Richardson.&nbsp;</p> <p>The aerospace engineering team members focused on designing and building the physical apparatus, while biomedical systems and life science students designed and tested the experiment’s scientific methods.&nbsp;</p> <p>“One of the beautiful things that happens when you bring together people with so many different backgrounds, is the ingenuity in the questions they ask each other,” says <strong>Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez</strong>, an associate professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and chair of engineering science's biomedical systems major. “Those questions often challenge dogmas and assumptions and can ultimately lead to amazing discoveries.”&nbsp;</p> <p>To test their hypothesis that microgravity contributes to changes in gene transcription related to telomeres, the students will “freeze cells in time” by preserving their nucleic acids before and after each short period of microgravity. They will analyze the nucleic acids after the flight for changes in the expression levels of genes that regulate telomeres.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p>The experiment’s apparatus consists of a syringe filled with a stabilization solution and connected to a series of chambers containing live cells. The electronic control system will inject the solution into the correct chamber when manually triggered by the students on board the flight just before and after each period of microgravity. Some samples are frozen before any periods of hypergravity or microgravity to control for environmental conditions on board the jet.&nbsp;</p> <p><img alt src="/sites/default/files/Screen%20Shot%202021-08-13%20at%2012.17.44%20AM.png" style="width: 750px; height: 429px;"></p> <p><em>The TelOmG injection system (graphic courtesy of team TelOmG)</em></p> <p>The entire experiment had to fit into a 50-centimetre&nbsp;cube and weigh no more than 45 kilograms, among other constraints. “Little things that you wouldn’t normally consider are much more challenging in microgravity,” says Castello, the team’s mechanical lead.</p> <p>“For example, we had to ensure everything is absolutely leak-proof and secured so that there’s no chance of small components or liquid floating around the plane’s cabin. Since we are dealing with cells, we had to create a sterile system while also minimizing bubbles that could interfere with our fluid pathways.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Team TelOmG presented their proposal at the Johnson Space Centre Astronomical Society in June and has been invited to share their findings at the <a href="https://www.iafastro.org/events/iac/">International Astronautical Congress</a> in Dubai in October.&nbsp;</p> <p>Conducting research during a pandemic presented additional challenges. Access to wet labs and lab safety training was restricted. “We’ve been blown away by the support we received from professors, researchers and private companies during this time,” Belhadfa says. “They helped us to get what we needed when public health restrictions created obstacles.” &nbsp;</p> <p>Team members also had to work on components in isolation for many months. “Normally when we work in a team and something goes wrong during equipment testing, we have a good laugh together,” Castelletto says. “It’s a lot less funny when you’re all alone in your house.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Planning and testing a complex experiment from start to finish has been an eye-opening journey for the team. “From our experiences in design courses like <a href="https://engsci.utoronto.ca/program/foundation-years/praxis/">Praxis</a>, we knew to expect things not to go as planned,” Campbell says. “We really learned to take a wide view of the project and lean on our project management skills.”&nbsp;</p> <div class="media_embed" height="422px" width="750px"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/umf5zr6ZJCk" title="YouTube video player" width="750px"></iframe></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 18 Aug 2021 17:12:39 +0000 geoff.vendeville 170065 at High-flying ֱ alumna helps pioneer all-electric personal aircraft /news/high-flying-u-t-alumna-helps-pioneer-all-electric-personal-aircraft <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">High-flying ֱ alumna helps pioneer all-electric personal aircraft</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/BlackFly%20v2%20and%20v3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gZYlktn7 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/BlackFly%20v2%20and%20v3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=3QyrrKWH 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/BlackFly%20v2%20and%20v3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=nXj0g2vz 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/BlackFly%20v2%20and%20v3.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gZYlktn7" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-04-26T11:18:56-04:00" title="Monday, April 26, 2021 - 11:18" class="datetime">Mon, 04/26/2021 - 11:18</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Kristina Menton stands next to two prototypes of Opener's BlackFly, an all-electric, single-passenger aircraft capable of vertical take-offs and landings (photo courtesy of Opener LLC)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/tyler-irving" hreflang="en">Tyler Irving</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/aerospace" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">ֱ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mechanical-industrial-engineering" hreflang="en">Mechanical &amp; Industrial Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Kristina&nbsp;Menton</strong>&nbsp;loves airplanes.&nbsp;“I love everything about their aerodynamics, the beauty of the physics that make them fly,”&nbsp;says the alumna of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering.</p> <p>Lately,&nbsp;Menton&nbsp;has been experiencing those aerodynamics first-hand.</p> <p>She’s the director of operations, flight testing and propulsion at Opener, a company developing an all-electric, single-passenger aircraft capable of vertical take-offs and landings called the BlackFly.</p> <p>“It’s not a flying car, because it doesn’t have wheels and it can’t go on the road,” she says. “It is a personal aerial vehicle. It takes someone from point A to point B&nbsp;– through the sky.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Menton&nbsp;didn’t apply for a job at Opener – the company came looking for her while she was still an undergraduate student in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering. She already had experience with jet engines, having interned with Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada through ֱ Engineering’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mie.utoronto.ca/ut-imdi/">Institute for Multidisciplinary Design &amp; Innovation</a>.</p> <p>But her new job was something else entirely.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I loved working in aerospace, but, generally speaking, it’s a slow-moving industry,” she says. “What made this exciting was the chance to be at the leading edge of something new, which is electric aviation. I’m not someone who generally says no to a challenge.”</p> <p>At first, Opener was operating in stealth mode;&nbsp;Menton&nbsp;couldn’t even tell her friends and family what she was working on. Within a year, she was made head of propulsion. Soon after, she got her first chance to take a test flight.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I had seen the aircraft fly autonomously for thousands of kilometres, so I knew it was safe,” she says. “I also spent a lot of time in the simulator, so the controls felt quite natural. I just sat back to enjoy the ride, which was even smoother than I expected. Being able to see 180 degrees across the&nbsp;horizon, to just float there in the air – it was a very enjoyable experience.”&nbsp;</p> <p>In the summer of 2018, <a href="https://www.opener.aero/">the company launched its website</a>, enabling potential customers to see the&nbsp;BlackFly&nbsp;in action. If all goes according to schedule, the first batch of vehicles&nbsp;will&nbsp;be for sale by the end of this year.&nbsp;</p> <div class="media_embed" height="422px" width="750px"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FI8AemQcclY" title="YouTube video player" width="750px"></iframe></div> <p>Menton&nbsp;says there is “no such thing as a typical day in the office” at Opener, and that every one of the company’s 50 employees needs to wear multiple hats.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>For example, in addition to her work on&nbsp;propulsion design,&nbsp;Menton&nbsp;recently took on the role of&nbsp;flight testing co-ordinator. Managing field safety protocols, personnel&nbsp;and service&nbsp;schedules, hardware availability&nbsp;and changing weather conditions&nbsp;across three test sites&nbsp;has been a challenge, Menton&nbsp;says. But she adds that time management is one of her strengths.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I remember&nbsp;when I was in first year, I&nbsp;found for the first time that I&nbsp;couldn’t do everything I wanted to,” she says. “I was working on problem sets with my classmates until 2 a.m., and then I had to be up for varsity basketball practice at 6 a.m.&nbsp;You learn how to function under pressure, and how to get everything filed into slots throughout the day.”&nbsp;</p> <p>During her undergrad, Menton also&nbsp;managed to&nbsp;carve out time to&nbsp;participate&nbsp;in high school outreach programs for young women who may be considering engineering careers. In part, she wanted to give back after being mentored by female professors such as Dean Emerita&nbsp;<strong>Cristina Amon</strong>&nbsp;and Professor&nbsp;<strong>Jean Zu</strong>, who is now dean of the Schaefer School of Engineering and Science&nbsp;at Stevens Institute of Technology.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Menton recently appeared&nbsp;in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/rob-magazine/article-changemakers-canada-faces-serious-challenges-but-these-leaders-show/">“Changemakers”&nbsp;issue</a> of the <em>Globe and Mail</em>’s&nbsp;<em>Report on Business</em>&nbsp;magazine.</p> <p>What advice would she give to those who want to follow in her footsteps?</p> <p>&nbsp;“Learn to deal with failure,” she says. “It’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen unexpectedly, but the ability to deal with that failure&nbsp;is what&nbsp;matters.”</p> <p>Menton also notes that women are still forced to overcome challenges in the workplace.</p> <p>“As you climb the ranks, you’ll notice fewer and fewer women around you. At those times, it’s important to speak your mind, to not take&nbsp;‘no’&nbsp;for an answer and to find other women who can support you. I’ve had those mentors and I continue to find them now. They can help you keep pushing for what you actually want.”&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 26 Apr 2021 15:18:56 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 169192 at At age 18, ֱ's youngest grad has accomplished more than most – and she's just getting started /news/age-18-u-t-s-youngest-grad-has-accomplished-more-most-and-she-s-just-getting-started <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">At age 18, ֱ's youngest grad has accomplished more than most – and she's just getting started</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT85566_2020-05-26-Maddy%20Zhang%20%285%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=K0nUGvj0 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/UofT85566_2020-05-26-Maddy%20Zhang%20%285%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=es4aMyQI 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/UofT85566_2020-05-26-Maddy%20Zhang%20%285%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=LtzqpiW7 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT85566_2020-05-26-Maddy%20Zhang%20%285%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=K0nUGvj0" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-05-27T13:40:26-04:00" title="Wednesday, May 27, 2020 - 13:40" class="datetime">Wed, 05/27/2020 - 13:40</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">In addition to earning an undergraduate degree in engineering science, Maddy (Xiaoxiao) Zhang speaks three languages, danced ballet and has a black belt in taekwondo. She plans to pursue a master's in aerospace engineering (photo by Johnny Guatto)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/geoffrey-vendeville" hreflang="en">Geoffrey Vendeville</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2020" hreflang="en">Convocation 2020</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-stories" hreflang="en">Graduate Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/aerospace" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">ֱ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innis-college" hreflang="en">Innis College</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utias" hreflang="en">UTIAS</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">"A lot of learning in one person"</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Maddy (Xiaoxiao) Zhang</strong> knew how to read by the time she was two years old. By Grade 1, she had mastered multiplication tables.</p> <p>At age 11, she visited the University of Toronto on a family trip from Beijing, fell in love with the old buildings on campus and decided she wanted to study here one day.</p> <p>That day came just three years later. Zhang <a href="/news/meet-u-t-s-youngest-student-she-s-setting-her-sights-stars">was the youngest student in her year when she began in 2016</a>&nbsp;and probably the youngest-ever student in engineering science, a demanding program in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering&nbsp;where students simultaneously learn Newtonian mechanics, epsilon-delta calculus proofs and human-centred engineering design.</p> <p>Next week, Zhang, now 18, will obtain her undergraduate degree at an age when most students are just beginning university. After saying her good-byes to her “engineering science family” in Toronto, she’s off to the Netherlands to pursue a master’s in aerospace engineering.</p> <p>“Over the past four years, I feel I’ve been working toward a goal of making sure that age is not my only narrative,” she says over the phone from her university dorm, where she’s lived the past four years.</p> <p>“I don’t want it to be the only thing that defines me.”</p> <p>To be sure, she’s no different from most other students graduating from ֱ this June. Like her classmates, Zhang has ambitious plans — in her case, earning another degree and making a meaningful contribution to her chosen field: aerodynamics and sustainable aviation. At the same time, she shares that, just like anyone else, she faced unexpected setbacks and navigated periods of self-doubt, particularly in first year.</p> <p>“Everyone learned a lot about engineering and also everyone probably learned more about who they are and who they want to be, and it's the same case with me,” she says.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/2017-03-15-zhang_0.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Maddy Zhang (left), works on a robotic arm in 2017 with first-year classmates, Lorna Lan (centre) and Brytni Richards (photo by Roberta Baker)</em></p> <p>When Zhang arrived on campus, she was a shy, diminutive 14-year-old with purple glasses. But she still managed to blend in seamlessly with the other first-years.</p> <p><strong>Charlie Keil</strong>, the principal of ֱ’s Innis College, was notified that a particularly young student was moving into the Innis residence, but it was only much later, during a dinner on campus for new students in residence, that he learned who that student actually was. “A student beside me, who I’d been talking to already, whispered ‘I’m the girl who’s 14’,” he recalls. “I had no idea.”</p> <p>As he got to know Zhang over the years, Keil says he had formed the impression that being younger than her peers wasn’t much of a challenge for Zhang. “She possesses a preternatural amount of self-confidence and approaches things very positively,” he says.</p> <p>Zhang didn’t keep her age a secret, but she didn’t bring it up unless she had to. Even still, word spread among her classmates that there was a 14-year-old in their midst. One day, in a course on structural engineering, one of her teammates on a project tried to solve the mystery by guessing other students’ ages. When Zhang told him she was the youngest student, he couldn’t believe it.</p> <p>“He jumped out of the chair,” Zhang recalls. “He was 20 at the time, so I guess he felt a bit old.”</p> <p><strong>Kim Lau </strong>became friends with Zhang in first year. On the surface, they seemed an unlikely pair: a minor and a mature student who, just shy of her 30th birthday, had gone back to university after working as a dental hygienist.</p> <p>Lau, who speaks Cantonese, called Zhang “mei mei” (little sister) – but Zhang joked that Lau’s intonation made it sound like she was saying “beautiful lady.”</p> <p>More than her age, it was Zhang’s attitude that impressed Lau. Zhang was always game to learn new things and seemed to know a lot already. She rides a unicycle around campus. She draws for fun – and as a way to sharpen her mind and learn to focus. She’s fluent in two languages, Mandarin and English, and can get by in Norwegian.</p> <p>She’s also a black belt in taekwondo and dances ballet. (She started taking martial arts and dance classes at the same time because her mom wanted her to be “elegant but tough,” according to Zhang.)</p> <p>“That’s a lot of learning in one person,” Lau says.</p> <p>When Zhang’s 16th birthday finally rolled around, Lau planned to make the event one Zhang would remember. After a workshop, a weary Zhang headed back to the engineering science students’ common room. When the lights flicked on she saw she was surrounded by friends and two Costco sheet cakes – one vanilla, one chocolate – set out on a long table.</p> <p>“That was just so heartwarming,” Zhang recalls. “Every time I feel lonely or miss my home, I think to that moment and I know that I’m never alone because engsci are like my family, sort of. In a weird way, since I left home I feel like engsci sort of raised me.”</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/maddy-bday.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Left: Zhang cuts a cake at a surprise16th-birthday party organized by her fellow classmates. Right: handwritten messages in a birthday card&nbsp;(photos courtesy of Maddy Zhang)</em></p> <p>Even for someone as bright as Zhang, university wasn’t always easy. In her first year especially, Zhang missed her parents who live outside of Canada. And she felt insecure about her grasp of programming, which she hadn’t studied before university unlike many of her classmates.</p> <p>“I realized that all I needed was confidence,” she says. “When I started university there were a lot of things I needed to overcome. Some of these things were because of my age; some were not.”</p> <p>Zhang could always count on her engineering science family for support – in Toronto and beyond. She made friends on the other side of the Atlantic through a programming internship at a tech startup in Norway. The thought of a 15-year-old interning at a tech company was unusual enough to <a href="https://www.digi.no/artikler/madeline-15-er-praktikant-i-norske-lucidtech-i-sommer-mens-hun-tar-en-it-bachelor/398182">land Zhang in the Norwegian news</a>. Her boss raved about her independence, talent and impressive grasp of Norwegian after just a few short months (Zhang still practises Norwegian with Duolingo and by reading the Norwegian newspapers out loud).</p> <p>She put her Norwegian to good use again last summer, when she landed a research position&nbsp;at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim through ֱ’s&nbsp;Engineering Science Research Opportunities Program (ESROP).&nbsp;There, she worked with Associate Professor <strong>Jason Hearst</strong>, a ֱ engineering science alumnus, on a project related to the physics of turbulent flows. On Zhang’s first day in the lab, <strong>Leon Li</strong>, a PhD candidate and another ֱ alumnus, took her around the room making introductions, making sure to point out Zhang’s age.</p> <p>“Universal shock,” he recalls. “I quickly learned not to think ‘when I was your age, I was …’ because there was just no comparison.”</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/in_front_of_UC.jpg" alt>Zhang specialized in the aerospace stream of engineering science in part because it combines interesting math and physics, but also because air travel has many sustainability-related hurdles to overcome.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Her involvement in ֱ’s aerospace team, which designs and builds drones, rockets and satellites, also got Zhang hooked. “Seeing a man-made thing fly is just so satisfying,” she says. “It’s like magic.”</p> <p>From a sustainability point of view, “it can have a really large impact and there are so many challenging problems that still exist,” she says, citing efforts to reduce drag and noise.</p> <p>She points to another sustainability-minded teenager as inspiration.</p> <p>“Greta Thunberg, she’s around my age basically,” she says of the Swedish environmental activist who is just one year Zhang’s junior. “She did an amazing job being an activist … but I want to work toward the same goal in my own way –&nbsp; in my engineering way.”</p> <p>She pressed on toward that goal in her final year working on research with <strong>Philippe Lavoie</strong>, an associate professor and associate director of the Centre for Research in Sustainable Aviation at ֱ’s Institute for Aerospace Studies, or UTIAS. The results of that research are being prepared for publication in a scientific journal.</p> <p>While the COVID-19 pandemic has grounded flights around the world and raised questions about the future of air travel, Zhang is undeterred. Borrowing language from robotics, she says she’s “activated this control system.”</p> <p>“When there are disturbances along the way – and COVID is like one giant disturbance – just make sure you have a goal in mind, and you can adjust your daily life around that, but still aim toward that goal.”</p> <p>The next stop in her academic journey is the Delft University of Technology, where she will be pursuing a master’s degree in aerospace engineering on a full scholarship that covers tuition and living expenses.</p> <p>Although Zhang says she took the “express pass” to university, she’s not afraid to slow down and take everything in.</p> <p>She plans to celebrate her graduation by watching <a href="/news/historic-u-t-convocation-ceremony-recognize-strength-and-incredible-talents-class-2020">ֱ’s virtual convocation event on June 2</a> and having a video call with her closest friends. She may also take a stroll around campus, if the sun is shining, and perhaps squeeze in a little work. One thing that’s not in the cards: celebrating with a glass of champagne. That, she says, will have to wait until she is of legal drinking age.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 27 May 2020 17:40:26 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 164728 at Why do astronauts get cavities? ֱ students drill into the data /news/why-do-astronauts-get-cavities-u-t-student-researchers-drill-data <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Why do astronauts get cavities? ֱ students drill into the data</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/STS051-10-025_crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=tr0kYoSY 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/STS051-10-025_crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=EckDEk1O 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/STS051-10-025_crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=syYR9uaA 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/STS051-10-025_crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=tr0kYoSY" alt="Astronauts brushing their teeth on the Space Shuttle Discovery"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-12-13T17:24:23-05:00" title="Friday, December 13, 2019 - 17:24" class="datetime">Fri, 12/13/2019 - 17:24</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Astronauts Daniel Bursch and Frank Culbertson brush their teeth in orbit (photo by JSC/NASA)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/blake-eligh" hreflang="en">Blake Eligh</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/aerospace" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">ֱ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/canadian-space-agency" hreflang="en">Canadian Space Agency</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/chemical-engineering" hreflang="en">Chemical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-and-innovation" hreflang="en">Research and Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/space" hreflang="en">Space</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">ֱ Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Curiosity and a passion for research is taking four University of Toronto students to the final frontiers of health and space. The student research team recently&nbsp;presented a paper at an international conference of space experts&nbsp;– the first step in a process that could inform future research into the dental woes of space travellers&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Rachel Stubits</strong>, a third-year molecular biology student at ֱ Mississauga, is lead author on the project, which seeks to understand why astronauts suffer more dental problems than their earthbound peers.&nbsp;</p> <p>She got the idea for the project&nbsp;in 2018&nbsp;when she stumbled upon a fact&nbsp;that piqued her curiosity.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Dental caries – also known as tooth decay or cavities – are the single-most non-communicable disease in the world,” says Stubits. “More than 97 per cent of people on Earth will experience it at some point in their lifetimes.”</p> <p>While prevention and treatment protocols on Earth are well-documented, Stubits wanted to know more about those who didn’t have ready access to treatment.</p> <p>“I wondered about people who are really far removed from our health-care system,” she says. “You can’t get much farther away than space.”</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/rachel-stubits_0.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Rachel Stubits and her co-researchers – two current ֱ students and one alumna&nbsp;– presented their work at the&nbsp;70th International Astronautical Congress&nbsp;in Washington, D.C. (photo by Saumya Mathur)&nbsp;</em></p> <p>Tooth decay occurs when sugar-loving bacteria produce acidic by-products that can erode tooth enamel and, if untreated, lead to painful infections. The issue is particularly problematic for astronauts, with some studies suggesting that prolonged exposure to microgravity may increase the prevalence of dental caries.&nbsp;</p> <p>Space agencies currently manage dental health with pre-flight assessment and prevention measures and post-flight treatments, but dental abscesses are the main medical reason behind medical evacuation from spacecraft because it’s difficult to treat in space.</p> <p>The statistics behind current research warrant further investigation. “There are so many differences between humans on Earth and humans in space that could be contributing to the incidence rate of dental caries,” she says, noting that variables such as air quality, diet, hygiene&nbsp;or even gravity itself may contribute to the development of dental caries.</p> <p>“It’s difficult to pinpoint because of the small sample size and the number of variables.”</p> <p>In October 2018, Stubits joined ֱ’s Aerospace Team to develop a protocol for a review of literature about the issue. Her co-authors include fellow ֱ Mississauga&nbsp;molecular biology student&nbsp;<strong>Anisha Hundal</strong>,&nbsp;chemical engineering undergraduate student&nbsp;<strong>Claire Velikonja&nbsp;</strong>and alumna&nbsp;<strong>Wendy Yao</strong>,<strong>&nbsp;</strong>whose expertise includes global health and immunology. Their project lays the groundwork for a more detailed literature review that could inform future research into dental health in space.&nbsp;</p> <p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3bCoGC532p8" width="750"></iframe></p> <p>The team completed the protocol project in the summer of 2019 and, with funding from the Canadian Space Agency, Yao travelled to Washington, D.C. in October to present the team’s work at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.iac2019.org/">70th International Astronautical Congress</a>. The event draws an international and multidisciplinary group of agencies, companies, associations and institutes to advance knowledge and foster global cooperation in the development of space assets.</p> <p>“It’s so exciting to have the Canadian Space Agency take a chance on students,” Stubits says.</p> <p>The group’s work is an important first step in the process of solving the problem of cavities in space.</p> <p>“Dental caries will become a bigger problem as the duration of space missions become longer and people are travelling in space for months or even years,” Stubits says. “We hope to solidify our understanding of the incidence rate, what is potentially causing it&nbsp;and the possibility of microgravity being the culprit.”&nbsp;</p> <p>In early 2020, the team will begin work on a scoping review to discover potential patterns within the existing research. “There may be a difference in the ability of&nbsp;<em>Streptococcus&nbsp;</em>bacteria to succeed in causing dental caries in space without gravity,” Stubits says. “We would love to see this review help researchers in this field&nbsp;– especially those who study simulated microgravity on Earth&nbsp;– to decide what to focus their efforts on.”&nbsp;</p> <p>“I think working on a literature review is one of the most successful research formats for undergraduate students with a bit of extra time on their hands.This is all about collaboration, and it’s something that I love about research.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 13 Dec 2019 22:24:23 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 161273 at Expanded horizons: ֱ student Saanjali Maharaj interns at NASA, seeks to inspire women in STEM /news/expanded-horizons-u-t-student-saanjali-maharaj-interns-nasa-seeks-inspire-women-stem <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Expanded horizons: ֱ student Saanjali Maharaj interns at NASA, seeks to inspire women in STEM </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/saanjali-and-Yvonne-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Unbf4YsT 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/saanjali-and-Yvonne-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=zuKst8_o 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/saanjali-and-Yvonne-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4rG8NctZ 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/saanjali-and-Yvonne-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=Unbf4YsT" alt="photo of Saanjali Maharaj and astronaut Yvonne Cagle"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-07-23T15:59:42-04:00" title="Tuesday, July 23, 2019 - 15:59" class="datetime">Tue, 07/23/2019 - 15:59</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Fascinated with space since she was a small child, Saanjali Maharaj met astronaut Yvonne Cagle during her internship at NASA's Ames Research Centre (photo courtesy of Saanjali Maharaj)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/liz-do" hreflang="en">Liz Do</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/aerospace" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/space" hreflang="en">Space</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergraduate-students" hreflang="en">Undergraduate Students</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Saanjali Maharaj</strong>’s summer research internship at NASA was a high point in a life spent pursuing all things outer space.</p> <p>It started with watching <em>Star Trek</em> at age four. She later joined astronomy club at school and spent a summer at the University of Toronto’s <a href="https://outreach.engineering.utoronto.ca/pre-university-programs/deep/deep-summer-academy/">Da Vinci Engineering Education Program</a> (DEEP) Summer Academy, where she took a course on spacecraft and orbital mechanics.</p> <p>Now as a third-year engineering science student, she – not surprisingly – chose to major in aerospace.</p> <p>Yet, while space exploration is incredibly exciting to Maharaj, she’s also keen to see what studying that stars can accomplish closer to home.</p> <p>“I’m learning that there are also many aerospace applications that can improve life on Earth,” says Maharaj, who is interning at the NASA Ames Research Centre in Moffett Field, Calif.</p> <p>At NASA, Maharaj is part of a team developing drones to assist emergency responders in controlling wildfires.</p> <p>Part way through her internship, Maharaj recently chatted with ֱ Engineering writer <strong>Liz Do</strong>&nbsp;about her NASA experience so far.</p> <hr> <p><strong>What made you want to pursue this internship?</strong></p> <p>The fantastic epics my father told me when I was little, featuring the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, began my fascination with space.</p> <p>And in the wake of <a href="https://www.space.com/artemis-program.html">NASA’s Artemis program</a>, which includes putting the first woman on the moon, for me –&nbsp;a young woman with a penchant for aerospace – NASA was the ideal organization at which to intern.</p> <p><strong>Tell me about your internship.</strong></p> <p>I am a research intern in the branch of Rotorcraft Aeromechanics. I’m a member of a three-person team working to develop a drone to assist emergency responders in controlling wildland fires. My focus is on thermal systems, so I’m responsible for ensuring that our drone is able to withstand the extreme temperatures.</p> <p><strong>What’s the experience been like?</strong></p> <p>It has been a completely surreal experience – I’m surrounded by some of the greatest minds in the field. We are fortunate to have a summer seminar series, which allows us to attend talks such as a discussion on the <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/what-is-artemis/">Artemis Mission</a> by the chief scientist of NASA, and a seminar on black hole imaging by computer scientist <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/apr/11/katie-bouman-black-hole-photo">Katherine Bouman</a>.</p> <p>Apart from these talks, it feels like a privilege to be immersed in an atmosphere where innovative ideas are constantly being discussed and explored, so that even the simple act of eating in the cafeteria becomes an opportunity for learning and exposure.</p> <p><strong>What does a typical day look like?</strong></p> <p>On my way to and from work, I pass the iconic Hangar One, a decommissioned zeppelin hangar, and the world’s largest wind tunnel.</p> <p>In the office, we have regular team meetings and check-ins with our mentors. A couple times a week, we get an email from the head of the aeromechanics department, Dr. William Warmbrodt, announcing special events like a talk by the creator of RotCFD, a high-tech tool for aerodynamic simulations, or a tour of the drive system of the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex Wind Tunnel.</p> <p>After work, I sometimes go for a run and look to see which planes are parked at the airfield on base.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/nasa-embed.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>A group photo of the NASA aeromechanics interns in front of their building (photo courtesy of&nbsp;Saanjali Maharaj)</em></p> <p><strong>What have been some of your highlights?</strong></p> <p>I was privileged to tour some amazing facilities, like the NASA Advanced Supercomputing facility and the Mars Roverscape.</p> <p>I’m also in the process of training to use the various facilities available at the Space Shop, the makerspace here, including the 3D printers and laser cutters. After spending a lot of time at the Myhal Centre’s Light Fabrication Facility last semester, I’m excited to be in a similar environment.</p> <p><strong>How will this internship contribute to your future endeavours?</strong></p> <p>The placement has allowed me to expand my horizons beyond space in terms of future topics for research.</p> <p>I’m excited about the project I was assigned since wildfires are a common occurrence in my home country of Trinidad and Tobago, where we experience six-month dry seasons. I hope to continue working on this topic and similar projects in the future to have a meaningful impact on communities throughout the world.</p> <p>I’m also grateful for the opportunity provided by this placement to make connections with well-established researchers in the industry. I make it a point to attend every talk and learn about the contributions that are being made in the aerospace field.</p> <p><strong>What do you hope to do once you graduate? </strong></p> <p>I wish to pursue graduate studies in the aerospace field. My hope is to work in the aerospace industry and promote research and development in this field in Trinidad and Tobago, since – while we have many brilliant minds – there is still not enough investment in this industry at present.</p> <p>I hope to inspire future generations, and especially encourage young girls to pursue studies and careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Here, I have the opportunity to meet many amazing women in the field, and I want to continue that culture of mentorship.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 23 Jul 2019 19:59:42 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 157335 at A place for space? ֱ startup builds out a global satellite network – from downtown Toronto /news/place-space-u-t-startup-builds-out-global-satellite-network-downtown-toronto <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">A place for space? ֱ startup builds out a global satellite network – from downtown Toronto</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/0304_Kepler-Mitry-Osborne-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=SrTogiPD 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/0304_Kepler-Mitry-Osborne-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=9S4p5-bR 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/0304_Kepler-Mitry-Osborne-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=qWqIJAV0 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/0304_Kepler-Mitry-Osborne-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=SrTogiPD" alt="Photo of Jeffrey Osborne and Mina Mitry"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-03-15T12:25:34-04:00" title="Friday, March 15, 2019 - 12:25" class="datetime">Fri, 03/15/2019 - 12:25</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Co-founders Jeffrey Osborne and Mina Mitry say they're luring back Canadian talent from around the world as Kepler Communications builds out a network of 140 pint-sized communications satellites (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/chris-sorensen" hreflang="en">Chris Sorensen</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ontario-impact" hreflang="en">Ontario Impact</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/aerospace" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">ֱ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/creative-destruction-lab" hreflang="en">Creative Destruction Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship-hatchery" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship Hatchery</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innovation-entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-school-management" hreflang="en">Rotman School of Management</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/satellites" hreflang="en">Satellites</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/space" hreflang="en">Space</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/thisistheplace" hreflang="en">ThisIsThePlace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utias" hreflang="en">UTIAS</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Located above a strip of Spadina Avenue populated by nail salons, currency exchange vendors and a leather supply store, the fourth-floor&nbsp;office of Kepler Communications&nbsp;looks like that of any other tech startup – exposed heating ducts, open concept layout, a large conference table for meetings.</p> <p>That is, until you spot the control room.&nbsp;</p> <p>Inside the glass walls, an operator stares at a bank of six large computer screens that display data from Kepler’s tiny&nbsp;communications satellites as they streak overhead, from pole to pole,&nbsp;at an altitude of about 600 kilometres. Above his head are four clocks displaying the local times of Kepler’s ground-based antennae&nbsp;in&nbsp;Markham, Ont., Inuvik, N.W.T.,&nbsp; and Svalbard, Norway, as well as co-ordinated universal time or UTC.</p> <p>With 30 employees and counting, it's all part of Kepler's grand plan to build a low-cost constellation of 140 communications satellites over the next several years.</p> <p>“We're going to be a global telecommunications network,” says CEO <strong>Mina Mitry</strong>, who did both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at ֱ in aerospace engineering.</p> <p>“That's not something to shy away from. For the cost of the capital expenditure we've incurred, who else in the world has been able to do that?”</p> <p>With two satellites already in operation, Kepler is currently test driving a product called Global Data Service with customers. The high-bandwidth service allows companies to send bulk data from fixed locations or moving vessels anywhere in the world – not unlike&nbsp;a space-based Dropbox.&nbsp;Already companies are using the service to send data from remote locations, including the High Arctic, where there is either no ground network infrastructure or satellite transmission costs are prohibitive. In the near future, Kepler also plans to help companies track shipping containers, construction equipment and other assets around the globe.</p> <p>Ultimately, Kepler's grand vision includes&nbsp;extending its low-cost network connectivity beyond Earth so that satellites and other space vehicles can talk to each other, paving the way for a host of novel applications – from real-time tracking of autonomous vehicle fleets to monitoring first responders working in disaster zones. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>"When we get to that stage, we will be right on the cusp of not only providing true connectivity globally, but also extra-terrestrially – other devices that are up in orbit, which have traditionally never had that form of connectivity.”</p> <h3><a href="/entrepreneurs?utm_source=UofTHome&amp;utm_medium=WebsiteBanner&amp;utm_content=UTE2019">Read more about entrepreneurship at ֱ</a></h3> <p>If the idea of providing the communications backbone for a new “space economy” in Toronto seems fanciful, Mitry is quick to assure that it’s not.</p> <p>“I think we have the right talent, the right universities – we've got an incredible wealth of knowledge – and people that want to come back to Canada just to work for Kepler," he says.</p> <p>In fact, Mitry estimates that a full 15 per cent of the company’s employees have been “repatriated” from places like Silicon Valley, Seattle and countries in Europe. These are bright minds who left Canada in search of exciting careers, he says, but are now being drawn back by the opportunity to work for&nbsp;innovative local companies&nbsp;that&nbsp;are helping fuel Toronto’s tech boom.</p> <p>Nor is it just Kepler that has spotted an opportunity for Canadian startups at edges of Earth's atmosphere. The Creative Destruction Lab, a seed-stage accelerator affiliated with ֱ’s Rotman School of Management, last spring launched a dedicated stream for space-focused startups. Its lead mentor is none other than Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10463 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/0304_Kepler-control-room-%28embed%29.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>An operator monitors Kepler's satellites from a control room inside the company's headquarters on Spadina Avenue (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</em></p> <p>Kepler’s origins can be traced to the University of Toronto Aerospace Team, a not-for-profit initiative Mitry helped build during his graduate studies. Originally focused on building aircraft and drones for competitions, the group later moved into rocketry and satellites – all while growing its membership from about five to over 100 people.</p> <p>That’s where Mitry met fellow co-founder and current vice-president of strategy and business development <strong>Jeffrey Osborne</strong>, as well as Kepler's other two co-founders <strong>Mark Michael</strong> and <strong>Wen Cheng Chong</strong>. The group's work on the team provided them with early insight into how the space industry’s once insurmountable barriers to entry were steadily being eroded thanks to shared launch vehicles and a changing regulatory environment.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We understood that deeply,” Mitry says. “But the rest of the world may still have had the common misconception that, 'Well, you're not Lockheed Martin, you're not a major aerospace contractor, therefore you can’t access space.’”</p> <p>It wasn’t long before the group spotted an opportunity to prove such conventional thinking wrong.</p> <p>Kepler’s co-founders decided there was money to be made by using a low-cost satellite platform and high-bandwidth service. So they focused on CubeSats and the Ku-band frequency, which allows for particularly high data throughputs. Their efforts were supported by ֱ’s Entrepreneurship Hatchery and Start @ UTIAS – just two of the many entrepreneurship hubs on campus.</p> <p>While there were some significant engineering hurdles to overcome with regards to miniaturizing components, Kepler managed to successfully put its first microsatellite into orbit in early 2018 after launching from a rocket in northwestern China. It followed up the feat with a second launch of a similar satellite ten months later – this time on a rocket that blasted off from India.</p> <p>One of Kepler’s existing clients is the German shipping company F. Laeisz, which operates an icebreaking vessel called the Polarstern that spends most of its life outside the range of typical geostationary communications satellites. The crew plans to use the Global Data Service to send back to shore giant files that include high-resolution imagery, data logs and video.</p> <p>A third satellite is scheduled to be launched this spring or summer. Unlike the first two, this one will also be equipped with narrow-band communications equipment. It’s designed&nbsp;to provide a more cellular-like data service to connect smaller assets such as remote sensors in weather stations or moving containers and rail cars.</p> <p>Osborne says the narrow-band service will target industrial customers who want insight into questions like: “Where is my asset while its moving around the globe? What is the temperature of my asset? Has it been damaged or stolen?” It's basically a&nbsp;way to provide global connectivity, from space, for what's known as the Internet of Things, or IOT.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10472 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/KIPP-render-%28embed%29.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>A rendering of one of Kepler's tiny, low-cost satellites, which aren't much&nbsp;bigger than a loaf of bread (image courtesy of Kepler Communications)</em></p> <p>Kepler’s efforts to build out its constellation received a boost after it successfully raised US$16 million in financing last fall. It plans to have the first generation of the network in place, consisting of 10 to 15 spacecraft, by early 2020. It’s also planning to add two more antenna sites in Norway and New Zealand.</p> <p>Of course, Kepler isn’t the only company eyeing space-based communications networks. Elon Musk’s SpaceX, for example, last year received approvals from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to move ahead with plans to put as many as 12,000 satellites in orbit with the goal of providing global Internet connectivity. Each satellite in the proposed Starlink network would be about the size of a car.</p> <p>How does Kepler plan to compete?&nbsp;Osborne says the startup was deliberate in its decision to focus narrowly on commercial customers, and has&nbsp;amassed a favourable regulatory position in the marketplace “that gives us advantages when it comes to being able to offer different types of services.”</p> <p>Being based in Canada also has its benefits.&nbsp;Kepler has more opportunity to take advantage of global launch schedules than its American competitors because it’s not subject to U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, according to Mitry. He adds that Kepler has also benefited from Canada’s more favourable immigration laws when it comes to hiring global talent.</p> <p>But the biggest difference between Kepler and many of its competitors comes from its strategic decision, made early on, to use a cheaper, more nimble fleet&nbsp;of satellites. Each one has a three- to five-year lifespan as opposed to a decade or more for more conventional spacecraft.</p> <p>“That means we can get our satellites into orbit quicker, which means we can respond to new market demands much quicker,” Osborne says. “It also means we can incorporate new technologies into our assets to respond, again, to changing market demands or new innovations coming online.</p> <p>"We have the advantage of being able to fill in the gaps of connectivity a little bit easier than some of these other operators that are building mega-constellations."</p> <p>Score one&nbsp;– actually 140, if all goes to plan&nbsp;– for the little guy.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:25:34 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 155509 at From paper aircraft to the real thing: ֱ graduates develop next-gen drone /news/paper-aircraft-real-thing-u-t-graduates-develop-next-gen-drone <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">From paper aircraft to the real thing: ֱ graduates develop next-gen drone</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-1-11Sky-guys-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=maMBaEd_ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2019-1-11Sky-guys-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=nOnDANWZ 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2019-1-11Sky-guys-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=GJuO3eiA 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-1-11Sky-guys-%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=maMBaEd_" alt="photo of the DX-3 Vanguard drone and the team behind it"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-01-11T13:14:10-05:00" title="Friday, January 11, 2019 - 13:14" class="datetime">Fri, 01/11/2019 - 13:14</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The DX-3 Vanguard is put to the test at Markham Airport. The hybrid drone features vertical take-off and landing, long-range communications and cloud-based analytics (photo courtesy of the Sky Guys)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/erica-rae-chong" hreflang="en">Erica Rae Chong</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/aerospace" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">ֱ</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Jeremy Wang</strong>’s career in aerospace engineering started with folding a simple paper airplane.&nbsp;</p> <p>Today, he’s leading a team of designers – including many fellow University of Toronto engineering graduates – to create and test an ambitious long-range drone capable of vertical takeoffs and landings.</p> <p>In his first year as an undergraduate, Wang picked up a cleverly-designed paper airplane flyer from the University of Toronto Aerospace Team, or UTAT, at the engineering club fair.</p> <p>“I distinctly remember thinking ‘I’m not interested in aerospace, I’m never going to use this,’” he says.&nbsp;</p> <p>“But for reasons that I honestly don’t remember, I ended up going to their first meeting with a bunch of friends and thought ‘Wow! This is actually really cool.’”</p> <p>Wang would eventually become the group’s executive director and lead a major expansion of the team. His work earned the attention of the New York-based Aviation Week Network, which named him to <a href="https://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/engineering-student-alumnus-named-list-future-aerospace-leaders/">a prestigious industry list of future engineering leaders</a>.</p> <p>But it was his <a href="https://news.engineering.utoronto.ca/professional-experience-year-four-u-t-engineering-students-bring-technical-professional-competencies-industry-challenges/">co-op position at The Sky Guys</a>,&nbsp;a local drone company, that set him on the path to his current project. Now the firm’s chief technology officer, Wang and a nine-person team aim to design an unpiloted aerial vehicle, or UAV, that combines the best features of both fixed-wing and multi-rotor drones.</p> <p>Traditionally, fixed-wing UAVs are optimized to fly long distances, but they require a long runway or launch rail to take off and land. By contrast, multi-rotor UAVs can perform vertical take-off and landings, but are less efficient for long-distance flying and have a shorter battery life.</p> <p>The teams’&nbsp;creation – the DX-3 Vanguard – features multiple rotors spread across a fixed-wing body making it capable of vertical takeoffs before transitioning into forward flight. The hybrid aircraft can theoretically carry a payload of up to three kilograms, stay aloft for up to 24 hours, and cover up to 1,500 kilometres before refuelling.</p> <p>Wang says the prototype can communicate via radio, cellular or satellite signal. “As a pilot, you can be flying the DX-3 Vanguard in Toronto while the drone itself is flying on the west coast of Canada, and you can maintain connectivity over satellite link,” he says.</p> <p>The drone is also equipped with a cloud-based data management system, allowing users to process, upload and view images and video data from the DX-3 on a secure platform.</p> <p>Such a drone could be used for a wide range of applications. While Wang declined to provide details specific to the DX-3, he reveals that one of the Sky Guys' key partners is the Ontario Ministry of Transportation. The team was awarded a $750,000 innovation grant in 2017 to develop an artificial intelligence-enabled drone to perform highway enforcement tasks. These could include determining the number of passengers in high-occupancy vehicle lanes, tracking the speed of drivers or monitoring road conditions.</p> <p>Current federal regulations prohibit drones from flying beyond line-of-sight without a special permit, but Wang remains optimistic regulations will change in the near future. The team has&nbsp;begun early-stage testing of the DX-3 within visual range at Markham Airport, north of Toronto, with plans to test equipment without line-of-sight in the future.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9953 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/2019-1-11-SkyGuys-workshop%28embed%29.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>&nbsp;The prototype drone can communicate via radio, cellular or satellite signal, potentially allowing the operator to fly from the other side of the country (photo courtesy of Sky Guys)</em></p> <p>So far, the team has&nbsp;evaluated basic functional and performance characteristics, including conventional takeoffs and landings,&nbsp;payload envelope and communications. But the biggest challenge the team had to overcome was&nbsp;human in nature.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Aerospace engineering involves so many disciplines that have to work together in unison – mechanical, electrical, flight operations, etc.&nbsp;– without necessarily understanding what each person is doing,” says Wang.</p> <p>“The challenge was nailing that interdisciplinary coordination.”</p> <p>In addition to Wang, the team includes alumni&nbsp;<strong>Lucais Kwon</strong>, <strong>Carl Pigeon</strong>, <strong>Carson Dueck</strong>, <strong>Hussein Khimji</strong> and <strong>Thomas Ulph</strong>, many of whom were also involved in UTAT.</p> <p>“I think this team is a testament to ֱ engineering,” Wang says. “The faculty provides a very solid and rigorous academic foundation, but also a very rich co-curricular environment where you can join design teams, take part in competitions and supplement theory with experiential learning.”</p> <p>“It’s also kind of nice to have that continuity between friends you meet in university and the people you spend most of your day with,” he adds.&nbsp;</p> <p>“It’s what I’m most excited about when I come to work every day.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 11 Jan 2019 18:14:10 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 150813 at Bombardier invests in Toronto aerospace hub, creates ֱ research centre on aircraft noise /news/bombardier-invests-toronto-aerospace-hub-creates-u-t-research-centre-aircraft-noise <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Bombardier invests in Toronto aerospace hub, creates ֱ research centre on aircraft noise</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-06-20-Downsview-Rene-Beignet-viaFlickr%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=1lgwppTA 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2018-06-20-Downsview-Rene-Beignet-viaFlickr%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=I9Uefyen 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2018-06-20-Downsview-Rene-Beignet-viaFlickr%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=egVAZFtY 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2018-06-20-Downsview-Rene-Beignet-viaFlickr%28weblead%29.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=1lgwppTA" alt="Aerial photo of Downsview Airport"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-06-21T09:44:05-04:00" title="Thursday, June 21, 2018 - 09:44" class="datetime">Thu, 06/21/2018 - 09:44</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">An aerial shot of Toronto’s Downsview Airport, where the Downsview Aerospace &amp; Innovation Research hub is based (photo by Rene Beignet via Flickr)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/chris-sorensen" hreflang="en">Chris Sorensen</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/aerospace" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-aerospace-studies" hreflang="en">Institute for Aerospace Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Bombardier Inc., the Canadian aerospace giant, is planning to spend millions to help establish an aerospace research hub near Downsview Airport with the University of Toronto and other local academic institutions as key partners.</p> <p>The Montreal-based maker of planes and trains said Thursday it will invest $1.5 million over five years to fund core research at an “aeromaterials research centre” at Downsview, where it’s part of a consortium of industry and academic partners, including ֱ, called the Downsview Aerospace &amp; Innovation Research, or DAIR.&nbsp;</p> <p>Starting next year, Bombardier is also investing $1 million over five years to set up new research centres at ֱ and Ryerson University that will be focused on acoustics and advanced interiors, respectively. There will also be funding for landing gear research by Centennial College and the extension of a training program at the college’s Downsview campus.&nbsp;</p> <p>“The idea that this would be well-funded and give us further collaborations with Bombardier is very exciting,” said <strong>Chris Damaren</strong>, the director of the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), adding the institute also plans to seek collaborative research grants from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.</p> <p>Damaren noted that UTIAS has worked with Bombardier on several projects in the past, and that DAIR’s vision includes eventually relocating UTIAS to Downsview Park from its current home near Dufferin Street&nbsp;and Steeles Avenue.</p> <p>In addition to investing in academic and research activities, Bombardier said it will also support DAIR’s operations, providing $900,000 over three years, and work to preserve Downsview’s aerospace heritage. That includes spending $2.5 million to refurbish a heritage building on the Downsview site.&nbsp;</p> <p>Other DAIR partners include Centennial College, York University, Canadensys Aerospace, Safran Landing Systems, Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada, MDA, Flight Safety Canada, Honeywell and UTC Aerospace Systems.</p> <p>Bombardier, which recently announced plans to sell its manufacturing site at Downsview and relocate the operation to Toronto Pearson International Airport, said it’s hoping greater collaboration between industry, academia and government will spur innovation in the Ontario aerospace sector.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Since acquiring de Havilland in 1992, Bombardier has built strong relationships with local institutions to promote aerospace research and innovation,” François Caza, the vice-president of product development and chief engineer of Bombardier’s aerospace division, said in statement.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Through this partnership with DAIR, we commit to supporting the development of this unique ecosystem for many years to come.”</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__8675 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/Philippe-Lavoie_credit-Neil-Ta%28embed%29.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Philippe Lavoie, an associate professor at UTIAS, will be one of two ֱ researchers working with Bombardier to reduce aicraft noise (photo by Neil Ta)</em></p> <p>From ֱ’s perspective, the DAIR consortium represents an opportunity to deepen its relationship with one of Canada’s most innovative global companies in an industry that contributes about $28 billion to the Canadian economy.</p> <p>“The University of Toronto is thrilled to be working alongside Bombardier, as well as the rest of the DAIR consortium, to build out an innovation hub at Downsview,” said <strong>Vivek Goel</strong>, ֱ’s vice-president&nbsp;of research and innovation.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“Bombardier has the size, scale and ambition to turn the cutting-edge aerospace research of its academic partners into real-world applications with the potential to reach millions.”</p> <p><strong>Philippe Lavoie</strong> is one of two ֱ researchers who will be working on noise reduction with Bombardier as part of the new UTIAS research centre. He said aircraft noise is a growing issue as global air traffic increases and urban growth leaves more airports surrounded by housing.</p> <p>“What the aerospace industry is trying to do is make the noise footprint small enough that it fits within the airport itself,” said Lavoie, who is an associate professor at UTIAS.</p> <p>While today’s jet engines are quieter than ever thanks to the advent of geared turbofan technology, the same can’t be said of other aircraft parts like wing slats and flaps and landing gear – which is where the ֱ researchers will focus their attention.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Historically engines were the number one sound emission by far, basically drowning out everything else,” Lavoie said. “But, in recent years with the advent of high bypass ratio turbo engines, they’re getting to the point where other components like high lift devices and landing gear can now be heard.”</p> <p>The challenge, of course, is figuring out novel ways to reduce the noise signature of these components without compromising their core functions – a problem Lavoie says he and fellow UTIAS researcher <strong>Alis Ekmekci</strong>, who will also be working with Bombardier, are well-positioned to help solve.&nbsp;</p> <p>“We’re really hoping to have a significant impact on the next generation of airplane that will come out of Bombardier,” he said.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 21 Jun 2018 13:44:05 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 137511 at Less satellite, more data? ֱ startup will connect the world from space /news/less-satellite-more-data-u-t-startup-will-connect-world-space <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Less satellite, more data? ֱ startup will connect the world from space</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-23-kepler.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=YzplklVp 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-03-23-kepler.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=AHHIurBe 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-03-23-kepler.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4OskTBHI 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-23-kepler.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=YzplklVp" alt="Photo of Kepler staff"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-03-24T12:28:28-04:00" title="Friday, March 24, 2017 - 12:28" class="datetime">Fri, 03/24/2017 - 12:28</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Kepler Communications, an award-winning team of engineering alumni, is building satellites so small that they're no larger than a loaf of bread</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/jennifer-robinson" hreflang="en">Jennifer Robinson</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Jennifer Robinson</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/satellites" hreflang="en">Satellites</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/aerospace" hreflang="en">Aerospace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/creative-destruction-lab" hreflang="en">Creative Destruction Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hatchery" hreflang="en">Hatchery</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startup" hreflang="en">Startup</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>An award-winning team of alumni from ֱ’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering is building satellites so small they could fit in your gym bag. Their startup, Kepler Communications, plans to place 140 of these low-cost “cubesats” into space over the next five years. The first one will blast into orbit this November.</p> <p>Kepler’s orbiting system will make air travel safer, let us instantly detect leaks in remote oil pipelines, help improve crop yields and monitor the heart rates of far-flung emergency<br> rescue workers.</p> <p>Working with ֱ’s innovation incubators, Kepler secured more than US $5 million in funding to develop its technology and bring its first cubesats to market. But their five-year strategy is just the beginning. As Kepler co-founder and CEO <strong>Mina Mitry</strong> says, “Our vision is to provide ubiquitous connectivity to gather the world’s information.”</p> <p><em>ֱ News</em> spoke with&nbsp;Mitry&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Jeff Osborne</strong>, co-founder and&nbsp;vice president, business development of Kepler, ahead of&nbsp;<a href="http://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/entrepreneurshipweek/">Entrepreneurship@UofT Week</a>.&nbsp;</p> <hr> <p><strong>What is your startup?</strong></p> <p><strong>Mina Mitry: </strong>Kepler is on a mission to connect the people and devices that gather the world’s information. We’re deploying the largest constellation of small telecommunications satellites to connect devices on the ground –&nbsp;like oil pipeline monitors and devices in space like satellites that take pictures of the Earth.</p> <p><strong>Jeff Osborne:</strong> In order to reach this mission, what differentiates Kepler is the use of small, low-cost nano satellites. Each one of our nano satellites is around five kilograms in weight and no larger than a loaf of bread.</p> <p><strong>As engineering students at ֱ, when did you first come up with the&nbsp;idea? </strong></p> <p><strong>Mina Mitry:</strong>&nbsp;Jeff and I were both doing graduate studies at U&nbsp;of T. Prior to Jeff starting his PhD, he had been roommates with other people who were founding space companies and had recognized there was this underlying trend of growth in the space sector.</p> <p>So we started together, and then we brought on board two other co-founders, Mark [Michael] and Wen [Cheng Chong], two of the smartest people&nbsp;that I knew in my network who could really help us see this vision through. The four of us left all of our commitments.&nbsp;I turned down further studies and job offers.&nbsp;Jeff left his PhD.&nbsp;Mark left his PhD, and Wen left his full-time job<strong>.&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>We’re now a team of 10 and hoping to be a team of 25 next year.</p> <p><strong>Jeff Osborne:</strong>&nbsp;What was really the root&nbsp;of the company...was that we had all spent a number of years doing student design projects out of the university. We spent three years on the U&nbsp;of T&nbsp;aerospace team where we built small rockets, drones and small satellites together. That was really where we learned how to work together and build&nbsp;those strong bonds of cooperation that still exist&nbsp;and allow&nbsp;us to thrive.</p> <p><strong>What gives your startup an advantage?</strong></p> <p><strong>Mina Mitry:</strong> Our core advantages are&nbsp;technology and regulatory nature.&nbsp;</p> <p>This is very difficult to explain in layman’s terms...you need certain frequencies in order to be able to operate. They’re allocated on a first come, first served basis. Doing them first gives us the priority to be able to use them. Later entrants will have to either abide by constraints that we set out for their systems . . . or they’ll have to lease, buy or do something to work with us.</p> <p>Another key advantage is the really small form factor radios and antennas that we’ve been able to build at a very very low cost. We’re at about one one-hundredth of the next comparable telecommunications satellite [in terms of the size and cost].</p> <p><strong>How are you going to get your satellites into space and when?</strong></p> <p><strong>Jeff Osborne:</strong>&nbsp;For the&nbsp;size of our satellite, in a launch, it is what’s called a secondary payload. Effectively, what you do is piggyback into orbit.</p> <p>When a big launch vehicle goes up –&nbsp;like the next generation Space X –&nbsp;it will have a primary payload on the&nbsp;launch vehicle. But for each launch going up, there’s always excess mass on the vehicle...there’s always extra space in the trunk to put additional satellites on board. Those are called secondary satellites.</p> <p>So, we buy up those secondary tickets for a fraction of the price, and we hitchhike to orbit! Our [first] launch is in November with Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). It’s an Indian rocket.</p> <p>How to actually deploy satellites into orbit is with a glorified jack-in-the-box. It’s basically just a box with a spring. They open the lid [of the launch vehicle’s cargo area] and satellites get&nbsp;thrown out [into orbit].</p> <p><strong>How many of your satellites are you putting up at that time?&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><strong>Mina Mitry:</strong> We’ll put up the first one at the end of this year and we’ll put up the next generation probably in mid-2018. They’ll provide the initial service to our customers. With only two satellites up in orbit, you can look at applications that have latency requirements of about 12 hours. If you can get the data back to them within 12 hours in an economical way while layering on other services then there’s value to be had there.</p> <p>From there, we want to scale to 20 to 40 spacecraft within the 2018-2019 timeframe, eventually building our way to about 140 [in our] satellite constellation.</p> <p>The satellites remain in orbit for upwards of 10 years. We’re putting up new satellites every three years so that we can put up better technology that will improve our network.</p> <p><strong>Jeff Osborne:</strong>&nbsp;On every new batch of satellites we’re putting up, we can improve date rates and connect to more devices etc. It’s really about applying Moore’s Law to the space industry, which historically hasn’t happened.</p> <p><strong>What are&nbsp;examples of some time-sensitive applications?</strong></p> <p><strong>Jeff Osborne:&nbsp;</strong>Let’s say you want to measure the strain on your bridge in a remote area. It doesn’t necessarily matter if you get the data back in milliseconds – the bridge probably isn’t going anywhere.</p> <p>Or, let’s say you want to measure the flow through your pipeline in the middle of Alaska to identify leaks. It doesn’t really matter how long it takes for the data to get back because you can’t get a crew out to fix the leak for another week.</p> <p>Conversely, there are other applications that are very dependent on latency. Let’s say you want to measure the heart rate of an emergency responder in a disaster situation. You need to know that information instantaneously so you can deploy response measures.</p> <p><strong>What is the range of applications?&nbsp;</strong></p> <p><b>Jeff Osborne:&nbsp;</b>Fundamentally, what we are trying to build is the pipe to connect remote devices. It doesn’t really matter what you’re measuring, whether it be strain,&nbsp;heart rate,&nbsp;temperature,&nbsp;flow or GPS positions.</p> <p>We’re relatively agnostic about the type of data that is flowing through. We’re just providing the capabilities for customers to be able to connect their devices.</p> <p><strong>What kind of support did you receive at ֱ to get Kepler started?</strong></p> <p><strong>Mina Mitry:&nbsp;</strong>ֱ was very, very impactful in helping us get this startup off the ground.</p> <p>We started at <a href="http://www.utias.utoronto.ca/current-students-2/utias-start-entrepreneurship-program-2/">Start@UTIAS</a>, a program run by [alumnus] <strong>Francis Shen </strong>who generously donated a fair amount of money to the university to support and encourage entrepreneurship specifically within the aerospace community. That program helped us get started and seeded us with $25,000 of capital to help build our ideas.</p> <p>We then moved on to the <a href="https://hatchery.engineering.utoronto.ca/">University of Toronto Hatchery</a>, another really impactful program that helped us understand how to tell our story, how to communicate with various stakeholders and how to focus our attention and time on things that really mattered for the company.</p> <p>From there, we went to <a href="https://www.creativedestructionlab.com/">Creative Destruction Lab</a>, which was another incredible ֱ program. That was really the catalyst to expanding and growing our network. It helped us understand the players in the startup community outside of aerospace, how the funders work, how customers could work, and it helped us develop a more focused scope.</p> <p>All three of those helped us from ideation to fundraising and scaling the company.</p> <p><strong>Jeff Osborne:</strong>&nbsp;When we started working on student design projects, that experience gave us was the confidence to think we could actually do something like this.</p> <p>When you’re staying up until 6 a.m. to test fire a rocket engine, or when you crash your plane three days before a competition,&nbsp;and you have to bring the entire team together to rebuild it, that not only shows you what can be done by the&nbsp;team, but it also gives you the confidence that when you have these big problems, these big challenges, you can actually address&nbsp;them.</p> <p><strong>Is there an advantage to being located in Toronto for your startup?</strong></p> <p><strong>Mina Mitry:&nbsp;</strong>Being a Canadian company, there are a ton&nbsp;of advantages.</p> <p>There’s the [federal] Scientific Research and Experimental Development [tax incentive] program. For our company, which is a high technology venture, the government is willing to support our development by giving us 40 cents on the dollar [for research and development costs].</p> <p>In Toronto, we also have a huge talent pool with resources coming in from the University of Toronto, the University of Waterloo –&nbsp;some of the top engineering schools [in the world] –&nbsp;feeding our talent pool.</p> <p>And now we have this huge catalyst in the United States [President Donald Trump], and&nbsp;a number of expats wanting to come back to Canada. Of the regions you’re going to choose within Canada, Toronto is a pretty key location.</p> <p><strong>Jeff Osborne:&nbsp;</strong>In the last couple of days, the regulatory environment for space station operations in Canada is becoming much more favourable for small players. Without going into too many details, there are a few rules the Canadian government is implementing that will make it much easier for small companies to get access to frequency, to get space station licenses that don’t exist in other countries.</p> <p><strong>In closing, what would be your advice to students right now at ֱ who are in the infancy of their startup or just have a really great idea?</strong></p> <p><strong>Mina Mitry:&nbsp;</strong>I got the bug for startups running a university design team. I’d get involved in design projects.&nbsp;That’ll give you a flavour of what it’s like to run a company.</p> <p>Find a killer team. [Those student design projects] gave us the team we’re working with today, which we otherwise probably wouldn’t have found. Most of Kepler, as it exists today, is that team. We have technology, but it’s not nearly as valuable as the team that built it.</p> <p><strong>Jeff Osborne:</strong>&nbsp;If someone has ideas, just do them. Do them! And figure out everything else along the way.&nbsp;There’s not many times in one’s life where you have the opportunity to potentially build something&nbsp;exciting with people that you know and work well with. It's a no-brainer!</p> <p><em>Kepler Communications is one of more than 150 research-based startups launched in the last five years at ֱ. Learn more at <a href="/">utoronto.ca</a></em></p> <h3><a href="/news/could-your-face-be-window-your-health-u-t-startup-gathers-vital-signs-video">Read about Entrepreneurial Startup NuraLogix</a></h3> <h3><a href="/news/what-does-speech-reveal-about-our-health-u-t-startup-finds-400-subtle-neurological-health">Read about Entrepreneurial Startup WinterLight Labs</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 24 Mar 2017 16:28:28 +0000 ullahnor 106057 at