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Economics - Innovation - 16.03.2023

Taking to the skies: The novel approach reshaping how real estate economics is understood
How Western researchers used remote sensing to better understand our cities By Justin Zadorsky , By Justin Zadorsky , March 16, 2023 When professor Diana Mok was completing her PhD, she had a chance encounter with a roommate that has since inspired novel research into housing more than 20 years later.

Materials Science - Innovation - 14.03.2023

University of Toronto researchers advance metal 3D printing technology for automotive, energy and biomedical applications
A team of University of Toronto researchers, led by Professor  Yu Zou  in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, is working to advance the field of metal additive manufacturing at the university's first metal 3D printing laboratory.

Health - Innovation - 02.03.2023

AI predicts cancer patient survival by reading doctor’s notes
Science, Health & Technology Brett Goldhawk A team of researchers from the University of British Columbia and BC Cancer have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that predicts cancer patient survival more accurately and with more readily available data than previous tools. The model uses natural language processing (NLP) - a branch of AI that understands complex human language - to analyze oncologist notes following a patient's initial consultation visit-the first step in the cancer journey after diagnosis.

Innovation - Economics - 13.02.2023

The era of globalization isn’t over, new study argues
The entire world would benefit if the U.S. and China acted as partners instead of rivals Reports of globalization's death are premature, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Waterloo, the University of British Columbia and the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai.

Innovation - Computer Science - 18.01.2023

OneButtonPIN increases security for blind and low-vision tech users
New authentication method helps protect data from privacy attacks Working closely with blind and low-vision (BLV) users, researchers at the University of Waterloo and the Rochester Institute of Technology have developed a new authentication method that could help BLV technology users more securely access their devices.

Innovation - 05.01.2023

AI tech exaggerates biases in facial age perception more than humans 
Artificial intelligence is the future. In fact, it's already here. One of the latest advancements is using it for automatically estimating age based on a person's face, a technology used for determining who can enter a bar or potentially view age-restricted content online. But are there biases in AI processing? Researchers from Western University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel) tested a large sample of the prominent major AI technologies available today and found not only did they reproduce human biases in the recognition of facial age, but they exaggerated those biases.

Environment - Innovation - 03.01.2023

Self-powered, printable smart sensors created from emerging semiconductors could mean cheaper, greener Internet of Things
Creating smart sensors to embed in our everyday objects and environments for the Internet of Things (IoT) would vastly improve daily life-but requires trillions of such small devices. Simon Fraser University professor Vincenzo Pecunia believes that emerging alternative semiconductors that are printable, low-cost and eco-friendly could lead the way to a cheaper and more sustainable IoT.

Physics - Innovation - 21.11.2022

New quantum tool developed in groundbreaking experimental achievement
Scientists recreate properties of light in neutral fundamental particles called neutrons For the first time in experimental history, researchers at the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) have created a device that generates twisted neutrons with well-defined orbital angular momentum. Previously considered an impossibility, this groundbreaking scientific accomplishment provides a brand new avenue for researchers to study the development of next-generation quantum materials with applications ranging from quantum computing to identifying and solving new problems in fundamental physics.

Environment - Innovation - 28.09.2022

A new window into plants of the past
Researchers from Université de Montréal and the University of Minnesota have developed a fast, nondestructive way of estimating how millions of dried plant specimens interacted with their environment. CONTENU - Within the cabinets and drawers of the world's herbaria are nearly 400 million dried plant specimens.

Innovation - 30.08.2022

Team developing oral insulin tablet sees breakthrough results
Science, Health & Technology Collins Maina A team of University of British Columbia researchers working on developing oral insulin tablets as a replacement for daily insulin injections have made a game-changing discovery. Researchers have discovered that insulin from the latest version of their oral tablets is absorbed by rats in the same way that injected insulin is.

Environment - Innovation - 24.05.2022

Drone-based technology remotely assesses health of trees impacted by climate change
Canada has nearly 362 million hectares of forest, but climate change is negatively impacting tree health and productivity. Trees planted today need to withstand future climate instability. Enter Ingo Ensminger , an associate professor of biology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, and an innovative new technology that could provide further insights into tree health.

Health - Innovation - 20.05.2022

New Western innovation gels engineering with medicine
Western biomaterials expert Kibret Mequanint - in partnership with Malcolm Xing from the University of Manitoba - has developed the first-ever hydrophobic (water-hating) fluid, which displaces body fluids surrounding an injury allowing for near-instantaneous gelling, sealing and healing of injured tissue.

Life Sciences - Innovation - 18.05.2022

New insights on link between genetic mutations and biological evolution
From the longer-beaked Galapagos Island finches studied by biologist Charles Darwin - which enabled them to more effectively snatch insects - to the ability of some humans over others to digest milk, genetic differences that give organisms a competitive edge drive the process of natural selection. Now, research by  Alex N. Nguyen Ba , an assistant professor of biology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, adds an important dimension to our understanding of how genes interact in the evolutionary process.

Environment - Innovation - 27.04.2022

Western Engineering investigates freezing technique for water treatment
Western Engineering researchers have teamed up with Core Geoscience Services Inc. (CoreGeo) in a project to investigate the use of cryopurification - water treatment by freezing - for treating contaminated water in a mine in Northern Canada. It is a nature-inspired technology based on physics pointing to ice crystals as essentially made up of pure water.

Health - Innovation - 16.03.2022

’We took it to the real world and it worked’: Rapid Zika testing platform clears hurdle with Brazil trial
An international team of researchers, led by experts from the University of Toronto's Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, has conducted one of the first field trials for a synthetic biology-based diagnostic platform that could provide rapid, de-centralized and low-cost patient testing for infectious diseases such as the Zika virus.

Health - Innovation - 31.01.2022

Food-tracking AI system developed to reduce malnutrition in LTC homes
Returning to in-person experiences in February: for more information. New technology automatically records and tracks how much food residents consume New technology could help reduce malnutrition and improve overall health in long-term care homes by automatically recording and tracking how much food residents consume.

Health - Innovation - 25.01.2022

Is AI ageist? Researchers examine impact of technology on older users
Researchers from the University of Toronto and University of Cambridge are looking into the ways ageism - prejudice against individuals based on age - can be encoded into technologies such as artificial intelligence, which many of us now encounter daily. This age-related bias in AI, also referred to as "digital ageism," is explored in a new paper led by Charlene Chu , an affiliate scientist at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute's KITE research arm, part of the University Health Network (UHN), and an assistant professor at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing.

Health - Innovation - 06.12.2021

AI could help doctors make the best use of ICU beds during the COVID-19 pandemic
AI can predict the necessity of ICU admission based on more than 200 clinical data points New technology could help doctors make the most of limited resources during the COVID-19 pandemic by identifying patients who require intensive care unit (ICU) treatment. The system, developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo and DarwinAI, an alumni-founded startup company, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to predict the necessity of ICU admission based on more than 200 clinical data points, including vital signs, blood test results and medical history.

Innovation - Environment - 03.12.2021

’Very exciting’: Startup co-founded by University of Toronto researcher can create hydrogen without producing CO2
A new method of creating hydrogen from natural gas - one which does not produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct - could open up a range of emission-free alternative energy technologies. Murray Thomson , a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Toronto, recently spun out the innovation into a company, Aurora Hydrogen , along with co-founders Erin Bobicki , formerly an assistant professor in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering who is now at the University of Alberta, and Andrew Gillis, who joined the team as CEO.

Health - Innovation - 24.11.2021

Gender skew in digital info for new parents 
A Western Univesity study has found moms-to-be often find and curate health information on behalf of their partners. Photo by Amina Filkins of Pexels Today's parents-to-be use online tools for health guidance in the same way their parents once dog-eared pages of the What to Expect book series. But a new study has found it's new moms who most often devour digital guidance about parenting - while dads-to-be rely on their women partners to sift and curate information for them.