Dr. Hakim is the visionary behind the Canadian Stroke Network. In 2005, as CSN’s founding CEO and scientific director, Dr. Hakim, along with his team, championed the Canadian Stroke Strategy, in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. This resulted in almost every Canadian province adopting a stroke strategy. Within five years, Ontario alone saw stroke patient admissions decrease by 11% and referrals to stroke prevention clinics increase by 34%. It takes steely resolve to change a health care system to that degree.

Please see the OHRI news release for more information.

For more information on the induction ceremony, please visit the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame website.

INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
International Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 (2981)
Cell.: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

The University of Ottawa ranks 189th in the annual list and places fourth among Canadian universities and second in Ontario. A total of 19 Canadian institutions made the ranking this year.

“These standings truly speak to our research excellence, momentum and achievements, and they confirm the University’s place in an elite group of research institutions in Canada and the world. It is also a testimony to the high quality of graduate training that our world-class faculty members provide to our students,” said Mona Nemer, Vice-President, Research.

The Leiden Ranking is a compilation of the top 500 universities worldwide with the largest publication output in the Web of Science database. Impact is determined by several indicators, including the average number of citations of the university’s publications, and the proportion of publications that fall within the top 10 percent of most frequently cited publications. Based on Web of Science database entries from 2008 to 2011, the University of Ottawa’s scientific publications –– which include papers in the fields of biomedical and life sciences, mathematics, engineering, computer sciences, natural sciences, and social sciences –– are cited an average of 6.19 times, and 11 per cent of its scientific publications belong in the top 10 per cent of most frequently cited publications.

Recently, the University of Ottawa placed fourth in the country in science and engineering research in the Measuring Academic Research in Canada: Field-Normalized Academic Rankings 2012. While most Canadian institutions lost ground, the University of Ottawa gained 14 spots in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Since 2001, the University of Ottawa has placed among the top ten research-intensive universities in Canada in the Research Universities of the Yearreport issued by Research Infosource.

The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and promotes an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world. The University is an important stakeholder in the National Capital Region’s economic development.


INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
International Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 (2981)
Cell.: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

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For more information, please see the official news release.


INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
International Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 (2981)
Cell.: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

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The study, Rethinking Management in the Adult and Sex Industry, was led by Christine Bruckert, uOttawa criminology professor, in partnership with the Université du Québec à Montréal and the University of New Brunswick. It involved a total of 122 interviews in four regions (southern and central Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes) seeking to shed light on the sex industry. The report, Beyond Pimps, Procures and Parasites: Mapping Third Parties in the Incall/Outcall Sex Industry, draws on interviews with 50 third parties and 27 sex workers, who work in escort agencies, massage parlours and brothels.

“We hope that our findings might bring attention to the unintended consequences of prostitution laws, especially since the Supreme Court of Canada will be addressing the constitutionality of Canada’s prostitution laws, including those that criminalize living on the avails of prostitution, in a hearing on June 12,” said Professor Bruckert.

The research findings challenge many of the stereotypes about the third parties involved in commercial sex transactions, who facilitate, organize, supervise and control the work of sex workers.

Contrary to popular belief, the working relationships and the relations of power between sex workers and third parties are variable: some sex workers are hired by agencies, others work in collaboration with associates and some are contractors hired by sex workers. Third parties fulfill a wide range of roles; they work as personal assistants, drivers, security staff, web designers, agents, event planners, location providers, mentors, receptionists and managers. Moreover the distinction between third parties and sex workers is far from clear-cut; many of the male, female and trans third parties interviewed had sex work experience. Sex workers themselves are vulnerable to being charged as third parties.

The research also looks at sex workers’ safety. According to sex workers, third parties provide useful and important services that increase their safety, security and wellbeing. In contrast, criminalization undermines sex workers security in a multitude of ways, by preventing clear communication with clients, encouraging wilful blindness on the part of third parties, creating more pressure to satisfy clients and excluding sex workers from protective labour legislation.

The research was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
 

INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
International Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 (2981)
Cell.: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca
 

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Nearly half of the foreign honorary members of the CSJ are Nobel Prize winners. The organization has recognized Professor Alper for his outstanding contribution to many areas of science and for his crucial role in preparing today’s promising science graduates to become tomorrow’s leaders. His position as chair of Pacifichem 2010, the largest chemistry conference in the world, also contributed to his nomination.

“The University community wholeheartedly congratulates Howard!” said Mona Nemer, vice-president, research. “His brilliant expertise in chemistry and his passion for teaching are a testimony to the excellence in research that Canada produces.”

Professor Alper is an important champion of science and technology in Canada, and his role as vice-chair of RIKEN, Japan’s world-class research organization for basic and applied sciences, has helped Canada forge a monumental collaborative tie with Japan. Japan is currently one of the leading nations in scientific research. Since 2000, eleven Japanese researchers have won the Nobel Prize, including six in chemistry.

Professor Alper has received a number of prestigious fellowships, including the E.W.R. Steacie (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, 1980‑82), Guggenheim (1985‑86) and Killam (1986‑88) fellowships. Major awards to Alper include the Alcan Award for Inorganic Chemistry (1986), the Bader Award for Organic Chemistry (1990) and the Steacie Award for Chemistry (1993), all from the Canadian Society for Chemistry. The Chemical Institute of Canada has presented Alper with the Catalysis Award (1984), the Montreal Medal (2003) and the CIC Medal (1997), its highest honour. He has also received the Urgel‑Archambault Prize (ACFAS) in physical sciences and engineering.

In 2000, the Governor General of Canada awarded him the first Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal in Science and Engineering.

He has published 539 papers, has 37 patents and has edited several books.

In addition to his position as Distinguished University Professor, Howard Alper currently serves as chair of the Government of Canada’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Council (STIC).

The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world. The University plays an important role in the economic development of the National Capital Region.

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The findings, published this week in Nature Photonics, confirm that it is possible to directly measure key related variables (known as “conjugate” variables) of a quantum particle or state. This new insight shows that the uncertainty principle is more subtle than is often believed.

The researchers’ direct measurement technique employs a “trick” to measure the first property in such a way that the system is not disturbed and information about the second property can still be obtained.This careful process relies on a “weak measurement” of the first property followed by a “strong measurement” of the second property.

“The ability to perform direct measurement of the quantum wave function has important implications for quantum information science,” explained Boyd, “Ongoing work in our group involves applying this technique to other systems, for example, measuring the form of a ‘mixed’ (as opposed to a pure) quantum state.”

Until recently, quantum states of light could only be measured using indirect procedures, such as quantum tomography, a time-consuming process requiring intensive post-processing of data. Using direct measurement, researchers are able to pull the same information as quantum tomography but in significantly less time.

The research team also included associate researcher Jonathan Leach, University of Ottawa undergraduate students Jeff Z. Salvail, Megan Agnew and Allan S. Johnson, and graduate student Eliot Bolduc.

About the Canada Excellence Research Chairs
Launched in 2008, the Canada Excellence Research Chair program was created to attract the world’s most accomplished and promising minds to develop ambitious research programs in priority areas of the Government of Canada's science and technology (S&T) strategy.

About the University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world. The University plays an important role in the economic development of the National Capital Region.

INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
International Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 (2981)
Cell.: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

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The results of a study conducted by Sanni Yaya, a professor at the Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Health Sciences, suggest that current research has neglected some of the macroeconomic effects of the malaria epidemic and its long-term impact on family planning.

“Up until now, economists who have studied this problem have tried to assess the economic impact of the malaria epidemic by analysing the rate of GDP growth per inhabitant” explains Professor Yaya. “According to these analyses, the malaria epidemic dampens the economic growth of affected countries by 1.5 to 2%. However, the situation is much more catastrophic when the cost of malaria on the individual and national prosperity of African communities is taken into account.”

For example, Professor Yaya lists the significant reduction in family revenue that is directly related to lost productivity, and the negative effects of malaria on family planning.

“Childhood education and family structure are also affected in that the high infant and childhood mortality rates caused by malaria encourage couples to have more children to counter this risk. Larger family sizes lead parents to work longer hours, which in turn prevents them from properly raising their children” states Professor Yaya in a book that has just been published by the Presses de l’Université Laval (in French).

His study shows that there is a strong correlation between the number of malaria cases and per capita health expenditures. Generally, the income levels of African inhabitants do not allow such populations to pay for all the costs associated with treating this disease, which leads many to abandon the health care system in favour of traditional healers. Moreover, the low level of health care spending per inhabitant is a significant determinant in the high prevalence of malaria on this continent.

Internationally, nearly 88% of all deaths of children under age five can be attributed to malaria. Despite efforts to reduce the incidence of this disease (through insecticide-coated insect netting, increased access to malaria medication, etc.) malaria remains Africa’s most serious public health problem.
 

INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
613-562-5800 (2981)
613-863-7221 (cell)
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca
 

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The announcement was part of a national initiative under NSERC’s Strategic Project Grants program, which supports researchers who team up with the private or public sector to carry out projects that benefit the country’s economy, social fabric and environment.

The two researchers receiving this funding are:

Abdulmotaleb El Saddik - School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
U-Biofeedback: A Ubiquitous Biofeedback System for Continuous and Long-Term Wellbeing

We know that in order to be and feel healthy, we need to preserve the health of both our brain and our body. If one suffers, both will be compromised. Biofeedback is a treatment technique in which people read their own body’s signals in order to improve their health. Using a thermometer to check body temperature or stepping on a scale to monitor weight changes are two forms of biofeedback. Professor El Saddik’s research proposes a cutting-edge system that will enable patients suffering from conditions such as migraines, muscle pain, stress, anxiety or high blood pressure to get feedback on their condition, as well as the appropriate treatment, in the comfort of their home. The system, in turn, transmits patient data to the health care provider, who can use the feedback to regularly monitor the patient’s condition. Access to a patient’s treatment regimen in the home will help health care providers explore new methods of preventing and treating illness and disease.

Trevor Hall - School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
RF communications in the e-city (RF-Cité)

Cities are the dynamos of a global economy and responsible for the bulk of innovation. Urban planners envision a digital city in which ubiquitous broadband wireless communication enables efficient living. However, increased use of wireless access networks is leading to unsustainable energy consumption levels. Professor Hall’s innovative use of coherent optical radio frequency (RF) transmission, along with cutting-edge digital signal processing and advanced photonic devices, will lead to wireless access deployed at the density needed to meet sustainable energy consumption levels. This research will provide Canadian businesses with commercialization opportunities, develop highly qualified and skilled workers and position Canada at the forefront of innovation in emerging digital cities.

The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world. The University plays an important role in the economic development of the National Capital Region.

INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
613-562-5800 x2981
613-863-7221 (cell)
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

"This discovery significantly advances our ability to harness this good fat in the battle against bad fat and all the associated health risks that come with being overweight and obese," says Dr. Rudnicki, a senior scientist and director of the Regenerative Medicine Program and the Sprott Centre for Stem Cell Research at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. He is also Canada Research Chair in Molecular Genetics and professor in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ottawa.

Globally, obesity is the fifth leading risk for death, with an estimated 2.8 million people dying every year from the effects of being overweight or obese, according to the World Health Organization. The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that 25% of Canadian adults are obese.

In 2007, Dr. Rudnicki led a team that was the first to prove the existence of adult skeletal muscle stem cells. In the paper published today, Dr. Rudnicki now shows (again for the first time) that these adult muscle stem cells not only have the ability to produce muscle fibres, but also to become brown fat. Brown fat is an energy-burning tissue that is important to the body's ability to keep warm and regulate temperature. In addition, more brown fat is associated with less obesity.

Perhaps more importantly, the paper identifies how adult muscle stem cells become brown fat. The key is a small gene regulator called microRNA-133, or miR-133. When miR-133 is present, the stem cells turn into muscle fibre; when reduced, the stem cells become brown fat.

Dr. Rudnicki’s lab showed that adult mice injected with an agent to reduce miR-133, called an antisense oligonucleotide or ASO, produced more brown fat, were protected from obesity and had an improved ability to process glucose. In addition, the local injection into the hind leg muscle led to increased energy production throughout the body—an effect observed after four months.

Using an ASO to treat disease by reducing the levels of specific microRNAs is a method that is already employed in human clinical trials. However, a potential treatment using miR-133 to combat obesity is still years away. "While we are very excited by this breakthrough, we acknowledge that it's a first step," says Dr. Rudnicki, who is also scientific director of the Stem Cell Network. "There are still many questions to be answered, such as Will it help adults who are already obese to lose weight? How should it be administered? How long do the effects last? Are there adverse effects we have not observed yet?"

This research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the National Institutes of Health, the Stem Cell Network, the Ontario Research Fund and EuTRACC, a European Commission Sixth Framework-supported project. It was a collaboration that included researchers from the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the University of Ottawa, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, Nordion, the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands and the University of Copenhagen.
 

INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
613-562-5800 x2981
613-863-7221 (cell)
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

Paddy Moore
Manager, Communications and Public Relations,
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
613-737-8899 x 73687
613-323-5680 (cell)
padmoore@ohri.ca

About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI)
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. OHRI includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff conducting research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease. Research at OHRI is supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.

About the University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world. It is an important stakeholder in the National Capital Region’s economic development.

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“The University congratulates Professor Paul Corkum on joining such an elite list of researchers. His commitment to research and creativity are inspiring to the whole community and we are proud that such an eminent scientist calls the University of Ottawa home,” said Mona Nemer, vice-president, research.

Winners of the King Faisal International Prize receive a commemorative 24-carat, 200-gram gold medallion and a cash endowment of $200,000, one of the Arab world’s most generous awards. They join a group of over 200 distinguished scholars and scientists from around the world.

For more than 30 years, Professor Corkum has been pushing the frontiers of knowledge on how light and matter interact. He won the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, and holds the NRC-Canada Research Chair in Attosecond Photonics. His world-renowned research has been recognized for developing a new theoretical approach to shortening the duration of light pulses produced by lasers. His international reputation was secured when he became the first to successfully produce a 650 attosecond pulse. One attosecond is 10^-18 seconds, or one billionth of one billionth of a second.

Attosecond pulses enable scientists to see chemical reactions as they occur by capturing the incredibly fast motion of electrons in atoms and molecules in a "movie" whose time resolution can be measured in attoseconds. This pioneering research does more than open a new door to studying matter—it offers a new way to control matter on a molecular scale. In the burgeoning world of nanotechnology, the possibilities are endless.

Corkum's research at the world-class University of Ottawa/National Research Council Joint Attosecond Science Laboratory is attracting talented doctoral and postdoctoral students from Canada, Europe, the United States, Japan and Israel.

The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world. The University plays an important role in the economic development of the National Capital Region.

INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 ext. 2981
Cell: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

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“Marie-Eve and Muralee are now recognized as rising stars in their fields and are true role models for the next generation of researchers. The University community wholeheartedly congratulates them,” said Mona Nemer, Vice-President, Research.

Marie-Eve Sylvestre is an associate professor of civil law and is internationally acclaimed for her critical perspective on the criminal justice system. Her unique and rigorous research program looks at the various ways in which the penal system controls poor and marginalized populations, particularly those who occupy public spaces, and how it contributes to the creation and multiplication of inequalities, poverty and social exclusion. She has led several highly funded research projects, has published abundantly in Canadian and international journals and has attracted significant media coverage. In the classroom, graduate students appreciate her exceptional ability to transfer her knowledge of contemporary theory.

Since his arrival at the University of Ottawa in 2006, Professor MuraleeMurugesu has built a reputation as one of the world’s top young experts in transitional metal chemistry. His research focuseson designing and synthesising new nanoscale inorganic materials to better understand their physical properties, such as magnetism, conductivity and optical characteristics.He employsa number of innovative synthetic approaches with the aim of isolating new magnetic materials. His research could pave the way for faster and more energy-efficient electronics and higher-density data storage. In addition to publishing his research in several peer-reviewed journals, Professor Murugesu has mentored over 40 undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students.

The Young Researcher of the Year Award was created in 1995 to recognize excellence and encourage leadership and innovation. Each award is accompanied by a $10,000 research grant.

The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world. The University plays an important role in the economic development of the National Capital Region.

INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 ext. 2981
Cell: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

“Marie-Eve and Muralee are now recognized as rising stars in their fields and are true role models for the next generation of researchers. The University community wholeheartedly congratulates them,” said Mona Nemer, Vice-President, Research.

Marie-Eve Sylvestre is an associate professor of civil law and is internationally acclaimed for her critical perspective on the criminal justice system. Her unique and rigorous research program looks at the various ways in which the penal system controls poor and marginalized populations, particularly those who occupy public spaces, and how it contributes to the creation and multiplication of inequalities, poverty and social exclusion. She has led several highly funded research projects, has published abundantly in Canadian and international journals and has attracted significant media coverage. In the classroom, graduate students appreciate her exceptional ability to transfer her knowledge of contemporary theory.

Since his arrival at the University of Ottawa in 2006, Professor Muralee Murugesu has built a reputation as one of the world’s top young experts in transitional metal chemistry. His research focuseson designing and synthesising new nanoscale inorganic materials to better understand their physical properties, such as magnetism, conductivity and optical characteristics.He employsa number of innovative synthetic approaches with the aim of isolating new magnetic materials. His research could pave the way for faster and more energy-efficient electronics and higher-density data storage. In addition to publishing his research in several peer-reviewed journals, Professor Murugesu has mentored over 40 undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students.

The Young Researcher of the Year Award was created in 1995 to recognize excellence and encourage leadership and innovation. Each award is accompanied by a $10,000 research grant.

The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world. The University plays an important role in the economic development of the National Capital Region.

“A change in the financial headwinds has to affect risk disclosures,” says Daniel Zéghal, director of the CGA-AGRC at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa. “If there is no impact, it’s very likely that the analysis of risks is not thorough enough, or risk communicating strategies used by companies are ineffective. The findings in this study underline the need to pay particular attention to the quality of risk disclosures.”

Professors Zéghal, CGA, Michael Maingot, CA, FCA, CGA, and Tony Quon examined how the financial crisis affected risk disclosures, using a content analysis of the 2007 and 2008 annual reports of Canadian non-financial corporations listed on the S&P TSX Composite Index. Fourteen types of risk were identified. Their disclosure was examined through three dimensions: level of exposure to risk, risk consequences and risk management. Despite financial and economic turmoil generated by the 2008 financial crisis, the total number of risk disclosures increased by only 3.6 per cent from 2007 to 2008. Changes in the disclosed levels of risk were even less notable. The magnitude of risk consequences disclosed by companies changed most noticeably for only two types of risk — economic and credit risk. However, these adjustments were still only marginal.

It is critically important for investors and other external users of enterprise risk management information to have reliable information. Policy makers are encouraged to accord particular attention to the quality of risk disclosures.

The study was recently published in the International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 2012 Vol. 16, No.4, pp. 227 – 247.

For more information on the study, visit www.cga.org/canada/research or www.cga-agrc.com

ABOUT CGA-CANADA
Founded in 1908, the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada serves 75,000 Certified General Accountants and students in Canada and nearly 100 countries. Respected accounting and financial management professionals, CGAs work in industry, finance, government and public practice. CGA-Canada establishes the designation’s certification requirements and professional standards, offers professional development, conducts research and advocacy, and represents CGAs nationally and internationally.

Visit us online: www.cga.org/canada
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/cgacanada
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cgacanada

ABOUT THE TELFER SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
Located in the heart of Ottawa, the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa is the proud academic home of some 3,800 students, 200 full- and part-time faculty members, and 25,000 alumni. Our accreditations from the three most demanding international ranking organizations (AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA) place our school in the top one percent of the world’s business schools.

Visit us online: www.telfer.uOttawa.ca
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/telfer.uOttawa
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/telfer_uOttawa

INFORMATION

Diana Sorace
Communications Advisor
CGA-Canada
Office: 604-694-6700
Cell: 604 551-4487
dsorace@cga-canada.org

Karine Proulx
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 (3149)
Cell: 613-219-3058
karine.proulx@uOttawa.ca

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The First Responder Networked Vehicle Test-Bed is a pilot project that aims to improve communication between emergency vehicles. It will help all emergency services, including police, paramedics and fire departments, to work with each other and with the private and academic sectors to develop and test future communications technologies under real-life conditions.

The system will allow first responders to experiment with long-term evolution (LTE) wireless broadband communications. It will enable responders, who are currently restricted to voice communication, to send and receive high-definition video to and from emergency vehicles. Among other applications, the system will also equip emergency vehicles with the capability to undertake X-ray mapping of hazardous materials found in buildings or along roadways.

“One of the primary nodes of the First Responder Networked Vehicle Test-Bed will be based at the University of Ottawa,” said Hussein Mouftah, Canada Research Chair in Wireless Sensor Networks and Distinguished University Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Ottawa. “We are planning to include a team of researchers and the necessary lab space.”

About a dozen partners are involved in the development of the First Responder Networked Vehicle Test-Bed, including Alcatel-Lucent, Industry Canada’s Communications Research Centre, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, the Department of National Defence and municipal departments representing the police, emergency medical response and fire services. There is also an agreement to partner with a sister test-bed in Greenville, South Carolina, home to auto giants such as BMW.

“Alcatel-Lucent is currently examining pricing options for a range of test-bed formats,” said Rick Turner, government and strategic services, Alcatel-Lucent. “These range from a simple installation of two towers, in Kanata and at uOttawa, to a fully integrated ‘intelligent corridor’ running 20 kilometres along Highway 417 between the two sites.”

According to Michael Sullivan, program director for the City of Ottawa, the city “is interested in participating and in providing antenna locations along the proposed route.”

Integrating emergency vehicles into a highly connected network covering safety, traffic and efficient use of energy, among other communications requirements, will have a great impact on how first responders do their job, ultimately ensuring their safety and better protecting the public from harm.

For details on the First Responder Networked Vehicle Test-Bed, please contact:
Barry Gander, co-founder, Networked Vehicle Association
bgander@cata.ca

INFORMATION:
Néomie Duval
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 ext. 2981
Cell: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

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“The CFI’s support for cutting-edge research is extremely valuable. This investment will enable these two top researchers to continue their world-class research and innovation, and give the University of Ottawa a competitive edge to succeed on the world stage,” said Mona Nemer, vice-president, research.

“Research and innovation is a forceful driver of growth in our communities,” said Gilles G. Patry, president and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. “Today’s funding will allow a talented group of researchers and students to create the solutions, products and ideas Canada needs to prosper.”

The CFI Leading Edge and New Initiatives funds aim to enhance Canada’s research capabilities and to strengthen development of highly competitive research and technology in priority areas.

The following projects will receive funding:

Robert Boyd – Faculty of Science, Department of Physics and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Quantum Non-Linear Optics
Centre for Advanced Photonics: Translating Discovery to Innovation
Recognized as a world leader in the field of photonics, the University of Ottawa is home to a remarkable group of researchers working on the science of light. Photonics is important not only in everyday applications, including using light to carry information, but also in medical diagnostics and in detecting sub-atomic processes. This funding will enable the University to acquire key equipment to provide state-of-the-art capability at the forthcoming Advanced Research Complex.

R. Tom Baker – Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Catalysis Science for Energy Applications
Sustainable Chemical Synthesis from Renewable Feedstocks
As readily accessible fossil fuel resources decline, we are at a crossroads where petroleum refineries must make way for biorefineries: integrated systems that harness renewable biomass such as agricultural and wood wastes. This funding will enable the Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation to explore the conversion of renewable biomass into fuel to significantly improve both the quality of our environment and Canada’s competitiveness in clean energy technology.

The University of Ottawa is committed to research excellence and encourages an interdisciplinary approach to knowledge creation, which attracts the best academic talent from across Canada and around the world. The University plays an important role in the economic development of the National Capital Region.

INFORMATION
Karine Proulx
Media Relations Officer, University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 ext. 3149
Cell: 613-219-3058
karine.proulx@uOttawa.ca

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In January 2006, the University of Ottawa and RNAO co-founded the Nursing Best Practice Research Unit with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to deliver state-of-the-art nursing knowledge based on the best available evidence.

“With six years of nursing research excellence that has resulted in new policies and procedures, documentation tools and materials to educate nurses and patients, the unit certainly earned its promotion to a fully fledged research centre,” says Barbara Davies, co-director of the new centre and full professor at the School of Nursing. The research centre will play an important role in documenting the impact of the implementation of 50 RNAO evidence-based guidelines on improving patient care patient outcomes. “The guidelines include better pain management, enhanced smoking cessation practices, preventing falls and many other clinical and healthy work environment practices,”says Irmajean Bajnok, who co-directs the Centre together with Davies.

RNAO’s chief executive officer, Doris Grinspun, and Sylvie Lauzon, interim dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, expressed great pride in the success of the partnership. For the past 13 years, RNAO and the University of Ottawa have collaborated intensely on evaluating the impact and sustainability of RNAO clinical and healthy work environment best practice guidelines. Models for knowledge translation, decision-support for patients, leadership and access to care by vulnerable populations are being studied.

The new centre’s co-director, Barbara Davies, and associate director, Kathryn Higuchi, are both professors in the Faculty of Health Sciences’ School of Nursing and will work with their colleagues to create a better research environment for graduate students and inter-professional faculty members as well as to stimulate research development and use research results in health-care settings to improve patient care and outcomes. They will also continue to engage nurses and other health-care professionals in all sectors from Ontario, Canada and around the globe.

Evaluation methods will be designed to monitor changes and to measure the impact of best practices on patient outcomes in order to help ensure best practices are adopted over the long term. If the research unit’s track record is anything to go on, success will be the outcome. In 2010-2011, members of the unit were involved in more than 170 research studies resulting in 234 publications. There are more than 70 individual members from 12 Canadian and international universities. In addition, at least 24 organization members will help integrate the new research results into health-care settings.

About the School of Nursing at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Health Sciences
Founded in 1933 as the first professional school at the University of Ottawa, the School of Nursing prepares nurses at the bachelor’s, master’s and PhD levels. The School’s professors are at the forefront of nursing research in Canada and receive major funding from federal and provincial governments, foundations and donors.

About the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO)
Founded in 1925, RNAO is the professional association representing registered nurses practising in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has lobbied for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses’ contributions to shaping the health-care system and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve.


INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 x2981
Cell.: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

The research, reported by a team of Canadian and U.S. scientists in Nature Geoscience, provides new insight into how ancient metal-ore deposits can be used to better understand the chemistry of the ancient oceans—and the early evolution of life.

Sulphate is the second most abundant dissolved ion in the oceans today. It comes from the “rusting” of rocks by atmospheric oxygen, which creates sulphate through chemical reactions with pyrite—the iron sulphide material known as fool’s gold.

The research team, led by PhD student John Jamieson of the University of Ottawa and professor Boswell Wing of McGill, measured the “weight” of sulphur in samples of massive sulphide ore from the Kidd Creek copper-zinc mine in Timmins, Ontario, using a highly sensitive instrument known as a mass spectrometer. The weight is determined by the different amounts of sulphur isotopes in a sample; the abundance of different isotopes indicates how much sea water sulphate was incorporated into the massive sulphide ore that formed at the bottom of ancient oceans. That ancient ore is now found on the Earth’s surface and is particularly common in the Canadian Shield.

The scientists found that much less sulphate was incorporated into the 2.7 billion-year-old ore at Kidd Creek than is incorporated into similar ore forming at the bottom of oceans today. From these measurements, the researchers were able to model how much sulphate must have been present in the ancient sea water. They concluded that sulphate levels were about 350 times lower than in today’s oceans. Though the sulphate levels were extremely low, the levels in the ancient ocean still supported an active global population of microbes that use sulphate to gain energy from organic carbon.

“The sulphide ore deposits that we looked at are widespread on Earth, with Canada and Quebec holding the majority of them,” says Wing, an associate professor in McGill’s Department of Earth and Planetary Science. “We now have a tool for probing when and where these microbes actually came into global prominence.”

“Deep within a copper-zinc mine in Northern Ontario that was once a volcanically active ancient seafloor may not be the most intuitive place one would think to look for clues into the conditions in which the earliest microbes thrived over 2.7 billion years ago,” Jamieson adds. “However, our increasing understanding of these ancient environments and our abilities to analyze samples to a very high precision has opened the door to further our understanding of the conditions under which life evolved.”

The other members of the research team were professor James Farquhar of the University of Maryland and professor Mark D. Hannington of the University of Ottawa.

The National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada made this study possible through fellowships to John Jamieson and a Discovery grant to Boswell Wing.

The abstract of the study can be accessed at: www.nature.com/ngeo/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/ngeo1647.html

INFORMATION

Karine Proulx
Media Relations Officer, University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 ext. 3149
Cell: 613-219-3058
karine.proulx@uOttawa.ca

Chris Chipello
Media Relations
McGill University
514-398-4201
christopher.chipello@mcgill.ca

“As our incoming Chief of Cardiac Surgery, Marc Ruel is not only an outstanding cardiac surgeon and atalented researcher, but also a remarkable leader who will guide and support an extraordinary team of professionals as the Heart Institute moves forward," said Dr. Robert Roberts, President and CEO of the Heart Institute. "I wish to express my gratitude and thanks to Dr. Thierry Mesana for his great leadership as he steps down as Chief of Cardiac Surgery. His work, dedication, skill and knowledge over the years have contributed greatly to the Heart Institute's reputation worldwide."

Dr. Marc Ruel received his M.D. cum laude from the University of Ottawa in 1994 and his specialist certification in Cardiac Surgery in 2000. He subsequently pursued a combined fellowship in minimally invasive surgery and laboratory research at Harvard University, where he also completed a Masters in Public Health, with a focus on statistical methods.

Dr. Ruel's faculty appointments at the University of Ottawa are with the Departments of Surgery (primary affiliation), Cellular and Molecular Medicine (cross-appointed affiliation), and Epidemiology and Community Medicine (cross-appointed affiliation). In 2010, he was promoted to Full Professor in these three departments. He is the Chair of the Heart Transplantation and Ventricular Assist Devices committee, and of the Operating Room committee, at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

In September 2010, Dr. Ruel also became the Assistant-Dean, Clinical and Translational Research, at the University of Ottawa.

“The Division of Cardiac Surgery at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute has a long and rich history of excellence. Under the successive headships of Drs. Keon and Mesana, our surgeons and affiliated health team have contributed great advances to surgical care, outcomes, and research over the last several decades. I am humbled by having been chosen to lead this most fine division, composed of a group of topnotch surgeons, and which I foresee will continue to reach new heights, with the tremendous support of our Heart Institute co-workers, University colleagues, and grateful community,” said Dr. Marc Ruel.

“It is with great pride and excitement that I welcome Marc as my successor as Chief of Cardiac Surgery. He has continuously proven to be one of the best cardiac surgeons in the country, and especially more recently as he supervised three heart transplants within 24 hours, an uncommon and yet outstanding personal and professional achievement” said Dr. Thierry Mesana, current Chief of Cardiac Surgery.

Dr. Ruel has visited and hosted surgeons from multiple countries, such as the United States, Japan, and India, to train them in his minimally invasive technique for cardiac bypass grafting. He is now helping build a community of practice for the new procedure, with many surgeons worldwide, many of whom he trained, performing the technique on a regular basis.

The University of Ottawa Heart Institute is dedicated to understanding, treating, and preventing heart disease and leads in world research. On August 24, 2011, the Province of Ontario announced its commitment to move ahead with a new building extension for the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. This new facility will ensure the Heart Institute has sufficient capacity to continue shaping cardiovascular care, research and education for the coming decades.

INFORMATION

Vincent Lamontagne

Senior Manager, Public Affairs

University of Ottawa Heart Institute

613-761-4427

613-899-6760 (cell)

vlamontagne@ottawaheart.ca

"BPD is a lung disease described 45 years ago, on which we have made zero progress. And now, with these cord-derived stem cells, there is a true potential for a major breakthrough," says Thébaud, a senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the CHEO Research Institute, a neonatologist at CHEO and the Ottawa Hospital, and a professor in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ottawa.

"I am confident that we have the talent and the tools here at CHEO and OHRI to find a treatment for BPD. These findings published today are helping us get there," continues Thébaud.

BPD affects approximately 10,000 very premature newborns in Canada and the U.S. every year. The lungs of these infants are not developed enough to sustain them, so they must receive oxygen through a breathing machine. However, this combination of mechanical ventilation and oxygen damages the lungs and stops their development. In addition, longer NICU stays for these extremely premature babies affect the normal development of other parts of the body, including the retina, the kidneys and the brain.

In the Thorax article, Thébaud's team shares significant findings of experiments with newborn rats given oxygen through a ventilator. The lung development of a newborn rat mimics that of a premature baby born at 24 weeks. The five major findings reported are:

1. Stem cells called mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from a human umbilical cord (not the blood) had a protective effect on the lungs when injected into the lungs as they were put on oxygen.
2. MSCs had a reparative effect when injected two weeks after being on oxygen.
3. When conditioned media — a cell-free substance produced by MSCs —were administered instead of MSCs, they were found to have the same protective and reparative effects as the stem cells.
4. When examined after six months (the equivalent of 40 human years), treated animals had better exercise performance and persistent benefit in lung structure.
5. MSCs did not adversely affect the long-term health of normal rats. One of the concerns about stem cells is that by promoting cell growth, they may cause cancerous growth. To address this question, Thébaud gave MSCs to a control group that was not treated with oxygen. When examined after six months, these animals were normal and healthy.

Within two years, Thébaud would like to conduct a pilot study with 20 human patients to show that this stem-cell therapy is feasible and safe, and in four years he wants to embark on a randomized controlled trial. These steps all reflect his deep desire to help the BPD-affected babies he sees in the NICU. He is confident a treatment will be developed.

"It's going to happen here in Ottawa, but for babies worldwide," says Thébaud.

The full article, "Short-term, long-term and paracrine effect of human umbilical cord-derived stem cells in lung injury prevention and repair in experimental bronchopulmonary dysplasia," was first published online by Thorax on December 4. This work was a collaborative project with a group in Milan, Italy.

Funding for this study was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Maternal-Fetal Neonatal Training Program sponsored by CIHR's Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health, Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (formerly the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research), the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation, the 6FP EU Project – THERCORD and the 7FP EU Project – CASCADE and REBORNE.

INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 x2981
Cell.: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

Paddy Moore
Manager, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 (73687)
Cell.: 613-323-5680
padmoore@ohri.ca

Adrienne Vienneau
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Research Institute
Office: 613-737-7600 (4144)
Cell.: 613-513-8437
avienneau@cheo.on.ca

INFORMATION:

Néomie Duval
Media Relations Officer
University of Ottawa
Office: 613-562-5800 ext. 2981
Cell: 613-863-7221
neomie.duval@uOttawa.ca

Vincent Lamontagne
Senior Manager, Public Affairs
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
613-761-4427
613-899-6760 (cell)
vlamontagne@ottawaheart.ca