The present dependence of human society on fossil fuels indicates the inevitable increase of energy de-mands and emissions of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide (CO2). These problems need to be resolved with sustainable energy solutions, including the idea of capturing CO2 to synthesize renewa-ble or sustainable hydrocarbon, and carbonaceous fuels. Our proposed research project focuses on the de-velopment of a novel solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) process for electrochemical reduction of CO2 to produce value-added products.

An “internationalized classroom” is a space wherein many of the tensions, possibilities and change factors inherent in the internationalization process are expressed in relationships between and among host students, international students, and instructors. The proposed research is part of a Canada/China comparative study on faculty attitudes towards the internationalized classroom. During Li Mao’s research trip in China, she will study the Chinese faculty in Beijing Normal University (BNU).

Blood is composed primarily of cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, etc.) and plasma (the fluid in which the cells are suspended). Health care providers commonly require the components of blood to be separated before performing tests; currently, this requires blood samples be taken to a medical laboratory for processing.

Laure Aymé is a PhD student focusing her research on a plant protein family involved in lipid biosynthesis and important for oil accumulation and biotechnological purposes. Laure recently published an article describing the function and localization of a protein inserted in two distinct cellular compartment membranes, a rather unique situation with few available data. During her stay in Canada, Laure will build a model of the protein insertion into membrane using an experimental set-up designed in Prof. Weselake’s laboratory.

Considering the unique properties of CO2 under supercritical condition, CO2 is proposed to be used in huff-and-puff treatments to enhance shale gas recovery from shale gas formations. This research project will look at the fundamental pore-scale mechanisms when CO2 huff-and-puff is used for enhancing methane recovery from shale formations. In order to obtain pore-scale mechanisms of applying CO2 huffand-puff to enhance shale gas recovery, a series of CO2 huff-and-puff experiments will be conducted in conjunction with the NMR measurements.

Particulate matter emitted from combustion engines is a problem due to negative health effects, effect on climate, and reduction of visibility. Soot is a type of particulate matter that is of particular concern to climate scientists and automobile manufacturers. Previously, it was difficult to measure the amount of material that is not black carbon on soot particles. This project will utilize advances in aerosol science to quickly and accurately measure the percent of material that is not black carbon on soot particles.

Harvesting energy from renewable resources, such as wind and ocean waves, is an important issue facing our world today. With the increase in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, there is a need to move away from nonrenewable resources and to find new methods for capturing energy. Wind turbines operate most efficiently within a narrow band of wind speeds, outside of which the amount of electricity they produce plummets.

Augmented Reality (AR) is the combination of virtual images with real objects in order to improve perception. It is a rapidly growing field and has many applications in medicine. For this research project we would like to apply AR to the surgical site during a simulated operation in order to provide additional information and improve surgical performance. This will involve making 3D models from CT scan data, setting up a projection system to display those models into the surgical site and tracking the movement of the organs being operated on to maintain an accurate projection.