Report

Postcard from Turkey: Ryerson PhD candidate harnesses the sunshine of Izmir for his research project

By M. Ebrahim Poulad

The application process went by quickly. After my project was approved, my host university, Dokuz Eylül University in Izmir, Turkey, kindly offered me a good room and daily breakfast in the university residence.

My host supervisor is Dr. C. Ozgur Colpan of the Mechnical Engineering department. Dr. Colpan was interested in my PhD thesis, which explores solar energy and thermodiode panels, so he asked me to give a lecture to the university’s faculty and graduate students. I presented my lecture, “Effects of PCM Thermal Properties and Thermodiode Panel (TDP) on Buildings’ Energy Demand and Indoor Temperature” on September 26, 2014.

It was my first trip to Turkey, so I was excited to explore the city and cultural monuments. Izmir is a sunny city! I’ve worked on many solar projects in Canada, but we typically didn’t have enough sun to validate our research findings. The Globalink Research Award gave me a chance to work on a solar project right under the sun and apply my conclusions to the solar simulation model.

I worked on a team of two senior undergrads and one master’s student to optimize a parabolic trough solar collector to produce electricity. Most importantly, my host university supervisor appreciated my knowledge of simulating the sun and predicting the results using the computer model. 


Mitacs thanks the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario for their support of the Globalink research internship in this story. Across Canada, the Globalink program also receives support from Alberta Innovates, the Government of British Columbia, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Prince Edward Island, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan and Research Manitoba.

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: BD@mitacs.ca

Mitacs Team
Mitacs Team

Mitacs’s website content is created by people throughout our organization, united in their passion for innovation and eager to share their perspectives with others in the innovation ecosystem.