Mitigation of CO2 emissions in conjunction with the implementation of renewable energy generation and storage are widely recognized among the most pressing technological challenges of the twenty-first century that aim to address runaway climate scenarios. The UBC team in collaboration with its industry partner (AGORA Energy Inc) has introduced the concept of CO2-to-energy via its […]

Phenolic resin, also known as phenolic formaldehyde resin (PF), is a synthetic resin produced from the polymerization of phenol (an aromatic alcohol derived from benzene) and formaldehyde (a reactive gas derived from methane). Resins have applications from use as laminates to in construction materials such as wood and composite materials. The use of petroleum-based compounds […]

Winegrape phenology (the timing of seasonal events – leafout, flowering, harvest) has traditionally been an important tool for winegrowers to plan vineyard management. With warming, however, winegrape phenology has advanced significantly, impacting the type and quality of wine different vineyards can produce. How large the impact of climate change has been, and will be, depends […]

Knowledge of the geographic distribution and identification of species is essential for the conservation of biodiversity. With advances in technology and greater accessibility of equipment capable of recording underwater, it was possible to obtain data efficiently. However, it leads to an immense volume of information collected, which requires exhaustive manual processing that requires label, time […]

Quantum computers hold the capability to solve problems that are out of the computational reach of classical computers. The race to finding and testing such problems on a smaller scale is currently on. Variational methods are one of the candidates leading this race. These methods are hybrid, meaning that they require quantum as well as […]

A major challenge facing farmers is obtaining the nitrogen needed to support plant growth. Inoculation of legume crops with rhizobia, which supply plants with the required nitrogen, is a green alternative to environmentally hazardous nitrogen-fertilizers. However, rhizobia vary in their effectiveness, and the success of inoculants depends on their ability to outcompete native and poorly-effective […]

For urgent, life-threatening medical conditions such as cardiac arrest and stroke, treatment is time-sensitive and must be received promptly to maximize the likelihood of patient survival. Previous research has shown that areas with lower socioeconomic status have higher rates of cardiac arrest incidence as well as lower rates of receiving timely treatment and patient survival. […]

The development of scalable quantum computers threatens the secrecy of communication by breaking classical encryption schemes. In order to ensure long-term security in communication networks quantum-safe cryptography is currently being developed and evaluated in standardization competitions. A special property of many of the proposed cryptosystems is a low but non-zero probability of failure: An encrypted […]

Municipal solid waste (MSW) refers to recyclables and compostable materials, as well as garbage from homes, businesses, institutions, and construction and demolition sites. Disposal of MSW causes significant environmental problems. It is imperative to develop efficient environmental-friendly treatment technologies to tackle this global challenge. Among feasible technologies, gasification of treated MSW has been considered as […]

This research proposal deals with characterization of thermophilic ?-Mannanase of Thermomyces lanuginosus and using this enzyme for hydrolysis of natural mannan to produce prebiotic MOS (Mannooligosaccharides). Alternative routes for the utilization of agricultural by-products are of interest because the economic value of these by-products as animal feed compounds is decreasing. MOS are non-digestible sugar oligomers […]

In today’s technology-centred world, we have become increasingly reliant upon artificial intelligence (AI) devices and software. To aid with navigation, many people use SIRI or other digital voice assistants to help them navigate from point A to point B. While successful in helping humans arrive at intended locations, there is a downside. Recent studies have […]

Plant biostimulants are substance(s) and/or micro-organisms whose function when applied to plants or the rhizosphere is to stimulate natural processes to enhance/benefit nutrient uptake, nutrient efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stresses, and crop quality (EBIC). A number of bacterial and fungal biocontrol agents that are used for the management of plant diseases and insect pest are […]