Research and Policy

High-calibre researchers and practitioners play vital roles in our institute. The past year saw TISED make tremendous progress in growing its research activities and initiatives through the continued research work of the Trottier Chair in Sustainability in Engineering and Design, Dr. Laxmi Sushama, the research fruits generated from last year’s research funding program, the TISED/GHP Innovative Solutions for Planetary Health Seed Grants, and the creation of a second Faculty Scholar Award, the John M. Bishop and family Award. We have also continued to expand our expertise and network of researchers with the collaboration of two scholars-in-residence.

Innovative Solutions for Planetary Health Seed Grants

On the 19th of November TISED and McGill Global Health Programs held a reception to highlight their seed grant pilot initiative to fund two joint interdisciplinary projects. The idea behind this program was to launch a collaboration that addressed the nexus between disease, rapid environmental degradation and climate change caused by unsustainable industrialization, urban growth and resource consumption practices. The aim of the grant was to fund interdisciplinary projects that combatted these challenges, and to foster dynamic partnerships between researchers in the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Engineering at McGill.

The program was funded by generous donations by the Steinberg Fund for Interdisciplinary Global Health Research and a gift to TISED by benefactor Ram Panda. The proposals to be funded had to be a joint effort between a researcher in the Faculty of Engineering and one in the Faculty of Medicine. The chosen projects focused on Air Pollution and Water Pollution which are two major difficulties that developing nations face regarding development and environmental health.

The reception started with presentations from the grant recipients detailing their research projects. Dr. Andrew G. Kirk, James McGill Professor and Department Chair, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering and Dr. Mark Trifiro, Associate Professor, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism of the Department of Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine gave a presentation on ‘High Speed, portable PCR system for rapid and in-situ water quality testing’.

The research aim was to demonstrate an optically driven PCR (Polymer Chain Reaction) system that could provide a portable, low-cost and easy-to-use testing system for water samples and would give a response within five minutes. The current PCR machines in use to test water quality are often bulky and take over an hour to process the sample. Ultimately, this would be applied in testing for impure water in developing regions and greatly reduce incidents of water-borne bacterial infection and help boilwater advisories to be lifted earlier.

This was followed by a presentation by Dr. Jill Baumgartner, Assistant Professor and William Dawson Scholar in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatics and Occupational Health in the Faculty of Medicine and Dr. Omid Rouhani, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering on ‘A pilot study of the acute cardiovascular impacts of exposure to traffic related air pollution and its oxidative potential among adults in urban Colombia.’

The aim of the research was to leverage existing infrastructure in urban Bucaramanga, Colombia and conduct a study that combines novel air pollution exposure metrics and biological monitoring in retired adults in order to investigate the most harmful particulate matter components and sources of traffic-related air pollution. The goal was to find the importance of different combustion and non-combustion sources of traffic pollution on human health to better facilitate the formulation of transportation infrastructure planning and policy to mitigate the effects health risks of wearing.

Both the talks were deeply informative and interesting. The audience, consisting of TISED benefactors Lorne Trottier and Ram Panda, various professors from the faculties of Engineering and medicine, professionals from industry and a mix of graduate and undergraduate students, were thoroughly engaged by the presentations and the expert panel that followed. The panel consisted of experts from academia and industry and was in wide agreement over the usefulness of the program stating it had a tremendous impact.

The event was closed with a networking cocktail reception in which students, professors, professionals and all others in attendance had a chance to discuss the contents of the research programs and make connections that could lead to further collaborations between the Faculties of Engineering and Medicine.

Trottier Chair in Sustainability in Engineering & Design May 1, 2018 – April 30, 2019

Research

Climate change, induced by increased anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases, is one of today’s greatest environmental threats. Changes are being experienced particularly intensely in the Arctic, where permafrost degradation associated with warmer temperatures, and increasing intensity, duration, and frequency of extreme events, are having significant impacts not only on the natural environment but also on the built environment, especially civil infrastructure, energy, mining, waste, wastewater, coastal, and offshore systems. The average temperature across the Arctic has risen at almost twice the rate as that of the rest of the world and future projections suggest continued higher increases in temperature. Thus, there is an urgent need to adapt the Canadian Arctic’s engineering and infrastructure systems to the changing climatic conditions to ensure sustainability.

The Chair led a Letter of Intent (LOI) for an NSERC strategic Network – Canadian Arctic Responsive Engineering (CARE) Network. This proposed pan-Canadian effort is to study Arctic engineering systems in a holistic and responsive manner, and to innovate, develop, and adapt sustainable technologies and practices for the changing Arctic environment aimed at addressing six inter-connected objectives:

Development of high-resolution climate change projections and analysis for the Arctic region at engineering scales; Adaptation and innovation of technologies for cold regions surface and subsurface infrastructure in a changing climate; Development and application of sustainable and cost-efficient approaches, technologies and processes to treat and operate waste, water and wastewater systems in a changing climate; Improvement in the integrity of mining infrastructure via development and implementation of sustainable approaches to operate mines and mining equipment in a changing climate; Identification of the pathway to zero-emission energy strategies and technologies for the Canadian Arctic; and Development of tools and technology for climate resilient northern coastal and offshore infrastructure.

The LOI was selected by NSERC to go to the full proposal stage. The Chair led the proposal development, and hosted planning meetings at McGill, Yellowknife, Iqaluit and Whitehorse. The Chair developed partnerships with 60 organizations, including territorial, federal, provincial and municipal organizations, consulting firms and international organizations. Co-investigators from 10 Canadian universities were involved in the proposal.

A workshop with international partners was held at McGill University by the Chair in December 2018, with the goal of developing a robust international strategy for the Net-

work. The meeting was attended by representatives from: (1) Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) of the United States Army Corps of Engineers; (2) Institute of Northern Engineering, University of Alaska Fairbanks; (3) International Arctic Research Centre (IARC), University of Alaska at Fairbanks; (4) Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network; (5) University of Iceland; (6) Iceland Construction Authority; (7) The Arctic University of Norway; (8) Arctic DTU and Arctic WASH Network of the Technical University of Denmark; (9) Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI).

The application was submitted to NSERC in February 2019, following which a site visit took place in April 2019. Unfortunately, the proposal was not funded, albeit there were positive reviews from the reviewers and the site visit committee. The Chair is reviewing the possibility of submitting the proposal to other programs.

Teaching

The Chair developed two courses for the TISED Master’s program:

SEAD 515: Climate Change Adaptation and Engineering Infrastructure

This course focuses on climate-resilience and sustainability of engineering systems such as the built environment and engineering infrastructure in the context of a changing climate, possible mitigation and adaptation strategies and associated challenges and opportunities. The course reviews the basic principles that underpin the science of climate change; the role of global and regional climate models in predicting the behavior of the climate system in response to different forcing scenarios, and the use of climate model outputs in support of across scale climate-resilience of various engineering systems including infrastructure systems.

SEAD 550: Decision Making for Sustainability in Engineering and Design.

This course focusses on informed and practical decisions for bringing sustainability in engineering and design based on a range of tools, approaches and methodologies including multi-criteria decision-making, uncertainty analysis, game theory, sustainability metrics, life cycle analysis, and evaluation and impact assessment methodologies. The course covers fundamental requirements of a typical design problem, identifying stagedependent alternatives and options that promote sustainable solutions to engineering problems.

Outreach

The Chair was one of the two tour speakers for the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society (CMOS) for the 2018-2019 period. The Chair gave presentations in east Canadian provinces, including Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador on ‘Climate-Engineering Dialogue in the Context of Arctic Engineering Systems’, which brought great visibility to TISED activities.

Faculty Scholar Awards TISED members are eligible to apply for the Faculty Scholar Awards, which are funded by our generous donors. The Faculty Scholar Awards support research in sustainability and enrich the teaching and research programs launched by TISED; partly by funding the Scholar’s doctoral students’ research, and partly by providing opportunities for outreach and policy work within the Institute.

The Panda Faculty Scholar Award in Sustainability in Engineering and Design was established through an endowed gift to the Faculty of Engineering from alumnus Ram Panda (M.Eng. ’71, MBA ’77). TISED Associate Director Jeffrey Bergthorson holds the appointment for a second three-year term from January 2018 to December 2020.

This Faculty Scholar position supports exploratory and highly innovative research in sustainability and advances and enriches the teaching and research programs launched by TISED, partly by funding doctoral student research in sustainability in engineering and design and partly by championing outreach, research, and policy work with the institute.

The John M. Bishop and family Faculty Scholar Award in Sustainable Engineering and Design was established through an endowed gift to the Faculty of Engineering from John M. Bishop (B.Eng. ’47). Dr. François Bouffard (Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering) has been appointed as the first John M. Bishop and family Faculty Scholar.

This Award is intended to promote research that reduces society’s dependency on non-renewable resources. The Award will provide support to faculty members within TISED, specifically to engage one or more doctoral student(s), under their supervision, working in an area of strategic importance to the Faculty that has demonstrated focus on sustainability and design.

Scholars-in-Residence Program & Visiting Professors Leading scholars around the world apply to TISED to conduct collaborative research with TISED members through our Scholars-in-Residence Program. During their residency, the Scholars also organize research workshops focusing on policy, deliver public and course lectures, and prepare publications to advance sustainability policy.

Two Scholars-in-Residence, Doctors Joel Pedersen and Thilo Hofmann, have been working at McGill on their research in 2019. Dr. Joel Pedersen arrived in January 2019 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison to begin his stay and Dr. Thilo Hofmann from the University of Vienna joined TISED in April 2019.

Scholar-in-Residence

Dr. Joel Pedersen - January-June 2019

Research interest and major career achievements:

Dr. Pedersen’s research focuses on environmental interfacial chemistry, specifically on molecular-scale interfacial processes of nanomaterials with biological systems, and its environmental implications. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he leads an interdisciplinary research theme focused on this topic in the NSF-funded Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology. In the ongoing development of the Center, he has earned numerous prestigious recognitions for excellence such as the Rothermel Bascom Professorship and the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professorship.

Over the course of his academic career, Dr. Pedersen has produced over 300 abstracts, served on countless advisory and editorial boards, and has been invited as a keynote speaker for over 100 lectures and seminars. He is currently an Associate Editor of the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Environmental Science: Nano. He is also the University of Wisconsin – Madison representative on a U.S. Department of Agriculture Multistate Research Project on nanoscale science and engineering in agriculture and food systems.

As TISED's Scholar in Residence:

His research focuses on sustainable advanced materials with a specific emphasis on engineered nanomaterials. As part of his work plan, he focuses on policy-related research on nanopesticides and nanoscale micronutrients (nano-enabled plant protection products). During his stay at McGill, he is working with TISED member Prof. Nathalie Tufenkji (Chemical Engineering) and collaborating with two other faculty members, TISED Director Prof. Subhasis Ghoshal (Civil Engineering) and Prof. Stéphane Bayen (Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry) on the environmental behaviour of nanocapsule delivery vehicles. Dr. Pedersen also has joint research projects at the Université de Montréal with Prof. Kevin Wilkinson (Chemistry) and Prof. Reghan Hill (Chemical Engineering) on the electrokinetic characterization of nanoparticles, and with Prof. Antonella Badia (Chemistry) on nanoparticle interaction with biological membranes.

As part of his mandate, he will give a public lecture on the potential benefits and risks associated with the use of nanopesticides and nanoscale micronutrients. He will also be organizing a concurrent workshop on “Sustainable Development of Emerging Nanomaterials for Energy Applications” to bring together key academics and researchers to discuss recent relevant developments in in June 2019.

Scholar-in-Residence

Dr. Thilo Hofmann

Research interest and major career achievements:

Dr. Hofmann, as the full Professor and Chair for Environmental Geosciences at the University of Vienna, leads a research group that focus on nanogeoscience, environmental pollutants, and hydrogeology. More specifically, Prof. Hofmann’s group research’s areas of nanogeoscience that include investigating trace contaminants and their sorption to carbonaceous materials, the role of microplastics, hydrogeology, and vulnerability analysis.

Over the past ten years, Dr. Hofmann has published more than 130 peer-reviewed papers and has also made more than 250 contributions to conferences including many invited and keynote lectures. He has served as the Director of the University of Vienna Environmental Science Research Network for the past five years. For his research excellence, he has received awards from the German Academic Scholarship Foundation, Berlin Technical University (the Erwin-Stephan Prize), and the German Water Chemical Society. He is also one of the founding members of the Center for Microbiology and Environmental System Sciences at the University of Vienna.

Dr. Hofmann has also served at other academic institutions. In addition to being a Scholar-inResidence at McGill University, he has been an Adjunct Full Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University (NC) and a Guest Professor at the College of Environmental Science and Engineering at Nankai University, Tianjin (China).

As TISED's Scholar-in-Residence:

Dr. Hofmann collaborates with TISED and its members to link plant-nanobiotechnology with industrial agriculture, water resources and supply, waste management, and environmental resilience. Also, as part of his residence here, he is organizing a research seminar and a panel discussion by experts in the fields of nanotechnology and agriculture where they address opportunities and pathways for the safe and sustainable deployment of nanotechnology in plant agriculture for July 2019.

Research Workshop Program Our Research Workshop Program (RWP) facilitates discussions on cutting-edge advances in technology and design as well as policy frameworks and interventions required to advance sustainability.

Each RWP includes a specialized research workshop and a public seminar. During the research workshop, focussed discussions support the development of a timely and topical publication and/or a research funding proposal. The public seminar features external and McGill speakers with distinguished research track-records.

TISED invites its members to submit RWP proposals aligned with their research areas. TISED Scholars-in-Residence also deliver a RWP workshop and public seminar in collaboration with a group of TISED members and external participants.

Research Workshops

No RWP workshops or public seminars were held in the period between May 1, 2018 and April 30, 2019. The current Scholars-in-Residence, Drs. Pedersen and Hofmann are in the final preparations for their workshops and public seminars that will be held in the summer of 2019 at McGill.

Dr. Pedersen’s seminar, Sustainable Development of Emerging Nanomaterials for Energy Applications, is scheduled for June 2019.

Climate change has stimulated research on the development of nanomaterials for clean energy technologies. The sustainability of such technologies requires that net benefits accrue to society across material lifecycles. In this seminar we will examine approaches to guide the development of nanomaterials for clean energy along a sustainable pathway.

Dr. Hofmann’s seminar, Nanotechnology in Sustainable Plant Agriculture, is scheduled for July 2019.

With a growing population set to reach 10 billion by 2050, agricultural production will need to increase significantly. New nano-enabled agrochemicals and technologies could promote sustainable intensification of agriculture. Risks to humans and the environment linked to the usage of nanotechnology in agriculture, however, need to be carefully evaluated. This seminar aims to address how nano-enabled plant agriculture can help resolve the grand challenges we face in food production. This seminar aims to identify needs and safe pathways from the laboratory to the field. We seek to engage in a dialogue on the safe deployment of nanotechnology in plant agriculture including public opinion and policy.