$500,000 for research equipment at University of Saskatchewan

Saskatoon, SK – Saskatchewan’s provincial government says it is investing nearly a half million dollars in equipment at the University of Saskatchewan to advance research into robotics and brain diseases as well as industrial chemistry.

The projects include:

– $86,200 to mechanical engineer Reza Fotouhi for a mobile robot, industrial arm and set of flexible manipulators to study diverse uses including handling hazardous materials, performing rescue missions in industrial and space applications, and with potential uses in farming.

– $91,619 to medical researcher Helen Nichol for equipment to use X-rays at the Canadian Light Source synchrotron to help reveal how excess iron is deposited in the brain in certain diseases, work that may also have applications in treating Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This research builds on the university’s strengths in biomedical, agricultural, and veterinary science.

– $137,008 to chemist Matthew Paige for an atomic force microscope that will establish Saskatchewan as a leader in single-molecule research while benefiting the health care industry and initiating scientific and industrial innovation.

– $183,690 to chemist Jens Mller for equipment, unique in Canada, for investigating and analyzing reactive intermediates, which are unstable compounds formed during chemical reactions. Understanding these compounds has practical applications in techniques such as vapour deposition, used in everything from protective coatings to electronics.

Provincial support for these projects matches federal funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) under the New Opportunities Fund, a program that supports newly recruited academic staff and helps universities attract high-calibre researchers and students.