(Edmonton) Two University of Alberta researchers are among the recipients of Strategic Project Grants announced today by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Greg Goss in the Department of Biological Sciences and Witold Pedrycz in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will each receive close to $500,000 to further their research.
NSERC Strategic Project Grants aim to increase research and training in areas that could strongly influence Canada's economy, society or environment in the next 10 years in four target areas: environmental science and technologies, information and communications technologies, manufacturing, and natural resources and energy. This year, $38 million in support will be awarded to 78 scientific teams at universities across the country.
Goss's research, conducted in parallel with colleagues at McGill University and L'université de Montréal, will further the development of guidelines and documentation for testing the safety of engineered nanoparticles used in industrial and domestic products.
"We're working directly with companies to reduce harm and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their products. This is probably the first case where we have commercial development go hand-in-hand with guidance and regulation," Goss said.
"I always say nanotechnology is the green revolution-it's what's going to lead us to improved sustainability. We just need to do it safely," he added.
Pedrycz's research involves developing a granular computing methodology to improve record quality for Master Data Management.
"NSERC is proud to support these strategic projects that extend our knowledge and create new innovations that will define our future," said NSERC president Mario Pinto.