The Research Rundown
Telling the story of engineering research innovation at Ontario Tech University.
The Research Rundown is a podcast that offers listeners a fun and accessible way to learn about and reflect on the practical applications of the latest research from The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science at Ontario Tech University. Listeners will hear directly from Engineering Faculty in a conversational space as they discuss their findings and the implications of their work with current Ontario Tech Engineering students. Each interview breaks down one or more studies and will help anyone in the engineering field understand the key details and main takeaways from complex research projects.
Season 3
Episode 01 - The Future of Nuclear Power in Canada
The Research Rundown is back for Season 3, and in this inaugural episode, host Valery Senka sits down with Dr. Markus Piro to discuss his career path and current research in the nuclear power sector. Together, Valery and Dr. Piro discuss the different types of nuclear power generation, the emergence of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and how students will play an important role in their development and maintenance. Dr. Piro also discusses the exciting and continuously growing nuclear power landscape across Canada.
Interviewee:
Dr. Markus Piro, Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Nuclear Fuels and Materials, Department Chair Energy and Nuclear Engineering
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Interviewer:
Valery Senka, 4th year Nuclear Engineering Student
Episode 02 - AI and Model Predictive Controls
In this latest episode of the Research Rundown, get to know one of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science's newest professors, Dr. Meaghan Charest-Finn! In this conversation, she sits down with Mechatronics student Nicholas Varas to discuss her ongoing research in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and model predictive controls. They also talk about her journey going from a small Maritime town to postgraduate education, AI vs. Machine Learning, and her future plans for her new research lab at Ontario Tech. If you are interested in AI and its role in our daily lives, or are debating pursuing postgraduate education, you will not want to miss this episode.
Interviewee:
Dr. Meghan Charest-Finn, Assistant Professor, Department of Automotive and Mechatronics Engineering
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Interviewer:
Nicholas Varas, 4th year Mechatronics Engineering Student
Season 2
Episode 01 - The Future of Sustainable Energy
In this episode with Dr. Marc Rosen, the founding Dean of The Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, we will explore the future of sustainable energy. Brendan Varmazis, a Mechanical Engineering student studying the Energy Option and Dr. Rosen discuss Rosen’s current research on the subjects of: sustainable energy systems and processes, polygeneration and thermal energy storage. Dr. Rosen also gives insight into how sustainable energy can make an impact on climate change, and reflects on his time as the founding Dean of the faculty.
Interviewee:
Dr. Marc Rosen, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
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Interviewer:
Brendan Varmazis, 5th-year Mechanical Engineering, Energy Option Student.
Episode 02 - Innovative Robotics Technology
In this episode, Dr. Scott Nokleby, Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Automotive and Mechatronics Engineering will talk about the exciting future of mechatronics, robotics and automation. David Akinyme, a 4th-year Mechatronics student and Dr. Nokleby talk about his current research projects including; the Boston Dynamics SPOT Robot project with Ontario Power Generation, and the OmniRaptor, an omnidirectional quad-copter meant for inspection of high-voltage transmission towers. They also discuss the outlook of robotics and automation, and how that relates to things like autonomous vehicles and jobs of the future.
Interviewee:
Dr. Scott Nokleby, Department Chair, Automotive and Mechatronics Engineering
Learn more about Dr. Nokleby's research at http://www.youtube.com/MARSLaboratory
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Interviewer:
David Akinyme, a 4th year Mechatronics Engineering Student
Season 1
Episode 01 - Machining Difficult-to-cut Materials
In this episode, Dr. Ali Hosseini discusses his research in machining difficult-to-cut materials. The interview begins with a look at Dr. Hosseini's career path, including his time as a PhD student at Ontario Tech University, and then dives deep into his current research and how it ties into his teaching. We will then take a look at his most recent project, working on the Code Life Ventilator Challenge.
Interviewee:
Dr. Sayyed Ali Hosseini, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
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Interviewer:
Sandra Mai, 4th year Mechanical Engineering Student
Episode 02 - Exploring Medical Robotics
In this episode with Dr. Carlos Rossa, we will explore the innovative field of medical robotics. Danny and Dr. Rossa discuss his current research on the subjects of: haptic devices for robotic surgery, Instrumented surgical needles for targeted tissue biopsy, and Robotic acousto-electric tomography for malignant tumour localization. Dr. Rossa breaks down these complex research topics and explains their practical applications.
Interviewee:
Dr. Carlos Rossa, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
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Interviewer:
Daniel Nucci, 4th year Software Engineering Student
Episode 03 - Nature Inspired Computational Intelligence
In this episode, host Daniel Nucci is back with Dr. Shahryar Rahnamayan, to examine the complex issues surrounding large-scale software optimization. Danny and Dr. Rahnamayan discuss real-world applications of the effectiveness of optimization, and then look at his current research on the binary tagging of medical images through radon barcodes, and how important software engineers are to the medical industry. They talk about his newest research project, designing an advanced search engine for large pathology archives.
Interviewee:
Dr. Shahryar Rahnamayan, Professor, Department of Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineering
Listen Now:
Interviewer:
Daniel Nucci, 4th year Software Engineering Student
Episode 04 - Transportation Electrification
What is the future of electric transportation? How can we improve the environmental impact of vehicles on the road? How will we charge autonomous vehicles? In this episode, host Pranav is joined by Dr. Sheldon Williamson, where he discusses the exciting world of Transportation Electrification. Learn more about the electrification of mass transit systems, discover how you can wirelessly charge autonomous vehicles, and find out how we can make battery storage systems last longer.
Interviewee:
Dr. Sheldon Williamson, Professor, Department of Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering
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Interviewer:
Pranav Gogia, 4th year Mechatronics Engineering Student
Episode 05 - Real-Time Embedded Systems
In this episode, special guest host Software Engineering Alumnus Chirag Karia is here with Dr. Akramul Azim, discussing the growing field of Real-Time Embedded Systems, and to talk about Dr. Azim's current research surrounding Autonomous Driving, Autonomous Disinfecting Embedded Systems for COVID-19, and Real-time Data Analytics for Mushroom Farms. They also chat about the supervisor/student relationship surrounding Capstone projects and give tips to future students, as Dr. Akramul and Chirag worked together on the winning Active Vents Capstone Project in 2019.
Interviewee:
Dr. Akramul Azim Professor, Department of Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineering
https://rtemsoft.com/research-projects/
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Special Guest Interviewer:
Chirag Karia, Software Engineering Alumnus
Episode 06 - Exploring Heavy Vehicle Dynamics
In our final episode of 2020, host Fiona Man, a 3rd-year Mechanical Engineering student is joined by Ontario Tech Alumni and Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Zeinab El-Sayegh, who discusses her innovative research understanding off-road vehicle performance, taking an in-depth look at Tire-Terrain Interaction, Advanced Multi-Objective Crash Analysis Optimization and the Vehicle Dynamics and Crash Analysis Lab in which she works. Dr. El-Sayegh also gives insight into what it’s like to be a Postdoctoral Fellow, and shares words of advice with Fiona about the Ontario Tech Racing Team.
Interviewee:
Dr. Zeinab El-Sayegh, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Automotive and Mechatronics Engineering
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Interviewer:
Fiona Man, 3rd year Mechanical Engineering Student
Episode 07 - Surveying the STEM Education Pipeline
In this special National Engineering Month episode, Ontario Tech Engineering Outreach Coordinator Vanessa Ironside takes us on a journey exploring her research and some of the critical topics surrounding the STEM education pipeline in Ontario. She will take a look at how gender, socioeconomic status, and race play into the number of youth choosing STEM as an education and career path, and the steps that are being taken to make it more accessible and inclusive.
Interviewee:
Vanessa Ironside, Engineering Outreach Coordinator
engineering@ontariotechu.ca/outreach
Listen Now:
Interviewer:
Carly Rogers, 4th year Mechatronics Engineering Student
