Movers & Shakers to the field of cryobiology — the effect of extremely low temperatures on biological systems — and mentioned the need for thermodynamics expertise. Cryobiology has a major role in the
LATITUDE
CRYOBIOLOGY, TRICORDERS, KILLAM AWARDS When she arrived in Edmonton 19 years ago, Jane Elliott, P.Eng. , had never heard of cryobiology. Today,
Fort Saskatchewan. Fluor was the engi- neering, procurement, and construction contractor on the project and provided preliminary design services. Fluor implemented its 3rd Generation Modular Execution approach in the early phases of the project, reducing the facil- ity’s plot space by 20 per cent through modularization. The approach reduced the project’s capital costs by nearly 30 per cent and reduced disruptions to the existing facility and construction sched- ule. Despite more than 1.3 million hours on the project, it achieved zero lost-time incidents. The $1.35-billion Quest project opened in November and is Shell’s first commercial-scale carbon-capture-and- storage facility. It is expected to capture and store more than one million tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year. See the Buzz on page 17 for more details on the Quest project. Global Best Projects honours the global project teams behind outstanding design and construction efforts.
preservation of cells and tissues for medi- cal transplantation. This led to an interdis- ciplinary cryobiology research group that explores cryopreserved tissues and their role in transplantation. The team has cryo- preserved articular cartilage of the knee, and a new cartilage protocol means the cartilage can now be collected and stored for longer amounts of time. This makes distribution and coordination easier for people needing reconstructive surgeries. The Killam Professorship also recog- nizes Dr. Elliot’s teaching abilities. She be- lieves there’s a strong connection between research and teaching, and often brings her research into the classroom to inspire students to learn more about the subject. Dr. Elliot currently serves on the editorial board of Cryobiology journal. She is the Canada Research Chair in Thermodynamics and has served on the Physical Sciences Advisory Committee for the Canadian Space Agency. Her research was recognized in the Time magazine article Canadians Who Define the New Frontiers of Science. Jie Chen, P.Eng. , took a risk when he left an Ivy League posting at Brown University for a position at the University of Alberta. A university news story reports he was looking for a fresh start in a more multi-disciplinary environment. He found what he was looking for, and the resulting collaboration led to research that is considered one of Canada’s top medical breakthroughs. He was also awarded the prestigious Killam Annual Professorship. Dr. Chen received a B.Sc. in electri- cal engineering from Fudan University in China, before moving to the United States to complete a master's and PhD in electri- cal and computer engineering. From the moment Dr. Chen arrived at the U of A he was exposed to opportu- nities for interdisciplinary collaboration. Interested in the biomedical field, he met a dentist who was exploring the use of ul- trasound to stimulate the growth of dental tissue. The dentist needed a smaller, less
she’s a key member of a world- leading research team in the field. She has been awarded a Killam Annual Professorship for her work in cryobiology and thermodynamics. Dr. Elliot graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A.Sc. in engineering science and an M.A.Sc. and PhD in mechanical engineering. After completing her PhD, the UAlberta News reports she was drawn to the Universi- ty of Alberta for its strength in colloidal and surface thermodynamics. Joining the U of A's Faculty of Engineering as a professor in the Department of Chemi- cal and Materials Engineering, she was soon exposed to the institution’s collaborative atmosphere. A colleague from the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology introduced her
28 | PEG WINTER 2015
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker