Attendees of Cross-campus Workshop: Integrating Building Circularity and Sustainability.
Date: August 6th, 2024 Location: Engineering, Management and Education Building (EME 4208), Okanagan Campus, UBC
Purpose: The workshop was organized by Dr. Haibo Feng and Dr. Qian Chen with UBC CRMA funding, and further sponsored by Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC). The purpose of this workshop is to initiate collaborations among research groups on two campuses. The focus is on integrating knowledge of building circularity and sustainability models. This workshop includes a series of top-edging presentations from various research labs, aiming to innovate current construction practices towards improved circularity, sustainability, and digital efficiencies. The ultimate goal is to establish the British Columbia Building Circularity and Sustainability Research Nexus.
Anticipated Outcomes:
Showcase innovative projects and findings, facilitating knowledge exchange and collaboration between the research groups to advance the integration of building circularity and sustainability models.
Strengthen collaborations among research groups cross campus.
Identify founding members of the British Columbia Building Circularity and Sustainability Research Nexus.
Dr. Xiaotao Tony Bi Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, UBC
Professor Xiaotao Bi of University of British Columbia, the CERC director has been presented the International Circulating Fluidized Bed and Fluidization Technology Achievement Award at the 14th International Circulating Fluidized Beds (CFB) and Fluidization Technology conference in Taiyuan, China (July 22-25, 2024). This award recognizes Dr. Bi’s sustained contribution to the advancement of fluidization science and technology over past 40 years. His research spans from choking phenomena, flow regime transitions and regime diagrams, high solids flux circulating fluidized beds, pressure waves and pressure fluctuations in fluidized beds, electrostatic phenomena in fluidized beds, and novel fluidized bed reactors for biomass conversion. In addition, he contributed greatly to the fluidization community by organizing important conferences and serving in different committees.
The fluidization achievement award has been considered as the highest recognition for fluidization researchers in the international fluidization community, given at International Fluidization Conferences and International Circulating Fluidized Bed Conferences held every three years. The past winners of the awards include Professors John Grace (1998) and Norman Epstein (2012) from UBC (https://cfbconferences.org/awards).
A new cutting-edge laboratory at UBC Okanagan – the Battery Innovation Centre, will provide a world-class space to advance battery innovations. It will be led by Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC) member, Prof. Jian Liu with about $2M in funding provided by BC’s Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation.
Holly Caggiano (a CERC member from UBC Planning & Public Policy, Rutgers’ Bloustein School) and her co-authors published an article in the prestigious journal — Nature Energy, entitled “Public and local policymaker preferences for large-scale energy project characteristics” (PDF). Some key takeaways: * Direct benefits like job creation and community ownership increase public support for large-scale energy projects. * Support for energy projects is similar across Democrats and Republicans in the general public, suggesting opportunities for bipartisan efforts. * Elected officials underestimate how much their constituents support projects that generate solar energy and create permanent jobs. * Open dialogue between community members and local elected officials about prioritized project benefits may help advance energy transitions.
Prof. Qingshi Tu became a UBC Sustainability Fellow, joining a cohort of faculty to advance sustainability education at the university. He joined other two faculty members — Caren Lombard (Sauder), Tamara Etmannski (Applied Science) as this year’s fellows in the category of “Accounting for Climate Change: Expanding civil engineering, wood science and accounting courses for climate relevancy by adding case-based carbon/sustainability accounting course modules”.
Dr. Ryan Ziels Department of Civil Engineering, UBC
Prof. Ryan Ziel won the ISME/IWA BioCluster Rising Star Award for his innovative research on microbial communities transforming waste into high-value resources.
Dr. Ryan Ziels is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering, with appointments in the Genome Sciences and Technology and Environmental Engineering programs at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada). He received his PhD in 2016 from the University of Washington (Seattle, USA) in Civil and Environmental Engineering. He joined the University of British Columbia as an Assistant Professor in 2017.
Broadly, Dr. Ziels’ research focuses on the utilization of microbial communities to convert waste materials into high-value resources, such as bioenergy, nutrients, and clean water. His work has also advanced long-read sequencing for rapid profiling of microbiomes in water systems. Since starting at UBC, his research endeavors have been supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada, and Genome Canada, among others. He remains actively engaged in the IWA and ISME community through the IWA Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering Specialist Group and the IWA/ISME BioCluster. To learn more, please connect with Dr.Ryan Ziels.
Dr. Heather Trajano Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, UBC
Dr. Heather Trajano, Associate Professor, received the Dean’s Faculty Award for Service, specifically for her commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigeneity (EDII). Dr. Trajano’s initiatives have significantly advanced the CHBE department’s EDII goals, fostering a more inclusive and supportive environment for students and staff alike.
As founder and co-chair of the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigeneity (EDII) Committee in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering (CHBE), Dr. Heather Trajano has demonstrated exceptional leadership and facilitated transformative change. Her efforts have significantly improved the well-being and success of students, faculty, and staff, particularly those from underserved and minoritized groups, and have integrated critical equity and humanitarian knowledge into academic programs. Dr. Trajano’s dedication to diversity and inclusion serves as a powerful role model, expanding opportunities and support for women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals in engineering. She has fostered positive relations and mutual respect through innovative programs and events, making a lasting impact on the department and community.
For more details on the 2024 Dean’s Awards and other recipients, visit the UBC Engineering news page.
As government authorities, ports, and vehicle operators work to identify pathways to decarbonize freight transportation and support healthy and resilient Canadian communities, there is a need for a more comprehensive understanding of emissions from this sector under real-world operating conditions, and the potential for emissions mitigation through changes to fuels and technologies. This improved understanding is critical for designing targeted emissions reduction interventions that are feasible and maximize climate, air quality, and health benefits.
Bhushan Gopaluni Professor Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering University of British Columbia
Prof. Bhushan Gopaluni is an internationally renowned expert in process data analytics. He pioneered the development and application of computational algorithms that characterize and optimize complex industrial processes. These algorithms transform vast industrial data into actionable knowledge. His research enables industries to maintain global competitiveness amidst escalating energy, environment and quality demands. His work resulted in hundreds of research articles and generated several patents. He has played a key role in educating engineering students and championed diversity and inclusion. His exceptional leadership and mentorship have inspired many students and produced leaders in both academia and industry.
