成人大片

Creating meaningful learning opportunities for students and faculty to advance practical research and improve quality of life

Each year in Canada, about one in 1,000 babies is born with underdeveloped lungs. Called pulmonary hypoplasia, this congenital abnormality can cause high blood pressure, breathing disorders and other developmental problems. While doctors can prenatally diagnose this condition and help sufferers manage symptoms, no cure exists to regenerate underdeveloped lungs.

However, emerging research involving a Faculty of Science student may shed new light on what causes incomplete lung growth. Last summer, biomedical sciences student Fiza Butt had the unique opportunity to intern in the lab of Dr. Hagar Labouta, a nanomedicine expert at the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science at St. Michael鈥檚 Hospital. Working for four months in a team of post-doctoral fellows and graduate students, Butt helped grow living lung tissue cells on a biotechnology 鈥渃hip鈥� through which to test their molecular response to development-disrupting chemicals.

鈥淚t is rewarding to see the accomplishments of the students at iBEST as they learn, contribute and decide on their futures. With the experience they gain in their internships, they are able to make informed decisions, knowing that they have developed critical skills in the fields of research, biology, technology, and engineering,鈥� says Roslyn Bern, president of the Leacross Foundation, which has provided financial support to enable this opportunity for 16 female-identifying students through this partnership to date.

Leacross is one of several donors whose contributions bolster the academic programs and applied research initiatives of the Faculty of Science. Organizations and individuals who support the faculty recognize its immense capacity to develop graduates who will advance discovery and innovation in fields such as health care, technology and environmental science.

Among the other organizations that back their belief in the faculty鈥檚 impactful work with financial contributions is Jet Ice, a global leader in developing and deploying ice-making technology for sporting events. In 2022, the Canadian company invested in establishing the Jet Ice Research Chair in Sustainable Materials Chemistry at 成人大片 to advance knowledge about sustainable rink operations. Producing and maintaining ice for Canada鈥檚 almost 8,000 indoor and outdoor professional and community skating rinks uses considerable amounts of energy and water, as well as chemicals and materials that can potentially harm the environment.

鈥淚t has truly been an amazing and collaborative environment. The progress we鈥檝e made together in developing our research plans has far exceeded my expectations,鈥� says Greg Taylor, CEO of Jet Ice.

Serving as the inaugural chair is materials chemist and professor Stefania Impellizzeri, whose research has uncovered a variety of ways to optimize surface ice conditions while reducing the environmental footprint of rink operations. At the , she leads a dynamic team that includes research associates Ryan Hutchins and Pedro Ortiz, graduate students Anthony Fasulo and Martin Zhen, and research assistant Jiani (Jenny) Wang. The lab also provides meaningful research opportunities and mentorship to a wide range of undergraduate students to test new materials and methods for ice-making and related rink functions in a purpose-built laboratory consisting of a 15-ft. by nine-ft. ice rink in which humidity, air temperature and other conditions can be systematically controlled. 

One area of Impellizzeri鈥檚 research has revealed how the temperature and total dissolved solids 鈥� minerals such as calcium, magnesium and sodium 鈥� of water influence the grip and hardness of ice. The findings, , provide the first-ever evidence of how water composition affects the mechanical characteristics and freezing behaviour of ice, information that can help rink operators adapt ice conditions to suit the specific needs of hockey, curling and skating.

In earlier research, Impellizzeri and her team made a breakthrough related to cleaning up end-of-season ice waste, which contains residue from the ice paint used to add logos and mark play zones both on and under the ice. They developed a new eco-friendly additive that speeds up the separation of this residue from meltwater, reducing the process from days to just 30 minutes. Impellizzeri is now designing a new filtration system to purify the reclaimed meltwater so that it can be safely reused for other purposes. At the same time, her team is developing bio-based alternatives to current ice paints and has already developed dozens of prototypes.

Other aspects of Impellizzeri鈥檚 research in this area include finding safe ways to dispose of synthetic microparticles in the ice shavings produced during resurfacing, and analyzing how levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide and other gases in water influence the smoothness of ice. She has also consulted for the National Hockey League (NHL) to assess the impact of fog machines on rink ice quality.

 鈥淭hanks to the vision and support of Jet Ice, my research, which is fundamental and discovery-based, will have tangible benefits for arena managers and the broader ice-making community,鈥� Impellizzeri says. 鈥淎t the same time, we can generate knowledge that will translate into more sustainable industry practices.鈥�

Impellizzeri also leads an NSERC-funded, discovery-based research program in luminescent nanomaterials for catalysis and biomedical applications. 

Learn more about philanthropic giving at the Faculty of Science to support student success in the classroom and beyond.