Accelerating research
Two Concordians have received prestigious awards from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). Nadia Bhuiyan and Yves Gélinas are the recipients of Discovery Accelerator Supplement (DAS) awards for 2011-12.
Bhuiyan, a professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and associate director of the Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation, specializes in operations management and new product development. She researches and teaches “lean manufacturing” — a business model that examines ways to reduce waste in effort, personnel and resources from product conception through manufacturing and sales.
She has shown that when product development is executed according to the lean philosophy, major benefits are reaped in the manufacturing phase. A product designed for lean manufacturing will lead to reduced waste, lower cost, and shorter time to convert from an idea to a marketable product.
Gélinas, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, examines organic matter found in natural environments. A DAS award will allow him to study and help conserve coastal aquatic ecosystems — specifically estuaries or transition zones between terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems. Estuaries are highly productive systems with a distinct biogeochemistry of sediments.
He will soon undertake a five-day expedition with his graduate students and research colleagues on board a research ship in the St. Lawrence estuary. The goal is to collect samples and analyze their microbial composition and metabolic properties. This work will advance the understanding of the complex structure of sediments and contribute to the development of environmental protection plans for estuaries, lakes and oceans.
NSERC DAS awards — $120,000 provided over three years — are granted through competition to further enhance research. NSERC distributes about 100 supplement awards every year to researchers across Canada.
The NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement awards granted to Concordia are additional to funding the organization awarded the university earlier this year.
Related links:
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
• Concordia Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
• Concordia Institute of Aerospace Design and Innovation
• Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
• St. Lawrence Estuary