Art, air quality, water projects and more

There is plenty to celebrate this summer, with prizes, honours and research funding going to Concordia’s community of students and scholars.

Here’s a roundup of our most recent bragging rights:

IC-IMPACTS results

From over 80 applications from 76 different institutions in Canada and India, two of the nine projects accepted by IC-IMPACTS will be led by Concordia researchers. IC-IMPACTS is a network of centres jointly funded by the Federal Government of Canada, the Department of Science and Technology, India (DST), and the Department of Biotechnology, India (DBT). They have invested a total of $3.7 million to fund nine research projects in the infrastructure sector and water sector.

Concordia’s successful researchers are Lucia Tirca, assistant professor in the Department of Building, Civil & Environmental Engineering (BCEE), who will study structural health monitoring of tall buildings using vibration based techniques, and Govind Gopakumar, assistant professor and associate chair in the Centre for Engineering and Society, who will lead a study on technology and financial appropriateness of water and wastewater infrastructure in selected cities of India, alongside Dr. N.C. Narayanan from India’s IIT Bombay. Gopakumar's project was the only water-related project supported through the competition and he was rated the highest among 30 international proposals.

Athienitis and Zmeureanu recognized at ASHRAE annual meeting

ASHRAE held its annual meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, from June 27 to July 1. The American Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability within the industry.

At the meeting, the efforts of Andreas Athienitis, the scientific director of the NSERC Smart Net-Zero Energy Buildings Strategic Research Network, and Radu Zmeureanu, a professor in the Department of Building, Civil & Environmental Engineering (BCEE), were recognized and celebrated. The pair received a Technical Paper Award for Multi-Objective Optimal Design of a Near Net Zero Energy Solar House.

Theatre student wins $10,000 grant

Samantha Bitonti, a student in the Department of Theatre, is the latest recipient of the Developing Artist Grant issued by the Hnatyshyn Foundation. In an effort to foster excellence in new talent, The Hnatyshyn Foundation assists the most promising young Canadian performing artists enrolled in post-secondary educational or training institutions.

The $10,000 bursary is awarded to support a student during his or her last years of study. It is the second time a Concordia student has won, after Sarah Marchand, also a student in the Department of Theatre, won in 2013.

Fine Arts student wins $5,000 prize from BMO