The goal of this project is to decrease the risk of work-related accidents associated with construction and mining vehicles. The reasons for these accidents are partly due to the dimensions of the vehicle, which prohibit the driver from seeing certain areas of the surrounding environment, creating blind spots. These blind spots make it impossible to […]

As part of a program to improve the profitability of operations at Quebrada Blanca, Chile, Teck is testing an air sparging system in their industrial copper electrowinning cells. This represents a unique opportunity to measure the effects of gas sparging on product quality and metal production cost, and to generate a predictive model to help […]

The mining industry is a key economic driver for Northern Ontario, and mine and associated support and processing facility closures result, therefore, in significant impacts on the local community direct and indirect employment and economy. Despite each mining operation representing a significant investment in preparation, transport, infrastructure and technology, much, if not all, is lost […]

Geologists often deal with sparse data for regional mapping and exploration work, using data from a limited number of drillholes. Consequently they must rely on their mental visualization skills to make judgments about the predicted orebody and its structure. Extending regional mappings into the subsurface to model subsurface structures is a challenging task. This research […]

  This project is focused on improving mining safety through newly developed yielding rock bolts. Extensive testing work and mechanistic study will be carried out to optimize the design of the new product. Predictive models will be developed to describe the performance of the product during occurrence of rock bursts. The industrial partner will benefit significantly from the project […]

  A significant step towards sustainable mining would be non-traditional, but productive uses for the mine. In particular, uses that would allow them to provide value and jobs to the community both during mining and after operations cease. To help in achieving this goal there is potential positive use of both closed and operational mines to provide renew […]

The objective of the proposed project is to develop economical and sustainable technologies which contribute to the energy needs of the mining industry. The Tesla turbine is simple in construction, compact and tolerant to the working fluid composition. These advantages make it a potential ideal solution for use in energy recovery from industrial sites or […]

Various forms of usability testing can be used to optimize interface design and maximize human-computer interaction principles . A well-integrated, intuitive interface has the capacity to improve human efficiency, mitigate errors or lapses and improve situational awareness. Usability methodologies such as heuristic evaluations and cognitive walkthroughs can be performed at any point in the design […]

The mining industry is looking for technologies that improve sustainability through reducing environmental and energy burdens. In line with this, a program was created between Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations, a Glencore Company and Laurentian University to prospect for opportunities for making better use of existing non-mineral resources. Interns on the Mitacs program will bioprosepect mine […]

While chemotherapy drugs are effective in combating tumour growth in cancer patients, many such drugs permit the development of drug-resistant tumours and progression of the disease. We have observed that several chemotherapy agents induce the degradation of tumour cell ribonucleic acid (RNA) in the laboratory and in cancer patients. We have further shown that this […]

The main purpose of this research project is to integrate wind power with cryogen production, which could be one of the most low-carbon and economic methods to generate and store energy. As it can be transported and stored relatively easily, the cryogen becomes an energy vector, like a fuel, that can be used to transport […]

This project involves three streams, all focusing on the effects of low-dose ionizing radiation. The first stream examines the effects of single ion irradiation using the Microbeam at McMaster University. Preliminary biological research will be conducted on human cell lines using standard radiobiological endpoints including DNA double strand break foci and micronuclei formation. The second […]