News & Events

As the Canada Research Chairs program celebrated 10 years at a special Toronto event, it was made official that a Ryerson faculty member who specializes in satellite research has been renewed as a chairholder.

Krishna Kumar, professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, has been renewed as the Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Space Systems Engineering. The Tier 2 chair appointment includes up to $500,000 in funding for five more years.

The announcement was made at the Canada Research Chairs: Thinking Ahead for a Strong Future celebration, which took place Nov. 24 and 25 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the program, Tony Clement, minister of industry, announced an investment of $275.6 million to fund 310 new and renewed Canada Research Chairs at 53 Canadian universities, including Ryerson.

"Dr. Kumar's work is making an important contribution to the field of micro satellites and is building Ryerson's strength in space systems engineering," said Carla Cassidy, interim vice-president, research and innovation. "While we, of course, anticipate that our Canada Research Chairs will be renewed, it is terrific news when we receive confirmation from the CRC secretariat."

The CRC program invests $300 million annually to support some of the world's most accomplished and promising minds. It was established in 2000 by the federal government to create 2,000 research professorships in universities across the country.

Kumar is one of 12 CRCs at Ryerson. As a Canada Research Chair in Space Systems Engineering, he works with graduate students, researchers at Ryerson and other universities, and scientists in space-related laboratories to analyze, develop and control the movement of micro satellites, including pico-satellites, which weigh between 0.1 and one kilogram, and their lighter cousins, femto-satellites, weighing less than 100 grams. Kumar is addressing three primary research objectives: defining the engineering domain of pico- and femto-satellites; improving mission analysis and design methodologies; and enhancing the techniques for miniaturizing hardware. The research is contributing to systems engineering and formation flying research in Canada and helping to pave the way for innovative Canadian and international pico- and femto-satellite missions.

At the two-day celebration to mark the anniversary of the CRC program, CRCs and their graduate students and postdoctoral fellows showcased their research through special posters indicating the social value of their research. It was an opportunity for the CRCs to exchange ideas and knowledge with each other as well as with representatives from government, industry and the community.

Ryerson's special advisor on digital media and distinguished visiting professor Gerri Sinclair participated in a discussion on how to keep Canada innovative.

Ryerson's Digital Media Zone was represented by a booth at the conference  highlighting three DMZ projects: ARB Labs Inc., which develops custom interactive digital display technology; Flybits, focusing on the convergence of artificial intelligence, computer mediated social networks and mobile computing; and LeanIn, which uses the latest advancements in social networking and gaming to offer video viewers a suite of tools that make video management and discovery fit their connected lifestyles.