New research chairs
will benefit students,
industry and
community

By Kirk Thurbide

Three new research chairs in alternate energy, biomedical engineering and reservoir engineering geostatistics will be created because of the Seymour Schulich donation. The chairs will each be supported with a minimum of $150,000/year from the Schulich donation, with an additional $150,000/year to be provided from a matching source that will be determined by the various selection committees.

The Schulich Chair in Alternate Energy aims to advance research and development in wind energy or solar energy. The work will likely involve both experimentation and modelling.

“ With worldwide energy demand steadily increasing and conventional oil reserves showing signs of limitation, we need to develop energy alternatives that will help sustain us once the production of non-renewable energy sources begins to decline,” says Dr. Ron Hugo, who is part of the chair selection committee.

“ Alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar, will undoubtedly become a more significant part of our energy supply network within the next 25 years. Consequently the chair in alternative energy can be considered a very progressive-looking chair, with the research conducted by this individual being of great benefit to all of us in the not-too-distant future.”

The biomedical engineering program is a unique feature of the Schulich School of Engineering. The goal of the Alvin Libin Chair in Biomedical Engineering is to make a significant contribution to the improvement of safety and quality of health care delivered to Albertans through the schools “Engineered Care” initiative.

The Schulich Chair in Reservoir Engineering Geostatistics will develop improved techniques for reservoir characterization, geostatistical modelling and visualization of hydrocarbon recovery processes in particular, and energy production processes in general.

“ The chair is important for the further development of geostatistical techniques for hydrocarbon resource characterization and exploitation,” explains Dr. Tom Harding, head of the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering and a member of the chair selection committee. “Geostatistics has become an integral part of resource development.”

Harding also emphasizes that the new position will also have an educational component.
“ There is a role for the chairholder in offering courses in this area to better prepare our students, both undergraduate and graduate, for their future roles in industry and research.”

The search process is underway with selection committees in place for each chair. The Schulich School of Engineering currently holds 27 research chairs and professorships.