Manitoba
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ICT Insight

ICT Insight: A Guide to Information & Communications Technology Research and Resources in Manitoba / Vansco Electronics

University of Manitoba:
Overview


Home to Canada's Most Advanced Research Facilities

The University of Manitoba was the first university established in Western Canada. It is at the centre of research and graduate training in the province and is home to some of Manitoba's most advanced research facilities.


A Pioneer in Research

The University of Manitoba is internationally recognized for its groundbreaking research programs in information and communications technology. Its scientists and engineers are leading innovative, collaborative research that is expanding our communications capabilities, improving our infrastructure, adding microscopic precision to our manufacturing industries, and changing the way we look at biological systems.

Virtually all satellite ground stations in North America are based on designs emanating from the University of Manitoba's pioneering electromagnetic and antenna research program. Considered to be the best facility of its kind in North America, the university's Applied Electromagnetics Laboratory is helping Manitoba and Canada lead the world in the fields of communications technology and remote sensing. Researchers at this facility also developed and tested the compact antenna-satellite phone systems widely used by television journalists to broadcast from remote locations. They are currently developing "virtual antennas" that can create multiple receivers from a single unit.

Leading Collaborative Relationships

The Faculty of Engineering is home to a number of other state-of-the-art research facilities and innovative research programs, including the Nano-Systems Fabrication Laboratory. This facility is used by researchers from a variety of fields to make everything from simple silicon wafers coated with a micron-thin layer of gold, to complex micro-machines or finely etched glass plates for DNA separations. The lab is also the centre of a number of collaborations with research partners, in business, industry and other institutions, to fabricate and prototype micro-devices with features as small as a few nanometres.

The Advanced RF Systems Laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility for testing and verifying microchips used in a wide range of wireless devices. A partnership between the University of Manitoba and CMC Microsystems, this lab is part of a national "collaboratory" of microsystems and photonics testing facilities that allow researchers across Canada to remotely test new microchip designs.

Innovation in Artificial Intelligence

In the Faculty of Science, mathematicians and computer scientists are also developing new information technologies and techniques. Researchers working in a number of specialized laboratories are leading a variety of innovative projects focused on artificial intelligence, design theory, digital signal processing, computer graphics and networks, high performance computing, systems software and multimedia development.

At the Autonomous Agents Lab, for example, research focuses on real-time control of software and hardware, the development of humanoid robotic platforms and control software, the development and evaluation of multi-agent systems, and a range of other intelligent systems applications.

Bio-Imaging / Bioinformatics Show Unlimited Potential

In the Department of Biosystems Engineering, researchers are developing innovative tools for monitoring the quality of grains and other foods. Using advanced bio-imaging technology, they are refining new techniques for detecting insects inside grains and for analyzing the distribution of pores in bulk materials.

University of Manitoba computer scientists, mathematicians, and biosciences and agriculture researchers are also working together in the rapidly expanding field of bioinformatics. In the department of plant science, for example, researchers are using advanced mathematical techniques to analyze plant DNA and amino acid sequences. At the Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology, a joint institute of the University of Manitoba and CancerCare Manitoba, researchers from the Faculty of Medicine are involved in national and international collaborations focused on using bioinformatics to examine the genetic determinants of cancer and other diseases.

IT Research Aids Advanced Study of Biological Systems

Information technology and advanced computer modelling also play a major role at the Manitoba Centre for Proteomics and Systems Biology, one of the first centres of its kind in Canada. A partnership between the University of Manitoba and the Health Sciences Centre, this state-of-the-art facility integrates expertise from a wide range of biomedical and physical science disciplines into a cohesive program for the advanced study of biological systems, with a major focus on transplants, autoimmunity, cancer detection and treatment, and viral infections.

These are just a few of the many programs and facilities at the University of Manitoba dedicated to advancing and applying knowledge in the area of information technology and communications. They are also providing advanced training for the highly skilled personnel increasingly in demand in this important sector. As a key player in Manitoba's growing knowledge and innovation system, the University of Manitoba is committed to working closely with existing partners while striving to forge new alliances, ensuring that Manitoba and Canada continue to be leaders in these rapidly growing fields.

For more information, contact:
Office of the Vice-President (Research)
207 Administration Building
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba | R3T 2N2

Phone: 204-474-9404
Website: www.umanitoba.ca/vpresearch


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