Innovation award for engineering team
Posted: May 25, 2017 6:00 a.m.
(l-r) Brian Holowatuk, director of Access Network at SaskTel; Dr. Raman Paranjape, Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science; Diego Castro Hernandez, post-doctoral fellow; Edward Stewart, student in Electronics Systems Engineering; Daryl Godfrey, Chief Technology Officer at SaskTel; Dr. David Malloy, Vice-President (Research) U of R and Dr. Esam Hussein, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. Photo courtesy of SaskTel
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A U of R engineering team has been recognized for its innovative research.
This year’s Award of Innovation has been presented to Dr. Raman Paranjape, professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science; Diego Castro-Hernandez, post-doctoral fellow and Edward Stewart a second-year student in Electronic Systems Engineering.
The group was honoured recently at the annual Paragon Awards, presented by the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce. The Award of Innovation is sponsored by Innovation Place.
The award recognizes original research with the potential to create substantive society benefits, and includes a $2,500 prize.
The research, in collaboration with SaskTel, has enhanced telecommunications and data services for mobile users on campus.
The team is working on a technology known as HetNet (heterogeneous networks). It works like a series of miniature cell towers able to seamlessly receive and transmit radio frequencies, particularly in areas of the campus that previously had poor coverage.
SaskTel has installed a series of base stations on campus, allowing for greater wireless capacity and for researchers to monitor the signals.
“The partnership has created a winning opportunity where students and researchers can examine the operations of the HetNet and test concepts relatively freely,” says Paranjape. “At the same time, an opportunity is created for SaskTel to gain useful knowledge, understanding and insights into the operational characteristics of HetNets.”
The project is also opening doors for students to train in practical, real-world operational HetNet environments.
“This project provides training to a number of students and post-docs. Thus, the project serves as an excellent training and educational opportunity that makes Canadian students uniquely knowledgeable in the design and provisioning of Heterogeneous Cellular Networks in Canada,” says Paranjape. “The students are ready and available to contribute to the Canadian economy and to Canadian industry as soon as they graduate.”
In addition to the SaskTel collaboration, the federal research funding organization, Mitacs, has committed $120,000 to support post-doctoral and graduate students for the next two years for this project.
This is the second time Paranjape has received the Innovation Award. He was part of the team to win the award in 2010 for the TransitLive Project. Other recent U of R recipients include Dr. Shanthi Johnson, Dr. Amr Henni, Dr. Ezeddin Shirif and Dr. David Gerhard.
The Award of Innovation is administered by the Research Office at the University of Regina.
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