Sina examines a 3-D paper model
September 11, 2013
Pulp and Paper Centre researcher Ata Sina has been selected to attend the Marcus Wallenberg Award Ceremony, Symposium and Session for Young Researchers. He is one of five Canadian students invited to attend the festivities in Sweden. Sina is a MASc student at the Department of Mechanical Engineering under the supervision of Profs. James Olson and Mark Martinez. His research focuses on a novel method and apparatus that has been developed to create self-folding paper products. This platform technology enables complex 3-D shapes to be created from 2-D sheets of paper.
The prestigious Marcus Wallenberg Prize is meant to recognize, encourage and simulate pathbreaking scientific achievements which contribute significantly to broadening knowledge and to technical development within the fields of importance to forestry and forest industries. The 2013 recipient is Professor Derek Gray for his pioneering study of nano crystalline cellulose (NCC).
Professor Grey studied Chemistry at Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, and in 1968 he gained a doctorate in polymer chemistry at the University of Manitoba. From 1974 he was employed at McGill University first as research assistant and then, between 1990 and 2004 as Paprican Adjunct Professor. Between 2004 and 2011, he held the Gray Paprican/NSERC IRC professorship in the properties and applications of cellulose in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University. He retired from the professorship in August 2011. According to The Marcus Wallenberg Foundation, through his research, “Professor Gray has shown that cellulose crystals in water suspensions align spontaneously in a specific pattern, in turn creating unique optical properties. Like the iridescent wing sheaths of a beetle, films of these aligned cellulose crystals can change colour depending on the angle from which they are viewed. This discovery has extended the boundaries of the uses of forest raw material and in so doing has created the potential for a series of new products in the forest industry.”
Following a lengthy application process, Sina won a FIBRE travel award that will cover costs to travel to the event in Stockholm, Sweden from Sept. 22-27, 2013, where he will also have the opportunity to present a research poster at a special session and in conjunction with the Symposium. The session provides an opportunity for young researchers and scientists to engage in informal meetings and networking with Laureate, Prof. Derek Gray, and other senior researchers. Another highlight of the trip will be the Award Prize Ceremony and Banquet, where participants will be in the presence of Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden.
We encourage you to visit the PPC website in the coming weeks to learn about Sina’s experience in Stockholm, and to learn more about his research.
For more information on The Marcus Wallenberg Prize and other news from the Foundation, please visit: http://mwp.org/