Dr. Blaine Chronik (photo at left), is the principal investigator in the new “Centre for the Development and Testing of MR-compatible Devices and Technology” which has just been awarded a Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) grant. One of the co-investigators in the Centre is John R. de Bruyn (photo at right).

The project aims to improve healthcare for Canadians by facilitating the development of safer, more advanced medical devices for use within safer, more advanced MRI systems. Proximity and access to this infrastructure will give Canadian companies an additional advantage in the fast-paced and competitive medical device industry.

The project proposes to create a comprehensive medical device testing and development facility to support companies and academic groups in the development of medical devices that are safe and operational even while within an MR scanner. The focus is entirely on the creation of a platform of projects to provide the expertise on the MR-compatibilty aspects of this problem.

John de Bruyn’s role will be to characterize materials to be used in testing MR-compatible devices, and to develop “new and improved” materials for this application.

[see Western News] [Western Gazette] [Blaine Chronik’s research web page] [ John de Bruyn’s research web page]

Ravi Menon (cross-appointed within Physics and Astronomy, photo at right) is the Principal Investigator of one of Western’s 5 successful CFI awards: “Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping (CFMM)” (total amount: $6,235,244).

Blaine Chronik (Physics and Astronomy, Robarts scientist, member of the CFMM, photo on left) is one of the 9 co-investigators on this award. This grant will enable substantial upgrades to the 3 and 7 Tesla MRI scanners within the CFMM at Robarts, maintaining the status of the CFMM as the most advanced human MRI facility in Canada. This grant is highly integrated with Dr. Chronik’s grant: “Centre for the testing and development of MR-compatible medical devices and technology”. The upgraded MR facilities at the CFMM parallel the testing facilities to be installed in the physics department, and together they represent unparalleled capacity for MR-compatible technology  development.

Blaine’s area of research is MRI systems development, while Ravi’s research is in functional MRI.

Dr. Paul Wiegert (photo at right) is presented with an award of recognition from Aylmer District conservation officer Matt McVittie of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Also present was officer Duncan Hall, who took the photograph.

The award recognizes Paul’s long standing assistance in providing the Ministry with sunrise/sunset ephemeris data in the legal pursuit against poaching.

Above the old Sutter’s Mill, near Coloma, California, it literally rained meteorites last April 22, 2012. The small fragments could be heard clanking and bouncing from rooftops, in a similar fashion to the famous Canadian Grimsby meteorite of 2009.

Dr. Peter Brown and PhD candidate Elizabeth Silber were on a large international team that has published some astounding results of preliminary research on the Sutter’s Mill meteorite in Science Magazine.

It turns out that this object is a carbonaceous chondrite meteorite of the Carbonaceous-Meghei class (CM), containing some of the oldest known material in our solar system.

Brown and Silber studied the infrasound shock waves that were produced as the meteorite entered the atmosphere over California.

[See Western News] [Seti News] [Peter Brown interview on Quirks and Quarks]

(photo credit: Eric James, NASA)

A very interesting article in the Globe and Mail about the long term health benefits of cross-country skiing.

Thanks for Sarah for sharing her Christmas gift.

I am disappointed that our planetary science colleagues have not given us all more warning of the impending doom that will result from the extremely close approach of Asteroid 2012 DA14 on February 15, 2013.

With enough warning I could have sold my house and gone on an “End of The World”binge.