The project

Installing Aerosol Removing Tapestry (ART) devices across UBCO campus 

The funding

Internal: Campus as a Living Lab 

The amount

$50,000  

The researchers

Faculty 

Dr. Sunny Li, School of Engineering
Dr. Jonathan Little, Faculty of Health and Social Development 

Staff

Roger Bizzotto, Facilities Management
Martin Gibbs, Facilities Management 

The impact

Cleaner air in UBCO’s indoor spaces  

From increasing wildfire smoke in the Okanagan to annual cold and flu viruses, clean indoor air is a clear priority at UBC Okanagan. Thanks to the Campus as a Living Lab initiative, researchers are cleaning the university’s air through wall-mount air filtering devices cleverly disguised as paintings. 

Developed out of the work of the Airborne Disease Transmission cluster, these Aerosol Removing Tapestry (ART) devices use positively charged filters to reduce airborne particles and bacteria. The ART device is low cost, quiet and efficient, using only about four watts of energy per device.  

“Air filtration devices aren’t new, but we’re trying to create a more practical solution to achieve cleaner air. ART is wall-mounted, modular and quiet. It’s almost like it’s built into the room,” says Dr. Li. 

The Campus as a Living Lab program, which partners UBC researchers with campus operations staff to devise and implement innovative solutions to on-campus challenges, supported the installation of the ART devices on campus. The team has been assessing UBCO’s indoor spaces for the highest risk areas of viruses and pollutants and placing the ART devices in areas where they can have the greatest impact  

“COVID-19 was the first time that questions about airflow and air quality received so much attention,” says Dr. Little. “But just because the immediate concern of COVID-19 is over doesn’t mean we should stop that research or stop thinking about indoor airflow. 

“We still have wildfires, vehicle exhaust and production emissions that pollute our air and negatively impact millions. That’s why issues of airflow and indoor air quality are crucial to understand.” 

At UBCO’s Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation, we strive to make it as easy as possible for our researchers to seek out and apply for funding opportunities. Contact us today to learn more about available supports.  

“We are developing techniques that no one else is developing right now.”

Name

Isaac Li 

Role

Associate Professor 

Program

Chemistry 

Faculty

Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science 

At UBCO since

2016 

How would you describe your work? 

Despite decades of studying chemical interactions between cells, scientists still know very little about how cells interact physically. The problem with these forces—which push, pull and stick together—is that they happen on an incredibly small scale and are difficult to observe. Using specialized DNA-based molecular tools that change shape with force, we’re able to directly show these forces in action, under the microscope. For the first time, people can visualize processes that weren’t visible before. 

What first sparked your interest in your research area?  

I’m a visual person, and so I was driven to translate these abstract forces into images so researchers can better understand them.  

What is innovative about your research? 

We are developing techniques that no one else is developing right now that allow us to look at processes with nanometre-level spatial precision and minute-scale time resolution. 

What impact do you hope your research will have? 

Investigating the physical touch between cells will guide a better understanding of how various diseases, including cancer, progress through the body. Eventually, I hope my research will lead to new strategies for treating these diseases through targeting and controlling physical interactions. 

The DNA-based tools my team has created to probe these processes also have the potential to enable other technologies that haven’t even been conceived. One hundred years ago they were studying quantum mechanics with no idea it would one day be applied to quantum computing. We’re advancing a body of knowledge so others can pick it up and take it from here. 

Why did you choose to grow your research here at UBCO? 

I’m attracted to people and colleagues who I can collaborate with. The smaller community and interdisciplinary environment allows me to easily engage with faculty members across campus. 

Funded project

Improving Literacy Outcomes for Diverse Students and their Families in the Reading, Language, and Mathematics Lab 

Funding type

John R. Evans Leaders Fund, Canada Foundation for Innovation 

Funding secured  

Project lead

Dr. Jessica Chan, Okanagan School of Education 

Project goal

Increase public awareness about language-based disorders and support children in the community 

Children in the Okanagan are better able to access resources to help them overcome reading difficulties, thanks to Dr. Jessica Chan and funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. 

Dr. Chan, Assistant Professor from the Okanagan School of Education, is working to improve literacy outcomes for linguistically diverse students and their families, including children exposed to more than one language as well as children at risk for language or reading difficulties. 

Her research includes language-based disorders such as dyslexia and developmental language disorder (DLD). Identifying these disorders can be challenging, says Dr. Chan.  

“A long-term goal is to improve identification rates of students who may be at risk for language-based disorders through investigating children’s literacy strengths and reading experiences,” says Dr. Chan.  

Part of the funding has helped create  a family-friendly environment in the ReaLM Lab at UBC Okanagan where children and caregivers can read and interact together. The CFI grant also supported a mobile lab that takes the research into the community. 

Dr. Chan says, “It’s really about increasing representation of those included in research studies and providing the equal opportunity to participate in research.” 

She hopes that her growing partnerships within the local community, including the Okanagan Regional Library and the Central Okanagan School District, can help increase public awareness about language-based disorders. 

“Overall, it’s about meeting families and children where they are,” she says. “How can we increase public awareness and develop resources and tools that are community-based so that we can support these learners in different capacities?” 

 At UBCO’s Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation, we strive to make it as easy as possible for our researchers to seek out and apply for funding opportunities. Contact us today to learn more about available supports.  

Funded project

Translation and digital preservation of the General e grand estoria (GE) – the largest universal history written in Medieval Europe.   

Funding type

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant  

Funding secured  

$2.1 million   

Project lead

Dr. Francisco Peña, Professor, Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies  

Project goal

Make one of the world’s most unique and important texts understandable and available to all 

A rare, 13th-century text is being translated, analyzed and made widely available, thanks to a global endeavour led by UBC Okanagan researcher Dr. Francisco Peña. 

A Professor in the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, Dr. Peña is leading a team of international scholars in the effort to preserve the General e grand estoria (GE), the largest universal history written in Medieval Europe. His goal? Stop another piece of priceless history from vanishing.  

“Many relevant texts written in medieval Spain have disappeared. Through our efforts, we hope to change that fact and preserve this valuable piece of literature forever.”   

The project was awarded more than $2.1 million through a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant. It includes a team of 55 expert scholars and practitioners from 18 organizations across Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Colombia and Tunisia.  

The original text is housed in Spain’s Biblioteca Nacional de España. Part of the $2.1 million will help provide graduate students with experiential learning opportunities working alongside the original 13th century document.

“We want to create a network of students from many countries and cultures and give them opportunities to work and study together at the same time. This is an invaluable opportunity for us to provide training and experience they can’t receive any other way,” says Dr. Peña.  

The team is annotating and analyzing the translated text to aid in explaining it to a lay audience and plans to create a series of additional materials to help understand the original work. They are partnering with libraries and school districts in North America, Europe and North Africa to disseminate the information.  

At more than 6,000 pages, the project requires a massive group effort. Thanks to the SSHRC Partnership Grant, that effort can succeed.  

At UBCO’s Office of the Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation, we strive to make it as easy as possible for our researchers to seek out and apply for funding opportunities. Contact us today to learn more about available supports.