Paul Zelisko is investigating how to make products that contain silicone polymers last longer so that they don\u2019t end up in the garbage dump too soon. And he\u2019s turning to Mother Nature for inspiration to do so.<\/p>\n
The human-manufactured, rubber-like substance is found in countless products ranging from cosmetics to sealants, clothing to cooking utensils, insulation and lubricants, among others.<\/p>\n
But many of these products wear out quickly, says the Brock University Associate Professor of Chemistry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re looking to combine naturally occurring renewable resources with silicones so that they can heal themselves when damaged and also to enable them to be easily recyclable,\u201d says Zelisko.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s one of 27 Brock University researchers to receive more than $4.8 million in funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council\u2019s Discover\/Explore program<\/a>.<\/p>\n These grants are part of a national funding announcement made Tuesday, Aug. 29 by Canada\u2019s Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages Randy Boissonnault, on behalf of Fran\u00e7ois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Mark Holland, Minister of Health. Brock University also received a\u00a0$2.5-million Partnership Grant\u00a0from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada<\/a> (SSHRC), SSHRC Insight Grants totalling\u00a0$965,636<\/a> and more than\u00a0$295,000 from Canada Foundation for Innovation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Also receiving Discover\/Explore program funding for their projects are Brock researchers Michael Pisaric and Kevin Turner, whose work focuses on how climate change is affecting northern ecosystems and hydrology.<\/p>\n Pisaric, Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies, is examining climate and environmental data preserved in tree rings and lake sediment to determine how wildfires and insect infestations have changed the landscape and the impacts of recent wildfires on permafrost thaw and forest regeneration.<\/p>\n Turner, Associate Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies, is using leading-edge survey techniques to map climate-change driven northern landscape disturbances, including landslides, drained lakes, shrub growth and fire, and identify their impacts on lakes and rivers.<\/p>\n He will use this information to anticipate how important permafrost environments will respond to future change.<\/p>\n Pisaric notes that \u201cnorthern regions are showing early warning signs of climate change impacts and will experience the brunt of climate change impacts. The climate and environmental changes in the Arctic will filter down to lower latitudes as we are seeing in 2023 across the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Brock University\u2019s results for NSERC programs like Discovery Grants and Research Tools and Instruments are at a historic high, says Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon.<\/p>\n \u201cThe total amount of funding received and number of applicants receiving funding surpassed any previous competition years we have on record for the last decade,\u201d he says. \u201cThe exceptional results we\u2019re seeing this year speak to the calibre of applications submitted by Brock researchers and the impact of their work in many areas including the natural environment, health care and technology.<\/p>\n \u201cThis funding from NSERC will allow us to continue generating information, knowledge and insights that can be applied for the betterment of society,\u201d\u00a0says Kenyon.<\/p>\n Brock recipients of NSERC\u2019s Discovery Grant<\/a>, which supports ongoing research programs with long-term goals rather than a single short-term project or collection of projects, are:<\/p>\n The following researchers were awarded the Discovery Launch Supplement<\/a>, which supports early career researchers as they establish a Discovery Grant-funded research program:<\/p>\n Those who received Discovery Development Grants<\/a>, which provides support to researchers from small universities whose applications were deemed to be of appropriate quality, are:<\/p>\n\n
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