Technology and Geek News from Kingston
A local student built urban house – equipped with sustainable energy systems and green building technologies last year – is now ready for tours, according to the Limestone District School Board. The home is part of the Building Construction Internship Program in partnership with Braebury Homes Corporation. The project – nicknamed ‘The Harvesting House’ –… Keep Reading
After publicly launching its new solar power technology in San Francisco at the largest solar conference and trade show in North America, SPARQ is drawing a large amount of attention for what many in the field are calling a potential game changer in the solar industry. The technology is a compact, lightweight photovoltaic microinverter –… Keep Reading
A recent research project on moon dust has won fourth year Queen’s student Michelle Thompson a national undergraduate research award. The prize for her work was announced at the Rising Stars of Research conference at the University of British Columbia. Building upon information compiled from research during a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) internship… Keep Reading
According to research by Queen’s, automated tasks are performed more easily by people with Parkinson’s disease. However, sufferers of this disease tend to find it more difficult to switch from easy to hard tasks than others. These new findings are another step towards understanding how the cognitive ability level of the brain is impaired by… Keep Reading
A team of Queen’s University researchers has received $450,000 to study a gene mutation common to breast cancer patients. The three-year funding supports research aimed at developing an inexpensive diagnostic tool for identifying individuals with the gene mutation. “In the long term, we hope to identify people early who are at risk of developing breast… Keep Reading
Queen’s University Pathology and Molecular Medicine Department’s Dr. Peter Greer has received $1.6 million for two research projects to develop new treatments for slowing tumour growth in breast cancer. Dr. Greer stated in a University release that they have worked on those projects for several years and were delighted that both grants were renewed in… Keep Reading
Victor Tron, head of pathology and molecular medicine at Queen’s University, has discovered that the growth of melanoma – one of the most deadly forms of skin cancer – can be slowed by a little known gene called MicroRNA 193b. This gene, which can be found in human DNA and unknown just 10 years ago,… Keep Reading
The Federal Discovery Accelerator Supplements (DAS) program has announced that five Queen’s researchers are each receiving $120,000 over three years to quicken the pace of progress and maximize the impact of their work. Chemistry Department Professor Cathleen Crudden is researching organic synthesis and materials chemistry via catalytic organoborane chemistry. Michael Cunningham of Chemical Engineering will… Keep Reading
Lafarge’s cement plant in Bath, Ontario, has been working tirelessly in the pursuit of carbon emission reduction strategies and has planted multiple energy crops that may eventually contribute to a segment of the 110,000 metric tons of coal and petroleum coke that the plant goes through as fuel each year. Lafarge environmental and public affairs… Keep Reading
Queen’s University astronomy professor Martin Duncan, and an international team of astronomers, have discovered that many of the comets observed from Earth – including well known comets like Halley, Hale-Bopp and McNaught – may have been formed in orbit around other stars and not our own sun. Using computer simulations, researchers demonstrate that the Sun… Keep Reading
