Doing what we can to help battle COVID

With research halted, sometimes it feels a little disheartening that we cannot do more towards the fight against COVID-19. Luckily, with friends around town, sometimes it’s just a matter of connecting the right people! Collaboration helps frontline workers see clearly during long hours at work

IDEaS Component 1a Awarded!

Something like nine months ago, the DND posted their  upcoming  challenges for the next round of the IDEaS funding competition. One quizzically named challenge was, “Breaking the ice – ground solutions for removing frozen contaminants from aircraft“, which sparked the interest of Dr. Zarifi’s MEAS Lab and the OPERA Lab. We decided that detecting ice […]

IDEaS Component 1b officially awarded!

Our collaborative project with Dr. Zarifi and PRE Labs Inc. has been officially awarded an IDEaS Competitive Projects Component 1b for Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) Hazard Detection and Planning. We are developing the next generation of personal protective ensembles that can simultaneously protect and detect wearers from hazardous solids, liquids, and gases. More information […]

Paper paper

Paper paper

Dr. Zhao‘s work on non-fluorinated omniphobic paper is published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. We (humans) are getting one step closer to eliminating the need for perfluoro-carbons in our daily lives. Great work Xiaoxiao and Arif! Non-fluorinated Omniphobic Paper with Ultra-low Contact Angle Hysteresis

Kamran becomes a PhD candidate!

Kamran successfully passed his candidacy and proposal defence with flying colours. Congratulations Kamran!

Holiday Curling Contest

Holiday Curling Contest

The OPERA Lab challenged Dr. Zarifi’s MEAS Lab to a curling contest for the holidays. There was brushing, bruising, and lots of laughing by all. A re-match is guaranteed for 2020, and perhaps next year we’ll keep score!

Dr. Pillai joins OPERA as the Cluster Coordinator

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Anu Pillai to the OPERA Lab. Dr. Pillai will be coordinating our Eminence Fund Cluster in Comfort Enabling Technologies, as well as overseeing the project developing antimicrobial fabrics. We are very glad to have you Anu!

Eminence Fund Awarded

The OPERA Lab was awarded a UBC Eminence Fund for our Cluster of Research Excellence in Comfort-Enabling Technologies! This award is bringing together a handful of faculty and several industrial and municipal partners, with the following mission: This diverse team of researchers is working collaboratively with industrial partners to enhance human comfort in extreme and […]

Dr. Im joins the OPERA Lab

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Wanhee Im as the latest edition to the OPERA Lab. Dr. Im comes to us from Seoul National University and will be developing high-strength, hydrophobic paper,  both here in Kelowna and at the Pointe-Claire location of FPInnovations in QC. Welcome Wanhee!

Behrooz and Kiana attended CSChE

Behrooz and Kiana attended CSChE

Behrooz and Kiana attended CSChE 2019, presenting their works on developing omniphobic surfaces and ice sensors. Sounds like both projects were very well received!