TORONTO, March 12, 2004 -- A team of leading-edge York University researchers has received funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to develop new and innovative approaches to air quality modeling and forecasting, supporting new research facilities at York.

 

Project leader Dr. John (Jack) McConnell, a professor of Earth and Atmospheric Science, received nearly $2.5 million from CFI for "A Community Approach to Multiscale Air Quality Modelling and Forecasting". McConnell also received matching funds from the Ontario government.

 

“Air quality is a growing Canadian concern,” said McConnell. “There is a need to develop new and innovative approaches to air quality modelling to improve our understanding of air quality forecasting on urban, regional and global scales.”

 

The infrastructure to be obtained will consist of innovative state of the art instruments, facilities for the development of advanced air quality optical sensors, and powerful computers. The combination of new models which will ingest measurements should lead to important improvements in air quality forecasting.

 

Dr. Gillian Wu, dean of York’s Faculty of Pure and Applied Science congratulated McConnell and the research team, “We are extremely pleased that the CFI has recognized York as a leader in the area of air quality research. This funding will help York continue its pioneering work in this field.”

York University faculty members on the research team include professors: Qiuming Cheng, Ian McDade, Diane Michelangeli, John Miller, Norm O'Neill, Spiros Pagiatakis, Brian Solheim, James Whiteway, Jacek Kaminski, Vincent Tao and Gordon Shepherd.

 

Université de Sherbrooke is a collaborative partner to the project.

 

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For more information or to arrange and interview, the media should contact:

 

Ken Turriff

Media Relations

York University

416-736-2100, ext. 22086

kturriff@yorku.ca     

YU/042/04