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Major
Donation
Dean of Engineering Dr. David Lynch, P.Eng., left, poses with
donor Len Grenier, P.Eng., at the new microprocessor lab.
Photo by Richard Siemens
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Len Grenier, P.Eng., a 1980 University of Alberta electrical
engineering graduate, wanted to leave a tangible testimony
to his success as an engineer. He also wanted to share his
good fortune with current U of A faculty and students. The
opportunity recently arose with the sale of his company.
Mr. Grenier established Advanced Light Imaging in 1986 and
recently the company was acquired by McKesson Corporation,
a major health care information technology company. To celebrate
this milestone, Mr. Grenier donated $250,000 to the Faculty
of Engineering at the U of A. Last month, an official opening
and naming introduced the Grenier Engineering Microprocessor
Laboratory, part of the Engineering Teaching and Learning
Complex.
Nanotechnology Grows Again
In other U of A news, the University of Alberta Faculty of
Engineering will make another significant move into that huge
field of tiny things, nanotechnology. A memorandum of understanding
solidifies a deal to create the Centre of Excellence in Integrated
NanoTools, the centre's partners have announced.
The deal will bring in $500,000 from Alberta Innovation and
Science, in-kind contributions of more than $2 million worth
of trademarked hardware, software, storage systems and services
from Sun Microsystems, and $700,000 worth of in-kind contributions
from the university.
In 2001 the university was named home to the National Institute
for Nanotechnology, a collaboration of the U of A and the
National Research Council. The newest deal positions Alberta
as a world leader in nanotechnology development, providing
researchers with a nanotechnology design infrastructure to
develop microchips, microsystems and nanodevices.
"Nanotechnology is a strategic field of research with
tremendous interdisciplinary benefits," says Dean of
Engineering Dr. David Lynch, P.Eng. The centre, he says, will
integrate nanoresearchers in a variety of areas, including
information and communication technology, energy and manufacturing.
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