OVIN Visits U of T Scarborough

Representatives from the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network visited to learn about research by U of T faculty in clean energy and transportation innovation.

Representatives from the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network visited to learn about research by U of T faculty in clean energy and transportation innovation.

On Monday, February 6, four representatives from Skills, Talent, Workforce Development team at the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) visited U of T Scarborough campus to meet with some of the key University of Toronto (U of T) faculty. Dean of Applied Science & Engineering,

Christopher Yip praised the strength at all campuses of the University of Toronto in the areas of clean energy, transportation and vehicle innovation. U of T Scarborough Vice-Principal of Research & Innovation, Irena Creed added that U of T researchers are finding success in teams that are “breaking down barriers not only between disciplines, but between organizations,” referencing many ongoing partnerships.

 

Amanda Sayers of OVIN introduced her department’s focus on redeveloping and future-proofing a skilled workforce for Ontario’s automotive and mobility sectors, especially electric and autonomous vehicles, in order to maintain global competitiveness. To achieve that, her team encourages collaboration between industry, educational and post-secondary institutions, and government. Launched in the fall of 2021, OVIN is led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI).

The Skills, Talent, Workforce Development program was launched in January 2022. Sayers and her colleagues have had a busy first year, consulting with more than 200 stakeholders, developing strategy and programs, and visiting colleges and universities across Ontario.

 

OVIN’s Skills, Talent, Workforce Development team is concentrated on attracting and retaining Ontarians of all ages in the sector, from upskilling mature workers, to encouraging an interest among high school students and children all the way down to Kindergarten. Sayers emphasized the value placed on equity, diversity and inclusion at all stages, which she recognized U of T shares. “To help Ontarians connect with the training they need, OVIN has developed a one-stop career navigator site that identifies sector occupations from engineers to technicians, mechanics and assemblers, and provides connections to employers and training opportunities,” Sayers said.

 

A number of U of T Scarborough and U of T professors spoke briefly about their current research projects, which provide research and work-integrated learning opportunities to students in engineering, geography, management and beyond. Several projects also feature partnerships with leading industry players. Assistant Professor of Physical and Environmental Sciences at U of T Scarborough, Oleksandr Voznyy spoke about his team’s use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to speed up the search for new materials that could be used to build clean energy batteries that are more efficient and less expensive than those currently in use in electric vehicles (EV). 

 

Professor Olivier Trescases of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Director of the U of T EV Research Centre (UTEV), and Canada Research Chair in Power Electronic Converters, spoke about the search for solutions to the challenges of EV fast charging and battery system optimization, while emphasizing the need for multidisciplinary teams to work in this exciting area. He mentioned UTEV’s partnership with U of T’s School of Continuing Education and Porsche, which delivered electro-mobility certification training to 300 employees. Shatha Qaqish-Clavering, Director, Strategy and Operations at U of T’s Climate Positive Energy Initiative talked about how that group is looking for solutions to address the challenge that the increasing use of EVs are about to pose for our electrical grid, when we will need an estimated 2-3 times more electrical energy than current levels.

 

Associate Professor of Human Geography Steve Farber spoke about the Mobilizing Justice and Suburban Mobilities projects, which explore transportation equity and the suburbanization of poverty, where lack of effective transportation results in ‘participation deserts, ’marked by isolation and below average levels of participation in all areas of daily life.

 

Associate Professor of Management Andre Cire spoke about the research work his team is doing in data-driven decision-making employing AI, and its relation to supply chain optimization. A current project looks at incentive strategies to make EVs more attractive to customers. David Fenton and Academic Director Bill McConkey of The Bridge discussed work-integrated learning at UTSC. Up to 70% of U of T Scarborough students and 100% of Management students participate in a co-op, with over 350 employers, including four courses in the automotive sector. Donovan Dill, Operations Lead of The Hub talked about how that start-up incubator helps students and recent alumni develop their business ideas into companies. He profiled one team, Roll Scooters, who developed a micro-mobility platform, manufacturing and renting clean energy scooters in several Canadian cities.

 

Representing partners in the EaRTH District, Carolyn Ritchie, Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives at Centennial College, and Christopher Rooney Senior Director, Office of Research & Innovation at Trent University, discussed the foundational importance of addressing sector-relevant workforce needs and providing diverse forms of workplace training, with a particular focus on the Eastern GTA north-eastward to Peterborough. This region has low employment areas and low-income pockets that the EaRTH partners are targeting in order to train Ontarians who will stay to live and work in these areas.

 

Vice-Principal Creed highlighted two proposed EaRTH District initiatives being considered for support from OVIN. EaRTH SWITCH would expose 1100 Eastern GTA high school and post-secondary students to the career possibilities in the green automotive and mobility sector. The EaRTH Demonstration Zone would provide testing and validation of automotive technology to develop and promote made-in-Ontario solutions. The EaRTH partners have a diversity of resources, including roadways and even a runway to offer a two-way flow of expertise between researchers and industry. University of Toronto, Creed emphasized, is eager to “help young people explore the opportunities in this sector as it innovates and transforms.”

 

The OVIN visit concluded with a tour of U of T Scarborough’s Environmental Science and Chemistry Building, which houses the lab of Professor Voznyy, among others. In itself a showcase of innovation and green technology, with geothermal boreholes, unique fritted glazing to minimize solar heat gain, and LED lighting fixtures, it is designated LEED Gold Standard. These sustainable features are guiding the planning for a new building to house the EaRTH District at U of T Scarborough.