view . summer 2011
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Master’s student Roja Moradipour works with manufacturers such as Nemak.
Roja Moradipour, a UWindsor master’s student in
materials engineering, spends a great deal of her time
trying to figure out the precise melting temperature
of aluminum.
What does that mean to you?
The connection might not seem
immediately obvious, but her work
could mean a more durable engine
and a lighter vehicle. That, in turn,
could translate into better fuel
economy and a lower cost of
operating your car.
In fact, Moradipour’s research
is helping auto parts manufacturers
such as Nemak Canada make lighter
engines in a more environmentally
friendly way for cars that consume
less fuel.
She is just one of hundreds of UWindsor researchers who
find ways to solve problems and create value. Moradipour works
in both the lab of Dr. Jerry Sokolowski, a professor in metal
casting and post-processing technology, and the metallurgical
testing lab at UWindsor’s Nemak Engineering Centre.
Under the supervision of Sokolowski and Dr. Robert
MacKay, she studies incipient (beginning stage) melting. It
sometimes occurs in aluminum engine blocks after they’re
cast and heat-treated in massive furnaces and results in metal
fatigue and fractures. Knowing precisely when it occurs
during the process can help Nemak engineers introduce
controls to prevent it, says MacKay, who earned his PhD
from UWindsor in 2004 and now works as a metallurgical
and heat-treatment specialist at Nemak.
“There’s a lot of fundamental
science that needs to be
understood and that’s where
university research comes in,”
says MacKay. “Without it, we’d be
working in a black hole.”
Since 1992, Sokolowski’s
research has saved more than
$100 million for industrial clients
such as Nemak, Ford, Alcoa,
Alcan, Yamaha and Nissan.
Government and industry have
provided his teams with more
than $14 million. The researchers
have patented two technology
platforms and produced more than 300 confidential papers
for clients in North America, Mexico, Japan and Europe.
About 90 per cent of their ideas for new processes and
productivity improvements have been commercialized.
“Dr. Sokolowski is just one example of the tremendous
number of researchers from a wide variety of disciplines
right across campus constantly finding ways to make our
world better,” says Dr. Ranjana Bird, vice-president, research.
“Their passion and commitment to discover new knowledge,
to solve real world problems and remain relevant to our
community is truly inspiring.”
“THERE’S A LOT OF
FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE
THAT NEEDS TO BE
UNDERSTOOD AND THAT’S
WHERE UNIVERSITY
RESEARCH COMES IN.”
DR. ROBERT MACKAY
BY STEPHEN FIELDS
UWindsor Researchers
MAKING A BETTER
WORLD
