[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/chen_and_swartz.jpg” caption=”Wei Chen, left, and Christopher Swartz received awards at the NSERC Synergy Awards for Innovation reception last night in Ottawa.”]Two McMaster researchers were recognized last night at the NSERC Synergy Awards for Innovation reception.

Christopher Swartz, director of the McMaster Advanced Control Consortium (MACC) and professor of chemical engineering at McMaster, accepted the Synergy Award for Innovation on behalf of consortium members and student Wei Chen was named runner up for the Innovation Challenge Award at the ceremony held at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

MACC was recognized for its work in multivariate statistical methods – analyzing multiple variables to predict outcomes – that have been applied to fault diagnosis systems and used to monitor operating performance. The researchers pioneered real-time optimization, the continual evaluation and adjustment of operating conditions to increase productivity.

“Much credit must be given to the founders of the consortium who had the foresight to understand the benefits of universities and industry working together in research and development,” said Swartz. “That also holds true for current consortium members. Their contributions have had a significant industrial impact and produced some of the top talent in the field of process automation.”

Chen received $5,000 for inventing a chemical additive that increases the wet-web strength of paper, preserves recyclability and uses less water in papermaking. The invention could have major implications for recycling, as much less energy would be required to recycle paper products made with this additive compared to products made with traditional additives.

The Synergy Awards for Innovation recognize partnerships in research and development between universities and industry. The Innovation Challenge Award honours grad students in the natural sciences, engineering or computer sciences who have demonstrated an entrepreneurial flair by thinking of ways to transform their research thesis results into products and processes that will potentially benefit Canadians.