Events for March 24, 2026

[]OverviewHear from Southampton’s E‑Textiles Lab (UK) and connect with scientists and creatives to spark ideas and explore new <a href="http://collaborations.Join" target="_blank" title="collaborations.Join">collaborations.Join us for an inspiring in-person event at the Innovations Gallery!Presented by the Fabric Based Research Platform (FIBRE), the EMBS Toronto Chapter, and KITE Creates, this gathering brings together an exciting blend of science, technology, design, and healthcare <a href="http://innovation.We" target="_blank" title="innovation.We">innovation.We are thrilled to welcome Professor Kai Yang and Gillian Lake-Thompson from the Winchester School of Art’s E‑Textiles in Healthcare Innovation Lab (University of Southampton, UK). They will share insights into their groundbreaking lab, current research, and emerging opportunities at the intersection of fashion, textiles, and health <a href="http://technologies.This" target="_blank" title="technologies.This">technologies.This informal talk and open discussion is a fantastic opportunity for our community—scientists, healthcare professionals, textile innovators, and fashion creatives—to meet, exchange ideas, and spark new <a href="http://collaborations.Come" target="_blank" title="collaborations.Come">collaborations.Come connect, be inspired, and explore what’s possible when disciplines weave <a href="http://together.A" target="_blank" title="together.A">together.A kind request: As the spots are limited, please make sure you can attend this event in-person before <a href="http://registration.Bio’s:Kai" target="_blank" title="registration.Bio’s:Kai">registration.Bio’s:Kai YangKai Yang is a Professor of E-textiles in Healthcare at the Winchester School of Art (WSA), University of Southampton. She is the Head of Research in the Department of Fashion and Textiles. Her research interests focus on e-textile materials and manufacturing, wearable medical devices, user-centered design, and sustainable textiles/e-textiles. She has been PI/Co-I on a total of £12 million E-textile research projects funded by UKRI (MRC, EPSRC, AHRC, Innovate UK) and NIHR. She has published over 90 papers. She is the Lead of the WSA E-textile Innovation Lab, Co-chair of the E-textiles Network, the Founder of Etexsense Ltd, and a Co-Founder of the Smart Fabric Inks Ltd. Her work has been featured on Sky News, BBC South, and BBC Radio <a href="http://Solent.https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=XyMFUWEAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdateGillian" target="_blank" title="Solent.https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=XyMFUWEAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdateGillian">Solent.https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=XyMFUWEAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdateGillian Lake-ThompsonGillian is an e-textile technician and lab manager at the WSA E-Textile Innovation Lab, Winchester School of Art (WSA), University of Southampton, UK. With a background in garment and textile design, she leads on co-design with end users and e-textile development. Her project experience includes work on e-textiles for stroke rehabilitation, fetal monitoring, and pain management. Her interests include sustainable textile materials and processes, end user engagement, functional garment development, ethics and regulatory compliance, and partnership <a href="http://co-ordination.Accessibility:The" target="_blank" title="co-ordination.Accessibility:The">co-ordination.Accessibility:The Innovation Gallery is on the ground floor, the nearest entrance is at 550 University Avenue which has a ramp. You can also enter via the Elm Street entrance. If you have accessibility needs that you would like to talk to us about please email the event <a href="http://organiser.About" target="_blank" title="organiser.About">organiser.About Kite (UHN)The University Health Network’s KITE Research Institute is redefining what’s possible in injury prevention, rehabilitation research, aging and accessibility. As part of UHN, Canada's top research hospital, KITE combines groundbreaking science with real‑world impact to transform care, improve quality of life and support independent living. KITE is part of the World Health Organization's new Disability Health Equity Network, and it was named to the inaugural Forbes in its Accessibility 100 list in 2025.Co-sponsored by: fibre, KITE CreatesRoom: KITE Research Institute, Innovations Gallery, 550 University Avenue, Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5G 2A2

Zoom Link: <a href="https://ulaval.zoom.us/j/65298393873?pwd=oPbFThy9MSAKft8nbUrOjwC6Z6Ek8g.1Biograpgy of Speaker:Gunes Karabulut-Kurt is a Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in New Frontiers in Space Communications and a Professor at Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada. She is the Director of the Poly-Grames Research Center, and is co-founder and Director of Education and Training of ASTROLITH, Transdisciplinary Research Unit of Space Resource and Infrastructure Engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. She is also an adjunct research professor at Carleton University, Canada. Gunes received the B.S. degree with high honors in electronics and electrical engineering from Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkiye, in 2000 and the M.A.Sc. and the Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Ottawa, ON, Canada, in 2002 and 2006, respectively. She worked in different technology companies in Canada and Turkiye between 2005 and 2010. From 2010 to 2021, she was a professor at Istanbul Technical University. Gunes is a Marie Curie Fellow and has received the Turkish Academy of Sciences Outstanding Young Scientist (TÜBA-GEBIP) Award in 2019.Talk Abstract:The satellite networks, emerging as megaconstellations, are promising significant advancements to eliminate the digital divide, especially with the deployment of direct-to-cell connections on a mass scale. However, the deployment of such networks remains challenging, requiring innovation in architecture, interoperability, and security. This keynote will provide an accessible overview of the development of non-terrestrial networks (NTNs), emphasizing how they can be seamlessly integrated with terrestrial systems through approaches such as Open Radio Access Networks (O-RAN). The discussion will explore how resource allocation can be configured to ensure efficient operation in heterogeneous networks, while addressing the pressing issues of resilience and security in a highly interconnected space-terrestrial ecosystem. The talk will conclude by highlighting open research directions and long-term opportunities, pointing to how NTNs can evolve into secure, intelligent, and sustainable infrastructures that support inclusive global <a href="http://connectivity.Meeting" target="_blank" title="connectivity.Meeting">connectivity.Meeting Link: https://ulaval.zoom.us/j/65298393873?pwd=oPbFThy9MSAKft8nbUrOjwC6Z6Ek8g.1, Québec City, Quebec, Canada, G1V 0A6