Two engineering graduate students have won lucrative scholarships to study at the University of Toronto, working on projects that will help save lives. Tania Massa, 24, of Mississauga has won $25,000, while Geneviève Bonin, 24 of Etobicoke has been awarded $10,000.

Bonin and Massa are both working with Dr. Paul Santerre, a University of Toronto professor and leader in developing surface technologies for medical implant devices. Massa, a chemical engineering student, will focus on developing methods to help the body more readily accept biomedical implant devices in the bloodstream. Bonin, who is pursuing a Master’s degree in biomedical engineering, will be studying ways to prevent blood clots caused by devices such as vascular grafts and heart valves.

Morley Kells, MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, who presented the students with their awards, said, “Implant patients in Ontario and around the world will benefit from the use of these improved medical devices, which will help provide safer and faster recovery.”

Both students were awarded the money through the Ontario Centres of Excellence initiative, a program that awards $700,000 annually for projects across Ontario.

The students are working in conjunction with Jycho Surface Technologies, a biomedical research firm.