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NASA Grant Funds Research Exploring Methods of Training Vision-Based Autonomous Systems

Conducting research at 5:30 a.m. may not be everybody’s first choice. But for Siddhartha Bhattacharyya and Ph.D. students Mohammed Abdul, Hafeez Khan and Parth Ganeriwala, it’s an essential part of the process for their latest endeavor. Bhattacharyya and his students are developing a more efficient framework for creating and evaluating image-based machine learning classification models for autonomous systems, such as those guiding cars and aircraft. That process involves creating new datasets with taxiway and runway images for vision-based autonomous aircraft. Just as humans need textbooks to fuel their learning, some machines are taught using thousands of photographs and images of the environment where their autonomous pupil will eventually operate. To help ensure their trained models can identify the correct course to take in a hyper-specific environment – with indicators such as centerline markings and side stripes on a runway at dawn – Bhattacharyya and his Ph.D. students chose a December morning to rise with the sun, board one of Florida Tech’s Piper Archer aircraft and photograph the views from above. Bhattacharyya, an associate professor of computer science and software engineering, is exploring the boundaries of operation of efficient and effective machine-learning approaches for vision-based classification in autonomous systems. In this case, these machine learning systems are trained on video or image data collected from environments including runways, taxiways or roadways. With this kind of model, it can take more than 100,000 images to help the algorithm learn and adapt to an environment. Today’s technology demands a pronounced human effort to manually label and classify each image. This can be an overwhelming process. To combat that, Bhattacharyya was awarded funding from NASA Langley Research Center to advance existing machine learning/computer vision-based systems, such as his lab’s “Advanced Line Identification and Notation Algorithm” (ALINA), by exploring automated labeling that would enable the model to learn and classify data itself – with humans intervening only as necessary. This measure would ease the overwhelming human demand, he said. ALINA is an annotation framework that Hafeez and Parth developed under Bhattacharyya’s guidance to detect and label data for algorithms, such as taxiway line markings for autonomous aircraft. Bhattacharyya will use NASA’s funding to explore transfer learning-based approaches, led by Parth, and few-shot learning (FSL) approaches, led by Hafeez. The researchers are collecting images via GoPro of runways and taxiways at airports in Melbourne and Grant-Valkaria with help from Florida Tech’s College of Aeronautics. Bhattacharyya’s students will take the data they collect from the airports and train their models to, in theory, drive an aircraft autonomously. They are working to collect diverse images of the runways – those of different angles and weather and lighting conditions – so that the model learns to identify patterns that determine the most accurate course regardless of environment or conditions. That includes the daybreak images captured on that December flight. “We went at sunrise, where there is glare on the camera. Now we need to see if it’s able to identify the lines at night because that’s when there are lights embedded on the taxiways,” Bhattacharyya said. “We want to collect diverse datasets and see what methods work, what methods fail and what else do we need to do to build that reliable software.” Transfer learning is a machine learning technique in which a model trained to do one task can generalize information and reuse it to complete another task. For example, a model trained to drive autonomous cars could transfer its intelligence to drive autonomous aircraft. This transfer helps explore generalization of knowledge. It also improves efficiency by eliminating the need for new models that complete different but related tasks. For example, a car trained to operate autonomously in California could retain generalized knowledge when learning how to drive in Florida, despite different landscapes. “This model already knows lines and lanes, and we are going to train it on certain other types of lines hoping it generalizes and keeps the previous knowledge,” Bhattacharyya explained. “That model could do both tasks, as humans do.” FSL is a technique that teaches a model to generalize information with just a few data samples instead of the massive datasets used in transfer learning. With this type of training, a model should be able to identify an environment based on just four or five images. “That would help us reduce the time and cost of data collection as well as time spent labeling the data that we typically go through for several thousands of datasets,” Bhattacharyya said. Learning when results may or may not be reliable is a key part of this research. Bhattacharyya said identifying degradation in the autonomous system’s performance will help guide the development of online monitors that can catch errors and alert human operators to take corrective action. Ultimately, he hopes that this research can help create a future where we utilize the benefits of machine learning without fear of it failing before notifying the operator, driver or user. “That’s the end goal,” Bhattacharyya said. “It motivates me to learn how the context relates to assumptions associated with these images, that helps in understanding when the autonomous system is not confident in its decision, thus sending an alert to the user. This could apply to a future generation of autonomous systems where we don’t need to fear the unknown – when the system could fail.” Siddhartha (Sid) Bhattacharyya’s primary area of research expertise/interest is in model based engineering, formal methods, machine learning engineering, and explainable AI applied to intelligent autonomous systems, cyber security, human factors, healthcare, explainable AI, and avionics. His research lab ASSIST (Assured Safety, Security, and Intent with Systematic Tactics) focuses on the research in the design of innovative formal methods to assure performance of intelligent systems, machine learning engineering to characterize intelligent systems for safety and model based engineering to analyze system behavior. Siddhartha Bhattacharyya is available to speak with media. Contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.

Protect yourself: Scammed by a QR Code? It didn’t have to happen

QR codes are used everywhere nowadays – to pay for metered parking, to read menus at restaurants, to win a free cup of coffee. Cybercriminals are using them, too – redirecting users to harmful websites that harvest their data. The practice is known as “quishing,” derived from QR code phishing, and it is a fast-growing cybercrime. But it doesn’t have to be. University of Rochester engineers Gaurav Sharma and Irving Barron have devised a new form of QR code – called a self-authenticating dual-modulated QR (SDMQR) – that protects smartphone users from quishing attacks by signaling when users are being directed to a safe link or a potential scam. Gaurav is a professor of electrical and computer engineering, computer science, and biostatistics and computational biology. Barron is an assistant professor of instruction in electrical computer engineering. Their creation involves allowing companies to register their websites and embed a cryptographic signature in a QR code. When the code is scanned, the user is notified that the code is from an official source and safe. Gaurav and Barron recently wrote about their technology in the journal IEEE Security and Privacy, and spoke about their work on the National Science Foundation's Discovery Files podcast. They can be reached by email at gaurav.sharma@rochester.edu and ibarron@ur.rochester.edu.

How old is your brain?

University of Delaware researchers have found that measuring brain stiffness is a reliable way to predict brain age. This information could be used to identify structural differences that indicate departure from the normal aging process, potentially identifying and addressing disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. In recent findings, Curtis Johnson, associate professor of biomedical engineering, and Austin Brockmeier, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, show that measuring both brain stiffness and brain volume produces the most accurate predictions of chronological age. Their findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Biology Methods and Protocols. The pair worked with three current and former UD students to reach their conclusions. “Brain volume is a common measure that we use to study the brain,” Johnson said. “But something has to be happening to cause a brain to shrink. Something is happening at the microscale that causes it to shrink — changes in the tissue that also cause stiffness to change. And that precedes whatever happens when the volume changes.” “The stiffness maps all seem kind of random — until we see a large number of images and the randomness fades away and we start to see common patterns in stiffness,” Johnson said. “We sort of knew there was more [information] in there than what we were extracting." A cutting-edge magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner at UD’s Center for Biomedical and Brain Imaging handled the brain scanning. On the artificial intelligence side, the brain maps were analyzed by three-dimensional “convolutional neural networks,” which — as the name suggests — are convoluted and complicated, incorporating many layers and dimensions. To arrange and interview with Johnson or Brockmeier, send an email to mediarelations@udel.edu

For autonomous machines to flourish, scalability is everything

The past decade has seen remarkable advancements in robotics and AI technologies, ushering in the era of autonomous machines. While the rise of these machines promises to revolutionize our economy, the reality has fallen short of expectations. That’s not for a lack of intensive investments in research in development, says Yuhao Zhu, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Rochester. The reason we’re not seeing more service robots, autonomous drones, and self-driving vehicles, Zhu says, is that autonomation development is currently scaling with the size of engineering teams rather than the amount of relevant data and computational resources. This limitation prevents the autonomy industry from fully leveraging economies of scale, Zhu says, particularly the exponentially decreasing cost of computing power and the explosion of available data. Zhu recently co-authored a report on the quest for economies of scale in autonomation in Communications of the ACM and is part of an international team of computer scientists focused on making autonomous machines more reliable and less costly. He can be reached by email at yzhu@rochester.edu.

Aston University study reveals the illusion of ‘dazzle’ paint on World War I battleships

The Zealandia in wartime dazzle paint. Image: Australian National Maritime Museum on The Commons Geometric ‘dazzle’ camouflage was used on ships in WWI to confuse enemy onlookers as to the direction and speed of the ship Timothy Meese and Samantha Strong reanalysed historic data from 1919 and found that the ‘horizon effect’ is more effective for confusion When viewing a ship at distance, it often appears to be travelling along the horizon, regardless of its actual direction of travel – this is the ‘horizon effect’. A new analysis of 105-year-old data on the effectiveness of ‘dazzle’ camouflage on battleships in World War I by Aston University researchers Professor Tim Meese and Dr Samantha Strong has found that while dazzle had some effect, the ‘horizon effect’ had far more influence when it came to confusing the enemy. During World War I, navies experimented with painting ships with ‘dazzle’ camouflage – geometric shapes and stripes – in an attempt to confuse U-boat captains as to the speed and direction of travel of the ships and make them harder to attack. The separate ‘horizon effect’ is when a person looks at a ship in the distance, and it appears to be travelling along the horizon, regardless of its actual direction of travel. Ships travelling at an angle of up to 25° relative to the horizon appear to be travelling directly along it. Even with those at a greater angle to the horizon, onlookers significantly underestimate the angle. Despite widespread use of dazzle camouflage, it was not until 1919 that a proper, quantitative study was carried out, by MIT naval architecture and marine engineering student Leo Blodgett for his degree thesis. He painted model ships in dazzle patterns and placed them in a mechanical test theatre with a periscope, like those used by U-boat captains, to measure how much onlookers’ estimations of the ships’ direction of travel deviated from their actual direction of travel. Professor Meese and Dr Strong realised that while the data collected by Blodgett was useful, his methods of experimental design fell short of modern standards. He’d found that dazzle camouflage worked, but the Aston University team suspected that dazzle alone was not responsible for the results seen, cleaned the data and designed new analysis to better understand what it really shows. Dr Strong, a senior lecturer at Aston University’s School of Optometry, said: “It's necessary to have a control condition to draw firm conclusions, and Blodgett's report of his own control was too vague to be useful. We ran our own version of the experiment using photographs from his thesis and compared the results across the original dazzle camouflage versions and versions with the camouflage edited out. Our experiment worked well. Both types of ships produced the horizon effect, but the dazzle imposed an additional twist.” If the errors made by the onlookers in the perceived direction of travel of the ship were entirely due to the ‘twist’ on perspective caused by dazzle paintwork, the bow, or front, of the ship, would always be seen to twist away from its true direction. However, Professor Meese and Dr Strong instead showed that when the true direction was pointing away from the observer, the bow was often perceived to twist towards the observer instead. Their detailed analysis showed a small effect of twist from the dazzle camouflage but a much larger one from the horizon effect. Sometimes these effects were in competition, sometimes in harmony. Professor Meese, a professor of vision science at the School of Optometry, said: “We knew already about the twist and horizon effects from contemporary computer-based work with colleagues at Abertay University. The remarkable finding here is that these same two effects, in similar proportions, are clearly evident in participants familiar with the art of camouflage deception, including a lieutenant in a European navy. This adds considerable credibility to our earlier conclusions by showing that the horizon effect – which has nothing to do with dazzle – was not overcome by those best placed to know better. “This is a clear case where visual perception is more powerful than knowledge. In fact, back in the dazzle days, the horizon effect was not identified at all, and Blodgett's measurements of perceptual bias were attributed entirely to the camouflage, deceiving the deceivers.” Professor Meese and Dr Strong say that more work is required to fully understand how dazzle might have increased perceptual uncertainty of direction and speed but also the geometry behind torpedo-aiming tactics that might have supported some countermeasures. Visit https://doi.org/10.1177/20416695241312316 to read the full paper in i-Perception.

How a Fraudster Almost Stole Graceland

In a recent case that left many “All Shook Up," a Missouri woman attempted to defraud the Presley family by claiming ownership of the iconic Graceland estate. Most stories involving “The King” make for good reading, and they also hold an important lesson for homeowners. This bold scheme is a stark reminder that fraud knows no boundaries—whether you live in a mansion or a modest home, fraudsters can and will target anyone. The Graceland Fraud Attempt Lisa Jeanine Findley, a 53-year-old from Missouri, orchestrated a plan to defraud Elvis Presley’s family of millions by attempting to claim ownership of Graceland. She falsely alleged that Lisa Marie Presley had used Graceland as collateral for a $3.8 million loan that remained unpaid at the time of her death in 2023. To support her claims, Findley fabricated loan documents and filed fraudulent foreclosure notices, threatening to auction the estate if the supposed debt wasn’t settled. Riley Keough, Lisa Marie’s daughter and heir to Graceland, challenged these claims in court, asserting that no such loan existed and labeling the foreclosure attempt as fraudulent. The court sided with Keough, blocking the sale and prompting Findley to withdraw her claims. Subsequently, Findley was arrested and charged with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. She pleaded guilty in February 2025 and faces up to 20 years in prison, with sentencing scheduled for June 18, 2025. Lawrence v. Maple Trust - A Canadian Fraud Attempt Closer to home, in 2006, Toronto homeowner Susan Lawrence fell victim to a similar scheme. Fraudsters transferred the title of her fully paid-off home into their names and registered a fraudulent mortgage with Maple Trust. Lawrence only discovered the fraud when she attempted to access her home equity. After an initial ruling forced her to bear the mortgage debt, she appealed. The Ontario Court of Appeal reversed the decision, ruling that the lender should bear the loss, not the innocent homeowner. The case took nearly two years to resolve and cost Lawrence an estimated $50,000 to $100,000 in legal fees—not to mention the emotional and financial stress. Lessons for Homeowners about Fraud This case highlights several critical lessons for homeowners: 1. Be Vigilant Against Fraudulent Claims: If fraudsters can attempt to steal Graceland, they can target your home too. Monitor your property records for unauthorized changes. 2. Don't Divulge Sensitive Information: Fraudsters can use social engineering tactics to piece together important information you share and use it to forge or alter property ownership records etc.  Be careful with what you share, especially with strangers. 3. Regularly Monitor Property Records: Periodically checking public records for any unauthorized liens or claims against your property can help detect and address fraud early. Online credit reporting services such as Credit Karma offer free apps and email alerts that can help you spot potential fraud. 4. Beware of Contracts: Watch out for deceptive practices employed by certain rental companies, leading to unexpected financial obligations and complications. Using deceptive, high-pressure sales tactics, these companies can leave homeowners burdened with property liens after signing contracts for appliances like furnaces, air conditioners, and water heaters. If you are faced with this, don't rush the process.  Do some additional research and/or take the next step below. 5. Consult Legal Professionals: If you are pressured to sign a contract, receive dubious claims, or receive foreclosure notices, seek advice from qualified legal professionals to navigate the situation effectively. 4. Secure Title Insurance: Title insurance protects homeowners against potential defects in the title, including fraudulent claims. It’s a crucial safeguard that can prevent significant financial loss. Let’s unpack this last point about Title Insurance. What is Title Insurance: Your Best Defence Title insurance is a safeguard for homeowners, protecting them against potential issues related to the ownership of their property. This insurance ensures that the homeowner is shielded from financial loss if any unforeseen problems with the property’s title arise. Title insurance is a policy that protects property owners and lenders against financial loss resulting from defects in a property’s title. These defects can include unknown liens, encroachments, zoning violations, or even fraud that may have occurred before the homeowner acquired the property. Unlike other insurance types that cover future events, title insurance addresses past events that could affect property ownership. Why is Title Insurance Necessary? Purchasing a property is often the most significant investment individuals make. Title insurance provides peace of mind by ensuring the property’s title is clear and free from unforeseen issues. Without this protection, homeowners could face legal disputes or financial losses if a problem with the title emerges after the purchase. For instance, if a previous owner’s unpaid taxes or undisclosed heirs come forward claiming ownership, title insurance would cover the legal fees and potential losses associated with resolving these issues. The Cost of Title Insurance in Canada In Canada, the cost of title insurance varies depending on factors such as the property’s value and location. Typically, premiums for residential properties range from $250 to $500. However, the cost can increase for higher-valued properties. This premium is a one-time payment made during the closing process and remains valid for as long as the homeowner owns the property. Providers of Title Insurance in Canada Several reputable companies in Canada offer title insurance. Some of the prominent providers include: FCT (First Canadian Title) Stewart Title Please note: None of the providers above are sponsored links. How to Check if You Have Title Insurance If you’re uncertain whether you have title insurance, consider the following steps: 1. Review Your Closing Documents: Examine the paperwork you received during the property’s purchase. Look for any mention of title insurance policies. 2. Contact your real estate lawyer: The legal professional who helped with your property purchase should have records showing whether title insurance was obtained. 3. Contact Title Insurance Providers: Most Title Insurance companies maintain issued policy records. Contacting them directly can help confirm whether a policy exists for your property. Homeowners Without a Mortgage: A Higher Risk Group If you’re a homeowner who owns their property outright, you can be at a higher risk concerning title-related issues. Why? Fewer parties (such as lenders) monitor the property’s status when no mortgage is in place. By contrast, when a mortgage is involved, most lenders today, as a rule, require title insurance to protect their investment, indirectly safeguarding the homeowner as well. However, some homeowners might overlook obtaining title insurance without a lender's mandate. This leaves you more vulnerable to potential title defects or fraudulent claims against your property. Real estate fraud is not a problem reserved for the wealthy—any homeowner can become a target. Securing title insurance and staying vigilant is the best way to protect your property and your financial future.   It's such an important topic, I'll be sharing more tips on title insurance in future posts.  After all, as Elvis might say, “What I say is true; if it could happen to the King, it could happen to you.” Don’t Retire … Re-Wire! Sue

Space suit experiment lands on the moon

University of Delaware research made a moon landing on Sunday along with other experiments aboard the unmanned Blue Ghost spacecraft. These projects will help scientists better understand what it will take to successfully land humans on the moon, and could possibly pave the way for an extended stay. The experiment led by UD researcher Norman Wagner and his company STF Technologies, LLC, aims to determine how moon dust particles stick to different materials exposed to the moon’s environment. These particles, called regolith, are fine and very sharp, similar to volcanic rock or dust found on Earth. Prototype spacesuit materials made by UD and STF Technologies will be tested for their ability to repel this moon dust in experiments strapped outside a lunar lander designed to carry payloads to the moon’s surface. The UD spacesuit shell textiles are treated with multiple nanotechnologies, including shear thickening fluid, a revolutionary material co-developed by UD and STF Technologies that normally behaves like a liquid, but becomes a solid under impact, a useful feature when puncture resistance is a priority. The hope is that beyond puncture protection, the STF-infused spacesuit textiles will offer greater dust deterrence, increasing the material’s lifespan in space. Other RAC experiments will test materials for solar cells, optical systems, coatings and sensors. In other related work, the Wagner lab currently has experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS) through a NASA collaboration to develop new construction materials for lunar exploration. These ISS experiments, part of a Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) that launched last November, extend Wagner’s previous work on ways to make concrete in space, for such items as rocket landing pads, buildings, roads, habitats and other structures. More recent work in the Wagner lab by undergraduate researchers and doctoral students focuses on methods for curing 3D-printed materials in space, including using microwave technology. “Here we aren’t trying to get rid of the moon dust — we are trying to leverage it to create extraterrestrial cement through additive manufacturing on the moon,” said Wagner, Unidel Robert L. Pigford Chair in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Contact mediarelations@udel.edu to set up an interview.

3D-printed lung model helps researchers study aerosol deposition in the lungs

Treating respiratory diseases is challenging. Inhalable medicines depend on delivering particles to the right lung areas, which is complicated by factors like the drug, delivery method and patient variability, or even exposure to smoke or asbestos particles. University of Delaware researchers have developed an adaptable 3D lung model to address this issue by replicating realistic breathing maneuvers and offering personalized evaluation of aerosol therapeutics. “If it's something environmental and toxic that we're worried about, knowing how far and how deep in the lung it goes is important,” said Catherine Fromen, University of Delaware Centennial Associate Professor for Excellence in Research and Education in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. “If it's designing a better pharmaceutical drug for asthma or a respiratory disease, knowing exactly where the inhaled aerosol lands and how deep the medicine can penetrate will predict how well that works.”that can replicate realistic breathing maneuvers and offer personalized evaluation of aerosol therapeutics under various breathing conditions. Fromen and two UD alumni have submitted a patent application on the 3D lung model invention through UD’s Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP), the unit responsible for managing intellectual property at UD. In a paper published in the journal Device, Fromen and her team demonstrate how their new 3D lung model can advance understanding of how inhalable medications behave in the upper airways and deeper areas of the lung. This can provide a broader picture on how to predict the effectiveness of inhalable medications in models and computer simulations for different people or age groups. The researchers detail in the paper how they built the 3D structure and what they’ve learned so far. Valuable research tool The purpose of the lung is gas exchange. In practice, the lung is often approximated as the size of a tennis court that is exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide with the bloodstream in our bodies. This is a huge surface area, and that function is critical — if your lungs go down, you're in trouble. Fromen described this branching lung architecture like a tree that starts with a trunk and branches out into smaller and smaller limbs, ranging in size from a few centimeters in the trachea to about 100 microns (roughly the combined width of two hairs on your head) in the lung’s farthest regions. These branches create a complex network that filters aerosols as they travel through the lung. Just as tree branches end in leaves, the lung’s branches culminate in delicate, leaf-like structures called alveoli, where gases are exchanged. “Those alveoli in the deeper airways make the surface area that provides this necessary gas exchange, so you don't want environmental things getting in there where they can damage these sensitive, finer structures,” said Fromen, who has a joint appointment in biomedical engineering. Mimicking the complex structure and function of the lung in a lab setting is inherently challenging. The UD-developed 3D lung model is unique in several ways. First, the model breathes in the same cyclic motion as an actual lung. That’s key, Fromen said. The model also contains lattice structures to represent the entire volume and surface area of a lung. These lattices, made possible through 3D printing, are a critical innovation, enabling precise design to mimic the lung's filtering processes without needing to recreate its full biological complexity. “There's nothing currently out there that has both of these features,” she explained. “This means that we can look at the entire dosage of an inhaled medicine. We can look at exposure over time, and we can capture what happens when you inhale the medication and where the medicine deposits, as well as what gets exhaled as you breathe.” The testing process Testing how far an aerosol or environmental particle travels inside the 3D lung model is a multi-step process. The exposure of the model to the aerosol only takes about five minutes, but the analysis is time-consuming. The researchers add fluorescent molecules to the solution being tested to track where the particles deposit inside the model’s 150 different parts. “We wash each part and rinse away everything that deposits. The fluorescence is just a molecule in the solution. When it deposits, we know the concentration of that, so, when we rinse it out, we can measure how much fluorescence was recovered,” Fromen said. This data allows them to create a heat map of where the aerosols deposit throughout the lung model’s airways, which then can be validated against benchmarked clinical data for where such aerosols would be expected to go in a human under similar conditions. The team’s current model matches a healthy person under sitting/breathing conditions for a single aerosol size, but Fromen’s team is working to ensure the model is versatile across a much broader range of conditions. “An asthma attack, exercise, cystic fibrosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) — all those things are going to really affect where aerosols deposit. We want to make sure our model can capture those differences,” Fromen said. The ability to examine disease features like airway narrowing or mucus buildup could lead to more personalized care, such as tailored medication doses or redesigned inhalers. Currently, inhaled medicines follow a one-size-fits-all approach, but the UD-developed model offers a tool to address these issues and understand why many inhaled medicines fail clinical trials.

Canada’s RRSP Program Has Too Many Jobs

Summary: Since its inception in 1957, the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) has been a cornerstone of Canada’s retirement system. However, the RRSP has taken on roles far beyond its original mandate, notably through the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) and the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP). Although these programs provide short-term benefits, they significantly damage the long-term health of Canadians' retirement savings. This article explores how these additional roles are sabotaging retirement savings, highlights statistics about the state of RRSPs today, and discusses the disastrous impact these trends will have on future retirees. While listening to a recent economic presentation by Don Drummond, TD Bank's Chief Economist at the Mortgage Professionals Canada conference, the following stat stood out to me: "Median RRSP savings are $146K (RRSPs have been in existence for 6 decades)" I was stunned by how low this value was. Even with a government pension, in today's economic climate, to achieve a successful retirement, we need more than $146K saved. This prompted me to explore how the average value of RRSPs in Canada could be so low after some of us have had as much as 60 years to save. The average senior aged 65 in Canada receives $18,197 per year from OAS and CPP. If qualified for GIS, they would receive another $15,186 annually, for a total of $33,338 annually. This isn't much income, especially for homeowners who must pay for property taxes, utilities, upkeep, and maintenance. How it All Began At inception, the RRSP was called a Registered Retirement Annuity and was created in 1957. At the time, Canadians could contribute up to 10% of their income to a maximum of $2,500 annually. The goal was to give all Canadians the same tax benefits as members of registered employer-sponsored pension plans. Benefits of the RRSP Plan 1. Tax-Deferral: Contributions to an RRSP are tax-deductible, which can reduce your tax bill. 2. Tax-Free Growth: Your savings grow tax-free while the money is in the plan. 3. Retroactive: You can carry forward any unused contribution room to future years. The Multitasking Disaster Studies show that people are dreadful at multitasking; the same is true of government programs. Here is where the program went wrong. In 1992, the Home Buyer’s Plan (HBP) was made more flexible, which allowed first-time homebuyers to withdraw RRSP funds to buy a house. Then, in 1999, the Lifelong Learning Plan (LPP) was introduced, which permitted withdrawals to pay for education. The Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) was not introduced in 1957 alongside the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) creation. Instead, the HBP was introduced in 1992 as a federal initiative to help Canadians buy their first homes by allowing them to withdraw funds from their RRSPs without tax penalties as long as they met specific conditions. Here's a timeline of crucial HBP withdrawal limits since its inception: Timeline of HBP and LLP Withdrawal Limits: 1992 - Introduction of the HBP • Maximum Withdrawal Limit: $20,000 per individual. • Purpose: To help first-time homebuyers purchase or build a home. 1999 – Introduction of Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) • The annual withdrawal limit is $10,000 per individual • The lifetime withdrawal maximum is $20,000 per individual 2009 - First HBP increase • New Limit: $25,000 per individual. • The increase was introduced as part of federal budget changes to reflect rising housing costs. 2019 - Second HBP Increase • New Limit: $35,000 per individual. • Announced in the 2019 federal budget to support affordability for first-time homebuyers. 2019 -HBP Enhancement for Life Events • The HBP was expanded to allow individuals experiencing a marriage or common-law partnership breakdown to participate, even if they were not first-time homebuyers. 2024 - Recent increase • New Limit: $60,000 per individual. • The increase was introduced as part of federal budget changes to reflect rising costs. A Flawed Strategy The Home Buyers' Plan (HBP) and Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) were introduced in Canada as tools to make housing and education more accessible. While well-intentioned, these programs effectively allow individuals to borrow from their future retirement savings—a strategy that can have significant negative consequences. Ask any high school economics student, and they will tell you that compromising two of the three main elements (principle and time) in investing growth will lead to a disappointing return. Here is the formula: principle X interest + time = compounded return. Are We Borrowing From the Future to Pay for Today? The Problem with the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP): Addressing Housing Affordability at the Expense of Retirement The HBP permits individuals to withdraw up to $60,000 from their RRSP to buy a first home. In an environment of rising house prices, this measure may help buyers cobble together a down payment, but it drains retirement funds. The funds are unavailable to grow tax-free over decades, diminishing the compounding returns essential for retirement security. The Problem with the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP): Financing Education by Sacrificing Retirement The LLP allows up to $20,000 in RRSP withdrawals to fund education, which can help individuals upskill. However, education often doesn’t yield immediate returns, and the withdrawn funds lose their growth potential, including the compounded returns. Why This Harms Future Retirees Issue #1: Loss of Compounding Growth Withdrawals disrupt the power of compounding, which is vital for retirement savings. For example, $35,000 left in an RRSP for 25 years at a 6% annual return could grow to over $150,000. If that same $35,000 were withdrawn 15 years ago and repaid over the same period as required by the HBP program, it would be worth $54,311, a loss of $95,689 Issue #2: Repayment Struggles While repayments are required, life’s expenses (mortgage, childcare, loans) often make it hard to repay on schedule. Failure to repay means the amount withdrawn is added to taxable income, further reducing the effectiveness of the programs. Issue #3: Insufficient Savings Most Canadians are already under-saving for retirement. Encouraging them to dip into their RRSPs exacerbates this shortfall. Two Different Problems.  One Harmful Solution Housing Affordability Rising house prices are driven by supply-demand imbalances, speculation, and policy failures—not a lack of down payments. Increasing the HBP withdrawal limit does nothing to address the root causes of affordability, but it may drive prices higher by giving buyers more purchasing power. Retirement Security Retirement savings should be preserved and grown to ensure financial stability in later years. Programs like HBP and LLP blur the line between short-term needs and long-term planning. Why Would our Government Do This? Political Expediency Housing affordability and access to education are politically sensitive issues. Allowing individuals to tap into their RRSPs is a cost-neutral policy for the government (unlike direct subsidies or programs). Policies like these help politicians get elected or stay in office. And in proper political form, these policies only tell half the story. Vote for us because we will help you buy your first home, which is a great campaign strategy. Vote for us because we will make it look like we help you buy your first home when, in fact, we will set up a program that will allow you to borrow from yourself at the cost of your retirement, which is political suicide. Short-Sighted Economic Policies Policymakers may believe that homeowners and educated individuals are more financially secure, even if their retirement savings are compromised. The logic might be that owning a home or having better job prospects could mitigate future hardship. Assuming Home Equity is a Safety Net The government might assume that homeownership ensures financial stability in retirement. However, this overlooks that rising housing costs often mean seniors have high debt levels or are "house rich but cash poor." The Bigger Problem with the HBP and LLP Programs: No Warnings or Education Given to Canadians Neither the HBP nor the LLP adequately informs individuals of the long-term consequences of their decisions. To make matters worse, the participants of these programs will likely realize the impact once it is too late to take action. People considering retirement are often in their late 50s to early 60s, past their prime saving years. Borrowing from retirement accounts may seem like “borrowing from yourself,” but this lost growth can never be recouped. Many Canadians are not well enough informed to assess these trade-offs, leading to decisions that harm their financial future. In Case You’re Thinking, These Seniors Have Inadequate Savings - But at They At Least their Homes. The HBP and LLP programs may reflect a government view that seniors would be better off owning a home than relying solely on inadequate savings. But this is flawed for a number of reasons: A home is not a liquid asset—it cannot pay for groceries or healthcare. Also,  Seniors with insufficient retirement savings often need help with financial distress despite owning property. They sometimes need reverse mortgages or sell their homes out of desperation. An Unfortunate Misguided Solution Rather than “quick fixes” that appear to solve immediate challenges while creating long-term problems, the Federal government should instead focus on longer-term, systemic solutions For housing: Governments need to curb speculative investments and provide targeted assistance for first-time buyers. Plus they need to focus on programs that increase housing supply, such as income tax incentives for homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs). These units could be rented out or used for caregivers. Or adopt a policy allowing first-time home buyers to not pay tax on their first $250,000 of income. First-time home buyers could use the tax savings as a down payment. For Education: Governments need to expand grant programs and low-interest loans to prevent reliance on retirement funds.  This will not only help us increase the number of skilled workers to fill critical gaps in vital sectors such as technology, healthcare engineering and the trades.  It will also contribute to a higher GDP and build a more sustainable tax base for future generations. Encouraging Canadians to steal from their future is not a sustainable strategy. Retirement savings should be viewed as sacred - not a piggy bank for solving unrelated issues. Don’t Retire … Re-Wire! Sue

Aston University collaboration to develop injectable paste which could treat bone cancer

A £110k grant from Orthopaedic Research UK is to help to conduct the work Study is a collaboration with The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital Researchers to use gallium-doped bioglass to produce a substance with anticancer and bone regenerative properties. Professor Richard Martin Aston University is collaborating in research to develop an injectable paste which could treat bone cancer. The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has secured a £110,000 grant from Orthopaedic Research UK to conduct the work. The project will see researchers at the hospital and the University use gallium-doped bioglass to produce a substance with anticancer and bone regenerative properties. If proved effective it could be used to treat patients with primary and metastatic cancer. Gallium is a metallic element that when combined with bioactive glass can kill cancerous cells that remain when a tumour is removed. It also accelerates the regeneration of the bone and prevents bacterial contamination. A recent study led by Aston University found that bioactive glasses doped with the metal have a 99 percent success rate of eliminating cancerous cells. Dr Lucas Souza, research lab manager at the hospital’s Dubrowsky Lab is leading the project. He said : “Advances in treatment of bone cancer have reached a plateau over the past 40 years, in part due to a lack of research studies into treatments and the complexity and challenges that come with treating bone tumours. Innovative and effective therapeutic approaches are needed, and this grant provides vital funds for us to continue our research into the use of gallium-doped bioglass in the treatment of bone cancer.” Professor Richard Martin who is based in Aston University’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences added: “The injectable paste will function as a drug delivery system for localised delivery of anticancer gallium ions and bisphosphonates whilst regenerating bone. Our hypothesis is that this will promote rapid bone formation and will prevent cancer recurrence by killing residual cancer cells and regulating local osteoclastic activity.” It is hoped the new approach will be particularly useful in reducing cancer recurrence and implant site infections. It is also thought that it will reduce implant failure rates in cases of bone tumours where large resections for complete tumour removal is either not possible, or not recommended. This could include incidents when growths are located too close to vital organs or when major surgery will inflict more harm than benefit. It could also be used in combination with minimally invasive treatments such as cryoablation or radiofrequency ablation to manage metastatic bone lesions. Dr Souza added: “The proposed biomaterial has the potential to drastically improve treatment outcomes of bone tumour patients by reducing cancer recurrence, implant-site infection rates, and implant failure rates leading to reduced time in hospital beds, less use of antibiotics, and fewer revision surgeries. Taken together, these benefits could improve survival rates, functionality and quality of life of bone cancer patients.” Other members of the team include the hospital’s Professor Adrian Gardner, director of research and development and Mr Jonathan Stevenson, orthopaedic oncology and arthroplasty consultant, Dr Eirini Theodosiou from Aston University and Professor Joao Lopes from the Brazilian Aeronautics Institute of Technology. ENDS About the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest specialist orthopaedic units in Europe, offering planned orthopaedic surgery to people locally, nationally, and internationally. The Trust is an accredited Veteran Aware organisation and a Disability Confident Leader. Ranked 8th in the 2024 UK Inclusive Top 50 Employers list, the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital is the highest-ranking NHS organisation for its commitment to diversity and inclusion. The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital has a vibrant research portfolio of clinical trials, observational studies and laboratory studies exploring new treatment options, new approaches in rehabilitation and therapy, and new medical devices. This research is delivered by our researchers and clinicians spread across the Knowledge Hub, our home for education and research, and the Dubrowsky Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, a state-of-the-art lab opened in 2019. About Aston University For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally. Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world. Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020. Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world. For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press & Communications Manager on 07941194168 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk