SCI CANADA AWARD EVENT TO SHOWCASE NATION'S DIVERSE SCIENTIFIC TALENT

LONDON, April 5, 2023

• SCI Canada Award 2023 dinner, seminar and presentations to take place on 18^th April in Toronto
• Seminar theme is 'Unlocking the potential of Science Talent enabling impact on Canada's economic growth'
• Award winners include the first indigenous community members
• Dr Paul Smith, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics receives the 2023 Canada Medal 

/PRNewswire/ -- The best of Canada's scientific talent will debate its role in boosting economic growth at a special awards event on 18^th April in Toronto.  Winners of the 2023 SCI Canada Awards include a pioneer in the polyethylene catalyst technology field, an adviser to the UN on water treatment, experts on chemistry in Inuit life and an innovator whose foundational science paved the way for the development of a Covid-19 vaccine.

They will join industrial leaders and science and engineering professionals to celebrate lifetime achievements of both experienced and emerging leaders in the business of chemistry.

The winners will be formally honoured at an in-person dinner in Toronto with Dr Paul Smith due to receive the SCI Canada Medal.  This medal was first awarded in 1939, making it one of the most established innovation awards in Canada.

Leaders from both science and business, including Canada's chemical and industrial community, will honour the achievements of SCI Canada Award and Student Merit Award Winners.  Prior to the award presentations, a panel discussion around 'Unlocking the potential of Science Talent enabling impact on Canada's economic growth' will take place. This seminar will explore specific Canadian government programmes, the policies that help promote Canada's science talent development and how these enable economic growth, whilst also positioning Canada as a global leader in technology and innovation.

The panellists will include Rory Francis, Executive Director, PEI BioAlliance (Purvis Memorial Award winner, 2023), Dr Alison Ewart, Dean of Centre for Research & Innovation at Fanshawe College and Professor Howard Alper, Distinguished Professor at University of Ottawa. Dr Fiona Hess, Process Chemist and Member of the SCI Canada Committee will be the moderator of the panel.  

The afternoon panel discussion as well as the awards ceremony dinner will be broadcast live online.  To register for the online event, please register here – https://www.soci.org/events/canada-group/2023/sci-canada-awards 

Dr Ravi Ramachandran, Chair of SCI Canada Awards Nomination Committee and Territory Research & Development Head with Syngenta Canada said

"Since its formation in 1902, SCI Canada has recognized achievements in the Canadian chemical industry to bolster the drive for innovation and its value to society.  Today more than ever, innovation calls for diverse minds and skill sets from academia and industry to come together to address complex global challenges. I am pleased to announce that this year's awards cover a truly diverse set of innovators from all over Canada – from British Columbia in the west to Atlantic Canada in the East, Nunavut in the North and Southern Ontario in the south.  In addition to geographic diversity, we are also celebrating diverse cultures – including the first South Asian award winner and the first indigenous community winners."

2023 winners:
Canada Medal   Dr Paul Smith, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Purvis Memorial Award  Rory Francis, PEI BioAlliance
LeSueur Memorial Award   Dr Rupert Spence, DuPont Canada
International Award   Dr Vaikuntam Iyer Lakshmanan OC, Process Research ORTECH Inc
Julia Levy Award  Prof. Pieter Cullis, The University of British Columbia
Kalev Pugi Award   Prof. Francesca Kerton, Memorial University
Outreach Award -  Grenfell Campus, Memorial University:
Prof. Geoffrey Rayner-Canham
Chaim Christiana Andersen
Rosalina Naqitarvik

SCI Canada Student Merit Award winners will also be honoured at this event, celebrating the highest achieving students in the final year of chemistry, biochemistry or chemical engineering undergraduate programmes.

NOTE TO EDITORS

About SCI: where science meets business:

SCI is a unique global multidisciplinary innovation network bringing together scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs to develop scientific solutions to biggest challenges facing society today.

SCI works across crucial sectors as diverse as renewable energy, sustainability and new forms of cancer treatments.

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