On Tuesday, February 6, 2024, the Faculty of Science hosted its annual Honours & Awards Ceremony to celebrate its students, instructors and researchers for their achievements and service. More than 200 people attended the event, held in the Second Student Centre, including students and their family members and supporters, faculty members and staff. A keynote address was presented by Faculty of Science alumna Naz Chaudary (PhD ’04), a cancer research scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.
The ceremony recognized about 400 postdoctoral Fellows and undergraduate and graduate Science students who received awards and scholarships between September 2022 and August 2023. In his welcoming remarks, Faculty of Science Dean Rui Wang expressed admiration for the students in attendance, saying: “As I look out at our students in the audience, I feel honoured to be in the presence of our future inventors, problem solvers, practitioners, activists, and community convenors who will help us secure a future that is sustainable, equitable, and just for all.”
As the award recipients were named, including in three categories at the postdoctoral level, 20 at the graduate level, 32 at the undergraduate level, and 30 at the departmental level, they came up to the stage to be congratulated and applauded by their peers, supporters and mentors.
Master of ceremonies and Associate Dean of Students Michael Scheid and Associate Dean of Research & Partnerships Vivian Saridakis also announced the recipients of the Faculty of Science Excellence in Educational Leadership Awards – an inaugural award category – as well as the Excellence in Teaching Awards and Excellence in Research Awards. The recipients of these awards were
- Excellence in Educational Leadership Award, Faculty category: Associate Professor Amenda Chow, Department of Mathematics & Statistics, and Chair and Associate Professor Vera Pavri, Department of Science, Technology and Society
- Excellence in Educational Leadership award, Graduate student category: PhD students Laura Keane and Yohana Solomon, Department of Mathematics & Statistics
- Excellence in Teaching Award, Junior Tenure Stream Faculty category: Assistant Professor Stephanie Domenikos, Department of Science, Technology and Society
- Excellence in Teaching Award, Contract Faculty category: Sessional Assistant Professor Charlotte de Araujo, Department of Biology
- Richard Jarrell Award of Excellence for Teaching Assistants: recent MSc graduate Amanvir Virdi, Department of Biology
- Early Career Research Award : Associate Professor Elizabeth Clare, Department of Biology
- Established Research Award: Professor Randy Lewis, Department of Physics & Astronomy
- Excellence in Graduate Mentorship Award: Associate Professor Iain Moyles, Department of Mathematics & Statistics
At the end of the event, Scheid expressed thanks to the Faculty of Science Dean’s Office staff for leading the planning and execution of the event, as well as the Faculty’s executive team, department chairs, and faculty members, and senior leaders from the University who assisted in announcing and congratulating the award winners. In addition to Scheid and Saridakis, the award announcers and presenters included Associate Dean of Faculty Gerald Audette, Associate Vice-President Research Jennifer Hyndman, Assistant Vice-President of Facilities Services Brad Parkes, Assistant Vice-Provost and University Registrar Darran Fernandez, Assistant Vice-President of Global Engagement and Partnerships Vinitha Gengatharan, and department Chairs Vera Pavri (Science, Technology, Society), Robert Tsushima (Biology), Jennifer van Wijngaarden (Chemistry), Michael Haslam (Mathematics & Statistics), and Patrick Hall (Physics & Astronomy), and professors Elizabeth Clare, Derek Jackson, Iain Moyles, Randy Lewis, and Jill Lazenby.
For more details about the awards and a full list of recipients, view the ceremony program booklet.