Kudos

Dr. Rémi Quirion, from the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, has earned the Prix Novartis Canada from the Canadian Pharmacological Society in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the field of pharmacological research.

Ms. Kimberly O'Connell, a master's student in the Department of Occupational Health, has earned the 3M Canada Occupational Hygiene Scholarship for 1998. The prize is worth $3,000 and included additional money for air fare and accommodation so that she could attend the American Industrial Hygiene Conference held in Atlanta this summer.

Mr. Andrew Mullins, assistant editor of the McGill News, and Mr. Patrick McDonagh, a former McGill News assistant editor, earned a silver medal from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education in the category of best writing for their article A Poet's Life. Their piece, which dealt with such McGill-associated poets as Eric Ormsby, Anne Carson and Leonard Cohen, appeared in the winter 1997 issue of the McGill News.

François Belair, Scott Burlington, Andrew Ladd and Guillame Marceau, graduate students from the School of Computer Science, placed first in their category in the Seventh Annual Mobile Robot Competition held last July by the American Association for Artificial Intelligence. Their mobile robot, "Invader," raced against the clock while successfully navigating its way around a rock-strewn conference hall floor, locating, identifying and avoiding collision with designated objects. The team was supervised by Professor Gregory Dudek.

Ms. Patricia Riva, from Library Technical Services, was presented with the McGill University Libraries' 1998 Career Recognition Award during last spring's convocation ceremonies.

Ms. Louise Nadeau, from Library Technical Services, was awarded the McGill University Libraries' 1998 Library Staff Excellence Award.

Ms. Wendy Whelen, a student in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, was selected as the Quebec University Volleyball League's most valuable player for last season. Whelen's coach of the McGill Martlets, Ms. Rachèle Béliveau, was named the QUVL's coach of the year.

Professor Robin Drew, from the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, is the winner of the 1998 Dofasco Award. The prize, awarded by the Metallurgical Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, recognizes highly significant contributions to the field of materials engineering.

Professor Rod Guthrie, research associate Ms. Mihaiela Isac, and recent PhD graduates Mr. Roberto Tavares and Mr. Pedro Netto, from the Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, co-authored an article that won the 1997 Light Metals Best Paper Award at the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum conference held in August. The paper, "The influence of solidification and heat transfer on microstructure for horizontal strip casting of light metal alloys," will be published in the 1997 Proceedings Volume, "Light Metals 1997 Métaux Legers."

Mr. David S. Crawford, of the Health Sciences Library, has been elected to a fellowship of the Library Association in recognition of his contributions to librarianship in Canada, the United Kingdom and China. The Library Association, an organization with 26,000 members in 100 countries, was established in England in 1877.

Mr. Ronald Lafreniere, a recent PhD graduate from the Department of Biology, was awarded the Prix d'Excellence by the Académie des Grands Montréalais for his thesis, "Molecular and Genetic Studies of Progressive Myoclonus Epilepsy Type 1 (EPM1)."

Emeritus Professor Clarke Fraser, from the Departments of Biology and Human Genetics, has been honoured by the Teratology Society, which has created a new award in his name. The Clarke Fraser New Investigator Award will recognize young scientists who demonstrate "exceptional potential for excellence in research on birth defects."

Dr. Theodore Sourkes, from the Department of Psychiatry, was the subject of a recent research symposium on Parkinson's Disease held in Haifa, Israel. Sponsored by the Technion and Rappaport Institute for Medical Science, the symposium dealt with Sourkes's major contributions to the understanding of this illness. More than 80 participants from nine countries took part.

Professor Sherwin Maslowe, from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, has been selected to be the Russell Severance Springer Professor at the University of California at Berkeley's Department of Mechanical Engineering. Maslowe will spend four weeks at Berkeley as a distinguished visiting professor.

Adjunct Professor Robert Zamboni, from the Department of Chemistry, earned a Merck Directors Award from Merck & Co. Zamboni serves as Merck Frosst Canada's executive director of medicinal chemistry and he won the award for the pivotal role he played in creating the asthma drug Singulair. As part of the prize, Zamboni was able to make a donation of $25,000 U.S. to the institution of his choice. He has given the money to McGill's Department of Chemistry.

Dr. Masad Jose Damha, from the Department of Chemistry, is the 1999 winner of the Merck Frost Lecture Award. Presented by the Canadian Society for Chemistry to exceptional researchers in organic chemistry under the age of 40, the award includes a cash prize of $2,000.