Kudos

Three members of libraries' staff were honoured at a reception in the office of Trenholme Director of Libraries Frances Groen on May 18. Joanna Andrews, head of Library Technical Services, is the winner of the McGill University Libraries' Career Recognition Award for 2004. David Curtis, library assistant in the Marvin Duchow Music Library, is the winner of the McGill University Libraries' Staff Excellence Award for 2004. Jennifer Innes, of the Reference Department in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library, is the winner of the first-ever Staff Outstanding Service Award. Congratulations to all.

Two McGill professors are being recognized by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC): Margaret Gillett and John J.M. Bergeron are among 12 Canadians receiving medals and awards for extraordinary achievement in the social sciences, humanities and pure and applied sciences.

Gillett, a pioneer in women's studies and an emeritus professor of education at McGill University, will receive the RSC Award in Gender Studies.

Bergeron, a world-leading cell biologist and director of the Montreal Proteomics Network at McGill and chair of the university's Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, will receive the RSC's McLaughlin Medal. The medal recognizes important research and sustained excellence in any branch of medical science.

Two McGill students have been named leaders of tomorrow in a special report in Maclean's magazine. They are Félix-Antoine Boudreault, 26, a master's student in Civil Engineering, and Alexandra Conliffe, 24, who will soon graduate with her bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and head to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.

Conliffe and Boudreault have both taken their academic interests beyond the classroom to make a difference. Boudreault has worked on development projects in Ghana, Togo and Central Africa. Conliffe is a founder of the McGill chapter of Engineers Without Borders. Her own development work has included a water resources project in Uzbekistan and English-language teaching in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

Professor Jim Torczyner, director of the McGill Middle East Program (MMEP) in Civil Society and Peace Building, was awarded the Jordan Red Crescent's Gold Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the Humanitarian Field on May 4 in Amman, Jordan. Professor Torczyner accepted the medal, presented by Jordanian Prime Minister Faisal Fayez, on behalf of the MMEP's partners, staff and volunteers, for their humanitarian and peace-building efforts. The MMEP in Civil Society and Peace Building provides fellowships for Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian students who earn a master's degree in Social Work at McGill University in Montreal, then return to work in the program's five practice centers in the region's poorest areas.

Peta Tancred, who served many years as director of the McGill Centre for Research and Teaching on Women, was selected as a Woman of Distinction in the Public Service category at the gala of the Women's Y Foundation on May 12. A retired professor in the Department of Sociology, Tancred has concentrated her research efforts on the relationship women have with their work environment. She has participated actively in women's organizations for more than 30 years and has been a role model for her colleagues and an inspiration for her students.

McGill has won 11 Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education Prix d'Excellence. The McGill Alma Mater Fund won a silver medal for Best Program Development. Wendy Corn, Vivian Lewin and the McGill Alma Mater Fund Team get the credit.

The McGill News alumni magazine won three writing awards: communication officer Daniel McCabe's article "A fine balance: The art and science of architecture" won a gold medal for best writing (English language); freelancer Patrick McDonagh's article on nanotechnology won a gold medal in the science writing category; and communications associate Helen Dyer's piece on architecture professor Robert Mellin's work related to the Newfoundland village of Tilting won bronze in the human interest writing category

McGill swept the service prizes, with Executive Director (Alumni Relations/Advancement) Honora Shaughnessy being named winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award, while Chancellor Dick Pound was named CCAE Friend of Education.

The Web Communications Group won gold for Best Institutional Homepage.

Communications Officer Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins won Silver for Best Press Release: French for a media release of Peter Jones' research in the School of Human Nutrition. The release was translated by Jean-Louis Laloy. Reporter associate editor Mark Reynolds won two awards, a silver for Best Writing for an article on the iSun solar car racing team and a bronze for in the science writing category for an article on psychology professor Jeffery Mogil's research on the relationship between painkiller effectiveness and hair colour.

Too late for press time, The Reporter would like to also note the following CCAE awards:

Development and Alumni Relations senior communications officer Vivian Lewin and freelancer designer Gerry L'Orange won the Gold medal for Best Flyer for Open to the World -- Macdonald Library and Learning Centre. Lewin, along with Faculty of Music development officer Donna Williams and executive director, principal gifts, Don McGerrigle, also received a bronze medal in the Best Fundraising Proposal category for "Building the future of music."

Dr. Emily Hamilton accepted the Genesis 2004 Award from the Association of Health Technologies Industry. The award, granted in partnership with BioQuébec, recognizes innovators in the biotechnology, life sciences and health technology industries. Dr. Hamilton is Founder of LMS Medical Systems Inc., a spin-off company that provides clinical information systems and support designed to improve patient care for mothers and their infants during labour and delivery.

Campus radio station CKUT FM has won a 2004 Standard Radio Awards of Excellence in Campus and Community Broadcasting award. The station is being honoured in the category of Local Talent Development for the show "Underground Sounds," a collectively-run program spotlighting independent music through interviews, features, live on-air performances, and local showcases.