On Thursday, November 20, the Davis Campus was graced by the presence of John C. Polanyi, 1986 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry. Dr. Polanyi presented the John Charles Polanyi Award for Academic Excellence, and the Dean’s Prize Awards, to students in the Faculty of Applied Science and Technology. These awards are funded by Dr. Iain McNab, Dean of FAST and a former member of Dr. Polanyi’s research team at the University of Toronto.
Vanessa Seenath and John C. Polanyi
The inaugural John Charles Polanyi Award for Academic Excellence was presented to Vanessa Seenath, a 2nd-year student in the Chemical Engineering Technology program. Four Dean’s Prize Awards were presented to the following students in recognition of their academic achievements:
- Olufemi Agunbiade, Architectural Technology
- Drazen Bjelovuk, Systems Analyst
- Alan Haunts, Mechanical Techniques: Tool and Die
- Chia-Wei Haung, Mechanical Engineering: Design and Drafting
Following the awards presentation, Dr. Polanyi treated the assembled students, faculty and administrators to an entertaining lecture detailing some of his research group’s findings related to chemical reaction. He also spoke to the important role that the community of science plays in supporting democratic principles and processes. According to Dr. Polanyi, “science embraces dissident views, rather than imprisoning them,” and “holds onto its accepted ideas for only so long as they remain viable.” He invited the students present to accept their responsibility, as part of the scientific community, to build a better future by cultivating what is best in society.