Herzberg Gold Medal finalists and Steacie fellows announced by NSERC

Ottawa, ON – Finalists have been chosen for the 2008 NSERC Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering. Awarded each year by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), it is the organization’s highest honour:

The three finalists are Gilles Brassard, Université de Montréal; Paul Corkum, University of Ottawa; and Brenda Milner, McGill University.

The award honours the late Dr Gerhard Herzberg, Canada’s 1971 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry. It recognizes research contributions characterized by both excellence and influence In addition to the medal, the winner is guaranteed $1 million to use for personal university-based research or to direct in some related way such as the establishment of research scholarships, fellowships or chairs in his or her name at Canadian universities. The monetary award is distributed over a five-year period.

Recipients of the 2009 NSERC EWR Steacie Memorial Fellowships were also announced, and they are:
• Brendan J Frey, University of Toronto;
• Andrew P Hendry, McGill University;
• Ray Jayawardhana, University of Toronto;
• Ingrid Johnsrude, Queen’s University;
• Karim Nader, McGill University; and
• Peter Tieleman, University of Calgary.

The fellowship recipients will be recognized, together with the finalists and winner of the 2008 NSERC Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, at an award ceremony in Ottawa on March 16, 2009.