August 23, 2006 Source: :
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/060823-2512.asp Seven Garner Royal Society Medals, Awards Prizes a tribute to the outstanding contributions made by Canadians
Aug 23/06
by Ailsa Ferguson (about) (email) Seven of U of T’s top faculty are among the 14 outstanding Canadian researchers and scholars to win Royal Society of Canada awards and medals this year for extraordinary achievement in the social sciences, humanities and sciences. University Professor Stephen Cook of computer science has been selected to receive the John L. Synge Award, which is offered at irregular intervals, for outstanding research in any of the branches of mathematical sciences. Recognized internationally for providing a definition for "efficiently computable" and giving mathematical evidence for a number of problems that are unlikely to be efficiently computable, Cook’s work is cited as characterized by its creativity and pervasive influence throughout his 40-year career. He continues to produce seminal contributions on feasible logics and complexity theory. A world authority on the magnetic behaviour of rocks and minerals and the memory they preserve of ancient plate motions, Professor David Dunlop of physics at U of T at Mississauga is the winner of the Bancroft Award, given bi-annually for publication, instruction and research in the earth sciences that have conspicuously contributed to public understanding and appreciation of the subject. Dunlop has been a featured keynote speaker at major international meetings and is co-author of the standard book on rock magnetism. Professor Alberto Leon-Garcia of electrical and computer engineering is the recipient of the Thomas W. Eadie Medal, awarded in recognition of major contributions to engineering or applied science, with preference given to those having an impact on communications. A leader in the research of the design, operation and management of emerging application-oriented multi-service packet networks, Leon-Garcia has influenced electrical and computer engineering as well as telecommunications education nationally and internationally. His two textbooks on probability and random processes and on communications networks are in extensive use globally. University Professor Richard Peltier is this year’s winner of the Miroslaw Romanowski Medal for significant contributions to the resolution of scientific aspects of environmental problems or for important improvements to the quality of an ecosystem in all aspects. Peltier’s research focuses on one of the most pressing environmental problems -- that of global warming due to increasing atmospheric concentrations of the greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide. His detailed theoretical models of contaminations are widely employed internationally. An innovative and influential scholar working at the interface of polymer science, biomaterials and tissue engineering, Professor Molly Shoichet of chemical engineering and applied chemistry is the 2006 recipient of the Rutherford Memorial Medal for chemistry for outstanding research in any branch of chemistry, with some preference given to those under 40 in the year of the award. Shoichet seeks to advance fundamental science and has changed the way scientists think about patterning 3-D hydrogels for controlled cellular response. Internationally acclaimed and recognized for her outstanding research and leadership, Shoichet is cited as exemplifying Rutherford’s ideals and accomplishments in science. Professor Aephraim Steinberg of physics, who works at the forefront of experimental quantum optics and quantum information, has been selected to receive the 2006 Rutherford Memorial Medal in physics for outstanding research in any branch of physics, with some preference given to those under 40 in the year of the award. Steinberg is internationally known for his seminal work on "superluminal" effects in tunnelling and optical propagation, as well as for his ongoing projects using ultracold atoms and entangled photons to study the subtle mysteries of quantum mechanics along with their potential applications to information processing. Cited as having transformed our understanding of the cell cycle and cellular organization, Professor Michael Tyers of medical genetics and microbiology is this year’s winner of the McLaughlin Medal, given for important research of sustained excellence in any branch of medical sciences. Tyers has made a number of seminal discoveries in his career and has recently pioneered the application of functional genomic and proteomic technologies to important biological questions. His efforts to chart protein and genetic interactions have accelerated biological discovery in many fields and provided the first glimpse of the global properties of biological networks. "A salute to excellence," the medals and awards are a tribute to the outstanding contributions being made by Canadians in all areas of research and scholarship. Winners will receive their prizes Nov. 19 following the induction ceremony of newly elected fellows.
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