Kudos

U of T has granted four more faculty members the title of “University Professor,” the highest honour the university bestows on its professors. The designation recognizes “unusual scholarly achievement and pre-eminence in a particular field of knowledge,” and is restricted to no more than two per cent of the university’s tenured faculty.

The four recipients are Prof. Roderick McInnes of pediatrics, a leading human geneticist in the fields of eye development and inherited eye disease; Prof. Nancy Reid of statistics, who has had an international impact in the area of theoretical statistics; Prof. Michael Sefton (BASc 1971) of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, a pioneer in the emergence of bioengineering and the development of tissue engineering as a science, technology and industry; and Prof. Peter St George-Hyslop of medicine and the Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases, an international authority on the genetics of Alzheimer’s disease.

Four professors have been named to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest distinction for lifetime achievement. Named officers of the order, the second-highest designation after companion, are Prof. Alastair J. Cunningham of medical biophysics, who works to improve the quality of life and life expectancy of cancer patients, and Professor Emeritus Yoshio Masui of zoology, whose research in cell division has proven critical to understanding the causes of such diseases as cancer. Named members of the order are University Professor Emeritus Bernard Etkin (BASc 1941, MASc 1947) of aerospace studies, a leader in aerodynamics engineering; and Professor Emeritus J. N. Patterson Hume (BA 1945 UC, MSc 1946, PhD 1950) of computer science, who pioneered the development of software for the first electronic computer in Canada.

Jean Coléno (BA 1993 UC), a graduate student in the department of political science at U of T, has won one of three Dalton Camp Awards. Named in honour of the late political commentator, the essay competition asked Canadians how the media influence Canadian democracy.