Honorary Member  (2004)

Dr. David Strangway – A Member of the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce Dr. Strangway to you - - he is one of the most distinguished teachers and scientists in Canada. He is also a professional engineer who did not take a degree in engineering. His studies were in Science up to and including a PhD in Physics from the University of Toronto. He is currently the President and Chief Executive officer of CFI, which is of course, the Canada Foundation for Innovation. This institute is Canada’s premiere agency with the responsibility for strengthening the research and training environments for Canadians in the new knowledge – based economy of the world. Since joining the Foundation in 1998, he has guided it in achieving its goals in furthering the Government of Canada’s innovation agenda and helped to strengthen the capability of Canadian universities, colleges, research hospitals, and other not-for-profit institutions in world-class research and technology. Dr. Strangway has been instrumental in helping the CFI fund research that improves the quality of life of all Canadians

Before joining CFI, Dr. Strangway was President of the University of British Columbia. During his 12-year tenure, his vision and commitment to excellence were widely credited with positioning the university as a world-class academic institution. In addition, at the University of Toronto, he held earlier a number of positions including Acting President, Vice-President, and Chairman of the Geology Department.

In 1970, Dr. Strangway joined NASA as Chief of the Geophysics Branch, where he was responsible for the geophysical aspects of the U.S. space agency’s Apollo missions. After leaving NASA he worked for mining companies and applied for professional engineering membership. A review of his background led to his being required to write an exam in professional law and ethics. This he did while serving as President of the University of Toronto. He is probably the only university president to be inducted into the profession

Among his numerous awards and honours, Dr. Strangway was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In recognition of his work in advancing Korean studies at UBC, he was awarded the First Order of Civil Merit Medal from the Government of South Korea; the first time the medal had been awarded to a non-Korean. He received the J. Tuzo Wilson Award from the Canadian Geophysical Union, and the Logan Gold Medal from the Geological Association of Canada in 1984. He was presented the Izaak Walton Killam Memorial Scholarship in 1980 and was honoured with the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. In addition, he is the author or co-author of more that 165 scientific papers and publications in the area of geophysics. He has received a number of Honorary degrees from universities across Canada and around the world.

Tonight Ladies and Gentlemen – the EIC would like to add one more honour as an Honorary Member of the Institute of Canada.

Mr. President – an outstanding Canadian, Dr. David W. Strangway

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