Five alumni from the Faculty of Science were proudly celebrated for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields Feb. 2 at the Science Alumni Recognition Awards. The event started with opening remarks from Dr. Bob Lemeiux, the dean of science, followed by noteworthy words from Dr. Feridun Hamdullaphur, president of the University of Waterloo.
Dr. Kurt Gray, the first recipient of the night, received the Young Alumni Award for his work in social cognition and mind perception. Gray graduated in 2003, receiving a degree Psychology/Science with a minor in Earth Sciences and he currently serves as an Assistant Professor in Psychology at the University of North Carolina.
Janet E. McDougall accepted the Contribution to Science Award for her scientific endeavors in statistics and pharmacology. After graduating with a degree in Biology and Psychology with a minor in Biochemistry at the University of Waterloo, and receiving her MSc in Pharmacology and Statistics at the University of Toronto, she founded McDougall Scientific Ltd. Her organization focuses on bringing treatments from clinical research to patients.
Nicholas Brathwaite, Dr. Stephen E. Pautler, and Dr. David Weitz were each awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Brathwaite was recognized for his success in technology, engineering and entrepreneurship, as well as for the strides he has made as a private equity and venture capitalist investor. He started several businesses that grew to annual earnings ranging from $50 million to $6 billion.
Pautler, the pioneer of robotic surgery for prostate cancer, developed the first robotic surgery program in Canada. He worked on minimally invasive mediation for urologic cancers, molecular cloning and signal transduction mechanisms in both prostate cancer and kidneys.
Best known for his work in diffusing-wave spectroscopy, rheology, microfluidics, fluid mechanics, and much more, Weitz is currently the director of Harvard’s Materials Research Science and Engineering Centre and the co-director of the Harvard Kavli Institute of Bionano Science and Technology. As a graduate of Waterloo’s physics program in ‘73, he is also a professor of physics, applied physics, and systems biology at Harvard University.
The ceremony concluded with words by the dean of science, who congratulated the recipients for their dedication, leadership and revolutionary visions.
