Three Faculty Members Win Ontario Professional Engineers Awards

Three members of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry are among the seven members of the U of T Engineering community who will be recognized by the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) and Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) with Ontario Professional Engineers Awards. The awards recognize outstanding individuals for engineering excellence and community service.

Chemical Engineering Professor Emeritus Michael Charles, a former Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, will receive the Gold Medal, Ontario’s most prestigious engineering honour. Professor Elizabeth Edward will also be recognized with a Research and Development Medal, while Professor Milica Radisic will receive the Young Engineer Medal.

Charles served as Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry from 1975 to 1985 and as Dean of the Faculty from 1993-2001. He currently serves as President of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE). His many achievements include leadership in the creation of Ontario’s first Centres of Excellence, his expansion of the Faculty’s PEY program, and his founding of the Canadian Association for Internship Programs. He is a Fellow of CAE, the Engineering Institute of Canada and the Chemical Institute of Canada, and a Senior Fellow of Massey College.

Edwards is the Director of BioZone, a new centre for collaborative bioengineering in the Faculty. She has achieved international recognition for her pioneering research on how biological processes affect pollutants in the environment. Most notably, she developed a microbial culture called “KB-1” for anaerobic biological reductive dechlorination of chlorinated solvents, a widespread class of groundwater contaminants, which has been used in over 200 sites worldwide. Professor Edwards received a NSERC Synergy Award in 2009 and was recently inducted into CAE.

Radisic’s research is in the field of cardiovascular tissue engineering; her long-term objective is to enable cardiac regeneration through tissue engineering and biomaterials. Professor Radisic demonstrated for the first time that stimulation of contractions using an electrical field improves functional and structural assembly of the heart tissue in vitro. In 2008 she was named one of the Top 35 Innovators Under 35 by MIT Technology Review. Her work was recently featured on the cover of Toronto Life and she was named one of 2010’s People to Watch by the Toronto Star.

In addition to the recipients from Chemical Engineering, the Faculty is celebrating the accomplishments of other members of its communities who will be recognized with Ontario Professional Engineers Awards. Professors Doug Perovic (MSE) and David Zingg (UTIAS) garnered Research and Development Medals. Alumnus Anton Davies (MechE 7T2 MASc 7T4 PhD 7T7) garnered the Management Medal and alumna Anna Dunets Wills (CivE 7T6) received the Citizenship Award. Eleven awards in total were given this year.

“I am delighted that OPSE and PEO have recognized so many outstanding members of our community for their accomplishments through research, leadership, professional service and service to the community,” said Cristina Amon, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. “I would like to congratulate all the recipients and thank them for their remarkable contributions to the Faculty, to the profession and to society.”

The Ontario Professional Engineers Awards recipients will be honoured at a gala at the International Centre in Mississauga on Saturday November 12, 2011.