Five university scholars win Governor General’s Innovation awards

OTTAWA – Canada’s universities are home to world-leading researchers and innovators, including five of this year’s recipients of the 2017 Governor General’s Innovation Awards.

Among the newest winners of these prestigious awards are:

• The University of Guelph’s Bonnie Mallard, who developed the High Immune Response technology which enables livestock producers to breed naturally disease-resistant herds.
• Dalhousie University’s Patricia Lingley-Pottie and Dr. Patrick McGrath, whose work with the Strongest Families Institute helps to provide affordable care to families and youth with mental health challenges through a combination of innovative software technology and flexible coaching.
• The University of Toronto’s Paul Santerre, whose development of surface modifying macromolecules, which help prevent blood clots, has benefitted more than 600,000 patients across North America and Europe.
• Carleton University’s Marie-Odile Junker, a linguistics professor who works directly with communities and individuals interested in saving their language and seeing it thrive in the 21st century. She also created the digital Algonquian Linguistic Atlas.

“We congratulate these outstanding innovators on their extraordinary achievements – achievements with both global reach and individual significance in the lives of Canadians,” says Paul Davidson, president of Universities Canada.  “The diverse expertise of these innovators, from the Indigenous languages to microbiology, demonstrates the breadth of university innovation.”

“It is particularly heartening to see that four of the six recipients are women, at a time when the Canadian research community is working to improve gender equity. We applaud the Governor General’s leadership in establishing these awards, and his significant legacy in supporting and celebrating innovation and inclusive excellence throughout Canada and across disciplines.”

Inaugurated in 2016, the awards were created by His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, to recognize remarkable Canadian individuals and organizations across all sectors whose innovative work has a meaningful impact on Canadian society, and to celebrate and inspire excellence in innovation in Canada.

-30-

For a full list of recipients see the Governor General’s Innovation Awards website.