NSERC Honours Six Rising Stars of Canadian Research with Steacie Fellowships

Ottawa, March 17, 2008 – Dr. Colin Carrie, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Industry, on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and Dr. Suzanne Fortier, President of NSERC, today named six rising stars of Canadian research who are the 2008 winners of the NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowships – one of Canada’s premier science and engineering research awards.

"By supporting researchers, the Government of Canada is investing in discoveries that will make our economy more competitive and that will have positive benefits for Canadians," said Dr. Carrie. "Our government is investing in the present and next generation of scientists and engineers. Our Science and Technology Strategy, strengthened in Budget 2008, will provide additional funding to continue to support world-class research and researchers at our universities."

The NSERC Steacie Fellowship winners this year are:

• Pierre Berini, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa;
• Troy Day, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Queen’s University;
• Dennis Hall, Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta;
• Jean-Christophe Leroux, Faculté de pharmacie, Université de Montréal;
• C. Barth Netterfield, Department of Physics, University of Toronto; and
• Carl Svensson, Department of Physics, University of Guelph.

The winners receive additional funding to support their research, and their universities receive a salary contribution to fund a replacement for the Fellow’s teaching and administrative duties, thus allowing the winners to focus on their research for two years.

"Our NSERC Steacie winners have delivered results that have earned them a well-deserved international reputation for highly original and influential research in their fields," said Dr. Fortier. "These fellowships will allow the winners to devote their full time and attention to their work, in effect supercharging their research while freeing them from their other duties."

The NSERC Steacie Fellowships will be presented at a ceremony on March 17 in Ottawa. At the same event, NSERC will honour the winner of the Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering.

Edgar William Richard Steacie, for whom the Fellowships are named, was a physical chemist and President of the National Research Council from 1952 to 1962. He strongly believed that promising scientists are this country’s greatest asset and should be given every opportunity to develop their own ideas.

NSERC is a federal agency whose vision is to help make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for the benefit of all Canadians. The agency supports some 25,000 university students and postdoctoral fellows in their advanced studies. NSERC promotes discovery by funding more than 11,000 university professors every year and fosters innovation by encouraging more than 1,400 Canadian companies to participate and invest in university research projects.

For full details on the NSERC Steacie Fellowship winners for 2008 and their achievements, visit www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Prizes-Prix/Steacie-Steacie/Index-Index_eng.asp

For more information, or to arrange an interview with Dr. John Polanyi, please contact:

Doré Dunne
Manager, Public Affairs
NSERC
Tel.: 613-996-4690
Cell: 613-851-8677
dore.dunne@nserc-crsng.gc.ca

Martine Perreault
Media and Public Affairs Officer
NSERC
Tel.: 613-996-7238
Cell: 613-794-9170
martine.perreault@nserc-crsng.gc.ca