University of Alberta Edmonton, Canada 1 November 1996

University leads the way at ASTech awards night

Dovichi, Moody, Piper, Strausz recognized for contributions

By David Holehouse

University of Alberta staff took almost half the awards in the 1996 ASTech list of prizes.

The prizes are given by the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Awards Foundation, a private not-for-profit group created in 1990 to identify and celebrate achievements in science and technology. Mathematics Professor Robert Moody won the Outstanding Leadership in Alberta Science Award over four other finalists, for his work in discovering the Kac-Moody algebras. The theory is described as "today's most promising candidate for a theory of everything-a theory that will explain and unify the forces of nature." Chemistry Professor Norm Dovichi won the Outstanding Leadership in Alberta Technology Award over three other finalists, for his work in designing instrumentation for complex chemical analysis.

Martha Piper, Vice-President (Research and External Affairs), was co- winner of the Outstanding Contribution to the Alberta Science and Technology Community Award, along with Thomas Keenan, Dean, Faculty of Continuing Education at The University of Calgary. Dr Piper is a member of the National Advisory Board on Science and Technology and was described by the ASTech foundation as being effective in stimulating action on many other boards.

Otto Strausz, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, won the Innovations in Oil Sands Research Prize for work the foundation says resulted in the chemical characterization of Athabasca and Cold Lake bitumen to a greater degree than any of the crude oils throughout the world.

The University's WISEST (Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology) program won the Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness Prize.

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