Folio Home > Oct 7, 2011 > The nation to celebrate innovation at the U of A
The nation to celebrate innovation at the U of A
Folio Staff
The Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation, which gives out one of Canada’s most prestigious awards for innovation, is celebrating its 30th anniversary at the University of Alberta Oct. 15.
The foundation, named after the former Alberta premier and senator, honours, supports and draws public attention to Canadians with the imagination to innovate and the stamina to succeed.
The foundation’s 30th anniversary celebration includes a free day-long Celebration of Innovation Symposium at the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science.
“As an institution dedicated to leadership in innovation, the University of Alberta is pleased to host the Ernest C. Manning Awards 30th anniversary ceremony,” said President Indira Samarasekera, who is one of the keynote speakers at the event.
Joining President Samarasekera as a guest speaker at the symposium are:
- Manning Laureate Lorne Tyrrell, director of U of A’s Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology and former U of A dean of medicine, who is a member of Canada’s Medical Hall of Fame for his work identifying the world’s first oral treatment for hepatitis B.
- Lynn McMullen, U of A professor and food scientist, is one of Canada’s leading researchers of food microbiology. Her research led to the development of Micocin, a natural lactic acid bacteria approved by Health Canada to add to vacuum-packaged ready-to-eat meats and prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria causing food-borne disease, such as Listeria.
- Graham Pearson, U of A Professor and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Arctic Resources, is one of the world’s leading mantle geochemists in diamond studies and understanding the formation of diamond-forming roots beneath continents.
- Jillian Buriak, U of A Professor of Chemistry, NINT principle investigator and Canada Research Chair in Inorganic and Nanoscale Materials, is one of the world’s top experts in semiconductor surface chemistry. Buriak presented her research to the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall during their Alberta visit.
- Manning Laureate Robert Burrell, U of A professor and Biomedical Engineering Canada Research Chair in Nanostructured Biomaterials, invented Acticoat silver-coated wound dressings that use an ancient remedy to speed up healing. Acticoat is thought to be the world’s first commercial medical application of nanotechnology.
The symposium will feature displays and networking opportunities with participants of the 2011 Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology competition. The event will be moderated by Jay Ingram, host of the Discovery Channel’s Daily Planet, and a U of A alumnus.
Since it was established, the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation has honoured 237 adult and young Canadian award winners and more than 2,500 nominees.