CANADIAN MATERIALS SCIENCE CONFERENCE AWARDS
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History of The Canadian Materials Science Conference
The list of past D.K.C. MacDonald Memorial Lecturers and Award recipients
clearly demonstrate the rich history associated with the Canadian
Materials Science Conference.
The Conference established its roots in 1951
when the late T. S. Hutchison, a professor of solid-state physics at the
Royal Military College, and colleagues at Queens University, the
University of Toronto, Alcan and the National Research Council began
holding annual summer meetings at RMC. These meetings quickly became known
as the Canadian Metal Physics Conference, with the self proclaimed mission
of fostering the development in Canada of a then modest research activity
in physical metallurgy. The continuing success of the conference, made
possible in part by the organizing efforts of Wendy Jackson, attracted the
interest of metallurgists engaged in chemical processing.
In 1976, under
the leadership of Professor J.M. Toguri of the University of Toronto, a
metal chemistry component was added to the conference. In 1987, after an
incredible 37 continuous years of Conference stewardship, Professor
Hutchison relinquished his role to Professor W.T. Thompson. Shortly
thereafter, to acknowledge changes that had taken place in the mission of
most universities with metallurgical programs, the name of the Conference
was changed to the Canadian Materials Science Conference. The Conference
was held at RMC until 2000, excepting 1996 and 1997, when the College was
undergoing renovations. Since 2001, the Conference has been hosted at a
different venue each year. Past hosts have included Carleton, Laurentian,
Manitoba and Dalhousie Universities, and the CMSC was most recently held
at the University of British Columbia in 2005.
The conference maintains an significant student component. The importance
of this emphasis is indicated by the names of past student award winners,
many of whom now hold positions of considerable authority in universities,
industry or research establishments.
It is one of the aims of the
conference to instill in students an appreciation and excitement for
materials science technologies by providing a friendly but intellectually
challenging forum for presentation of their endeavours, as well asthose of
leaders in Canadian and global materials science.
The D.K.C. MacDonald Memorial Lecture
The MacDonald Memorial Lecture remembers the achievements of David Keith
Chalmers MacDonald, born in Glasgow in July 1920. From an early age, he
demonstrated considerable ability in mathematics and physics, and he
graduated from Edinburgh University with first class honours. During the
Second World War, owing to deficient eyesight, he served at the Military
College of Science at Bury, where his remarkable talents for original
research combining experimental and theoretical aspects became apparent.
In 1951, the year of the first Canadian Metal Physics Conference (the
direct predecessor of the Canadian Materials Science Conference),
MacDonald came to Canada. He and others associated with the National
Research Council (NRC) soon became prominent and regular attendees at this
annual conference. It was at the National Research Council that MacDonald
developed an intense interest in the solid state at extremely low
temperatures. He produced many papers of the highest quality during his
tenure at the NRC.
In 1957, MacDonald was diagnosed as having a rare
neurological ailment that would lead to gradual debilitation of his limbs,
and eventual death. His reaction was characteristic of his personality,
and he increased the pace of activities to make the most of the time
remaining. During this difficult period, the NRC, under Dr. Steacie,
assisted him by providing special nursing and transportation services.
Keith MacDonald died in 1963. His honours included election to the Royal
Society at a relatively young age, recipient of the Gold Medal of the
Canadian Association of Physicists an honorary Professorship at the
University of Ottawa, five books published, as well as the high esteem of
his colleagues. MacDonald enjoyed a sense of achievement that is usually
attained only at a more advanced age. He died a stricken but not unhappy
man. It is no exaggeration to say that his contributions to metal physics
in Canada set a standard that is yet to be surpassed.
The D.K.C. MacDonald Memorial Lecture has been a prominent feature of the
Conference since 1964, and conference attendees have enjoyed Memorial
Lectures presented by some of the leading figures in Materials Science,
both from a Canadian and global perspective.
Materials Chemistry Award
Materials Physics Award
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| Materials Chemistry Award |
2007 winner of Materials Chemistry
Georges Kipouros
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| Materials Physics Award |
2007 winner of Materials Physics
Raynald Gauvin
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