Accolades for the week of March 25
Universities are the focus of Canal Savoir’s TV series Campus, in which two Concordians were recently featured. In episode 41 of the program, Ollivier Dyens, vice-provost of teaching and learning, talks about his recent book Enfanter l’inhumain. Le refus du vivant; and Guylaine Vaillancourt, of the Department of Creative Arts Therapies, discusses the benefits of music therapy in episode 44. Watch the shows online.
Randy Swedburg will become a Hall of Famer. The retired professor of Applied Human Sciences will be inducted into the Bemidji State University Professional Education Hall of Fame on Friday, April 19. The award honours BSU alumni who demonstrate excellence in teaching or in managing schools.
Religion Professor Ira Robinson is the 2013 recipient of the Louis Rosenberg Canadian Jewish Studies Distinguished Service Award.
In the announcement of the award, Robinson was praised for his continuous support of Jewish Studies. “Ira Robinson has been a consistent and enthusiastic part of the promotion of Jewish Studies across Canada. … He is well respected by students and faculty members for his contributions to a strong Jewish studies program within the Department of Religion. Many students who have taken his courses over the years have recognized the value of his knowledge, style, and presentation.”
The award will be presented June 3 at the upcoming Association for Canadian Jewish Studies conference in Victoria, B.C.
Paul Allen, associate professor in the Department of Theological Studies, has been awarded an $84,000 grant over three years for his project titled Creatures of God: An Evangelical-Catholic Dialogue on Sin, Evolution and Human Nature. The grant is offered by a private Christian foundation called BioLogos.
Sharon Hunter, communications advisor for Student Services, was recently named the 2013 Chapter Leader of the Year by the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). Her commitment to IABC Montreal and her leadership as chapter president were instrumental in returning a chapter that was once identified as “at-risk” to a healthy, vibrant state.
The board members who nominated Hunter for the award said she “has been an inspiring leader to the chapter, demonstrating passion for the business communications industry and a desire to see all communicators in Montreal take advantage of what IABC has to offer.” Hunter has seen the chapter win two consecutive IABC mid-size chapter-of-the-year awards and three IABC chapter management awards last year, including one for student membership.
Following last year’s victory in the Canadian Satellite Design Challenge, Space Concordia’s president, Nick Sweet, an electrical engineering student, has been selected among hundreds of applicants for the CalTech Space Challenge, a five-day student space mission design competition. Sweet is participating in the event from March 25 to 29, at the California Institute of Technology. He is the only Canadian university student selected for the competition.
Eric Moses Gashirabake, an honours student who also plays an active role in the Arts and Science Federation of Associations as well as leading a number of important humanitarian initiatives on campus, has been awarded a fully funded fellowship to participate in the March of Remembrance and Hope 2013, a student leadership mission to Poland and Germany.
Gashirabake was also recently featured as the Montrealer of the Week on CBC.