Honorary degree citation - David Martin

By: Amir Asif, June 2017

Mr. Chancellor, it is my honour to present to you Mr. David Martin, a preeminent figure in the field of educational technology. 

Mr. Martin has helped revolutionize the classroom by introducing software and equipment that addresses the unique challenges of teaching and learning in the 21st century.

As co-founder of Smart Technologies, Mr. Martin is credited with helping to produce the world's first Smart Board — a combination computer, projector, and touch screen.

Introduced to the public in 1991, the Smart Board has since become the posterchild product in discussions on classroom modernization.

In addition to creating the Smart Board, Mr. Martin and his partner, Nancy Knowlton, are long-time supporters of university-based research.

While heading SMART Technologies, they supported several international research conferences and helped fund individual and group research grants across Canada.

As a member of numerous panels, boards, and advisory councils, Mr. Martin has played a major role in helping to shape thinking around technology and education.

He is recognized as an expert in distance collaboration and authored a number of articles and papers on the subject of working and learning at a distance.

In 2013, Mr. Martin was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his contribution to education as the creator of the SMART Board interactive whiteboard.

Mr. Martin is also the named inventor on a number of U.S. patents and patent applications pending in the U.S. and around the world.

Mr. Chancellor, on behalf of Senate and the Board of Governors, it is my privilege and honour to present to you Mr. David Martin, so that you may confer upon him the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa.