Ottawa Chemist Wins Top Canadian Science Prize

Guaranteed $1.25 million in funding from NSERC

Ottawa, Ontario, November 25, 2002 – Free radicals and antioxidants. Photo-activated pharmaceuticals. Better sunscreens. Today these are all scientific and medical hot topics that in part owe their coming of age to a University of Ottawa chemist’s meticulous, three-decades-long probing of the interactions of light and molecules.

It’s forefront research that has resulted in Tito Scaiano today being named winner of the 2002 Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering.

The prize guarantees that Dr. Scaiano – who with more than 500 journal articles to his name is Canada's most widely cited chemist – will receive $250,000 over the next five years to supplement his existing research funding of $1 million from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC).

“Indeed, Dr. Scaiano’s achievements inspire us all” said Dr. Rey Pagtakhan, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State (Science, Research and Development), who announced the award on behalf of Minister Rock. “Like Gerhard Herzberg, Dr. Scaiano has made this country his home and in doing so, made Canada a magnet for attracting international talent in this important field. He is truly a role model for our next generation of science students.”

Dr. Scaiano will receive the Herzberg Medal at a gala dinner tonight at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The event will also feature an address by Canadian Nobel Prize winner John Polanyi.

“Tito Scaiano is truly one of our most brilliant and productive scientists,” said Tom Brzustowski, President of NSERC, which created the Herzberg prize. “His influence in the world scientific literature is equaled only by his exceptional contribution to the training of young chemists in Canada and from around the world.”

For more information on Dr. Scaiano’s achievements, visit www.nserc.ca/about/award_e.htm.

The three finalists for the 2002 Herzberg award were Tito Scaiano, Barrie Frost of Queen’s University and Brian Hall of Dalhousie University. Each receives the NSERC Award of Excellence which consists of a crystal sculpture. Dr. Hall and Dr. Frost also receive an additional $50,000 each in research support.

Dr. Hall revealed how embryonic movement causes stem cells to switch from bone to cartilage development and how developmental changes in the embryo are a factor in evolution.

Dr. Frost is an internationally renowned visual neuroscientist, who has pioneered research into how our brains see and hear, and how animals like monarch butterflies and seabirds navigate amazing distances.

The Medal selection process involved both international peer review of the nominees and adjudication by a distinguished NSERC jury. This year’s panel was chaired by Thomas Calvert, a member of NSERC’s Council and a professor at Simon Fraser University.

Tonight’s event will also celebrate the achievements of major prize winners announced earlier in the year.

NSERC Steacie Fellowships go to outstanding Canadian university scientists or engineers who have earned their doctorate within the last twelve years. The 2002 winners are Elizabeth Cannon (University of Calgary), Wolfgang Jäger (University of Alberta), Alejandro Marangoni (University of Guelph), Jerry Mitrovica (University of Toronto), Henri Darmon (McGill University) and Louis Bernatchez (Université Laval).

The four NSERC Doctoral Prize Silver Medalists are Rees Kassen (McGill University), Aleksander Czekanski (University of Toronto), Ashley Monks (Simon Fraser University), and Mathini Sellathurai (McMaster University). The medals and a $5,000 cash prize are awarded for the best doctoral work completed in science and engineering at a Canadian university last year.

Dr. Kassen is also being honoured as this year’s recipient of the $20,000 NSERC Howard Alper Postdoctoral Prize. The prize was created by the first winner of the Herzberg Medal.

NSERC is a key federal agency investing in people, discovery, and innovation. Over the last 10 years it has invested $5 billion in basic research, university-industry projects, and the training of Canada’s next generation of scientists and engineers.

For photos and more background information on all the award winners, visit www.nserc.ca/about/award_e.htm.

Contacts:

On Nov. 25, call (450) 675-3236 (cell phone); 6-8 AM: (613) 748-1409 to reach Dr. Scaiano.

On Nov. 26, he will be available until 2:00 p.m. E.S.T at (613) 562-5896; tito@photo.chem.uottawa.ca.

Media Contacts:

NSERC NEWSBUREAU
Arnet Sheppard
Cell: (613) 297-8925

Francis Lionnet
Cell: (613) 222-4313

E-mail: newsbureau@nserc.ca