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Top awards recognize excellence
Two of North America's top pulp and paper scientists have been recognized for their contributions to the industry. Richard J. Kerekes, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, BC, Canada, will receive the 2010 TAPPI Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award. It is TAPPI's most prestigious annual award and carries a cash prize valued at over US $60,000. "Dr. Kerekes' contributions to research, technology and education for our industry over a 38-year period are exemplary and make him a deserving recipient for TAPPI's highest honor," said Larry N. Montague, president of TAPPI. "He has made numerous significant contributions to papermaking technology during his career, including founding the Pulp and Paper Centre at the University of British Columbia where he established a research program between UBC and Paprican." Kerekes graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering. He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from McGill University. He spent the bulk of his career with the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada, now the Paprican division of FP Innovations, serving from 1971- 2001. He was named Honorary Professor at UBC in 1978, a position he held until 2001, when he was appointed full Professor upon his retirement from Paprican. He was the director of UBC's Pulp and Paper Centre from 1983 until 2005, when he retired from UBC. "To a remarkable degree, he has contributed to most all of the unit operations in papermaking, from stock chests to calenders," said Gary A. Baum, 2009 Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Winner, who nominated Kerekes for the award. "His research has been characterized by a blend of solid science and the application of fundamental principles to the solution of practical problems." Kerekes has also made outstanding contributions in education. As the first Paprican person to relocate to Western Canada in 1978, he was charged with building a program with UBC. While there he founded the $C6-million Pulp and Paper Centre; orchestrated a research program between UBC and Paprican; co-led establishment of a Pulp and Paper Master of Engineering Program; founded an Advanced Paper - making Initiative in 1998 based on a $C8.5-million endowment from the province of British Columbia. Kerekes is a long-time member of TAPPI, PAPTAC and other professional associations. He is currently a Fellow in TAPPI, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, the International Academy of Wood Science and the Chemical Institute of Canada. The Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal Award was established in 1985 to replace the TAPPI Gold Medal, which had been awarded from 1928 to 1984. It recognizes an individual who has created a preeminent scientific and engineering achievement that has proven commercial benefit to the world's pulp, paper, board and forest products industries and other industries that TAPPI serves. During the Pulp and Paper Technical Assn. of Canada's Annual Meeting, held February 2-3 in Montreal, the Canadian industry's top honor, the John S. Bates Memorial Gold Medal, was presented to J. David McDonald for his long-term contributions to the industry. McDonald was vice-president, university programs and strategic partnerships, at FPInnovations Ð Paprican until his retirement at the end of 2009. At Paprican, he held senior management positions as vice-president, research and education, and manager of the mechanical pulping program. Over his 31-year career at FPInnovations, Paprican and Abitibi-Price, he has managed or made direct contributions to research in all aspects of papermaking and mechanical pulping. all aspects of papermaking and mechanical pulping. As vice-president of Paprican, he provided the vision for the Transformative Technologies Initiative (nanotechnology, biorefinery, novel pulp and paper products, and optimizing the fibre value chain), which was a major change in research direction. He has helped build industry/university partnerships that are envied by the rest of the world. |
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