September 2005 ISSUE
academia
dr. wirasinghe appointed to third term as dean
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Dr. Chan Wirasinghe, P.Eng. |
In only the second time in the history of the University of Calgary, a dean has been appointed to a third term. Dr. Chan Wirasinghe, P.Eng., began his third mandate in July as dean of engineering.
Dr. Wirasinghe has strived to break down barriers by developing collaborative teams, says the faculty magazine Enginuity. One of the results is the creation of the Calgary Centre for Innovative Technology, which began its national engineering research in October 2002.
Under Dr. Wirasinghe’s leadership the faculty has seen the establishment of four multi-disciplinary research centres in environmental engineering, bioengineering, microsystems and pipeline engineering.
Dr. Wirasinghe received his bachelor of science degree at the University of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka ) in 1968. He studied transportation engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and moved to the U of C in 1976 as an assistant professor in civil engineering.
From January 1988 to June 1994 he was associate dean, research, and was briefly acting dean before his appointment in July 1994.
Husky Donates $8 Million
Husky Energy Inc. will contribute $8 million in financial and corporate support to the University of Calgary’s Chair in Bituminous Materials, over the next five years. Included in the support will be an endowment of $3 million to support asphalt research and learning.
“Husky is a strong supporter of post-secondary education and research in Canada,” said John Lau, president and CEO of Husky, adding that the contribution celebrates the Alberta Centennial.
APEGGA Medals Awarded
Eleven students in the engineering and geoscience faculties at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary were recently awarded APEGGA sterling gilt medals, commonly referred to as gold medals, acknowledging their academic prowess in various courses of study.
The APEGGA Education Foundation provides endowment funds to both universities to support the awarding of APEGGA medals to the students with the highest undergraduate averages in engineering, geology and geophysics programs. This good news was shared with the media, resulting in a few articles including a feature story in the St. Albert Gazette.
In addition to receiving the medal, each award recipient is invited by the APEGGA Education Foundation to attend an Excellence in Education recognition ceremony, scheduled for Oct. 26 at the Edmonton Petroleum Club and Nov. 2 at the Calgary Petroleum Club.
Watch upcoming issues of The PEGG for full coverage on the ceremonies, including the names of all the winners.