The in-person ceremony honoured 2020, 2021 and 2022 prize recipients
Concordia's annual faculty awards celebration is always memorable - and this year was especially so.
For the first time since 2019, community members gathered in person to congratulate winners of the Provost's Circle of Distinction, Academic Leadership Awards, President's Excellence in Teaching Awards and Concordia University Award for Graduate Mentoring.
The event, organized by Concordia's Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic, welcomed 2020, 2021 and 2022 award recipients at the MB 9 Conference Centre in the John Molson Building on June 13.
Concordia President Graham Carr thanked all the honourees for their exceptional efforts, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Excellence and leadership are extremely important at the best of times, and even more so during times of crisis like the past two-plus years," he said.
"There has been an incredible array of challenges: learning how to do almost everything differently, passing that on to our students, keeping them engaged, providing them with support. Suffice it to say that I'm incredibly grateful to our winners."
Provost Anne Whitelaw (left) with recipients of the Provost Circle of Distinction Awards. Provost Circle of Distinction
The Provost's Circle of Distinction is an internal recognition of faculty and librarians who have received prestigious awards from external bodies. The 2022 recipients are the following:
Deanna Bowen, assistant professor of studio arts, is an accomplished artist with a national and international record of exhibition and public presentation. She has won several honours, including a 2021 Scotiabank Photography Award, 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship and the 2014 William H. Johnson Prize for early-career African-American artists.
Gilles Peslherbe, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has dedicated his career to advancing the field of molecular modelling. He was inducted into the Chemical Institute of Canada in 2021.
Jason Edward Lewis, professor of computation arts, design and computation arts and University Research Chair in Computational Media and the Indigenous Future Imaginary, was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2021. He plays a central role in the development of Indigenous digital media in Canada and worldwide.
Juan Carlos Castro, chair and associate professor of the Department of Art Education, received the 2022 National Higher Education Art Educator award, Concordia's first art education faculty member to receive this accolade. He has earned a reputation as an outstanding researcher focused on the dynamics and qualities of knowing, learning and teaching art through social and mobile media.
Karim Zaghib, professor of chemical and materials engineering, arrived at Concordia in 2022 with a long record of breakthrough research in electrochemistry, energy transition and sustainability. He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2021.
Kathleen Vaughan, professor of art education and Concordia University Research Chair in Art + Education for Sustainable and Just Futures (Tier 1), was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2021. Her innovative teaching aligns with her background as a practicing artist, researcher and educator whose work affects change in the art milieu and broader community.
Prosper Dovonon, associate professor of economics, was appointed a Fellow of the Econometric Society in 2021, the first-ever such nomination for a member of Concordia's Department of Economics. He is acclaimed for the quality of his publications and as one of the most-funded researchers in economics in Canada.
Thanh Dang-Vu is professor of health, kinesiology and applied physiology and Concordia University Research Chair in Sleep, Neuroimaging and Cognitive Health at the Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology. Dang-Vu, one of Concordia's leading health researchers, was appointed to the College of New Scholars of the Royal Society of Canada in 2021.
Nadia Hardy, deputy provost (front row left) with recipients of the Academic Leadership Awards. Academic Leadership Awards
The Academic Leadership Awards recognize veteran and emerging faculty for their contributions and devotion to Concordia's mission and to the academic life of the department, university and wider academic community. The 2022 recipients are the following:
Alice Ming Wai Jim, professor of art history and Concordia University Research Chair in Ethnocultural Art Histories, was recognized for her academic leadership in the context of her collaboration and community-building results in groundbreaking research and initiatives within and outside of Concordia.
Véronique Pepin, associate professor and chair of the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, was recognized for her emerging academic leadership for taking on new roles and shaping them at all levels in the communities she serves.
Concordia president Graham Carr (back row, far left) and Sandra Gabriele, vice-provost, innovation in teaching and learning (back row, far right) with recipients of the President's Excellence in Teaching Awards. President's Excellence in Teaching Awards
The President's Excellence in Teaching Awards recognize sustained excellence in teaching.
The 2022 recipients are the following:
Aileen Castro, senior lecturer of art education, was applauded for her dedicated mentorship of students, interns and young teachers with a focus on community-building, collaboration and experiential learning. She was acknowledged for her creative and compassionate accommodations for students during the pandemic.
David Secko, chair and professor of the Department of Journalism, was noted for his development and direction of Projected Futures: Experimental Science Journalism Studies. The intensive, experiential graduate summer school aims to expose students to the foundations of evidence-based science journalism.
Marcel Parent, religions and cultures lecturer, was recognized for his commitment to infuse equity, diversity and inclusivity principles in every aspect of his pedagogy, and for his strong record in curriculum development and generous collaboration with faculty colleagues.
Suchit Ahuja, assistant professor of supply chain and business technology management, is a new Concordia faculty member. He was recognized for the constant support and mentorship he provides students and his commitment to continuously improve the program.
Susan Liscouët-Hanke is associate professor of mechanical, industrial and aerospace engineering. She was chosen for her foresight in creating a course, unique in Canada, which allows students an opportunity to test an aircraft flight-control system on a Bombardier 300 ironbird, a full-scale test-rig.
Graduate Mentoring Award
Kathleen Vaughan also won a Concordia University Award for Graduate Mentoring, presented for outstanding support of a graduate student or grad students from course completion through research and placement. She draws on her studio background to partner with local and international groups to provide rich experiences in her extensive graduate supervision in art education.
Learn more about Concordia's Provost's Circle of Distinction, Academic Leadership Awards and President's Excellence in Teaching Awards.
