Strong UCalgary presence among Engineering Institute of Canada awards and fellowships

Schulich School of Engineering (SSE) faculty members have been recognized with prestigious engineering awards and fellowship inductions by the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC).

The awards are the highest distinction made by the institute, recognizing the achievements and service to the engineering profession.

“I’m proud of the work that is being done by each and every member of our Schulich faculty and staff,” says Dean Bill Rosehart, himself an honouree.

These awards and recognitions show how influential and inspiring our team is.

Hayley wins engineering medal

Dr. Jocelyn Hayley, PhD, head of the Department of Civil Engineering, has been named the winner of the 2023 Canadian Pacific Railway Engineering Medal for leadership and distinguished service at the regional/local level.

She joined the University of Calgary in 2001, and became the department head in 2018 following three years as senior associate dean (research).

Hayley has also been a member and active volunteer in the Canadian Geotechnical Society for 25 years.

“The members come from across Canada with a mix of industry and academia, and it’s a society where they are open to new ideas, support, encourage and genuinely want to hear the voices of young professionals and equity-deserving groups, and we are always pushing the boundaries of traditional science and engineering,” she says.

“I feel incredibly proud and privileged to be a member and contributor of the society, and for this award.”

Rosehart receives fellowship

Four of the 22 Fellows named by the EIC this year come from SSE, led by Dean Bill Rosehart.

Serving in his current position since 2014, he has been a passionate advocate for engineering research and education, continuing his own research in electrical energy engineering.

“I’m very humbled and honoured to be recognized with an EIC fellowship,” says Rosehart, PhD. “I’m in a unique position of being a dean, researcher and teacher, and I’m fortunate being able to bring them all together to inspire the next generation of engineers.”

Gao, Leung, Mehrotra also named Fellows

Three other SSE faculty will be honoured as Fellows when the awards are presented later this spring.

Dr. Yang Gao, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Geomatics Engineering, with more than 25 years of experience in developing precise positioning and navigation systems utilizing new technologies.

He says he is grateful to the many students who have supported him, and that the fellowship will inspire him to do even more.

“This means a lot to me as seeing years of hard work and effort be recognized gives me great pride as well as fulfilment in what I’ve accomplished,” Gao says.

It is a great honour to join this group of past and present distinguished engineers in Canada who have made tremendous contributions to the profession.

Dr. Henry Leung, PhD, has held numerous positions during his career, including as a defence scientist with the Department of National Defence, before joining UCalgary.

As a professor in the Department of Electrical and Software Engineering, he focuses on autonomous systems, machine learning and robotics.

“I’m delighted to be honoured as a Fellow by the Engineering Institute of Canada and to have my work acknowledged in this way,” Leung says. “I take a lot of pride in my research and in being able to help inspire future engineers in our classrooms.”

The fourth SSE Fellow, Dr. Anil Mehrotra, PhD’80, is a longtime member of the Schulich faculty, first joining in 1989.

The professor in the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering has also served as interim head of the department as well as interim dean, and was most recently elected a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers.

“I am privileged to be among a handful of other high-profile engineering professionals elected as a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, which recognizes excellence in engineering and services to the profession and society,” Mehrotra says.

The awards are scheduled to be handed out at the EIC gala banquet in Ottawa on April 23.