U of S Chemistry Prof is First Métis to Receive University Faculty Award

Posted July 08, 2004


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Thursday, July 8, 2004 2004-07-03-OTHER

U of S Chemistry Prof is First Métis to Receive University Faculty
Award

The first Métis person to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry from the
University of Saskatchewan has also become one of the first two Aboriginal
professors in Canada ever to receive the 2004 University Faculty Award (UFA)
sponsored by NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council).

Lee Wilson is one of 26 professors nationwide to receive an award in this
competition aimed at appointing more women and Aboriginal peoples to faculty
positions in the natural sciences and engineering.

Wilson was appointed May 1 to a tenure-track position with the U of S
chemistry department under the UFA program.

"He's a superb scientist whose research in materials chemistry fits
perfectly with the emerging research developments in the department," said
chemistry department head Ron Steer.

The NSERC award provides a total of $113,433 over the next three years. The
UFA program also contributes an annual salary of $40,000 for up to five
years.

Wilson will use the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron
(www.lightsource.ca) and the Saskatchewan Structural Sciences Centre to
create new porous materials that could be used in water remediation, timed
release of agricultural fertilizers and pesticides, or to improve drug
delivery methods. He expects to have some materials prepared and
characterized within the next two years.

"This award offers an opportunity to develop an exciting area of chemistry
that was merely a thought not so long ago," says Wilson. "With the
installation of the CLS and the Structural Sciences Centre, new areas of
emerging research look very promising."

An active member of the Aboriginal community, Wilson has spent years
speaking in schools and introducing Métis and Native students to the
wonders of science through the Indigenous Summer Science Camp he helped
organize through the U of S chemistry department.

"Aboriginal communities are in desperate need of producing students with
backgrounds in all areas of the natural sciences," he says. "As one of the
frontiers that underpins much of our technological advancement, it cannot be
underestimated that science is essential to the future of our existence as
human beings. I wish to share this excitement with all of our young people
and leave a positive imprint with them as they embark on their future
careers."

In April, Wilson received a prestigious National Aboriginal Achievement
Award for his contributions to science and his work with young people. The
award is the Aboriginal community's highest honour.

Wilson's dedication to promoting Aboriginal education and scholarship is in
line with the U of S strategic direction to ensure Aboriginal students
realize their full potential in an academic setting.

"We expect that his leadership in teaching and meeting the needs of our
Aboriginal students will have a profound impact at this university," says
Steer.

While working towards his Ph.D., Wilson received the Governor General's Gold
Medal in graduate studies, the U of S Graduate Thesis Award and the
chemistry department's Taube Medal for highest achievement in research.

Before returning to Saskatoon, Wilson worked for the Steacie Institute of
Molecular Sciences at the National Research Council in Ottawa. Since last
August, he has worked as a research associate in the chemistry department
and as Science Advisor to the Dean's Office in the College of Arts and
Science.

Previous UFA award winners at the U of S are Kaori Tanaka (physics and
engineering physics) and Julita Vassileva (computer science).
More information about the NSERC UFA program is available on the NSERC
website at www.nserc.gc.ca

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For more information, contact:

Professor Lee Wilson
Department of Chemistry
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-5248

Kristina Bergen
Research Communications
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-1425
bergen@sask.usask.ca