Government of Canada presents awards
to three young S&T innovators

GATINEAU, QC, Dec. 4 /CNW Telbec/ - The Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) today recognized three outstanding young Canadian researchers for turning knowledge into innovation and commercial success. Dr. Jean-Philippe Côté (Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems), Dr. James Ford (ArcticNet) and Dr. Michel Poulin (Canadian Institute for Photonics Innovation), were announced today as recipients of the 2007 NCE Young Innovator Awards.

"The Speech from the Throne clearly outlined our government's commitment to research excellence and innovation, which is defined in our Science and Technology Strategy," said the Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), on behalf of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Networks of Centres of Excellence. "Today's winners are among the brightest talents in their respective fields. They are leading the way toward a more prosperous, innovative, globally competitive Canada, and they offer a shining example to young people considering a career in science and technology."

"These three brilliant young scientists are a credit to the NCE program," said Dr. Suzanne Fortier, Chair of the NCE Steering Committee and President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, who presented the awards today at a ceremony during the NCE annual meeting in Gatineau, Quebec. "They show how the NCEs are fulfilling the promise of Canada's Science and Technology Strategy. Our networks help train the finest minds, and then allow them to take their exciting new ideas out of the lab and into the real world, where they can benefit all Canadians."

Each year, the NCE Young Innovator Awards honour outstanding young science entrepreneurs who, with the help of their networks, have been exceptionally successful in transferring their research to a business, process or service to benefit society. Winners are selected by a panel of judges based on the excellence and leadership of the nominee, excellence of the research and quality of results, socioeconomic impact, and challenges encountered.

More details on the 2007 winners can be found in the attached backgrounder and on the NCE website (www.nce.gc.ca).

Winners of the 2007 NCE Young Innovator Awards:

Dr. Michel Poulin's research will allow astronomers to probe the origins of the Universe. Dr. Poulin was among the very first students to have his research sponsored by the Canadian Institute for Photonic Innovations (CIPI) NCE. After graduation, he worked for TeraXion, a company that later acquired the CIPI spin-off company, DiCOS Technology. Dr. Poulin is helping to develop a critical component of the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Wave Array) telescope project in Chile. This huge international collaboration is installing 66 antennae in the high Andean desert. Once construction is complete in 2012, scientists will be able to observe distant galaxies and study the birth of stars and planets. Dr. Poulin has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Université Laval.

Early in his career, Dr. James Ford recognized the importance of collaborating with indigenous communities During his research work with the ArcticNet NCE, he combined physical science with traditional Inuit knowledge. This has enabled him to more accurately predict climate vulnerability in Nunavut and across the Arctic. In 2006, Dr. Ford co-founded ArcticNorth Consulting. His company works with public, private and not-for-profit organizations for climate change program development. Clients include Northern Climate Exchange and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Canada's national Inuit organization. Dr. Ford is a postdoctoral fellow of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in the Department of Geography at McGill University. He has Ph.D. from Guelph University and a M.Sc. from Oxford.

Dr. Jean-Philippe Côté has transformed collaborative research with industrial partners into a commercially viable company with some very big clients. While a student researcher with the Mathematics of Information Technology and Complex Systems (MITACS) NCE, Dr. Côté developed a sophisticated mathematical model to help companies optimize their revenues. Growing industry interest prompted Dr. Côté to commercialize his project. He founded ExPretio Technologies; now his former research partners are his customers. ExPretio has worked with Air Canada, Bell Canada Enterprises, the International Air Transport Association and the Société nationale des chemins de fer français. Dr. Côté has a Ph.D. in operations research from Université de Montréal.