Dr Laurier Schramm has been appointed president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Research Council, moving from the Alberta Research Council (ARC) where served as executive director of the Petroleum Recovery Institute (PRI). A native of Saskatchewan, Schramm is a prolific researcher, educator and author with extensive experience in industry and as a professor of chemistry at the Univ of Calgary. He was general manager of research and technology when PRI was acquired by ARC in 1999 as part of its consolidation strategy for energy science and technology in the province. Schramm has a BSc in chemistry from Carleton Univ and a PhD in physical chemistry from Dalhousie Univ. He is best known for basic and applied research involving petroleum industry applications of suspensions, emulsions, foams and surfactants. His appointment at SRC fills a vacancy created last year when the Saskatchewan government fired the SRC president and its 14-member board of directors due to a dispute over control of its petroleum research branch (R$, November 29/00)….