Herzberg Gold Medal finalists announced

Three finalists have been announced for the new Gerhard Herzberg Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, with the winner to be announced at a December 7 ceremony hosted by the Governor General of Canada. The finalists for the inaugural prize are Dr Howard Alper, vice-rector research at the Univ of Ottawa, Dr David Regan, professor in the department of psychology at York Univ, and Dr David Schindler, professor in the department of biological sciences at the Univ of Alberta.

The Herzberg Gold Medal replaces the Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering and comes with a research grant of $1 million over five years. If the winner is not a grant recipient of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, he or she may direct the full $200,000 annually to scholarships or the creation of a research chair. If the winner already receives an NSERC grant, the amount he or she receives will be topped up to $200,000 or raised by a minimum of $50,000 if th e winner receives more than $150,000 a year.

Alper is a leader in the field of cataly-tic organic chemistry who holds more than 50 patents and has authored or co-authored more than 430 scientific papers. He is the founder and past chair of the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering and president of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada.

Regan's work demonstrating the brain processes that underlie collision avoidance has been internationally recognized. and has to a greater understanding of the sensory activity of the brain. The author of more than 200 scientific papers, his work has led to advances in human-machine interface, screening tests for diseases effecting vision and testing for aviation and driving.

Schindler is a leading environmentalist responsible for major advances in the understanding of phosphorous and acid rain on lake chemistry and organisms. A former research scientists in the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, he has published more than 220 scientific papers contributing to a greater understanding of the effects of global warming and increased ultraviolet radiation on boreal lakes.

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