Professor Henri R. Darmon, of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, and Dr. Peter S. McPherson of the Neurobiology Unit of the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, have been awarded Sloan Research Fellowships. The fellowships, consisting of grants of $35,000 for a two-year period, are intended to provide funds to outstanding researchers early in their academic careers. Nine Canadian-based researchers were honoured by the New York-based Alfred P. Sloan Foundation this year.
Dr. Theo van de Ven, director of the Pulp and Paper Research Centre, was honoured on March 26 by the American Chemical Society for his work on the properties of very small particles--to improve, for example, additives that tailor the qualities of paper products to their applications. The 1996 ACS Award in Colloid or Surface Chemistry, sponsored by Proctor and Gamble was presented to Dr. van de Ven at the Society's national meeting in New Orleans.
Drs. Carl Elliott and Charles Weijer, of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, have been nominated by Saturday Night magazine for a number of journalism awards. Their article "Cruel and Unusual Treatment" about the issue of placebo controls in psychiatric research has been nominated for National Magazine Awards in two categories; in the Canadian Nurses Association Awards; in the Science in Society Journalism Awards; and the Connaught Medal for Excellence in Health Research Journalism.
Leo Grépin, an engineering student, and Vicky Tessier, a chemistry major, were recently named McGill's male and female athletes of the year. Grépin, a swimmer, who set two team records and won two golds and a silver medal at the CIAU national championships, was also the swim team's MVP. Tessier, a star basketball forward, was named her team's MVP and Quebec University Basketball League MVP. The Richard Pound Award for proficiency and leadership in men's athletics went to Todd Marcellus, Redmen hockey team captain and MVP, who was also named the OUAA East's most gentlemanly player. The awards were presented at the athletics awards gala on March 29.