The recipients of the 2017 Prize for Excellence in Research are committed to building connections. Whether it be between organic compounds and metals or scholars and Indigenous communities, each scholar has established themselves as leaders in their fields, working to connect their studies to the world at large. Spanning disciplines across the university, the 2017 PER recipients are Sam McKegney (English), Liying Cheng (Education), Cathleen Crudden (Chemistry), Pascale Champagne (Civil Engineering), and Denis O’Donnell (Medicine).
Awarded annually in five areas (humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, and health sciences), the awards have been the signature internal research prize since 1980, and represent an important investment by Queen’s in recognizing research and scholarship. Recipients are some of the top scholars in their fields, and they are each awarded a prize of $5,000 as well as the chance to give a public lecture on their research in the spring. More information on the public lectures will be made available in early 2018.
“I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to this year’s Prize for Excellence in Research recipients,” says John Fisher, Interim Vice-Principal (Research). “This prize is a testament to the level of research excellence found at the university, and a true mark of excellence for these scholars. Each researcher has made a significant, long-standing impact in their field. I look forward to watching them receive their prize at fall Convocation and to hearing their public lectures in the spring.”
Sam McKegney (English) is an associate professor whose research has greatly impacted considerations of the ethical roles of settler scholars in Indigenous Studies. He has written many articles on environmental kinship, Indigenous prison writing, and the Truth and Reconciliation process. Dr. McKegney’s 2014 book Masculindians explored the connections between constructions of racial and gender identities by interviewing North American Indigenous artists, and received an honourable mention for The Canadian Women’s and Gender Studies Association’s Outstanding Scholarship Award (Read More).