On Nov. 17, 2016, Governor General of Canada David Johnston presented one Companion, 12 Officers and 29 Members with the insignia of the Order of Canada. Among these were three chemists: University of Toronto geochemist Barbara Sherwood Lollar, Dalhousie University materials chemist Mary Anne White and University of Manitoba food chemist Neason Akiva Michael Eskin.
Lollar, invested as a Companion of the Order, has earned global recognition for her contributions to environmental preservation via her work on stable isotope geochemistry, which she has used to investigate groundwater remediation and the role of deep subsurface microbial populations in carbon cycling.
White, invested as an Officer of the Order, has made crucial advances to the understanding of the thermal properties of materials. She is also a passionate science advocate and has organized and participated in such outreach initiatives as the Maritime CIC Local Section Travelling Chemistry Café, National Chemistry Week and the creation of Halifax’s science discovery centre.
Eskin, invested as a Member of the Order, has made important contributions to Canada’s canola industry through his pioneering research on edible oils.