(Edmonton) Physicists Ian Mann and Megan Engel are among the handful of talented University of Alberta researchers honoured for their vision and leadership by the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership (ASTech) Foundation this year.
The ASTech 2013 Public Awareness Award went to the U of A's Aurora Watch, led by principal researcher Ian Mann of the Department of Physics and put together with the help of a team of researchers and graduate students. The user-friendly project brings to the public the beauty of viewing the Northern Lights, through an email alert service that lets people know when the glowing light shows are most likely to happen. Aurora Watch has had 1.2 million individual visitors, and has 26,000 email subscribers and 2,000 followers on Twitter (@aurorawatch).
"We are delighted and honoured that the impact of AuroraWatch.ca in promoting space science and technology was recognized with this ASTech Award to the Aurora Watch team," said Mann, noting that space weather can also have more damaging consequences on the satellite, GPS and power grid infrastructure we increasingly rely on in the 21st century.
"Current U of A space research is focusing on understanding, forecasting and ultimately mitigating such space weather impacts, as well as contributing to generating future economic benefits from space research," he said.
Rhodes Scholar Megan Engel, who studied physics at the U of A and has begun her PhD studies at Oxford University, is the recipient of the 2013 ASTech Leaders of Tomorrow Award. The award recognizes Engel's ambitious research conducted at the U of A, where she studied the mysteries of folding proteins and nucleic acids that contribute to devastating brain disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. The award also recognizes Engel's commitment to music and the arts in her quest to be a well-rounded academic.
Former Dean of Science Gregory Taylor won the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Alberta Science and Technology Community. His vision helped drive the creation of the Centennial Centre for Interdisciplinary Science, which houses the Faculty of Science, the Department of Physics, and is home to innovative cross-disciplinary research and discovery.
The annual ASTech Awards were handed out Oct. 25 to cutting-edge scientists in 13 categories from all across the province, including three from the University of Alberta. For more about University of Alberta winners, visit: