2020 winners of the Distinguished Academics Awards
Meet the winners and learn how their work is making an impact in the non-academic world, demonstrating the vitality of university-based research and scholarly activity.
The Distinguished Academics Awards promote the value of university research in advancing the public good. Nominees hail from various institutions and disciplines, often working in very different domains—yet they’re united by a passion for meaningful research that fuels our economy, democracy, and intellectual life.
WINNERS
Early in Career Award
Dr. Dara Kelly
Simon Fraser University
Dr. Dara Kelly receives the Early in Career Award for her work in shedding light on Indigenous economies and their philosophies. Dr. Kelly’s work has helped fill in gaps in the literature on the economic concepts and practices of the Coast Salish and other Indigenous nations. Her efforts to educate the public have placed her in front of government and policymakers, speaking on issues that arise from these minority states. She has presented in numerous conferences and public spaces in an effort to challenge conventional economical practices and inform positive change by drawing on knowledge of Indigenous economics.
Dr. Dara Kelly on project “Feed the people and you will never go hungry.”
CUFA BC April 20, 2022 6:13 pm
Dr. Dara Kelly describes her work on shifting GDP to better include measures of well-being
CUFA BC April 20, 2022 6:13 pm
Dr. Dara Kelly on how her work encourages equity, diversity & inclusion in post-secondary education
CUFA BC April 20, 2022 6:13 pm
Ehor Boyanowsky Academic of the Year Award
Dr. Bonny Norton
University of British Columbia
Dr. Bonny Norton, FRSC, receives the Ehor Boyanowsky Academic of the Year Award for her Global Storybooks initiative, a project that is spreading literacy across five continents. Dr. Norton is a leading researcher of literacy and multilingualism and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. The Global Storybooks (https://globalstorybooks.net ) translates open-source stories from African Storybooks into languages spoken in various countries, making them accessible to Canadians and a wider international audience. Global Storybooks has also expanded to include Indigenous Storybooks. The Global Storybooks initiative makes stories available in Indigenous languages, as well as in English, French, Spanish, and the most widely spoken immigrant and refugee languages of Canada.
Dr. Bonny Norton on the promotion of equity, diversity & inclusion in post-secondary education
CUFA BC April 20, 2022 6:13 pm
Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award
Dr. Ken Lertzman
Simon Fraser University
Dr. Ken Lertzman receives the Paz Buttedahl Career Achievement Award for his decades-long commitment to BC’s old-growth forests and forest ecosystems. Dr. Lertzman is a leading researcher of forest structure, ecosystems dynamics, and forest disturbance regime. He has facilitated advancement of sustainable forest practices through service on community and government advisory panels and boards throughout his career. A founding co-director of the Hakai Institute for Coastal Peoples, Ecoystems, and Management, Dr. Lertzman has also worked with government organizations, First Nations, ecosystems scientists, and forest professionals in an effort to spread awareness on the effects of climate change.
Dr. Ken Lertzman discusses his involvement in public discourse and advocacy
CUFA BC April 20, 2022 6:13 pm
Dr. Ken Lertzman on the importance of engaging in community-based research
CUFA BC April 20, 2022 6:13 pm
Dr. Ken Lertzman discusses the Hakai Network for Coastal People’s Ecosystems & Management and more
CUFA BC April 20, 2022 6:13 pm
Dr. Ken Lertzman on the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report
CUFA BC April 20, 2022 6:13 pm
Dr. Dara Kelly on her research interests
CUFA BC April 20, 2022 6:13 pm