Members of the innovation community convened at the 2018 Mitacs Awards to recognize five researchers for their ground-breaking work. Their innovations advance fuel cells, mental health and medical diagnosis, work-site safety, and improve quality-of-life for persons with spinal-cord injuries.
The annual ceremony honours the work of outstanding participants in Mitacs’ collaborative research internship programs. Three leaders in the academic and business communities were also recognized for their contributions to a more sustainable and prosperous Canada.
UBC Winners
Mitacs Award for Outstanding Innovation — Master’s
Emily Giroux helped improve quality of life for those with spinal cord injuries by connecting them with researchers and policymakers using a knowledge-translation approach to build consensus on priorities for research and care. Her research was conducted with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario and the Ontario SCI Alliance. She is a master’s student in the School of Health and Exercise Science at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan campus.
Mitacs Award for Exceptional Leadership — Professor
Scott Hinch devised state-of-the-art tracking and monitoring research of small fish in support of conservation efforts for wild Pacific salmon in collaboration with the Pacific Salmon Foundation, St’át’imc Eco Resources, and BC Hydro. Dr. Hinch is a professor in the Forest and Conservation Sciences Department at the University of British Columbia. The award was sponsored by Ciena.