The director of a major UBC-based earth sciences project, two UBC professors emeritii, and a UBC senator have been named to the Order of Canada.
Prof. Ron Clowes, Prof. Emeritus Charles Laszlo, and Senator Paul Lin were named members of the Order of Canada, while Prof. Emeritus Alan Cairns was named an officer of the Order, the second highest ranking.
Cairns is one of Canada's authorities in the field of political science. Many of his scholarly writings and essays have had a profound influence in changing and shaping modern Canadian politics. He is considered a knowledgeable and valued adviser on federal-provincial relations and has served on numerous Royal Commissions.
Clowes has spent much of the last decade leading a comprehensive project aimed at understanding the structure and evolution of Canada's landmass and offshore continental margins (see Profile, page 12). Clowes, a geophysicist and professor in UBC's Dept. of Earth and Ocean Sciences, is director of Lithoprobe, Canada's largest and longest-lived national earth sciences research project.
During the past 30 years, Laszlo has worked on problems ranging from hearing research to practical applications. As director of UBC's Institute for Hearing Accessibility Research he created a unique environment where engineers, audiologists, physicians, educators, psychologists, and hard of hearing consumers worked together on hearing accessibility problems. Laszlo, who himself is hard of hearing, is an international leader in the effort to eliminate the stigma attached to hearing loss.
Lin's efforts have contributed to strengthening the diplomatic and commercial relationships between Canada and China. He was appointed to UBC's Senate by B.C.'s lieutenant-governor in 1994 and re-appointed to a second term in 1997. He is also an honorary professor with UBC's Institute of Asian Research.
The Order of Canada was established in 1967 to recognize outstanding achievement and service in various fields of human endeavor.