Dr. Brian Alters, director of McGill’s Tomlinson Project in University-Level Science Education, has been awarded the 2009 McNeil Medal for the Public Awareness of Science by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). The medal was presented to Alters for his world-famous work on the promotion of education about evolution.
In a congratulatory letter, Principal Heather Munroe-Blum called the award a “…wonderful tribute” to Alters’s “talents, outstanding achievements and exceptional contributions to public awareness of science.”
“The study and practice of science is based on observation, measurement and logical conclusions,” said Alters in an earlier interview. “I want to make science less threatening to people,” he said. “I’m still working on the silver bullet.”
On a related note, three McGill researchers were also elected as Fellows to the RSC in recognition of their outstanding scientific achievements. Bruce Reed, School of Computer Science; Vincent Giguère, Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Centre; and Allan Sniderman, MUHC Division of Cardiology are among the 77 new Fellows. This year’s new Fellows will be inducted at a ceremony to be held on Nov. 28-29 in Ottawa.