For Immediate Release
21 January 2010
Synchrotron Researcher from The University of Western Ontario Wins Prestigious Canadian Chemistry Award
LONDON, ONTARIO and SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN – Professor Tsun-Kong (T.K.) Sham, Canada Research Chair in Materials and Synchrotron Radiation at The University of Western Ontario (Western) and a driving force behind the development of the Canadian Light Source (CLS), is the recipient of the Canadian Society for Chemistry John C. Polanyi Award. Sham is being recognized for his outstanding contributions to the field of physical chemistry, using synchrotron light and other advanced spectroscopic techniques to study the chemical structure of nanomaterials.
“It feels good to receive one of the most prestigious awards given out by the Society,” says Sham. “The whole synchrotron community also deserves a lot of credit, including the scientific staff at the CLS, collaborators, my students and post-docs over the years. Their contributions really make this work possible.”
Sham is one of the founders of synchrotron science in Canada, having worked with other Western researchers at the Canadian Synchrotron Research Facility beamlines at the Synchrotron Radiation Center in Madison, Wisconsin. He took on a leadership role in the development of the CLS, is principal investigator on three of the beamlines at Canada’s synchrotron, and has served on the facility’s Board of Directors.
“Everyone at the CLS is thrilled that T.K. is being recognized with the Polanyi award,” says Thomas Ellis, Director of Research at the CLS. “His energy and enthusiasm are inspirational. He’s a key reason for our success.”
"We are extremely proud of the leadership Professor Sham has taken not only in the global scientific community, but in the classroom,” says Ted Hewitt, Western’s Vice-President (Research & International Relations). "Many of his contributions have helped chart the course of Canadian science, while educating a generation of Western students.”
Nanomaterials – substances whose sizes are reckoned in billionths of a metre (a sheet of paper is about 100 000 nanometres thick) – make nanotechnology possible. Sham and his research group use the CLS to study the structure of nanomaterials to understand how they work in order to create nanotech devices that can lead to smaller, faster computers, superefficient lighting, better catalysts and lighter, stronger materials.
The Polanyi Award will be presented to Sham during the Canadian Society for Chemistry’s annual meeting, May 29 to June 2 in Toronto.
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The Canadian Light Source is Canada’s national centre for synchrotron research. Located at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, the CLS is a powerful tool for academic and industrial research in a wide variety of areas including environmental science, natural resources and energy, health and life sciences, and information and communications technology. CLS operations are funded by the Government of Canada, NSERC, NRC, CIHR, the Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan. For more information: www.lightsource.ca/media/quickfacts.php.
Note to editors:
More information on the Canadian Society for Chemistry’s John C. Polanyi Award may be had from: www.chemistry.ca/2/1/4/0/index1.shtml.
For more information, contact:
T.K. Sham
Department of Chemistry
The University of Western Ontario
Ph: (519) 661-2111 ext. 86341
tsham@uwo.ca
www.uwo.ca/chem/people/faculty/sham.htm
Matthew Dalzell
Communications Coordinator
Canadian Light Source Inc
Ph: (306) 657-3739 Cell: (306) 227-0978
matthew.dalzell@lightsource.ca
Douglas Keddy
Research Communications Coordinator
The University of Western Ontario
Ph: (519) 661-2111 ext. 87485
dkeddy@uwo.ca
Last modified: 2012-01-19 17:01:56