Council of Ontario Universities - Home

Toronto, November 25, 2011—

Five of Ontario's top university researchers are being awarded the 2011 Polanyi Prize, recognizing their valuable contribution to the fields of chemistry, literature, physics, economics, and physiology/medicine.

Ontario established the Polanyi Prizes in 1987 to honour the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, a 1986 Nobel Prize Laureate in chemistry. Every year, up to five prizes are given to researchers who are in the early stages of their careers and are pursuing post-doctoral research at an Ontario university.

The 2011 Polanyi Prizes recipients are:

• Dr. Arash Zarrine-Afsar of the University of Toronto for chemistry
• Dr. Colin Stewart of the University of Toronto for economic science
• Dr. Miriam Spiro of York University for literature
• Dr. Rowan Thomson of Carleton University for physics
• Dr. Graham R. Scott of McMaster University for physiology/medicine

Ontario's investment is postsecondary education is a key component of the McGuinty government's plan to help create and support jobs for Ontario families and strengthen local economies.

QUOTES
"Winners of the Polanyi Prizes represent the best researchers our universities have to offer. They are one of the reasons our postsecondary institutions are the sources of innovation that fuel our economy and help create tomorrow's jobs. I want to congratulate the recipients of these awards on their contribution to their field of study and to our province's future prosperity."
–  Glen R. Murray, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

"The fact that the Government of Ontario has, through two decades and many changes, continued to sponsor these prizes carries a clear message: 'If you are an ambitious scholar, this is the place to be.' The prizes cover a broad spectrum of subjects from the sciences to the humanities, making the further point that excellence is indivisible; creativity in the arts supports that in science; and basic understanding is essential for innovation. If the province can succeed in making these points, the prizes will have served an historic purpose."
–  Dr. John C. Polanyi

QUICK FACTS

• The Ontario Council on Graduate Studies, an affiliate of the Council of Ontario Universities, establishes a panel on behalf of the government to solicit nominations and select the award winners from a collection of nominees.