Garry Rempel, University of Waterloo Chemical Engineering professor, was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. He received his Order of Canada from his Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston in a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on February 12, 2016.
The Order of Canada, one of our country’s highest civilian honours, was established in 1967 to recognize outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.
Professor Rempel, who has held the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)-LANXESS Industrial Research Chair in Advanced Rubber since 2002, received the honour for his contributions to the field of chemical engineering, notably for advancing research in rubber technology.
Rempel’s research areas include catalysis, polymer science and engineering, environmental pollution control, nanopolymers and nano composites.
“In addition to his research contributions, Garry has had a great and positive influence on Waterloo’s Department of Chemical Engineering and its students. He has been teaching at Waterloo since 1969 and was Chair of the Chemical Engineering department between 1987 and 1996. His influence has been significant. On behalf of our faculty and students, I congratulate him on his latest achievement,” says Chemical Engineering Chair Eric Croiset.
Over the course of his career, Rempel has won more than 30 awards for his innovative research and significant achievements, including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering’s R.S. Jane Memorial Lecture Award, University of Waterloo’s Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision, the Chemical Institute of Canada’s Canadian Catalysis Award, and the Royal Society of Canada’s Thomas W. Eadie Medal. He is a past president of the Academy of Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada, a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
In addition to his faculty position in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Rempel is a member of the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology and the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy.