Wighton Fellowship

The purpose of the Wighton Fellowship is to recognize and honour persons who have contributed in an innovative, distinctive, and exceptional way, to the instruction of undergraduate laboratory courses in a Faculty or School of Engineering at a Canadian University. 

The award of the Fellowship consists of a $3,000 honourarium, a certificate and a notification sent to the Fellow’s institution to recognize the award. Selection is made in the Spring by the the Selection Board, which consists of the Chair, Vice-Chair and Past Chair of the Engineering Deans of Canada and the Secretary of the Wighton Fellowship who shall act as Secretary for the Selection Board.

The Fellowship was endowed by a generous gift from Dr. John Wighton, a retired professor of Mechanical Engineering.  Dr. Wighton wished to promote excellence in the development, management and teaching of undergraduate engineering laboratories across Canada. The need to draw attention to the importance of undergraduate laboratories in engineering education led Dr. Wighton to approach the National Council of Deans of Engineering and Applied Science in 1986 to establish a Fellowship.

Eligibility

The nominee must be a full-time professor or instructor teaching engineering students in a CEAB accredited University Department, School or Faculty. The nominee must have taught the laboratory course(s) referred to in the nomination documents on a regular basis, normally a minimum of three times in a five-year period; the Selection Board may choose to consider special cases that vary from this definition.

Laboratory courses are regularly scheduled courses that are listed in a CEAB accredited undergraduate engineering curriculum and which include a substantial, compulsory laboratory component. The laboratory component will normally involve the students designing, operating, controlling, testing and/or experimenting with laboratory equipment. Eligible activities can include upgrading and improving existing laboratory facilities, possibly to improve utilization of resources or to increase the effectiveness of the students’ participation in the experiments, particularly if these can serve as examples for others.  “Design Labs,” in which no equipment is built or tested and no experimental observations are made, are excluded.

Once a nomination has been received, it is considered for the Fellowship for that year and for at least two subsequent years if unsuccessful; this period may be extended if the Selection Board so decides. The nominator will be informed each year about the status of the nomination; additional supporting information can be supplied if the nominator wishes to do so.

The Fellowship may not be used to employ teaching assistants, to purchase laboratory equipment or to meet other needs that are normally part of the academic department’s budget. Wighton Fellows are not eligible to be nominated for a second time. Teaching assistants or graduate students are not eligible for the Fellowship. There is no restriction on the number of nominations from any one institution.

Nomination Guidelines

To assist with the preparation of the nominations, the Selection Committee recommends that the nomination documents include:

• Citation: A brief statement, not to exceed 100 words, which sets out the major accomplishments on which the award is to be based. This will be used to announce that the nominee has been selected as a Wighton Fellow.
• Basis for Nomination: A statement, not to exceed 750 words, explaining why the candidate is being nominated.
• Curriculum Vitae: Include university degrees and dates, and a record of positions held. (NSERC Personal Data Forms are acceptable).
• Publications: List books and book chapters, total number of papers in print and the number of these which deal with teaching or laboratory instruction. For up to five of these latter documents, list the title, journal or publisher, and pagination
• Teaching/Instruction: Provide evidence of superior laboratory teaching, introduction of new and/or innovative laboratory courses, and course materials, or the development of improved laboratory techniques and equipment. Give examples of the nominee's ability to motivate and inspire students toward excellence in laboratory achievement. Samples of title pages, tables of contents or complete laboratory manuals developed by the nominee may be submitted.
• Supporting Letters: Up to eight supporting letters from colleagues and former students should be included with the nomination.

The nomination documents should be sent by email to the Secretary of the Wighton Fellowship in care of the Sandford Fleming Foundation, University of Waterloo.

List of Wighton Fellows