Keith Hipel, a systems design engineering professor who also earned three degrees at Waterloo as a student, was recently cited for one of the country’s highest civilian honours by Governor General Julie Payette.
Also named to the Order from the University of Waterloo were Raymond Laflamme, a physics and astronomy professor who was founding director of the Institute for Quantum Computing, and Douglas Stenton, an adjunct professor of anthropology who serves as heritage director in Nunavut.
During a career spanning decades, much of it dedicated to solving challenging problems related to conflict resolution in engineering, Hipel has taught thousands of students and supervised dozens of candidates for graduate degrees.
He has a global reputation for pioneering contributions to environmental systems engineering and holds the title of University Professor, the highest academic honour at Waterloo.
In addition to recognition by organizations including the Royal Society of Canada and the National Academy of Engineering, Hipel has won both the Distinguished Teacher Award and the Award of Excellence in Graduate Supervision at Waterloo.
For entry into the Order, which was created in 1967 and includes almost 7,000 members from all sectors of society, he was specifically cited for “his extensive contributions to the field of environmental engineering and for his leadership within multiple academic and professional institutions.”
Hipel and Laflamme were made officers of the Order, a rank recognizing national service or achievement, while Stenton was appointed a member, a designation for contributions at the local or regional level, or in a special field of activity.
Payette announced 125 new appointments in all. A date for an insignia ceremony has not been set.