Dr. T. Oka is distinguished for his contributions to the understanding of molecular structure and molecular interactions. His theoretical study of the effect of zeropoint vibrations on the determination of molecular dimensions gave the first clear exposition of this difficult subject. He is most widely known for his work on the transfer of rotational energy between colliding molecules where his experimental results and methods have opened a new field of study which is proving important in physics, chemistry and astronomy. His present pioneer work on two-photon spectroscopy likewise shows promise of expanding into a new field of experimental physics. In radio astronomy, he shared in the recent discovery of interstellar cyanodiacetylene, the heaviest molecule found to date in space. In 1980 he has discovered laboratory spectrum of H3+ which was sought after over many years by spectroscopists. This spectrum has lead to discoveries of H3+ in Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. In 1996 he has discovered interstellar H2+ using the spectrum. H3+ is the most fundamental molecule ion in interstellar chemistry. His discovery of H3+ in dense clouds has provided the most direct evidence supporting the current theory of molecular formation. His subsequent unexpected discovery of H3+ in diffuse clouds has introduced a major enigma in the density of the diffuse interstellar medium. In the laboratory he has discovered spectra of many fundamental molecular ions including NH4+, NH3+, NH2+, CH2+, CH3+, Ch5+, C2H2+, and C2H3+.

Professor George A. Olah was the first to prepare carbocations, molecules that had long been postulated as transient species but never observed, as stable, long lived isoable chemicals. Olah's synthetic methodology allowed carbocation properties to be examined by the appropriate physical methods: NMR, IR, UV, ESCA spectroscopies and x-ray diffraction, as well as by chemical reactions. Olah's proof that the norbornyl cation had the symmetrically bridged, 'non classical' structure solved the long-standing controversy about this ion and more importantly, lead Olah to extend the Lewis concept of basicity to include sigma electrons and to the recognition that carbocations were of two types, carbenium ions with trivalent carbon and carbonium ions with pentavalent carbon.

Professor Geoffrey A. Ozin is nominated for his distinguished research in Inorganic and Solid State Chemistry. His pioneering studies of metal atom clusters have led to a much better understanding of their electronic and structural properties, and to practical applications in industrial catalysis. His innovative recent work on High Density Optical Storage devices, based on Intrazeolite Semiconductor Quantum Dots and Superlattices, has attracted world-wide attention. He has published nearly 300 papers, 5 patents, and has been recognized by many awards, including the Mendola Medal (R.I.C.), the Rutherford Memorial Medal of the R.S.C., the Alcan Lectureship (C.I.C.), the Coblentz Award (American Society of Applied Spectroscopy) and the John Bailor Jr. Medal.

Michael Paidoussis is an international authority on elastic structures which vibrate due to an internal or an external flow. His work has been applied to determine the stability of bundles of fuel rods in nuclear reactors, to the tubes in heat exchangers, to off-shore structures, and to elastic tubes through which blood or other liquids flow. His approach to these problems has combined theory and experiment in close combination and he has been successful in predicting the onset, the mode and the frequency of the instabilities.

Si l'on cherche à caractériser l'homme et l'oeuvre, les mots-clés deviennent : système optimisation. Ce dans toutes leurs acceptions. Il caractérisent l'ingénieur, le mathématicien et l'administrateur. En effet, l'on doit retenir, chez Jean-Guy Paquet, un sens de l'organisation assez exceptionnel et l'art d'obtenir un rendement optimum des ressources mises à la disposition des organismes dont il a la direction. Pendant son séjour au Département de génie électrique, il a été à l'origine de l'organisation de deux groupes de recherches, qui ont atteint une renommée certaine, soit ceux d'automatique et bionique. Son passage à la direction de la Faculté des sciences d'alors coïncide avec les premiers efforts de rationalisation de la recherche. Sa formation de chercheur, en France et sous la direction du Professeur Jean-Charles Gille à Québec, l'a amené à l'analyse et à la synthèse des systèmes physiques - plus spécifiquement ceux essentiellement non-linéaires pour le conduire, par la suite, à l'étude d'autres systèmes, plus complexes ceux-là, appartenant à d'autres disciplines, telle la biologie. Il serait difficile enfin de ne pas retenir ici les services qu'il a rendus à la communauté universitaire francophone du pays, lors de son séjour au Conseil national de recherches à Ottawa. Plus récemment, il a agi vigoureusement dans l'intérêt de la communauté scientifique nationale comme président de SCITEC (1975-76) alors que cette même communauté connaissait les difficultés de l'année d'austérité.

Dennis Parkinson is one of Canada's outstanding soil scientists. He has added much to our knowledge of how fungi, the largest component in soil biomass and probably the most poorly understood, operate. He has devised ingenious new research techniques, written and taught eloquently and extensively on his chosen field, and built up one of the best Biology Departments in Canada.

Dr. Parr is best known for his outstanding research on titanium and zirconium alloys, martensite transformations and contributions to corrosion engineering. He has published some 55 papers and 4 books on theoretical and applied physical metallurgy. Dr. Parr has been Chairman of the Metallurgy Division of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly and is at present on the National Advisory Committee on Mining and Metallurgical Research, President of the Industrial Research Institute, University of Windsor, Member of the Macdonald Study Group of the Science Council and the Chairman of the National Committee of Deaps of Engineering.

Yogesh Chandra Patel, Professor, Departments of Medicine, and Neurology and Neurosurgery, and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University is a foremost authority on the basic biology of the peptide hormone somatostatin. He has made significant original contributions to an understanding of the biosynthetic pathways for somatostatin synthesis from precursor forms, and clarified much of what we know about the metabolism, regulation of gene expression, and mechanism of action of this substance. Dr. Patel's laboratory first described somatostatin receptors in brain, identified distinct molecular subtypes, and has recently participated in the structural characterization of 4 human somatostatin receptor genes by molecular cloning.

For his seminal contributions to the theories of liquids, water and aqueous solutions. Dr. Patey was the first person to devise a practical computational method for integral equation theories based on the hypernetted chain (HNC) approximation that allows angular dependent potentials and many-body polarization effects to be properly treated. In consequence, the dielectric properties of water, electrolyte and colloidal solutions and various properties related to ion motion have finally been related almost quantitatively to the basic intermolecular interactions. Further, he has applied the HNC theory to discuss orientational ordering in liquid crystal systems. He has clearly established a worldwide reputation as a leading theoretical chemist.

Dr. Tony Pawson is undoubtedly one of Canada's and the world's leaders in the study of the molecular basis of cancer and cell signalling. He is internationally recognized for identifying a 90-100 amino acid protein domain, the SH2 domain, that is critical in transducing extracellular signals from cell surface receptors to intracellular signal transducing proteins. In 1990, two of his papers were amongst the top 10 most cited papers in the world in all areas of biomedical research. Since Dr. Pawson's original discovery of SH2 domains, many laboratories have gone on to identify novel proteins with SH2 domains that are involved in cell signalling events in development, hormone action, and malignancy in species as evolutionarily distant as the worm, fruitfly and humans. Thus, Dr. Pawson's contributions have had wide and important implications for many diverse areas of biology and medicine.