Fellows of the Royal Society

Fellowship in the RSC is considered Canada's senior academic accolade to which scholars and scientists aspire.

Dr. Gordon Drake, Department of Physics, has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 1986. Dr. Drake is one of the most distinguished researchers on campus, has been named one of the top ten researchers of the year by the American Institute of Physics, has won a Gold Medal from the Canadian Association of Physicists, and continues to be awarded one of the largest research council grants for physics research in Canada.

In 2001, Dr. Brian Fryer, Department of Earth Sciences and Interim Director of GLIER, became a New Fellow elected to the Academy of Science in Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences for the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Fryer pioneered the development of a technique that has revolutionized chemical analysis of Earth materials and has applied this technique to many fundamental geological problems. The technique is known as Laser-Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass-Spectrometry. At the University of Windsor, Dr. Fryer applies his technique to his work on trace minerals and sources of pollution in the Great Lakes. Using Detroit River sediments, he looks at the transfer of chemicals such as mercury and cadmium from sediments into and through the food chain. His techniques are able to trace ultra low concentrations as he works with biologists and other scientists to understand the transformation process in nature.

Dr. J. William McConkey, Department of Physics was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1998 in recognition of his important contributions to fundamental research into atomic processes of importance in the upper atmosphere. Dr. McConkey has also been recognized by the Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) for a sustained career of innovation in research. His research spans a lifetime and covers a wide range of topics in atomic and molecular physics. Back in 1960 he began studying the composition of the aurora borealis ( the northern lights) and in 1990 his research team successfully developed a unique detector that monitors the oxygen atoms which are responsible for the green light from the aurora . He is currently studying the interaction of electrons and water in order to draw conclusions about the effect of the entrance of high energy X-rays into the human body. This research has important consequences for the investigation of radiation damage in biological materials. His most recent project is to develop an atom trap where laser beams are used to manipulate atoms and thus prepare them for collision experiments.