Physicist honoured with Queen’s Jubilee medal

Recognition earned by William McConkey is a source of pride for the Department of Physics, the Faculty of Science, and the University of Windsor, says dean of science Marlys Koschinsky.

Dr. McConkey, University Professor emeritus in physics, received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal on Monday, June 18, at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall in the presence of the Governor General of Canada and the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.

“This is wonderful news,” Dr. Koschinsky said. “Bill’s accomplishments are truly a great sources of pride for us.”

The medal honours his world leadership in the field of atomic, molecular and optical science, both as a teacher and a researcher. The Canadian government created the medal to mark significant achievements in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation.

McConkey joined the UWindsor faculty in 1970 and taught here for more than 35 years. Among previous honours, he is a member of the Order of Ontario; a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the British Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society; and served as a Canada Council Killam Fellow from 1986 to 1988. In 1999, he received the Gold Medal of the Canadian Association of Physicists for lifetime achievement in physics.

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