Media Advisory - Governor General to Award 2017 Killam Prizes to Top Canadian Scholars

OTTAWA, May 26, 2017 /CNW/ - His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will present the 2017 Killam Prizes to five eminent Canadian scholars during a ceremony at Rideau Hall, on Tuesday, May 30, 2017, at 6 p.m. Celebrating 50 years of research and innovation, this prestigious program recognizes working scientists, writers, doctors and researchers who have dedicated their careers to solving challenges in our daily lives.

The Canada Council for the Arts, which administers the Killam Program, announced the names of the 2017 laureates earlier this month: 

John Borrows – Social Sciences, University of Victoria
W. Ford Doolittle – Natural Sciences, Dalhousie University
Thomas Hurka – Humanities, University of Toronto
Julio S. G. Montaner – Health Sciences, University of British Columbia
Molly S. Shoichet – Engineering, University of Toronto

The Governor General, along with Mr. Simon Brault, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, and Mr. George T. H. Cooper, Managing Trustee of the Killam Trusts, will deliver brief remarks.

About the Killam Prizes
The Canada Council Killam Prizes were inaugurated in 1981 with a donation made by Mrs. Dorothy J. Killam in memory of her husband, Izaak Walton Killam. The prizes were created to honour eminent Canadian scholars and scientists actively engaged in research, whether in industry, government agencies or universities. The Killam Program at the Canada Council also includes the Killam Research Fellowships, which support scholars engaged in research projects of outstanding merit in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, engineering and interdisciplinary studies within these fields. For more information on the Killam Program, visit killamprogram.canadacouncil.ca.

Media wishing to cover this event are asked to confirm their attendance with the
Rideau Hall Press Office and must arrive at the Princess Anne Entrance
no later than 5:45 p.m. on the day of the ceremony.

Follow GGDavidJohnston and RideauHall on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Governor General of Canada

Josephine Laframboise, Rideau Hall Press Office, 613-990-9324, 613-668-1929 (cell), [email protected]; Meredith Sharpe, Canada Council for the Arts, 1-800-263-5588 or 613-566-4414, ext. 4166, [email protected]