Convocation

2011 Honorary Degree Recipients

Fall 2011


               		 Dr. Tim Bliss, FRS
Dr. Tim Bliss is recognized worldwide for his pivotal research on the neural basis of learning and memory.  The 1973 paper that he co-authored on what is now called Long-Term Potentiation - or LTP - established the most widely-studied experimental model of how the brain stores memories.  A truly groundbreaking discovery, LTP is key to our understanding of learning, memory and the brain's abiltiy to change in response to new conditions.

Marq de Villiers
Marq de Villiers is an award-winning non-fiction author and a Member of the Order of Canada.

He has engaged his readers in the exploration of various subjects, including complex issues affecting our planet.  His bestselling book, Water, earned the Governor General's Literary Award for non-fiction.  Water also received an award from the Canadian Science Writers' Association.

The Honourable Mr. Justice Murray Sinclair
The Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair is chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, where he leads a process intended to provide a full and public account of what occurred in this country's residential schools.  Essential to this account are the stories from residential school survivors, their families and their communities.

Through this sharing of experiences and a series of national events, it is hoped a new understanding will emerge and paths to reconciliation will be found.

Spring 2011

Larry Beasley
Larry Beasley is an internationally recognized urban planner whose vision helped transform Vancouver into one of the most livable cities in the world.
Dr. David Braybrooke
David Braybrooke is one of the most esteemed philosophers of our time and has been described as both the “politician’s philosopher” and the “citizen’s philosopher.” 
Michael Duck
Michael Duck is a self-made, high-tech equipment developer who founded A.C. Dispensing Equipment Inc. of Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. His superb mechanical aptitude and intuition, combined with his work ethic, lead him to create technologically-advanced solutions for challenging problems.
Ivan Duvar
While president and chief executive officer of Maritime Telegraph and Telephone (MT&T), Ivan Duvar not only lived through the communications technology revolution; he led it.
Dale Ells
During his 28 years with NSAC, Dale Ells made many contributions as an associate professor in the Department of Economics and Business and then as both the dean, vocational and technical education and director of the NSAC Centre for International Development.
Myra Freeman
The Honorable Myra Freeman has served the people of Nova Scotia with grace, elegance and unflagging energy as a teacher, former Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia and a contributor to arts and culture.  
Dr. Thom Mason
Thom Mason is director of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the United States Department of Energy's largest multi-program research lab and the world’s foremost facility for studying neutron science.
Dr. Gregory Petsko
Gregory Petsko is in the company of extraordinary individuals — people like Charles Darwin, Margaret Mead and Thomas Edison. Dr. Petsko joined this illustrious group a year ago when he was elected to the American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin to represent exceptional scholarly accomplishment.
William Archibald Rand 
As both a lawyer and an investor, William Rand has been a catalyst supporting the success of entrepreneurs across Canada and around the world.