Michael Siu, York associate vice-president research & innovation, will receive a New Pioneers Award for science and technology from Skills for Change, a non-profit agency providing learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees.
Right: Michael Siu
Skills for Change created the New Pioneers Awards to recognize newcomers and their achievements. The awards are presented in six categories – arts, community service, entrepreneurship, science and technology, youth, and Skills for Change graduate.
Siu will receive the New Pioneers Award at the 15th New Pioneers Awards ceremony March 22 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
It’s one more award for the already highly decorated chemistry professor and director of York’s Centre for Research in Mass Spectrometry. In the past four years alone, the Chinese-born scientist has won three national chemistry awards and been recognized by a Chinese education group.
Siu is among many York-affiliated persons to receive New Pioneers Awards. Last year, York education Prof. Carl James won the award for community service. In 2003, dancer Yvonne Ng (BFA ’87) won in the arts category. In 2000, Alfred F. Choo (MSc’74, PhD ’79) won for entrepreneurship, dancer Lata Pata (MFA ’97) for arts, and Ismael Cala (BA ’02) won as a Skills for Change graduate. In 1999, dance Prof. Patrick Parsons won in arts. In 1998, then student Altaf Quadeer won as a Skills for Change graduate, as did Kumarasamy Nehru (BA ’02) in 1996. In 1995, Soheil Parsa (BA ’89) won in arts, Andil Gosine (BES ’96, PhD ’02) won in the youth category and Alok Mukherjee (PhD ’04) for leadership.