08 July 2019

Dr. Elizabeth Cannon and Dr. Claire Deschênes, engineers featured in the Women of Innovation book, were announced as two of the 83 new appointees to the Order of Canada on June 27, 2019.  The book, published in 2017 by CIM and the Metallurgy and Materials Society of CIM (MetSoc), provides a unique opportunity to discover 20 accomplished, inspiring and innovative women engineers who, against the odds, pursued successful careers across Canada in various fields of engineering.

Dr. Cannon is an expert in geomatics engineering and her research has been at the forefront of the development of GPS technology. She holds three patents, 12 software licenses and has commercialized technology to more than 200 organizations worldwide. Dr. Cannon was the first Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)/Petro-Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering in the Prairies from 1997-2002.

From 2010 to 2018, she served as the President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Calgary, the first woman to hold the position. She currently serves as President Emerita and Professor of Geomatics Engineering in the Schulich School of Engineering.

Dr. Cannon was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada “for her remarkable contributions to science, technology and academia in Canada, notably as an engineer and university administrator.” To learn more about Dr. Cannon and her accomplishments, visit the CIM Magazine website.

Dr. Deschênes is a world-renowned expert in hydraulic turbine technology, hydrodynamics and fluid mechanics, despite being the only woman in her class and the first female engineering professor at Laval University. She has been a professor since 1989 and manages the Hydraulic Machines Laboratory (LAMH).

She served as NSERC/Alcan Chair for Women in Science and Engineering in Québec from 1997-2006 and co-founded three non-profit organizations that support and promote women in science and engineering. In 1999, Dr. Deschênes was named the first YWCA woman of distinction laureate for the Québec region in the science, technology and health category.

Dr. Deschênes was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada “for her contributions to mechanical engineering research and teaching, and for championing women in science and engineering.” Read an excerpt from the Women of Innovation book.

You can purchase your copy of Women of Innovation at the CIM Store.