PRESS RELEASE

February 16, 2004

For immediate release

Canada Science and Technology Museum Announces 2004 Inductees to Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame

Ottawa — Today, the Canada Science and Technology Museum announced that three exceptional Canadian scientists, Helen Sawyer Hogg, Raymond Urgel Lemieux and Sir John William Dawson will be inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame on May 20, 2004.

Housed at the Museum, the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame is a permanent exhibition that honours individuals whose outstanding scientific or technological achievements have had long-term implications for Canadians.

"By celebrating our scientific and technological achievements, we shed light on the important contributions made by our Canadian scientists," said the Honourable Hélène Chalifour Scherrer, Minister of Canadian Heritage. "Today, on Heritage Day, we honour these three scientists and the incredible impact their work has on the lives of all Canadians. Together, they are helping create a more innovative and dynamic Canada."

The Museum intends to display artifacts from its collection to show its visitors how these Canadians have contributed to our everyday lives.

Helen Sawyer Hogg (1905-1993) took thousands of photographs of globular clusters to search for and study variable stars. She devoted herself to the popularization of astronomy by teaching elementary astronomy for non-science students and by writing a column which appeared in the Toronto Star for over thirty years.

Raymond Urgel Lemieux (1920-2000) brought the field of carbohydrate chemistry into the mainstream of organic chemistry and revealed how carbohydrates bind to proteins, a phenomenon crucial to everything from immunology to cancer.

Sir John William Dawson (1820-1899) was a geologist and educator of international reputation. Whenever we study fossils of plants we are building on his discoveries. Dawson was the first president of the Royal Society of Canada and the only person to have served as president of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS).

"Once again the Canada Science and Technology Museum and its partners are to be commended for identifying a set of truly outstanding Canadians to honour with induction to the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame. They have done a great service to us all by celebrating these stories of achievement and the lives of inspiring individuals" said Dr. Arthur Carty, President of the National Research Council of Canada and designate National Science Advisor to the Prime Minister. "This year's inductees add a special dimension to the Hall of Fame with significant and lasting accomplishments from fields as diverse as astronomy, carbohydrate chemistry and geology."

There are currently 31 Canadian scientists and innovators recognized in the Hall of Fame, including Maude Abbot, Wilder Penfield, Sir Sandford Fleming and Joseph Armand Bombardier. The achievements of these and the other members of the Hall of Fame have been so remarkable and their contributions to society so great that the Canada Science and Technology Museum hopes one day all Canadians will be aware of their accomplishments.

General information: Call 613 991-3044.