Inspiring leadership

Vincent Audain (Photo submitted)

Vincent Audain, Saturday, Oct 21 at 9:30 am - Architecture and Planning, Engineering, Health professions, Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, Medicine and Law. In a career that spans over 30 years, Dr. Audain has built a thriving ophthalmology practice in Halifax. Throughout that time, he has maintained strong connections with Dalhousie. Dr. AudainÕs efforts over many years led to the creation of a much-needed vision care centre in his native Caribbean island of St. Kitts-Nevis. Before the centre was established, there were no tertiary eye care facilities in the Caribbean. Almost single-handedly, Dr. Audain gathered support for the project from a variety of sources and arranged for ophthalmologists from Dalhousie to travel to the island to perform procedures. And on November 8, 2001, the St. Kitts-Nevis Eye Care Centre officially opened in Basseterre on the island of St. Kitts. In 2003, he received the first annual Dr. John Savage Memorial Award in International Health. This award recognizes outstanding humanitarian contribution to international health.

James Balsillie (Photo submitted)

James (Jim) Balsillie, Sunday, Oct 22 at 2:30 pm - Management. In 1992, Mr. Balsillie mortgaged his house and poured much of his net worth into a then-fledgling company called Research In Motion Limited (RIM). Recognizing wireless e-mail as Òone of the most profound medium shifts weÕll ever see,” he based his gamble on the belief that people would one day want constant and portable access to e-mail and time-sensitive information. Today, RIM is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the mobile communications market. Its award-winning products and services Ð such as the Blackberry wireless platform and the RIM Wireless Handheld line Ð are used by more than four million people and thousands of organizations worldwide. RIMÕs new technical support centre in Halifax is expected to employ up to 1,200 people in the coming years.

Dr. J.C. Scaiano (Photo submitted)

Dr. J.C. (Tito) Scaiano, Saturday, Oct 21 at 2:30 pm - Arts and Social Sciences, Physical and
Life Sciences and Computer Science. Dr. Scaiano arrived in Canada from Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1975 as a visiting scientist at the National Research Council in Ottawa, where he took up a permanent post in 1979. Dr. ScaianoÕs research expertise and ingenuity have had important implications for the development of better sunscreens, anti-inflammatory drugs, and therapies for treating age-related macular degeneration and cancer. His work has also expanded our understanding of free radicals and antioxidants and had direct impact on industrial issues, from impeding the photo-yellowing of pulp and paper to creating better photoresists for the semiconductor industry. Dr. Scaiano became a full-time professor at the University of Ottawa, where he serves as Canada Research Chair in Applied Photochemistry. He maintains a leadership role within the Reactive Intermediate Student Exchange (RISE) Program, which places summer research students among 15 of CanadaÕs leading research centres, including Dalhousie. This past year, Dr. Scaiano was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada.

DalhousieÕs fall convocation ceremonies will be held in the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium of the Dalhousie Arts Centre where nearly 900 Dalhousie students will graduate.