A University of Guelph professor was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and two professors have been inducted into the Royal Society’s College of New Scholars (CNS).

Prof. Judith Thompson, was inducted as a fellow during during the November ceremony, receiving what is considered Canada’s senior academic honour. Profs. Merritt Turetsky, Integrative Biology, and Evan Fraser, Geography, were inducted into CNS during a ceremony in Victoria.

Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada is the country’s oldest and most prestigious scholarly organization.

Fellows are elected by their peers to recognize outstanding scholarly, scientific and artistic achievement.

The Royal Society citation calls Thompson “one of the best and most produced playwrights in the English-speaking world.”

Thompson, who teaches in the English and Theatre Studies program, has written 19 plays. In 2014 she returned to acting after a 35-year hiatus, performing in her own one-woman play, Watching Glory Die.

Turetsky and Fraser were selected for CNS for achieving success early in their careers.

Created by the Royal Society of Canada in 2014, the College recognizes academics who have made exceptional achievements within 15 years of completing their doctoral degrees.

Fraser was selected for induction in 2014 but was unable to attend last year’s event.

The College recognizes academics with exceptional achievements within 15 years of completing their doctoral degrees.

Turetsky, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Integrative Ecology, studies environmental change and the impact of global methane emissions on the North.

Besides deepening understanding of ecosystems and resource management, her studies are intended to improve regional and global climate models.

Her research is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation.

Fraser joined U of G in 2010 as the Canada Research Chair in Global Human Security.

Co-author of the book Empires of Food: Feast, Famine and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations, he is a sought-after expert on global food issues. Fraser heads the “Feeding Nine Billion” project using new media to spark discussion about feeding the Earth’s ballooning human population.

Integrative biology professor Ryan Norris was inducted into the CNS in 2014.

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