Two officers of the Order of Canada — a chemist and a wine producer — are among this year’s honorary doctorate recipients at the University of Guelph’s fall convocation ceremonies.
Mark Lautens, a Guelph graduate and noted chemist at the University of Toronto, and winery owner Anthony von Mandl will be honoured during graduation ceremonies, which take place Oct. 15.
Other honorary doctorate recipients will be Richard Hill Sr., an aboriginal knowledge keeper, and Reuben Mapletoft, a pioneer in cattle embryo transfer technology and professor in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan.
Recipients will speak at convocation ceremonies to be held for more than 500 graduands at War Memorial Hall.
Lautens has invented chemical processes to help design new medicinal molecules and reduce the environmental impact of producing medications. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2014.
British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley has become a prime wine-producing region partly due to von Mandl, who runs four environmentally sustainable wineries. He also launched the popular Mike’s Hard Lemonade brand in 1996. He was appointed to the Order of Canada this past summer.
Hill is a Tuscarora knowledge keeper and senior project coordinator at the Deyohahá:ge: Indigenous Knowledge Centre at Six Nations Polytechnic. For the past 20 years, he has preserved and shared indigenous knowledge with schools across Ontario, including the University of Guelph.
Mapletoft’s research in embryo transfers has earned him recognition in Canada and around the world. Among his achievements, he was part of the committee that established guidelines for moving embryos between countries, and standards for handling and protecting frozen embryos.
Ceremonies can be watched live online.
Convocation ceremonies will take place as follows:
- 9 a.m. – College of Arts / College of Physical and Engineering Science
- 11:30 a.m. – College of Biological Science
- 2 p.m. – Ontario Agricultural College / Ontario Veterinary College
- 4:30 p.m. – College of Business and Economics
- 7 p.m. – College of Social and Applied Human Sciences