Honorary Doctorates for Professors
victoria-university-of-wellington
Wed Sep 22 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)
Honorary Doctorates for Professors
Wednesday, 22 September 2010, 11:20 am
Press Release: Victoria University of Wellington
Honorary Doctorates for Professor Sir Paul Callaghan and Professor Jack Richards
Victoria University will confer honorary degrees on a distinguished physicist and an internationally renowned specialist in second and foreign language teaching
Physicist Professor Sir Paul Callaghan is a world-leader in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance and was founding director of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, based at Victoria University.
He is known nationally and internationally as a world class scientist and an inspired teacher of physics. In recent years, he has been at the forefront of connecting science and business—his 2009 book Wool to Weta put forward his vision of a future New Zealand economy based on science, technology and intellectual property. His research into nuclear magnetic resonance and its applications led directly to the founding of Magritek Ltd, a Wellington-based company, which supplies specialised scientific instruments worldwide.
Victoria University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Pat Walsh, says that Professor Sir Callaghan has made an immense contribution to the country.
“In addition to his own prolific work and cutting-edge research, he has made significant contributions to communicating science to the wider community and has added significantly to the debate about technology and its role in ensuring New Zealand’s future prosperity.”
In 2004, Professor Sir Callaghan was the first scientist outside of Europe to receive the prestigious Ampere Prize for research in magnetic resonance. Earlier this year, he won another major international award—the Günther Laukien Prize for Magnetic Resonance.
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He received the Rutherford Medal in 2005, New Zealand’s highest accolade for science, and in 2006 he was appointed a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, an honour which was redesignated as a knighthood last year.
Professor Jack Richards is an applied linguist and educator with a distinguished international reputation, both as a scholar and as a patron of the arts and education.
He is the author of numerous professional books for English language teachers, and the author of many widely used textbooks for English language students.
Since graduating from Victoria University with a Master of Arts degree with first class honours in English in 1966, he has been a prolific researcher and has written more than 60 articles and 20 books. Many of these are highly regarded in the field of second language teaching and have been translated into many different languages.
In addition, he has been a generous patron of the arts and education, having sponsored numerous projects over the years, both in New Zealand and overseas. He is an active supporter of the Tairawhiti Museum in his home town of Gisborne, and has provided scholarships to students in the Toihoukura programme at Tairawhiti Polytechnic in Gisborne.
Professor Pat Walsh says Professor Richards’ intellectual achievements and creative contributions make him thoroughly deserving of an honorary degree from Victoria.
“Professor Richards has worked tirelessly to promote excellent language teaching, and his classroom textbooks have helped millions of students around the world learn English. In addition, his generous spirit is enriching the arts and education in New Zealand and internationally.”
Professor Sir Paul Callaghan will receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Science at Victoria University’s December graduation. Professor Jack Richards will receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature at a graduation ceremony in 2011.
ENDS
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