UNENE-NSERC research chair Dr. Mahesh Pandey is among the CNS-CNA 2021 award recipients
The Canadian Nuclear Society-Canadian Nuclear Association Awards recognize technical, regulatory and social contributions to Canadian Nuclear Excellence. The awards are given out annually as part of the CNS conference, held virtually this year, June 6-9.
AUG. 5, 2021 – Six people, including UNENE-NSERC chair Mahesh Pandey, were recognized for their contributions to Canada’s nuclear industry at the 40th Annual Nuclear Society (CNS) conference held virtually, June 6-9.
The conference included plenaries and technical workshops, which covered current CANDU performance, the rapid development of small modular reactors and continued investment in nuclear medicine.
In addition to nuclear scientists, innovators, regulatory leaders, and operators, the plenaries included communicators, and members of Indigenous and host communities exploring the social aspects of nuclear development and operation.
Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, confirmed the federal government’s inclusion of nuclear in its clean energy plan, stating, “We need an all-energy sources approach and that includes nuclear.”
Each year, as part of the conference, the CNS and Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) announce the annual award recipients and this year’s winners reflected the holistic conference agenda.
Recipients included Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s Executive Vice President and Chief Regulatory Operations Officer Ramzi Jamal who was awarded the Ian McCrae Leadership Award. Throughout his career, Jamal has played a key leadership role in modernizing the regulatory framework for nuclear facilities and nuclear activities, to ensure stability and credibility of the regulatory framework in Canada.
UNENE-NSERC chair Dr. Mahesh Pandey (see additional story below) was co-recipient of the Howard A. Smith Award for Outstanding Achievement. Dr. Pandey is a Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo and a UNENE-NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Risk and Life Cycle Management. He was recognized for his research, his work building collaboration between industry and the University of Waterloo, as well as his long-time mentorship of students who have themselves become important industry and academic contributors.
Pandey’s co-recipient of the Howard A. Smith Outstanding Contribution Award, Jacquie Hoornweg, was recognized for her work as an industry communications executive, writer and consultant in strategy and communication for UNENE, CANDU Owners Group, as well as Natural Resources Canada, New Brunswick Power, and as vice president of communications and corporate relations at Ontario Power Generation.
Bruce Power employee, Steve Beninger and his daughter Trystan, long-time area residents, were recognized for their first-person video explaining how the environment is protected during waste management processes and activities. Driven by the increased spread of misinformation in his community regarding the Deep Geological Repository and the nuclear industry in general, Mr. Beninger, a fuel handling nuclear operator, helped by his daughter created an educational video explaining the process of handling and storing irradiated fuel.
Mohinder Grover was named a CNS Fellow. The expert in Quality Assurance in the design and operation of nuclear power plants is also a long-time volunteer committed to strengthening excellence in nuclear engineering. Mr. Grover joined the Canadian Nuclear Society in 2008 and became a member-at-large on the CNS Council in 2010. Since then, he has been continuing with his involvement as a member of Council and making noteworthy contributions through his volunteering as part of CNS Conference Organizing Committees, CNS Operating Committees and taskforces, and supporting various CNS missions.
Click here to read the CNS-CNA 2021 awards news release and here to read about the awards and their history.
In 2020, the CNS conference was cancelled. The 2020 award winners were announced last year but honoured at this year’s conference. The 2020 recipients are listed here.
UNENE-NSERC chair Mahesh Pandey receives Howard A. Smith Award for Outstanding Achievement
Dr. Mahesh Pandey is a Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Waterloo, as well as a UNENE-NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Risk and Life Cycle Management.
Dr. Pandey has made significant contributions to the area of reliability analysis and probabilistic modelling of engineering systems. The internationally-recognized researcher has received the Governor General of Canada’s Gold Medal and Ontario’s Premiere Research Excellence Award. His research accomplishments include stochastic models for time-dependent reliability analysis and life cycle assessment, the Life-Quality Index framework for societal risk management of technological systems, and the probabilistic assessment of nuclear plant systems, structures and components. Dr. Pandey has led countless exceptional research projects and industrial applications of risk/reliability analysis methods. He has mentored many nuclear professionals who have gone on to make their own substantial contributions in the Canadian nuclear industry.