Meet eight honorary degree recipients who are building a better world – Folio

April 23, 2024

A law professor who champions Indigenous Peoples’ rights, a search-and-rescue expert and a Nobel Prize-winning scientist who helped make laser eye surgery possible are among this year’s eight inspiring spring honorary degree recipients.

“Honorary degrees are the university’s highest honour, recognizing people who inspire our students, who reflect the best of what our university strives to achieve, and who have made remarkable contributions to our community and the world,” says U of A chancellor Peggy Garritty.

“At this year’s spring convocation, we’re proud to honour and celebrate people with diverse backgrounds, talents and achievements who certainly meet that bar. Congratulations to this year’s honorary degree recipients.”

Richard Smith transformed the field of search and rescue in Alberta. He has always supported the communities around him, participating in the Royal Canadian Army Cadets as a youth and serving in the Royal Canadian Army for more than five years. He began his 21-year career with the RCMP in 1977. In 1986, Smith managed the search for two-year-old Jesse Rinker who, unfortunately, wasn’t found alive. In response to that incident, Smith devoted himself to advancing search and rescue services. He co-founded the Emergency Response Institute Canada, co-authored five text books about search and rescue, taught the field’s best practices nationally and internationally, and helped establish Search and Rescue Alberta. He also participated in more than 600 missions and in 1997-98 completed research and development with the Department of Psychology at the University of Alberta in the field of lost person behaviour. In 2017, Smith worked with Shell Canada to develop a permanent training facility. Smith has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.

Read More: https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2024/04/meet-eight-honorary-degree-recipients-who-are-building-a-better-world.html