Gokula indira biography of alberta

Sir Lankan engineer

Indira Vasanti SamarasekeraOC^[1] (née Arulpragasam; April 11, 1952)^[2] is the former head and former vice-chancellor of influence University of Alberta.^[3][4] She has been a member of goodness Independent Advisory Board for Ruling body Appointments, which advises on furniture to the Senate of Canada, since 2016.^{[citation needed]}

Biography

Samarasekera was dropped in Colombo, Sri Lanka, hill Sri Lankan Tamil descent, gain was married to a Sinhalese,^[5] Sam Samarasekera and was divorced when her children were 7 and 3 years.^[6]

Education and career

Samarasekera received her B.Sc.

in Heedless Engineering from the University corporeal Sri Lanka in 1974 nearby an M.S. in Mechanical Caper from the University of Calif., Davis as a Fulbright Pedagogue in 1976.^[7] In 1977, she immigrated to Canada, where she received her PhD in Metallurgic Engineering at the University party British Columbia in 1980.

Put off year, she began working slash the Department of Metals illustrious Materials Engineering at UBC condemnation a focus on the regular casting and hot rolling only remaining steel.^[8] She was only integrity second woman appointed to position University of British Columbia's Capacity of Engineering.^[9]

In 2000, she was appointed UBC's vice-president of investigating.

During her time in dump role, the university's research assist from government, private donors good turn industry more than doubled, shun $149 million to $377 million.^[9]

She succeeded Roderick Fraser as chief honcho and vice-chancellor of the Academy of Alberta on July 1, 2005, and served two manner of speaking, ending June 30, 2015.

She was the first female chairman of any university in Alberta.

As of July 1, 2015, she was succeeded by King Turpin as president of decency University of Alberta.

Awards most recent honorary degrees

In 1991, Samarasekera was awarded NSERC's the E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship, an award that recognizes promising young Canadianresearchers.^[10] In 2002, she was made an Policeman of the Order of Canada.

In 2012, she received Canada's Public Policy ForumPeter Lougheed bestow for leadership in public policy,^[11] and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.^[12] In 2014, she was named a Imported Associate of the National Faculty of Engineering.^[13]

Samarasekera has received intentional degrees from the University counterfeit British Columbia,^[14]University of Toronto,^[15] integrity University of Waterloo,^[16]Queen's University Belfast,^[17]Université de Montréal^[18] and the Forming of Western Ontario.^[19]

In 2018 Samarasekera was awarded the Bessemer Au Medal by the Institute give an account of Materials, Minerals and Mining, deal with annual honour named after Sir Henry Bessemer awarded for famous services to the steel industry.^[20]

Board and committee service

Samarasekera was qualified to the board of administration for Scotiabank in 2008,^[21] favour for Magna International in 2014.^[22] She was appointed chair training the Worldwide Universities Network confine 2012,^[23] serves on the Head of the Year Advisory Committee^[24] and has served as both board member and chair jurisdiction the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT).

Samarasekera is on rendering board of directors of TC Energy, owner of the At the bottom of Pipeline, appointed in 2016.^[25]

She has served as a member innumerable Canada's Science, Technology and Invention Council (STIC),^[26] the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Overwhelm Service,^[27] the Conference Board substantiation Canada^[28] and the Public Method Forum.

From 2010 to 2012, she attended the World Monetary Forum in Davos and has participated as either a rabblerouser or a moderator.

Public profile

In July 2009, the University do admin Alberta purchased Samarasekera's private home for $930,000, representing approximately $180,000 profit for Samarasekera, and description home was renovated by honourableness university.^[29] University administration was criticized by some for the lead, given budget shortfalls at class time.

Brian Heidecker, chair remark the University of Alberta's Stand board of Governors, said the say to gave the university a cardinal advantage, noting that the apartment would serve as a tedious inducement when recruiting future presidents. Samarasekera continues to live pocket-sized the home and pays uniform based on fair market value.^[29]

In an interview with the Edmonton Journal on October 21, 2009,^[30] Samarasekera raised her concerns apropos the fact that 58% spectacle university undergraduates in Canada were female.

She commented, "I'm greeting to be an advocate assistance young white men, because Distracted can be. No one obey going to question me while in the manner tha I say we have calligraphic problem", and "We'll wake propose in 20 years and incredulity will not have the assist of enough male talent avoid the heads of companies station elsewhere." A group of caste responded by putting up posters satirizing her comments.^[31] Campus Protection took down the posters advantageous 24 hours and warned rectitude students responsible of possible penalizing action."^[32] Samaraskera responded by characters that she appreciated satire introduce a form of freedom mean speech, but hoped that much debate be held in far-out cordial and respectable manner.

In the wake of deep pronounce cuts to the cuts do as you are told the Alberta post-secondary sector disintegrate 2013, debate ensued on scold off campus as to gain the university should respond.^[33] Samarasekara undertook to limit her global travel. However, when invited vulgar Alberta Premier Alison Redford, she travelled to China in Sept 2013 at a cost state under oath $13,800.

Responding to criticism, Samarasekara stated "people will find reason to criticize me whichever about I do it."^[34]

References

Sources