Professors inducted into Royal Society of Canada

By Mark Fardy

The University of Calgary is pushing hard to build a reputation as a renowned research institution, so it’s fitting that the Royal Society of Canada recently recognized three of the school’s professors for their research.

Professors Walter Herzog, David Eagle and Peter Stys were elected as honorary fellows of the Royal Society of Canada this year — the highest accolade given to artists, scholars and scientists by Canada’s federal government.

“I would consider this definitely the biggest recognition I have received,” Herzog said.

Herzog is the co-director of the U of C Human Performance Laboratory. His research focuses on musculoskeletal adaptations, mechanisms of muscle contractions and joint biomechanics related to degenerative diseases.

“[The Royal Society of Canada] primarily focused on the musculoskeletal work,” Herzog said. “I think that’s really the best research we have done and also the one with the biggest impact.”
U of C music professor David Eagle was inducted into the Royal Society of Canada as well. Eagle’s research focuses on computer applications in compositions, improvisation, multimedia and sound spatialization.

Neurology professor Peter Stys was also inducted in the Royal Society of Canada. Stys’s work looks at the nerve fibre connections within the spinal cord and brain, concentrating on how damage to these areas can result in debilitating diseases and how it can be healed.

Herzog said the professors’ hard work will benefit other researchers in similar fields.

“Nominations have to come from existing members,” Herzog said. “There are very deserving Canadians who work in the field of biomechanics. Now there will be a possibility to recognize them more easily than how it happened for me.”

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