Ken Valyear is quick to say he isn’t a scientific whiz kid or boy wonder. But his curiosity, determination and strong work ethic have paid off, earning him the Governor General’s Gold Medal.
Valyear, who completed his PhD in Neuroscience in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, and Chris Bundock, who completed his PhD in the Department of English, were selected as the two Governor General’s Gold Medal recipients as graduate students with the highest academic standing. The pair will be presented the medals during The University of Western Ontario’s convocation week, June 13-17.
“This kind of recognition means a great deal to me. I am truly honored. It makes me appreciate just how fortunate I am, for many things in my life,” Valyear says. “Many aspects of the process do not come easily for me. Each day is a real grind, and steps forward are often numbly slow.
“But, I seem to have a genuine driving interest deep down, my inner nerdy self I guess, and this is what keeps me at it,” he continues. “I suppose the constant challenges of research are also what makes this career choice great – as scientists we are always challenged and always learning, and there will never be a stop to that.”
Each faculty submits a nomination to the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and these are evaluated based on: graduating with a grade of 85 per cent or higher; academic performance in degree courses; seminar performance; evaluation of the thesis and thesis defense; originality and significance of research; and appraisal of other requirements for the degree.
While the program is nationwide, Western distributes two medals each year on behalf of the Governor General. The medals are not associated with any monetary award.
Lord Dufferin, Canada’s third Governor General after Confederation, created the academic medals in 1873 to recognize outstanding scholastic achievements.
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