Inventors and Innovators
“Learning fired by passion is a very powerful force. It is creative or ingenious, and it has the potential to change the world.”
- Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera1
What do oil sands separation, the Java computer programming language, and a cold remedy have in common? If you guessed the University of Alberta, move to the head of the class! The century-long history of the University of Alberta has been a century of invention, innovation, and cutting-edge research. Many ground-breaking inventions and innovative processes that people around the world take advantage of in both work and home life have originated from the University of Alberta or one of the many spin-off companies that have emerged from the university’s research.
From the time of its founding, the mandate of the University of Alberta has been to encourage research and innovation. University founders Premier Alexander Cameron Rutherford and Dr Henry Marshall Tory had envisioned a post-secondary institution that from the very beginning strove for excellence not only in lecturing and instruction from the university faculty, but also in published research. Under this mandate, the university became fertile ground for invention, and many among the university’s faculty can also be listed among Alberta’s and Canada’s pioneers of innovation. Robert W. Boyle, for example, was head of the Physics Department of the University of Alberta before the start of World War I. His research in acoustics led to the invention of sonar, the use of sound waves to detect objects underwater. Though sonar did not come to play a large role in the First World War, it has since become a significant invention both in military and civilian circles.
Since Boyle’s time, University of Alberta teachers and researchers have continued to write new chapters in the story of human invention and innovation. The achievements made by the university’s most inventive minds have lengthened the stride of the world community towards a more progressive and prosperous future.
See the listing for all Inventors and Innovators