By Jackey Locke

Dr. Greg Naterer, dean, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, is receiving both national and international awards for his research and leadership contributions.

He has been awarded the prestigious 2020 K.Y. Lo Medal from the Engineering Institute of Canada (EIC) and was recently elected Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).

Both awards recognize the global impact of Dr. Naterer’s work.

The K.Y. Lo Medal, established in 1997, is one of EIC’s senior awards and among the highest of honours given by the Institute.

The award recognizes significant engineering contributions at the international level. The medal was named for K.Y. Lo, a professor emeritus of the University of Western Ontario, and only one is awarded annually.

A fellowship in the AIAA, the world’s largest aerospace professional society, is reserved for individuals of distinction in aeronautics and astronautics who have made notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences or technology.

Only one AIAA member for every 1,000 members is elected as a fellow annually by the institute’s board of trustees.

Dr. Naterer received the award for his notable contributions to the aerospace community, including as editor-in-chief of the AIAA Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer.

Under Dr. Naterer’s decanal leadership, Memorial’s engineering programs have increased their global profile, impacts and partnerships.

As part of a global initiative, Dr. Naterer led an international team, involving four countries, five industrial partners and eight collaborating institutions.

The team developed the world’s first large-scale copper-chlorine (Cu-Cl) cycle of thermochemical water splitting for hydrogen production using nuclear, solar or industrial waste energy.

Advancement of this technology has been incorporated into Canada’s next generation of nuclear reactors, and also recognized internationally, particularly in India, which started its own national Cu-Cl cycle program.

Hydrogen is considered a clean energy carrier and promising major solution to climate change.

Dr. Naterer received his bachelor’s, master’s and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Waterloo.

“I’m honoured to receive these awards from the EIC and AIAA,” said Dr. Naterer. “I’m particularly grateful to my graduate students and colleagues at Memorial University, who have helped and supported me in pursuing global initiatives that have been recognized through these awards.”

The EIC is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1887. Its membership is made up of engineers of various disciplines, such as mechanical, civil, geotechnical, chemical and electrical engineering, among others. The corporation’s goal is to support the recognition of excellence and advancement of engineering and engineering education in Canada.

With almost 30,000 individual members worldwide and 100 corporate members, the AIAA brings together industry, academia and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space and defense.