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Dr. Robert Gordon Appointed to AIC Board
 We are pleased to announce that Dr. Robert (Rob) Gordon has accepted President Digvir Jayas' invitation to join the AIC Board of Directors effective immediately. Dr. Gordon is replacing Dale Kelly for the remainder of his term (to the 2012 AGM).
Dr. Gordon is Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College at the University of Guelph and a Professor in the School of Environmental Science. Prior to his appointment at Guelph, he was a Professor and Dean of Research at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College, and headed the environmental management section of the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture. He is considered a leading authority on climate-related issues in Canada.
Dr. Gordon holds a PhD in land resource science from the University of Guelph, an engineering diploma from NSAC, and is a Professional Agrologist. He is a member of the Federal / Provincial / Territorial Science and Innovation Working Group (Agricultural Policy Framework) and a Board Member of the Centre for Rural Leadership.
We are delighted to welcome him to the AIC Board of Directors.
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Welcome New SJC Chair and Journal Editors
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Craig Drury |
Craig Drury became Chair of the AIC Scientific Journals Committee in January for a one year term. Dr. Drury is a Soil Biochemist with Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada in Harrow, Ontario. His research focuses on developing soil and crop management practices which enhance nitrogen utilization efficiency and reduce nitrogen losses to the environment through leaching and GHG emissions. Dr. Drury is the lead for two of the National Agri-Environmental Indicators: Residual Soil Nitrogen and the Indicator of Risk of Water Contamination by Nitrogen. He has served as President (2005-2007) and Secretary (1999-2003) of the Canadian Society of Soil Science.
Management of the editorial process for the Canadian Journal of Soil Science has also changed. Dr. Drury will serve in the position of Editor-in-Chief and will be assisted by two Editors: Dr. Joann Whalen (McGill University) and Dr. Martin Chantigny (AAFC St-Jean-sur-Richelieu). Dr. Marie Boehm (AAFC Saskatoon) is the new Special Issues Editor.
Each of the Editors will serve a three-year term with one editor retiring each year. In the third year of an Editor's term, s/he will be the Editor-in-Chief. The changes in management are intended to spread the workload, ensure continuity from one year to the next, and to decrease the turn-around time of papers.
Dr. Shahrokh Khanizadeh (AAFC Saint-Foy), remains as Editor of the Canadian Journal of Plant Science. CJPS also hopes to move to a new editorial management system in the near future.
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Chantal Farmer |
Dr. Christiane Girard (AAFC Sherbrooke) continues as Editor of the Canadian Journal of Animal Science.
Special thanks to Dr. Chantal Farmer who served as Chair of the Scientific Journals Committee in 2011 and previously as Editor of the Canadian Journal of Animal Science.
The journals are published in cooperation with the Canadian Society of Soil Science, Canadian Society of Agronomy, Canadian Society for Horticultural Science, Canadian Weed Science Society and Canadian Society of Animal Science.
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| News and Notes
Members E&O Professional Liability Insurance
Information was recently sent to members with information on our Errors and Omissions Professional Liability Insurance program, which renews in March. Premium costs have been reduced for the coming year. Please visit our website for more information and send the information to colleagues who could benefit from the plan's competitive rates.
Call for 2012 Nominations - AIC Honours and Awards
A reminder to please help AIC to recognize deserving individuals by making nominations for our Fellowship, Sustainable Futures Award, and International Recognition Award.
Guidance statements and nomination forms for each of the awards can be viewed in the awards section of our website.
The deadline for submission of nominations is March 31, 2012.
Foreign Accreditation Review
AIC will be conducting a "substantial equivalency review" of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition at King Faisal University in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this spring. This is the third review AIC has done in the Gulf area, having assessed three programs at the United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, in 2008 and 15 programs at King Saud University, Ryiahd, in 2010.
The AIC Accreditation Program expanded its mandate in 2007 to include evaluations of agricultural programs outside Canada. These evaluations are done to assess the standard of agriculture education using the same policies and procedures as the accreditation program in Canada. Institutions outside of Canada have requested reviews to assess their standards compared to those in Canada, to identify areas of excellence, areas of deficiencies and to receive recommendations for addressing deficiencies and improving standards. The results of these reviews have increased their credibility and consequently their enrolment of new students.
International Women's Day
International Women's Day will be marked on March 8. The global theme for 2012 is connecting girls, inspiring futures. More information, and a list of events in Canada and internationally, is available here.
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H. Raymond Scovil, FAIC, (1925 - 2012)
 Raymond Scovil, an AIC Past President, passed away January 26, 2012 in Fredericton. He attended McGill University and later Cornell University, studying agriculture and agricultural economics. His career with the NB Department of Agriculture spanned 39 years and for 10 of those years he served as Deputy Minister. He later headed Scovil Associates as President for over a decade. Raymond complimented his work life with active community involvement, serving as President of numerous associations including AIC (1993-94), the AIC Research Foundation and the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame. He was named a Fellow of the Agricultural Institute of Canada in 1986.
Raymond took the time to be engaged with those around him and held a genuine interest in others. A great storyteller, sharing his renditions of past experiences, travels and observations. As an enthusiastic reader, he was always up to date on current affairs and the latest biographies. Raymond was an avid curler, skater, swimmer, golfer and gardener. In addition, he enjoyed a good dance (particularly his own special "jig") when the opportunity arose. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth and four daughters.
With excerpts from his obituary, which can be read in full here.
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