In Focus - Margaret-Ann Armour

We are pleased to present to you one of our distinguished colleagues, Margaret-Ann Armour, who has been actively engaged in various aspects of science education and research. An invaluable member of our department, she is internationally recognized for her commitment to advancing the role of women in science and engineering, and is the receipent of numerous national and international awards.

Biographical Sketch

Margaret-Ann Armour was born in Scotland and educated at Edinburgh University where she obtained Bachelor and Master of Science degrees. She worked as a research chemist in the paper-making industry for five years before coming to the University of Alberta in Edmonton where, in 1970, she graduated with a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry. From 1979-1989 she was supervisor of the undergraduate organic chemistry laboratories in the Chemistry Department and since 1989, has served as Assistant Chair.

Her research has been into the development and testing of methods for recycling or disposing of small quantities of waste and surplus chemicals. The results are described in "Hazardous Laboratory Chemicals Disposal Guide" published by CRC Press (third edition, 2003). Dr. Armour has presented talks on the work to many groups of small quantity generators of hazardous waste in North America and throughout Asia. Dr. Armour is the author or co-author of over one hundred proceedings and papers on chemical education, hazardous waste disposal and women in science. She serves on the Board of SHAD International and of the Pacific Basin Consortium for Hazardous Waste Research and Management. She has been a Scientific Advisor to the Asian Association for Academic Activity on Waste Management.

Since 1984, Dr. Armour has been Vice-Chair and Convenor of WISEST, a committee of the Vice-President, Research, at the University of Alberta on Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology with a mandate to take action to increase the proportion of women in decision-making roles in the sciences and engineering. In 1994, WISEST won a Michael Smith Award from Industry Canada for the promotion of science, and in 1996 was awarded the Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness Prize by the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Awards Foundation. WISEST is a founding member of CCWESTT, the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology and Dr. Armour has served as its President. Most recently she has been a member of a CCWEST working group holding consultations with women in the sciences across Canada. In November of 2004, Dr. Armour presented the results of these meetings and suggestions for Federal Government action at a Round Table in Ottawa attended by Dr. Arthur Carty, Science Advisor to the Prime Minister, and by Senators, Members of Parliament and senior bureaucrats.

Dr. Armour has received a number of awards for her research, teaching, and encouragement of women into the sciences including the 1994 McNeil Medal of the Royal Society of Canada for public awareness of science, a 1996 3M Teaching Fellowship, the 1999 University of Alberta Board of Governors' Award of Distinction, the 2001 Sarah Shorten Award of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, a 2002 Governor General's award in commemoration of the persons case, and the 2003 Gordin Kaplan award for the public awareness of science from the Canadian Federation of Biological Societies. Also in 2003, Maclean's Magazine named her to their honor roll as one of ten Canadians making a difference. In 2004, she received the American Chemical Society award for encouraging women into careers in the chemical sciences, was named an Edmontonian of the Century as part of Edmonton's centenary celebrations and received a distinguished alumni award from the University of Alberta. She will receive the 2005 Montreal Medal of the Chemical Institute of Canada.

She is active within the United Church of Canada: locally, she is Vice-Chair of the Board of Knox-Metropolitan United Church; provincially, she is Vice-Chair of the amalgamated Boards of St. Stephens's and St. Andrew's Colleges and nationally, she chairs the McGeachy Scholarship Selection Committee and is a past chair of the Campus Ministry Committee.

She is a past President of the Edmonton Glenora Rotary Club.