Tributes
Honoring the academics, creators and innovators whose roles were pivotal to the creation and success of the College.
Elaine Newman, PhD
Founder and first principal of the College
Professor emeritus, Department of Biology
(1934 – 2023)
A native of Montréal, Dr. Newman had a 40-year teaching and research career in the Department of Biology at Concordia University. Dr Newman was strongly committed to justice and accessibility in academia, and strongly supported and advocated for scholars from marginalized backgrounds. In 1988, she was among the first scholars to participate in Canada/China scientific exchanges.
An eminent microbiologist, she was awarded Canada’s highly prestigious Killam Research Fellowship in 1993 for her work on bacterial gene expression and its regulation.
Michael von Grünau, PhD
Science College principal
Professor, Department of Psychology
(1944 – 2011)
Dr. von Grünau was a professor in the Department of Psychology and recognized for his psychophysical studies of human visual perception. Dr von Grünau also possessed a unique combination of scientific rigour and precision, along with a boundless curiosity and a never-ending delight in learning about new phenomena.
His tenure as principal of the Science College was marked by his adventurous spirit of discovery, his generosity and his concern for students.
Ian Ferrier (BA)
Science College writing coach and Writer-in-residence
(1954 – 2023)
Ian Ferrier was well-known for his spoken word and literary performances. Among his many accomplishments he co-founded the poetry/music label Wired on Words and hosted Montreal's monthly Words and Music literature series. Starting in 1985, Mr. Ferrier helped guide generations of students through the difficult process of learning how to express complex scientific ideas in a language that was clear, logical and well-structured.