Background
The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and the Canadian Astronomical Society have established an award entitled The Plaskett Medal in recognition of the pivotal role played by John Stanley Plaskett (1865-1941) in the establishment of astrophysical research in Canada. Plaskett helped to confirm the rotation rate of the Milky Way. He was an active member of the Ottawa Centre between 1907 and 1918 and acted as an Associate Editor of the Journal for 28 years.
First presented in May 1988, the Plaskett Medal is jointly sponsored by the RASC and CASCA. The history of the Plaskett Medal, which evolved from the Society’s Gold Medal (now awarded by the Toronto Centre to a U. of T. student), is published in JRASC Vol. 82, No. 6, 1988, pages 312-316.
The Award
The award, consisting of a gold medal, is to be made annually to the Ph.D. graduate from a Canadian university who is judged to have submitted the most outstanding doctoral thesis in astronomy or astrophysics in the preceding two calendar years. Thus it is possible to re-nominate a candidate for whom an unsuccessful nomination was made in the preceding year.
The recipient is invited to address one or the other of the sponsoring Societies (at his or her choice) at their Annual Meetings. According to the policy of each Society, some or all of his or her expenses to attend the meeting will be covered by the hosting Society. The recipient will also receive a $750 honorarium.
More Information
- The Plaskett Medal, Our Society's Newest Award: JRASC 82, 312 (1988)
- Canadian Astronomical Society's Plaskett Medal page.
- JRASC articles relating to J.S. Plaskett at the bottom of this page.
Recipients
Links are provided for the few citations published in JRASC.
| 2023 | Dr. Deborah Lokhorst | University of Toronto | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dr. Deborah Good | University of British Columbia | |
| 2021 | Dr. Ziggy Plounis | McGill University | |
| 2020 | Dr. Simon Blouin | Université de Montréal | |
| 2019 | Dr. Alexandra Tetarenko | University of Alberta | |
| 2018 | Dr. Gwendolyn Eadie | McMaster University | |
| 2017 | Dr. Fereshteh Rajabi | Western University | |
| 2016 | Dr. Jonathan Gagné | Université de Montréal | |
| 2015 | Dr. Anne Archibald | McGill University | |
| 2014 | Dr. Andrew Pon | University of Victoria | |
| 2013 | Dr. Yasuhiro Hasegawa | McMaster University | |
| 2012 | Dr. Pier-Emmanuel Tremblay | Université de Montréal | |
| 2011 | Dr. Kaitlin Kratter | University of Toronto | JRASC |
| 2010 | Dr. Helen Kirk | University of Victoria | JRASC |
| 2009 | Dr. Catherine Lovekin | Saint Mary's University | JRASC |
| 2008 | Dr. Adam Muzzin | University of Toronto | |
| 2007 | Dr. Frédéric Grandmont | Université Laval | |
| 2006 | Dr. Lauren A. McArthur | University of British Columbia | |
| 2005 | Dr. Christian Marois | Université de Montréal | JRASC |
| 2004 | Dr. Jo-Anne Brown | University of Toronto | JRASC |
| 2003 | Dr. Tracey Webb | University of Toronto | JRASC |
| 2002 | Dr. Edward Thommes | Queen’s University | |
| 2001 | Dr. Peter Brown | University of Western Ontario | |
| 2000 | Dr. Alexei Razoumov | University of British Columbia | |
| 1999 | Dr. Stéphane Charpinet | Université de Montréal | |
| 1998 | Dr. Dean McLaughlin | McMaster University | |
| 1997 | Dr. Alain Beauchamp | Université de Montréal | |
| 1996 | Dr. Gordon Squires | University of Toronto | |
| 1995 | Dr. Michael Richer | York University | |
| 1994 | Dr. Grant Hill | University of Western Ontario | |
| 1993 | Dr. Paul Brassard | University of Toronto | |
| 1992 | Dr. Eric Poisson | University of Alberta | |
| 1991 | Dr. Paul Charbonneau | Université de Montréal | |
| 1990 | Dr. Pierre Bergeron | Université de Montréal | |
| 1989 | Dr. Peter Leonard | University of Toronto | |
| 1988 | Dr. Richard Gray | University of Toronto |
More on J.S. Plaskett
- The Instrument was Instrumental - Plaskett's Telescope and Canadian Astronomy Between the Wars JRASC 87, 218 (1993)
- An Introduction - Plaskett History JRASC, 82, 317 (1988)
- The History of the Plaskett Family JRASC 82, 319 (1988)
- Memories of the Plaskett Era of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory 1931-1934 JRASC 82, 328 (1988)
- [Picture of] Plaskett, J.S. in 1918 JRASC 82, 361 (1988)
- The Birth of Canadian Astrophysics: J. S. Plaskett at the Dominion Observatory JRASC, 71, 221 (1977)
- Obituary: John Stanley Plaskett JRASC, 35, 401 (1941)
- J. S. Plaskett at the University of Toronto JRASC, 35, 412 (1941)
- The Astronomical Work of John S. Plaskett JRASC, 24, 217 (1930)
- Luncheon to Dr. and Mrs. J. S. Plaskett JRASC, 19, 247 (1925)