(ACUNS/AUCEN, 24 August 2011) -- The inaugural recipient of the Weston Family Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Northern Research is Dr. Serge Payette. Dr. Payette found his passion for the north in 1966, after spending time in the arctic as a student. In 1969 he began lecturing at Université Laval, where he still remains as a professor and researcher at the university’s Centre d’Études Nordiques (CEN). His many contributions to Northern research include his work as director of the CEN for twelve years, his research on tree line dynamics and the response of Northern ecosystems to climatic disturbance, the training of multiple student Northern researchers, and numerous scientific publications. He has held one of the six prestigious NSERC Chairs for Northern research since 2003 —a nationwide acknowledgement of his scientific and personal achievements. ...

Dr. Payette has dedicated over 40 years of his life to Northern research and to teaching and mentoring young scientists. A total of 81 post-graduate students—22 doctorate, 9 post-doc and 50 masters— as well as hundreds of undergraduate students have all had the privilege of learning and experiencing the North in the “Payette School”. Many of these former students are now working as university-level research professors, specialists and professionals in Northern research. In a collective letter of support, his former students stated “Serge Payette stands apart from other researchers in Northern environments by his contagious passion for the North and for the ecology of the Northern landscapes. His enthusiasm is, and has always been, a source of inspiration for his students and his associates. An excellent teacher, Serge Payette has always given priority to learning in the field, never hesitating to put on his boots and to roll up his sleeves to explain in a concrete way the practice of ecology, often with humour. This type of mentoring, personalized and applied, is the trademark of Professor Payette.”

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