BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//132.216.98.100//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.20.4// BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20260526T064145EDT-4420uZdaJB@132.216.98.100 DTSTAMP:20260526T104145Z DESCRIPTION:The Distinguished Alumni Awards recognize graduates who have ac hieved outstanding accomplishments in their professional and personal live s\, and who have been an inspiration to fellow alumni\, current students\, and/or the community.\n\nThe Macdonald Distinguished Alumni Award (DAA) w as created by the Macdonald Branch of the McGill Alumni Association to rec ognize distinguished graduates for their outstanding professional contribu tions\, scholarly distinction and/or service to the community at large. Th e first awards were presented at Homecoming 2006 and are awarded at Homeco ming every year.\n\nIn 2009\, we were pleased to introduce the Macdonald D istinguished Young Alumni Award (DYAA)\, which recognizes the achievements and contributions of our younger alumni.\n\nNomination deadline: June 30\ , 2025\n\nSubmit a nomination through our online form\n\nEligibility\n\n\n Nominees must be in receipt of a degree or diploma from one of the program s offered at the Macdonald Campus.\n To be eligible for the Distinguished Y oung Alumni Award\, nominees must have graduated from Macdonald within the last 10 years and be under 35 years of age.\n Current faculty and staff ma y be granted awards for exemplary contributions and commitment beyond the immediate scope of their work.\n Posthumous nominations will not be conside red.\n For the DYAA Awards\, self-nominations will be considered\, as long as they are accompanied by a reference letter. For the DAA Awards self-nom inations are not considered.\n Current members of the Distinguished Alumni Awards Committee will not be eligible for the awards.\n\n\nCriteria\n\nThe DAA and DYAA Awards are given for accomplishments in one of the two follo wing categories. The nominator is requested to select a nomination categor y\, even if for some nominees both categories may be relevant.\n\nOutstand ing professional accomplishments\, scholarly distinction\, and/or service to the discipline or sector\n\nAwardees would typically have leveraged the education received at Macdonald Campus to build an impactful career that has led to exceptional contributions in the discipline and/or impact on th e sector. The nominee's professional accomplishments are expected to refle ct positively on the educational institution.\n\nOutstanding service to th e Macdonald Campus Community\n\nAwardees typically made exceptional contri butions to the functioning of the institution\, for example through levera ging their networks for the benefit of the institution\, supporting fundra ising or other initiatives\, mentoring students\, involvement in outreach\ , or other meaningful connections.\n\nProcess\n\n\n Nominations will be con sidered for the year in which they are submitted.\n Nominees that are not s elected this year may be conserved for two years at the discretion of the DAA/DYAA Awards Committee.\n Nominations must satisfy the criteria for one of the award categories and be received by the deadline date published.\n A wards will be bestowed during Homecoming every year. They are not bestowed in absentia\, save in exceptional circumstances.\n\n\n\n 2024 recipients\n \n \n Distinguished Alumni Award: Dr. Allan Armitage\, a visionary in hortic ulture | BScAgr’67\n\n Dr. Allan Armitage is a celebrated leader in ornamen tal horticulture\, having garnered numerous awards throughout his distingu ished career. His journey began at Macdonald College\, where he earned a B Sc in Botany. He then worked at Aylmer/Del Monte Food Company in quality c ontrol and product development. However\, his talent for communication led him to return to Macdonald College to earn a teaching certificate\, after which he spent seven impactful years as a high school teacher at Beaconsf ield High School in Quebec. \n\n Eager to deepen his knowledge and contribu te to plant science\, Dr. Armitage pursued an MS in Horticultural Science at the University of Guelph and a PhD from Michigan State University. His academic career blossomed at the University of Georgia\, where he served f or 35 years\, receiving numerous accolades for his ground-breaking researc h\, engaging teaching\, and significant service to the horticultural indus try. \n\n Dr. Armitage has authored 17 books\, many used as key texts in ho rticulture programs\, and published over 70 peer-reviewed papers alongside more than 500 industry articles. His expertise has taken him to lecture a cross Europe\, New Zealand\, Australia\, China\, and North America\, makin g him a global figure in horticultural education. \n\n Beyond academia\, he founded the National Association of Specialty Cut Flowers and established the renowned Trial Gardens at the University of Georgia\, benefiting orna mental plant breeders worldwide. He has also bred numerous popular ornamen tal plant cultivars and continues to consult with leading nurseries and gr eenhouses. \n\n In addition\, he launched Garden Vistas\, a travel company that organized tours of the world’s most beautiful gardens\, and developed Armitage’s Great Garden Plants\, a widely-used app for plant enthusiasts.  \n\n His two daughters reside in Georgia and his son in Oakville\, Ontario . Dr. Armitage and his wife Susan live in Athens\, Georgia and make regula r visits to friends and family in Canada.\n\n Distinguished Young Alumni Aw ard: Ophelia Sarakinis\, FMT’19\n\n Raised in Montreal suburbs\, Ophelia Sa rakinis' backyard was filled with chickens and a blooming vegetable garden \, sparking her deep-rooted love for ag. She went from volunteering at her nearest organic farm in high school to eventually studying conventional a griculture at McGill.\n\n After graduating\, Ophelia realized the urgent ne ed to create more sustainable farming methods\, so she set up her own litt le indoor farm in her parents’ attic. Tired of hard\, tasteless strawberri es and concerned about their consistent rank at the top of the dirty dozen list (due to high levels of synthetic pesticides)\, she knew exactly wher e to start. Through trial and error (and little help from neighbouring bum blebees and ladybugs) she discovered that farming vertically in urban spac es is a viable solution towards a sustainable future.\n\n GUSH officially s tarted running their vertical farm in 2020\, setting out to grow the best strawberries. \n \n\n DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250630 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250630 SUMMARY:Nomination deadline: Macdonald Campus Distinguished Alumni Awards URL:https://www.mcgill.ca/channels/channels/event/nomination-deadline-macdo nald-campus-distinguished-alumni-awards-365120 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR