The W.W. Hutchison Medal is named after Dr. William W. Hutchison in recognition of his many contributions to Canadian and international geoscience. The medal is awarded to a young individual for recent exceptional advances in Canadian earth science research.
2023 W.W. Hutchison Medalist
Dr. Jamie Kirkpatrick (McGill University)
“Jamie is an international leader in the earthquake science community and is pioneering the application of field observation and structural geology techniques to problems in tectonics, faults and shear zones. His advancement of quantitative methods and instrumentation applied to classic problems of understanding stress and strain is impressive and his effectiveness as a communicator and educator is ensuring that the geoscientists of tomorrow are well-prepared to address pressing societal issues. Jamie is rapidly establishing himself as one of the bright young lights in the fields of earthquake science and structural geology.”
Jamie Kirkpatrick is a young structural geologist at McGill University who has made exceptional advances to our understanding of faults, fault rocks and earthquakes in recent years. His contributions are worthy of recognition by the GAC and the W.W. Hutchison Medal. Jamie is a courageous researcher who breaks new ground by tackling long-standing difficult problems in creative new ways. His recent work on the rheology of fault rocks, the geometry of fault surfaces, and criteria for recognizing ancient fault rocks in the rock record represents an enormous contribution with many practical applications. His research is rigorous with attention to detail. Jamie combines quantitative theoretical research with field studies in critical settings to produce results that can be applied directly to real rock. The results of his research have direct implications for investigations as diverse as earthquake hazard mitigation, structural and tectonic field analysis, and exploration for orogenic gold deposits. Canadian Earth scientists in a variety of subdisciplines benefit from the advances made by Jamie’s research. He has a well-funded research program that has resulted in a large number of publications and conference presentations.
An important aspect of the Hutchison Medal is the Distinguished Lecture Tour. Jamie is the perfect candidate for a nationwide lecture tour, as his research has implications for so many. In addition to being a star researcher, Jamie is an attentive teacher and mentor. He has taught and supervised student research at the doctoral, masters and undergraduate level, and knows how to share results and generate excitement about research with a diverse audience.
Jamie is an international leader in the earthquake science community and is pioneering the application of field observation and structural geology techniques to problems in tectonics, faults and shear zones. His advancement of quantitative methods and instrumentation applied to classic problems of understanding stress and strain is impressive and his effectiveness as a communicator and educator is ensuring that the geoscientists of tomorrow are well-prepared to address pressing societal issues. Jamie is rapidly establishing himself as one of the bright young lights in the fields of earthquake science and structural geology.
Stay tuned for updates on the 2023-24 Hutchison Lecture Tour!
The deadline for National Medal nomination forms is January 5th, 2024.
Previous Award Winners
2022 Britta Jensen
2021 Vincent van Hinsberg
2020 Shahin Dashtgard
2019 Brian Kendall
2018 Gordon Osinski
2017 Christie Rowe
2016 Stephen Piercey
2015 Murray Gingras
2014 Ali Polat
2013 Duane Froese
2012 Galen Halverson
2011 Anton Chakhmouradian
2010 Octavian Catuneanu
2009 Michael Caldwell
2008 James MacEachern
2007 Jeremy Richards
2006 John Gosse
2005 Alan J. Anderson
2004 Shoufa Lin