Feb 13 2008
The Academy of Sciences of the Institute of France awarded the 15,000 (euro) (19,415 $ US) Rio Tinto Alcan Prize for Research to Mr. Patrice Chartrand, associate professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal during a formal ceremony held in Paris, France on February 5, 2008.
"It gives me great pleasure to award the Rio Tinto Alcan Prize for Research to Mr. Chartrand," said Claude Vanvoren, vice-president Technology, research and development, Rio Tinto Alcan Primary Metal. "This recognition underlines the significant contribution of fundamental research to the development of primary aluminium production technologies. This kind of contribution is of the utmost importance to Rio Tinto Alcan, a worldwide leader in primary aluminium production technology thanks to its significant research and development (R&D) activities."
The Rio Tinto Alcan Prize for Research is awarded annually and rewards scientific work contributing to progress in the aluminium industry or, more broadly, to the progress of general knowledge concerning production processes and the properties of materials which may be useful to the aluminium industry. The Prize winner is selected from candidates put forward by various university bodies and individuals. After collecting nominations, the Academy awards the Prize following the recommendation of a committee composed of members of the French Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Technologies. Mr. Chartrand has been recognized for his role in setting up a thermodynamic modelling consortium (virtual laboratory) and a database that is useful for the aluminium industry as a whole as well as other industrial sectors.