RMC Professor Earns IEEE Recognition for Teaching Excellence

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2015-03-23

By Kyle Sinon, Special Contributor

Established by the IEEE (the International Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), the R.A. Fessenden Award, sponsored by Telus, was awarded this year to RMC's own Dr. Yahia Antar, professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Dr. Antar will be presented with the award's silver medal and plaque at the banquet of the IEEE Canadian conference which runs from May 5-8 of this year.

This will mark the first time an RMC faculty member has received an IEEE award, though not the IEEE's only connection to the college. The M.B. Broughton Central Canada Merit Award for exceptional IEEE volunteers is named after former Assistant Professor, the late Mervyn Blythe Broughton.

Dr. Antar received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Manitoba in 1975 and has been an integral part of RMC department of Electrical and Computer Engineering since 1987 and a professor since 1990. In addition, Dr. Antar is also the college's Vice Dean for Defence and Security Research.

In an interview for Queen's University's department of Electrical Engineering, Dr. Antar has this to say about one of the most gratifying aspects of his career.

"I teach them, and they teach me," says Antar "Together we learn to become leaders in the field. When you educate a person, the possibility remains that they will go on to do better things than you could ever imagine. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing that transpire"

IEEE Canada is the Canadian branch of the International Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The organization is dedicated to furthering the development of technological innovation and excellence around the world. The Canadian sub-section of which, holds bi-annual awards ceremonies in addition to its duties of providing scholarships and grants to students. The IEEE is also responsible for providing resources to Canadian electrical and electronic engineers to further their research.

One of several achievement awards that the IEEE bestows each year is the R.A. Fessenden Award, awarded to "outstanding Canadian engineers recognized for their important contributions to the field of telecommunications engineering". The award's namesake, Reginald Fessenden (1866-1932), was a Canadian inventor known for his pioneering in the field of radio communications, and as the inventor of Radiotelephony, the basis for today's modern two-way radios.

This award is just the next chapter in a strong tradition of Electrical and Electronic Engineering excellence here at RMC.

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