Kelvin Kenneth Ogilvie (born November 6, 1942) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

academic and politician. A former president of

Acadia University Acadia University is a public, predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level. The enabling legislation consists of the Acadia ...

Wolfville Wolfville is a Canadian town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. The town is home to Acadia University and Landmark East School. The town is a tourist destination du ...

, he was named to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

on August 27, 2009,"Harper makes nine new Senate appointments"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', August 27, 2009. and served until his retirement on November 6, 2017. He was an international expert in biotechnology, bioorganic chemistry and genetic engineering.

Scientific career

Ogilvie is a leading expert on

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

bioorganic chemistry Bioorganic chemistry is a scientific discipline that combines organic chemistry and biochemistry. It is that branch of life science that deals with the study of biological processes using chemical methods. Protein and enzyme function are examples of ...

and

genetic engineering Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification or genetic manipulation, is the modification and manipulation of an organism's genes using technology. It is a set of technologies used to change the genetic makeup of cells, including t ...

. His scientific accomplishments include the development of the chemistry of the Bio Logicals’ “Gene Machine”, an automated process for the manufacture of DNA. He is the inventor of

Ganciclovir Ganciclovir, sold under the brand name Cytovene among others, is an antiviral medication used to treat cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections. Ganciclovir was patented in 1980 and approved for medical use in 1988. Medical use Ganciclovir is indicated f ...

,Profile : Kelvin Kenneth Ogilvie
Science.ca. Retrieved on April 21, 2014. a drug used worldwide to fight infections (

Cytomegalovirus ''Cytomegalovirus'' (''CMV'') (from ''cyto-'' 'cell' via Greek - 'container' + 'big, megalo-' + -''virus'' via Latin 'poison') is a genus of viruses in the order ''Herpesvirales'', in the family ''Herpesviridae'', in the subfamily ''Betaherpe ...

or CMV) that occur when one’s immune system is weakened. He also developed a general method for the chemical synthesis of large

RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes. RNA and deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) are nucleic acids. Along with lipids, proteins, and carbohydra ...

molecules, demonstrated by the first total chemical synthesis of a functional

Transfer RNA Transfer RNA (abbreviated tRNA and formerly referred to as sRNA, for soluble RNA) is an adaptor molecule composed of RNA, typically 76 to 90 nucleotides in length (in eukaryotes), that serves as the physical link between the mRNA and the amino ac ...

(tRNA) molecule, which is still the basis for RNA synthesis worldwide. Ogilvie was a chemistry professor at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

from 1974 to 1987, and at

from 1987 to 1993 while also serving as vice-president (academic). He has received numerous awards during his long and prestigious career including being named a Steacie Fellow in 1982, admission to the Order of Canada in 1991, the Manning Principal Award as Canada’s outstanding contributor to innovation in 1992, induction into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Rx&D Health Research Foundation Medal of Honour in 2013.

Administrative and political career

Ogilvie served for three years as chair of Nova Scotia Premier’s Council for Innovation and is Senior Fellow for Postsecondary Education at the

Atlantic Institute for Market Studies The Fraser Institute is a libertarian-conservative Canadian public policy think tank and registered charity. The institute describes itself as independent and non-partisan. It is headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Calgary, Tor ...

, a rightwing thinktank. He served on the board of

Genome Canada Genome Canada is a non-profit organization that aims to use genomics-based technologies to improve the lives of Canadians. It is funded by the Government of Canada. Genome Canada provides large-scale investments that develop new technologies, conne ...

and chaired the advisory board of

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

’s Institute of Marine Bioscience and the Advisory Board of the

Atlantic Innovation Fund In Canada, the Regional Development Agencies (RDA) are the seven Government of Canada, federal government agencies responsible for addressing key economic challenges and furthering economic development, Diversification (finance), diversification, an ...

. Ogilvie was named to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 1991. He was president and vice-chancellor of Acadia University from 1993 to 2003.Acadia University - Past Presidents of Acadia University
Retrieved on November 21, 2018. From 1993 to 2003 he served as president and vice-chancellor of Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where he led the development and implementation of the acclaimed Acadia Advantage Program, which was recognized by and incorporated into the Permanent Collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., in 1999. He was appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on August 27, 2009, and he retired in November 2017. While in the Senate he chaired the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology that produced a number of important studies on health issues affecting Canadians. The last report was “The Role of Robotics, 3D Printing and Artificial Intelligence in the Healthcare System” (November 2017).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ogilvie, Kelvin 1942 births Living people Members of the Order of Canada Canadian senators from Nova Scotia Conservative Party of Canada senators Canadian university and college chief executives McGill University faculty 21st-century Canadian politicians