The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bilingual council of distinguished Canadian scholars, humanists, scientists and artists. The primary objective of the RSC is to promote learning and research in the arts, the humanities and the sciences. The RSC is Canada's
National Academy
A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with State (polity), state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, most frequently in the sciences but ...
and exists to promote Canadian research and scholarly accomplishment in both official languages, to recognize academic and artistic excellence, and to advise governments, non-governmental organizations and Canadians on matters of public interest.
History
In the late 1870s, the
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...
, the
Marquis of Lorne
John George Edward Henry Douglas Sutherland Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll, (6 August 1845 – 2 May 1914), usually better known by the courtesy title Marquess of Lorne, by which he was known between 1847 and 1900, was a British nobleman who wa ...
, determined that Canada required a cultural institution to promote national scientific research and development. Since that time, succeeding Governor Generals have remained involved with the affairs of the Society. In 1882, the Royal Society of Canada was founded with the personal patronage of the Marquis of Lorne. A year later, in 1883, the Society was incorporated by a statute of the
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...
.
From its founding until the early 1900s, the structure of the RSC imitated the model of the
Royal Society of London
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, but with the important addition of literature and other elements found in the
Institut de France
The (; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the Académie Française. It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute ...
. Like their counterparts, membership to the RSC was limited and by election. Initially, the RSC was divided into four sections, each of 20 Fellows. These sections were: (1) Littérature française, Histoire, Archéologie; (2) English Literature, History, Archaeology; (3) Mathematical, Physical and Chemical Sciences; and (4) Geological and Biological Sciences. The founding Fellows of the RSC included
Sandford Fleming
Sir Sandford Fleming (January 7, 1827 – July 22, 1915) was a Scottish Canadian engineer and inventor. Born and raised in Scotland, he emigrated to colonial Canada at the age of 18. He promoted worldwide standard time zones, a prime meridian, ...
, the originator of the world system of
Standard Time, and
William Osler
Sir William Osler, 1st Baronet, (; July 12, 1849 – December 29, 1919) was a Canadian physician and one of the "Big Four" founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Osler created the first residency program for specialty training of phys ...
, one of the greatest physicians of his time. The Fellows of the RSC were nominated by a committee directed by the Principal of
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 ...
,
John William Dawson
Sir John William Dawson (1820–1899) was a Canadian geologist and university administrator.
Life and work
John William Dawson was born on 13 October 1820 in Pictou, Nova Scotia, where he attended and graduated from Pictou Academy. Of Scotti ...
, and by the former Premier of Quebec,
Pierre Chauveau. These two men served as the first and second Presidents of the Society.
As Canadian scholarship and research increased, the RSC also grew. Within three decades, the fellowship of the RSC doubled in number. After several phases of restructuring, the RSC evolved its contemporary organization. In 2010, His Excellency the Right Honourable
David Lloyd Johnston
David Lloyd Johnston (born June 28, 1941) is a Canadian academic, author, and statesman who served from 2010 to 2017 as Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation. He is the commissioner of the Leaders' Debates Commiss ...
, Governor General of Canada, was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Society.
Organization and purpose
The Royal Society of Canada currently consists of more than 2,000
Fellows: men and women from all branches of learning who have made contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life. Presently, the fellowship comprises four categories: Regularly Elected Fellows, Specially Elected Fellows, Foreign Fellows and Honorary Fellows.
Each year, approximately 80 people are elected to the fellowship. This cohort includes approximately 75 Regularly Elected Fellows recommended by the Divisions, as many as six Specially Elected Fellows, as many as four Foreign Fellows, and a maximum of one Honorary Fellow. Once inducted into the Society, anglophone Fellows may use the
post-nominal letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...
FRSC (
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Canada judges to have "made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public lif ...
) and francophone Fellows may use MSRC (''Membre de la Société royale du Canada''). The RSC is composed of three bilingual Academies, including a broad range of scholarly disciplines and artistic fields.
Academy I is the Academy of Arts and Humanities. There are three divisions of Academy I: an anglophone Division (I) – Humanities; a francophone division (II) – Lettres et sciences humaines; and a bilingual division for the Arts (III) – The Arts/Les Arts; embracing architecture, creative writing and the arts.
Academy II is the Academy of Social Sciences. There are two divisions of Academy II: an anglophone division (I) – Social Sciences; and a francophone division (II) – Sciences sociales.
Academy III is the Academy of Science. There are four bilingual divisions of Academy III: (I) – Applied Sciences and Engineering; (II) – Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences; (III) – Life Sciences; and (IV) – Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
The Society is dedicated to making its members’ varied knowledge available to the public. Members are available to assess issues of presumed value to Canadians and provide independent expert advice, notably to government on matters of public policy through its program of Expert Panel reports.
The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists
The College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the RSC was established in 2014 to represent emerging generation of intellectual leaders in Canada. It elects 80-100 members each year, who showed high level of accomplishments at early stage of their careers. At the time of election, members of the College must have received PhD or equivalent degree within past 15 years. Nomination of candidates for the College follows similar procedures as nomination for the Fellows of RSC.
Institutional members
The RSC officially began the Institutional Member (IM) Programme in 2004. The goal was to provide a mechanism by which the Society could develop its programmes in conjunction with Canadian universities, and by which universities could have formal and direct input into the strategic organization and governance of the Society. This closer relationship facilitates the nomination of new Fellows from all Canadian universities, and provides a means for the Society to sponsor scholarly activities at institutions of all sizes across Canada. Presently 46 universities and the
National Research Council of Canada
The National Research Council Canada (NRC; french: Conseil national de recherches Canada) is the primary national agency of the Government of Canada dedicated to science and technology research & development. It is the largest federal research ...
(NRC) are Institutional Members of the Society.
Medals and awards
![Royal Society of Canada head office](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Royal_Society_of_Canada_head_office.jpg)
The RSC recognizes notable achievements in research and innovation by awarding medals and prizes. Twenty Society awards are offered on an annual or biennial basis and consist of either medals or certificates, some of them with cash prizes. These awards are as follows:
* ''Gender Studies Award'' to recognize significant contributions by a Canadian scholar in the humanities and social sciences "to furthering our understanding of issues concerning gender".
*
Bancroft Award
The Bancroft Award is an award of the Royal Society of Canada "given for publication, instruction, and research in the earth sciences that have conspicuously contributed to public understanding and appreciation of the subject".
The award was endow ...
for publication, instruction, and research in the earth sciences that have conspicuously contributed to public understanding and appreciation of the subject.
* Centenary Medal to honour individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the object of the RSC and to recognize links to international organizations.
*
Henry Marshall Tory Medal
The Henry Marshall Tory Medal is an award of the Royal Society of Canada "for outstanding research in a branch of astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, physics, or an allied science". It is named in honour of Henry Marshall Tory and is awarded bi-ann ...
for outstanding research in a branch of astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, physics, or an allied science
*
Innis-Gérin Medal The Innis-Gérin Medal is an award of the Royal Society of Canada for a distinguished and sustained contribution to the literature of the social sciences. It was established in 1966 and is given biennially. The award is named in honor of Harold Inn ...
for a distinguished and sustained contribution to the literature of the social sciences including human geography and social psychology.
*
J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal for outstanding work in the history of Canada.
*
John L. Synge Award for outstanding research in any mathematical topic.
*
Lorne Pierce Medal The Lorne Pierce Medal is awarded every two years by the Royal Society of Canada to recognize achievement of special significance and conspicuous merit in imaginative or critical literature written in either English or French. The medal was first aw ...
for an achievement of special significance and conspicuous merit in imaginative or critical literature written in either English or French (critical literature dealing with Canadian subjects has priority over critical literature of equal merit that does not deal with Canadian subjects).
*
Miroslaw Romanowski Medal The Miroslaw Romanowski Medal is awarded annually by the Royal Society of Canada "for significant contributions to the resolution of scientific aspects of environmental problems or for important improvements to the quality of an ecosystem in all asp ...
for significant contributions to the resolution of scientific aspects of environmental problems or for important improvements to the quality of an ecosystem in all aspects – terrestrial, atmospheric and aqueous – brought about by scientific means.
*
Pierre Chauveau Medal
The Pierre Chauveau Medal is a biennial award of the Royal Society of Canada "for a distinguished contribution to knowledge in the humanities other than Canadian literature and Canadian history".
The award consists of a silver medal and is named ...
for a distinguished contribution to knowledge in the humanities other than Canadian literature and Canadian history.
*
Rutherford Memorial Medal
The Rutherford Memorial Medal is an award for research in the fields of physics and chemistry by the Royal Society of Canada. It was dedicated to the memory of Ernest Rutherford. It is awarded once for physics and once for chemistry each year, " ...
for outstanding research in chemistry.
*
Rutherford Memorial Medal
The Rutherford Memorial Medal is an award for research in the fields of physics and chemistry by the Royal Society of Canada. It was dedicated to the memory of Ernest Rutherford. It is awarded once for physics and once for chemistry each year, " ...
for outstanding research in physics.
*
Sir John William Dawson Medal The Sir John William Dawson Medal is an award of the Royal Society of Canada(RSC), established in 1985 and named after the society's first president: John William Dawson. The medal was endowed by McGill Graduates Society (founded by Sir William in ...
for important and sustained contributions in two domains of interest to RSC or in interdisciplinary research.
* The ''
Alice Wilson
Alice Evelyn Wilson, MBE, FRSC, FRCGS (August 26, 1881 – April 15, 1964) was Canada's first female geologist. Her scientific studies of rocks and fossils in the Ottawa region between 1913 and 1963 remain a respected source of knowledge.
Ea ...
Award'' for outstanding academic qualifications of a woman who is entering a career in scholarship or research at the postdoctoral level.
* The
Flavelle Medal
The Flavelle Medal is an award of the Royal Society of Canada "for an outstanding contribution to biological science during the preceding ten years or for significant additions to a previous outstanding contribution to biological science". It is n ...
is awarded for an outstanding contribution to biological science during the preceding ten years or for significant additions to a previous outstanding contribution to biological science.
* The ''McLaughlin Medal'' for important research of sustained excellence in any branch of medical sciences.
* The ''McNeil Medal'' for outstanding ability to promote and communicate science to students and to the public within Canada.
*
Willet G. Miller Medal
The Miller Medal is an award of the Royal Society of Canada given for ''outstanding research in any branch of the earth sciences''. The award consists of a gold-plated silver medal and is awarded every two years if there is a suitable candidate.
...
for outstanding research in any of the earth sciences.
* The ''Konrad Adenauer Research Award'' for the promotion of academic collaboration between Canada and the Federal Republic of Germany, presented to honour the scholar's entire academic record.
* The ''EJLB-CIHR Michael Smith Chair in Neurosciences and Mental Health'' allows a Canadian university or health research institute to attract a major scientist of neurosciences and mental health to Canada. It is offered by the EJLB Foundation, the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR; french: Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada; IRSC) is a federal agency responsible for funding health and medical research in Canada. Comprising 13 institutes, it is the successor to the M ...
(CIHR), the CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (INMHA) and the RSC.
See also
*
List of presidents of the Royal Society of Canada
The list of presidents of the Royal Society of Canada is a list of all the past and present presidents of the Royal Society of Canada.
* 1882–1883 John William Dawson
* 1883–1884 Pierre J. O. Chauveau
* 1884–1885 T. Sterry Hunt
* 1885–1 ...
*
:Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
*
List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage
This is a list of Canadian organizations with royal patronage. The practice of members of the Canadian Royal Family giving their patronage to Canadian organizations stems from that which started in the United Kingdom in pre- industrial times, wh ...
References
Citations
Sources
* Chenier, Nancy Miller, and Claude Le Moine. ''The Royal Society of Canada, 1881-1981 ... to Commemorate the Centennial of the Royal Society of Canada'' = ''La Société royale du Canada, 1881-1981 ... afin de commémorer le centenaire de la Société royale du Canada''. Ottawa: National Library of Canada, 1982. N.B.: Published on the occasion of an "exhibition presented by the National Library of Canada, June 1 to September 6, 1982...." Text, printed in the double page columns, in English and in French.
External links
The Royal Society of Canada websiteThe Royal Society of Canada fonds (R9351)at
Library and Archives Canada
Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...
{{Authority control
1882 establishments in Ontario
Scientific organizations based in Canada
Learned societies of Canada
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
Organizations based in Canada with royal patronage
Organizations established in 1882
Scientific organizations established in 1882