Margaret Elizabeth Cannon is a Canadian engineer specializing in

geomatics engineering Geomatics is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as the " discipline concerned with the collection, distribution, storage, analysis, processing, presentation of geographic data or geographic information". Under another definition, i ...

and president Emerita of the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

. From 2010 to 2018, she served as the university's eighth president and vice-chancellor, the first alumna to hold that position.

Early life and education

Born in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

, Cannon developed an early interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). She completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mathematics at Acadia University in 1982, before moving to Calgary, Alberta to complete a BSc, MSc and PhD in Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary.

Scientific and administrative career

Cannon has led research at the forefront of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) since 1984, commercializing technology to over 200 agencies worldwide. She has served on the National Advisory Board on Earth Sciences to the Canadian Minister of Natural Resources, as past president of the U.S. Institute of Navigation, and as a past director of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Cannon has also served as the Chair of Universities Canada, as Co-Chair of the Business-Higher Education Roundtable, and as a member of the Board of Governors of Sidra Medicine in Qatar. Cannon is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, an elected foreign associate of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...

, and an elected Corresponding Member of the Mexican Academy of Engineering. From 1997 to 2002, Cannon held the NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for the Prairie Region. In this capacity, Cannon worked to raise public awareness about science and engineering careers for women, as well as conduct research on the factors that influence the decision to pursue a career in engineering. Cannon also developed programs to encourage women to explore careers in STEM fields, including the largest online mentorship program of its kind in Canada, ''Cybermentor''. Prior to her appointment as president, Cannon was the dean of the

Schulich School of Engineering The Schulich School of Engineering is the accredited engineering school of the University of Calgary located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It currently has 4,610 enrolled students (3,470 undergraduate and 1,140 Graduate school, graduate) and over ...

at the University of Calgary from 2006 to 2010. She was installed as the university's president and vice-chancellor in July 2010, and served in the role until December 31, 2018. During her tenure, the university launched a comprehensive institutional strategy called Eyes High and expanded its campus infrastructure with multiple new facilities, such as the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning, W. A. Ranches at the University of Calgary, and the Life Sciences Innovation Hub — among several others. Under her leadership, the university also launched the $1.3 billion fundraising campaign, ''Energize: The Campaign for Eyes High'', which encompassed the naming of the Cumming School of Medicine and the Werklund School of Education. Upon concluding her role, Cannon received the title of President Emerita.

Honours and awards

In 1998, Cannon was selected as one of ''Canada’s Top 40 Under 40'', and in 2006, she was named as one of ''Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women'' by the Women's Executive Network. She has also been recognized with the Wired Woman Pioneer Award from the Wired Woman Society in 2002 and the Betty Vetter Award for Research from the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network in 2001. In recognition of her impact on geomatics engineering, Cannon received the Johannes Kepler Award from the U.S. Institute of Navigation in 2001,

APEGA The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA) is an engineering society that regulates the practices of professional engineering and geoscience in Alberta. APEGA receives its mandate from the Engineering and Geos ...

’s Centennial Leadership Award in 2012, the Gold Medal Award from

Engineers Canada Engineers Canada ( French: ') is the national organization of the 12 provincial and territorial associations that regulate the practice of engineering in Canada. Engineers Canada serves these associations, which are its sole members, by delivering ...

in 2013, and the

NSERC The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada, CRSNG) is the major federal agency responsible for funding natural sciences and engineering rese ...

E.W.R. Steacie Fellowship from 2002 to 2004. In 2011, she was elected a member of the

for the innovative use of GPS data for a wide range of applications and for pioneering the field of geomatics. Cannon has received Honorary Doctorates from the University of Ottawa, Acadia University and the Université de Montréal, as well as an Honorary Bachelor of Business Administration from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. On 27 June 2019, Cannon was appointed as an Officer of 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 ...

for her contributions to academia and STEM in Canada, as an engineer and university administrator. Cannon was also appointed as a Member to the

Alberta Order of Excellence The Alberta Order of Excellence (french: Ordre d'excellence de l'Alberta) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Alberta. Instituted in 1979 when Lieutenant Governor Frank C. Lynch-Staunton granted royal assent to the Alberta ...

in 2022.

References

External links

* Millar, Anne and Wells, Mary (30 October 2017)
"Engineering taught Elizabeth Cannon how to be a leader"
''CIM Magazine''. Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum {{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon, M. Elizabeth Acadia University alumni Canadian academics in engineering Canadian university and college faculty deans Women deans (academic) Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering People from Charlottetown University of Calgary alumni University of Calgary faculty Living people Canadian university and college chief executives Canadian women engineers 20th-century Canadian engineers 21st-century Canadian engineers 20th-century women engineers 21st-century women engineers Women heads of universities and colleges Officers of the Order of Canada Foreign associates of the National Academy of Engineering 20th-century Canadian women scientists 1963 births