René Pomerleau, OC (27 April 1904 in

Saint-Ferdinand, Quebec Saint-Ferdinand () is a municipality in the Centre-du-Québec region of the province of Quebec in Canada. It is notable for its location on the shores of William Lake on the Bécancour River, nestled within the Appalachian foothills, making S ...

– 11 October 1993 in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

) was a

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

and

plant pathologist Plant pathology or phytopathology is the scientific study of plant diseases caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Plant pathology involves the study of pathogen identification, disease ...

whose specialty was

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

and

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

s. He received a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxe ...

before an MS at the

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

and later study at the Sorbonne. In 1972, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from

Sir George Williams University Sir George Williams University was a university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It merged with Loyola College to create Concordia University on August 24, 1974. History In 1851, the first YMCA in North America was established on Sainte-Hélène St ...

, which later became

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

. He has been called the "Father of mycology in Canada" and seen as a pioneering plant pathologist. The film ''La mycolade'' also had him as the main character. In 2016, following a major legacy gift, the Acfas created the René-Pomerleau Fund, dedicated to initiatives from the next generation of scientists.

Awards

*1955

Léo-Pariseau Prize The Léo-Pariseau Prize is a Québécois prize which is awarded annually to a distinguished individual working in the field of biological or health sciences. The prize is awarded by the Association francophone pour le savoir ( Acfas), and is name ...

*1981

Prix Marie-Victorin The Prix Marie-Victorin () is an award by the Government of Quebec The Government of Quebec (, ) is the body responsible for the administration of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The term is typically used t ...

Prix du Québec page for Prix Marie-Victorin
/ref>

References

Botanists with author abbreviations Canadian mycologists Canadian phytopathologists People from Centre-du-Québec McGill University alumni Université Laval alumni Academic staff of Université Laval 1904 births 1993 deaths 20th-century Canadian botanists Officers of the Order of Canada 20th-century agronomists {{Quebec-bio-stub