Hugh Morris, former Chair of the PIMS Board, Endows Distinguished Lecture Series at PIMS

Dr. Hugh Morris, former Chair of the PIMS Board of Directors and a longtime friend of the mathematical sciences, has generously endowed a yearly lecture series at PIMS. To recognize his generous gift, it will be called the Hugh C. Morris Lecture Series. The objective will be to attract the top mathematical scientists in the world to deliver presentations on current research topics to PIMS sites in Western Canada and Washington State.

Dr. Morris served on the PIMS Board for over ten years and has over 40 years of experience in the mineral industry, including a term as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Imperial Metals. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Dr. Morris has demonstrated special interest in national and international scientific and professional associations and has been a member of NSERC's Council and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Lithoprobe Project.

The first speaker for what will be the most prestigious lecture series hosted by PIMS is George Papanicolaou from Stanford University, who will deliver the inaugural Hugh C. Morris Lecture in Vancouver. Prof. Papanicolaou is a highly regarded applied mathematician, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, winner of the SIAM von Neumann Prize (2006) and the William Benter Prize in Applied Mathematics (2010).

Alejandro Adem, Director of PIMS, noted: "We are enormously grateful to Hugh for his generosity and vision in support of the mathematical sciences. His contributions to PIMS and science in Canada are truly outstanding. In addition he is a wonderful person who has provided valuable advice to PIMS Directors over the years. It has been a real privilege to count on his friendship and counsel. This endowment is the first of its kind for PIMS and is a testimony to the lasting quality and impact of our programs across a broad spectrum of the mathematical sciences.''