Professor Arthur Porter (MIE), (1910-2010), founding Chair of U of T’s Industrial Engineering program, has been posthumously inducted into the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame is a central part of the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa. It honours individuals whose outstanding scientific or technological achievements have had long-term implications for Canadians.
In a lifetime that spanned a century, Arthur Porter was a groundbreaking engineer, scientist and academic, as well as an influential advisor to industry and governments. He was a pioneer in a number of fields, including control theory, servomechanisms and industrial engineering.
In 1962, Professor Porter became founding Chair of the new Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Toronto, one of the first industrial engineering programs in the world. Under Professor Porter’s leadership it focused on two brand new fields, operations research and human factors, which are now used throughout commerce, industry and health care. He was also instrumental in working with the Dean of Medicine to establish the Institute of Biomedical Electronics (now the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering).
In the early 1960s, Professor Porter chaired the Ontario Commission on Automation and Employment. He was subsequently Scientific Advisor for the creation of a new Ontario Science Museum, which became the Ontario Science Centre. He also served as Chair of the Canadian Environmental Advisory Council, a group of scientists established by Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau to advise him on environmental problems. In 1975, he resigned from U of T to take on the position of Chair of the Ontario Royal Commission on Electric Power Planning.
Arthur Porter was awarded the Order of Canada in 1988. Other honours include the Canadian Centenary Medal, the Canadian Confederation Medal, the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal.
“Professor Porter has joined the many U of T alumni and professors recognized by this prestigious institution,” said Cristina Amon, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “A key figure in the development of U of T Engineering into a world-leading program, he is most deserving of this honour.”
Professor Porter was inducted into the Hall of Fame on October 22, as part of National Science and Technology Week.
