Former MIE Chair David Sanborn Scott is set to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria (UVic) on June 13, 2012.

Professor Scott, who is being recognized for his groundbreaking work in energy systems, is humbled by the honour. “It reinforces that luck plays a major role in life and careers. Of the many people who merit an honorary degree, I am lucky that someone thought of nominating me,” he said.

Before joining UVic, Professor Scott spent 22 years at U of T Engineering. During his time at U of T, he served five years as Chair of the Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering and founded the Institute for Hydrogen Systems, which led groundbreaking research projects on hydrogen as a source of fuel and energy conservation. He also chaired the Canadian Advisory Group on Hydrogen Opportunities, which later published the influential report, Hydrogen: National Mission for Canada.

In 1989 he joined UVic, where he founded the Institute for Integrated Energy Systems, a research body that continues today with some 70 researchers and support staff.

A leading expert in hydrogen energy, Professor Scott is the Vice-President of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (North America) and an Honorary Chair of the 2012 World Hydrogen Energy Conference. He is the author of  Smelling Land: The Hydrogen Defense Against Climate Catastrophe and is also a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. In 2006, he was awarded the Jules Verne Award for “outstanding contributions to hydrogen physics, hydrogen energy, sociology and philosophy.”

While he left U of T Engineering more than 20 years ago, Professor Scott looks back at his years here as having a profound impact on his career. “It was a catalyst to a broader understanding of engineering history, where it had come from, where it should be going, and how it can contribute to the well-being of our moist blue planet,” he said. “I have much to thank U of T Engineering.”