Schulich PhD graduate awarded Canada's top scholastic honour

Ken Valyear, who completed his PhD in Neuroscience in December is one of two Western graduate students who will receive the Governor General's Gold Medal at Spring Convocation. The Governor General's Gold Medals are awarded to students graduating with the highest academic standing in a Masters or Doctoral degree program. The other GG Gold Medal recipient is Dr. Chris Bundock, PhD, from the Department of English.

Valyear is also receiving the Collip Medal from the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. The Collip Medal Award was established in 1959 and is presented annually to the outstanding PhD student graduating from one of the basic science programs. This award, in the form of a medal commemorates the contributions to The University of Western Ontario, and to Canadian Biomedical Sciences, of one of the former Deans of Medicine, Dr. J. B Collip. This award is based on the overall performance of a student during his or her tenure at Western and is granted at Spring Convocation.

Valyear completed his Phd in Neuroscience under the supervision of Dr. Jody Culham. He has now joined Dr. Scott Frey's lab as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oregon, Eugene where he is exploring the cognitive and neural mechanisms of human tool use and complex action planning using a combination of functional neuroimaging and behavioural methods.

Congratulations Dr. Valyear.