Huff Chair filled at U of S College of Engineering

The University of Saskatchewan's College of Engineering welcomes Professor Sean Maw as the new Jerry G. Huff Chair in Innovative Teaching.  He begins his appointment in the college on July 1, 2014.

Maw comes to the post from the engineering faculty at Mount Royal University in Calgary, where he holds a PhD from the University of Alberta's Centre for Neuroscience as well as MASc and BASc degrees in systems design engineering from the University of Waterloo.

"Having the Huff Chair filled is of great value to the college and we are very pleased to be welcoming Sean Maw in the position," said Georges Kipouros, dean of the College of Engineering. "This chair increases our faculty complement, supports faculty development and enhances our ability to offer experiential learning opportunities to our students. We are grateful to our donor Don Listwin who made this chair possible."

Active in a variety of sports, Maw participated in the Sochi, Russia Olympics as an English language venue announcer and in the Vancouver Olympics as a safety consultant. He has also been actively involved in Shad Valley, a four-week summer enrichment program for grade 10, 11 and 12 students that focuses on the sciences, engineering, technology and entrepreneurship.

"I'm excited to be joining the U of S team in the College of Engineering," Maw said. "I'm passionate about effective teaching and learning, making it fun and valuable for all parties. I'm also very enthusiastic about the opportunity to make new connections between the college and Saskatchewan communities. I can't wait to get started."

Maw, as Huff Chair, will expand opportunities for student participation in hands-on engineering design projects, including multi-disciplinary design projects so students experience working together across engineering disciplines. He will also lead activities to ensure faculty and students are up to date with advances in engineering education and technology.

The Huff Chair was made possible through a generous donation by Don Listwin, who graduated from the College of Engineering in 1980 with a BE in electrical engineering and received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the U of S in 2001. A 25-year veteran of the technology industry, Listwin changed career directions after his mother's death from misdiagnosed cancer, to create the Canary Foundation in 2004, an organization devoted exclusively to early detection of cancer.

The Huff Chair resides in the college's Ron and Jane Graham School of Professional Development. The school is focused on helping students and working engineers develop communication, leadership, design and entrepreneurship skills necessary to move beyond the technical dimensions of engineering. The Graham school is also in the hiring process for two other donor-supported faculty chairs: the Seaman Chair and the Laborde Chair.





For more information, contact:
Kate Blau, Communications Officer

College of Engineering
306-966-7924 | kate.blau@usask.ca
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