Ottawa resident among six to receive Governor General's Innovation Award

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Ottawa’s Marie-Odile Junker will receive the Governor General’s Innovation for her work researching Aboriginal languages in Canada. (Via Rideau Hall Press Office)[/caption] _ (Via Rideau Hall) _ OTTAWA—His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will preside over the second annual presentation ceremony of the Governor General’s Innovation Awards on ** Tuesday, May 23, 2017, at 6 p.m. ** , at Rideau Hall.

The awards will be presented to the following ** six winners ** to recognize their exceptional and transformative work that helps shape our future and positively impacts our quality of life. The citations of the recipients are attached.

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 Marie-Odile Junker
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Ottawa, Ontario

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 David Brown –
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Island View, New Brunswick

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 Patricia Lingley-Pottie and Patrick McGrath
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Halifax, Nova Scotia

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 Bonnie Mallard –
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Guelph, Ontario

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 Audra Renyi –
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Montréal, Quebec

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 Paul Santerre –
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Toronto, Ontario

The event will be streamed on Facebook Live starting at 6 p.m. (EDT) at ** Facebook.com/GGInnovation ** .

For more information about the awards, visit ** https://innovation.gg.ca ** ** . ** ** RECIPIENTS’ CITATIONS **

** Marie-Odile Junker ** Ottawa, Ontario

Marie-Odile Junker has been a pioneer with respect to endangered Aboriginal languages in Canada, exploring how information and communication technologies can be used to preserve these languages. She has also brought together numerous speaker communities by using a participatory-action research framework that has resulted in the creation of several collaborative websites, including the Algonquian Linguistic Atlas and its online dictionaries. _ Nominated by the _ _ Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences _ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn8WH--fNXY

** David Brown ** Island View, New Brunswick

David Brown founded MyCodev Group in order to resolve a lack of supply of chitosan, a valuable pharmaceutical ingredient that is essential in a wide variety of medical devices and drugs. Mr. Brown’s innovative technology produces chitosan directly from a fungal fermentation, a process that uses very little energy or chemicals. Mycodev Group is only four years old and is selling its chitosan to major pharmaceutical and medical device companies around the world. _ Nominated by _ _ Futurpreneur Canada _

** Patricia Lingley-Pottie and Patrick McGrath ** Halifax, Nova Scotia

Patricia Lingley-Pottie and Patrick McGrath are the creators of the Strongest Families Institute, a non-profit organization that delivers evidence-based programs to children, youth and families through a unique distance-delivery system. Using proprietary software technology, trained coaches are able to connect with users by phone or via the Internet, thus allowing families greater flexibility when accessing mental health services. The programs address common mental health problems and other issues impacting overall health and well-being. _ Nominated by the _ _ Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation _

** Bonnie Mallard ** Guelph, Ontario

Bonnie Mallard created the High Immune Response Technology (HIR), which manages livestock health through genetic identification. This sustainable and efficient approach was designed to meet consumer expectations for healthy, non-GMO products while maintaining profitability and addressing global food demands. _ Nominated by Universities Canada _

** Audra Renyi ** Montréal, Quebec

Audra Renyi co-founded World Wide Hearing (WWH) Foundation, which uses affordable technology, market incentives and rapid training to help underprivileged people affected by hearing loss. Ms. Renyi is also the founder and CEO of earAccess, a social enterprise that aims to cut the price of hearing aids by 75 per cent. earAccess uses innovative distribution models to ensure hearing aids and related services are available to those who need them the most. _ Nominated by _ _ Grand Challenges Canada _

** Paul Santerre ** Toronto, Ontario

Paul Santerre invented Endexo technology, a unique compound of surface-modifying macromolecules that are added to plastics during the manufacturing process of medical devices. The special coating helps reduce clotting when the devices are used to treat patients, reducing the risk of adverse reactions and potentially deadly complications. Now being used in commercialized products in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, Endexo is helping to improve treatment outcomes for thousands of patients. _ Nominated by the Ernest C. Manning Awards Foundation _