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Margaret-Ann Armour

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Margaret-Ann Armour, PhD. (6 Spet 1939-25 May 2019) was a chemistry professor at the University of Alberta. She is best known for expertise in developing guidelines for hazardous lab waste disposal, and for being a vocal advocate for women in science. Armour founded the Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology (WISEST) program, and served as the first and only University of Alberta’s Associate Dean of Science for Diversity. She was named as a member of the Order of Canada (2006), a 3M Teaching Fellow (1996) and a Canada 150 ambassador (2017).

Margaret-Ann Armour
Born6 September 1939
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Died25 May 2019
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh University of Alberta
Known forHazardous Waste Disposal Advocacy for Women In Science
AwardsOrder of Canada (2006)

3M Teaching Fellow (1996)

Canada 150 Ambassador (2017)

Early life and education

On September 6, 1939, Armour was born in Glasgow, Scotland, U.K..[1][2] Her father passed away during World War II.[2] She was raised by her a mother (a teacher). Armour and her mother lived in a town between Dundee and Aberdeen, before moving to Penicuik, where Armour attended the local Lasswade school.[2] Her natural curiosity for science was fostered there by her chemistry teacher Pop Davidson.[2] Armour went on to pursue a Bachelor of Science at the University of Edinburgh, then spent five years working as research chemist in the paper-making industry at Penicuik, where her research into finding different paper coatings resulted in Armour being awarded a Master's of Science from the University of Edinburgh.[1][2][3]

In 1970, Armour completed her PhD in organic chemistry at the University of Alberta in Canada (1970).[1][2][3] She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Edinburgh, under the supervision of John Cadogan.[2]

Career

In 1979, Armour joined the University of Alberta's Department of Chemistry, where she was one of the few female professors in the university's Faculty of Science.[1][3][4][5] Armour supervised undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory courses.[2][5] Her research explored how to dispose of dangerous waste, where she published guidelines, including the Hazardous Laboratory Chemicals Disposal Guide.[2]

In 1982, Armour was leading a committee to explore how to increase the number of women in science, which led her to found the Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology (WISEST) program.[1][2][4] WISEST initiatives seek to create awareness and break down barriers to promote diversity in the STEM fields through engagement, education and application.[2][6] WISEST's efforts have been recognized by various awards, including a Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion (1994), the Royal Society of Canada's McNeil Medal, and Alberta Science and Technology Awards Foundation's Excellence in Science and Technology Public Awareness Prize (1996).[3][5][7]

Armour served as the Assistant Chair of the Department of Chemistry (1989-2005) before serving as the University of Alberta’s Associate Dean of Science for Diversity.[4][5] Armour is the first and only person to serve as the Associate Dean of Science for Diversity in the university.[4] In this position, Armour developed Project Catalyst (a program to increase the representation of women in faculty positions within the University of Alberta's Faculty of Science).[1][3]

On April 6 2006, Armour was named a member of the Order of Canada.[1][8] Among her many awards, she has notably been recognized as a 3M Teaching Fellow (1996), one of the 100 Edmontonians of the Century and a Canada 150 ambassador by the Government of Canada.[3][4][5][7][9] Armour has previously been recognized in Maclean's Ten Canadians Making a Difference list (2003), in the Who's Who of Canadian Women 1999-2000 book, and twice in Women's Executive Network's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada.[3][10][11] She has received honorary degrees from multiple universities, including the University of British Columbia, the University of Edinburgh, MacEwan University, and Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador.[3]

Armour has previously served as a chair for the the Canadian Coalition of Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT).[5] In 2010, Armour established the Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (WinSETT Centre), where she served as president of the board.[3][5]

In September 2016, a 600-student large K-9 public school in Ambleside (an Edmonton neighbourhood) was named after Armour (titled the Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour Edmonton Public School).[1][12][13][14][15] The school has since exceeded capacity.[13] In addition, the University of Alberta’s Working for Inclusivity in Chemistry group has launched a student-led speaker series in her name (Margaret-Ann Armour Lecture Series).[3]

Armour (aged 79) passed away on 25th May 2019.[1] One day before her death (24th May 2019), Armour received an honorary degree from the Concordia University of Edmonton.[1][9]

Selected Awards

  • University of Alberta's Academic Women's Award (1995)[7]
  • 3M Teaching Fellow (1996)[7]
  • CITV Woman of Vision (1998)[7]
  • University of Alberta Board of Governor’s Award of Distinction (1999)[7]
  • Maclean's Ten Canadians Making a Difference list (2003)[5]
  • Women's Executive Network's Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada[5]
  • American Chemical Society Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences (2004)[5]
  • University of Alberta Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award (2004)[15]
  • Edmontonian of the Century[5][15]
  • Chemical Institute of Canada's Montreal Medal[5]
  • Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case[5]
  • Order of Canada (2006)[1][8]
  • Canada 150 ambassador by the Government of Canada (2017)[9]

Selected Bibliography

  • Margaret-Ann Armour. Chemical waste management and disposal. Journal of Chemical Education. 1988.
  • Tadashi Hanaya, Akihiko Miyoshi, Ayashi Noguchi, Heizan Kawamoto, Margaret-Ann Armour, Alan M. Hogg, Hiroshi Yamamoto. A Convenient Synthesis of (2R)-1-Amino-1-Deoxy-1-Phosphinylglycerols. Bulletin of the Chemical Society of Japan. 1990.
  • Tadashi Hanaya,  Ryuji Okamoto,  Yurij V. Prikhod'ko,  Margaret-Ann Armour,  Alan M. Hogg  and  Hiroshi Yamamoto . Synthesis of 6-deoxy-6-phenylphosphonoyl-D-fructopyranoses: the first phosphorus-in-the-ring analogues of a ketose. Journal of the Chemical Society. 1993.
  • Margaret-Ann Armour. Hazardous Laboratory Chemicals Disposal Guide. 2003. Book. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN: 9780429140754. [16]
  • MH Wong, MA Armour, R Naidu, M Man. Persistent toxic substances: Sources, fates and effects. 2012. Review. Reviews on Environmental Health.
  • Margaret-Ann Armour. Building on Success: Increasing the Percentage of Women Faculty in the Sciences. Proceedings of the 12th CCWESTT conference. 2008
  • Madill, Helen M.; Campbell, Rachel G.; Cullen, Dallas M.; Armour, Margaret-Ann; Einsiedel, Albert A.; Ciccocioppo, Anna-Lisa; Sherman, Jody; Stewin, Leonard L.; Varnhagen, Stanley; Montgomerie, T. Craig; Rothwell, Cynthia J.; Coffin, Wendy L.. Developing career commitment in STEM-related fields: myth versus reality. Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics: Upping the Numbers. Edited by Ronald J. Burke, Mary C. Mattis and Edward Elgar. ISBN-13 978-1-84542-888-4. Published by Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc., Northampton, MA, USA, 2007, p.210.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "University mourns loss of passionate promoter of women in science and tech". University mourns loss of passionate promoter of women in science and tech. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Armour, Dr. Margaret-Ann – ASTech Foundation". Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Margaret-Ann Armour Lecture Series | Faculty of Science". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Margaret-Ann Armour: the champion | University of Alberta". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "WXN Award Winners | Women Executives | Executive | Financial Post". www.financialpost.com. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  6. ^ "Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science, and Technology | University of Alberta". www.ualberta.ca. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Margaret-Ann Armour (1996) | 3M National Teaching and Learning Fellows". Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  8. ^ a b General, Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "Ms. Margaret-Ann Armour, C.M." The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  9. ^ a b c "Convocation 2019". Concordia University of Edmonton. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  10. ^ Who's who of Canadian women, 1999. Holmes, Gillian. (9th ed ed.). Toronto, Ont.: University of Toronto Press. 1998. ISBN 9781442683457. OCLC 288093315. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. ^ Network, Pamela Jeffery, Founder, Women's Executive (2010-12-06). "Top 100 Canada's Most Powerful Women". ISSN 1486-8008. Retrieved 2019-05-26.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "New Edmonton school to be named after former councillor Michael Phair - Edmonton | Globalnews.ca". globalnews.ca. 2015-06-22. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  13. ^ a b October 15, Janet French Updated:; 2018 (2018-10-15). "Edmonton public school enrolment tops 100,000 students | Edmonton Journal". Retrieved 2019-05-26. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ August 24, Janet French Updated:; 2016 (2016-08-25). "St. John XXIII Catholic school set to open in Windermere | Edmonton Journal". Retrieved 2019-05-26. {{cite web}}: |last2= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ a b c "School Profile". margaretannarmour.epsb.ca. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  16. ^ Armour, M. A. (Margaret-Ann) (2017). Hazardous laboratory chemicals disposal guide (Third edition ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN 9780429140754. OCLC 1080588174. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  17. ^ Women and minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics : upping the numbers. Burke, Ronald J., Mattis, Mary C. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar. 2007. ISBN 9781845428884. OCLC 123485357.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)


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