Kim Pressnail (CivE) receives CMHC Excellence in Education Award

By Carolyn Farrell

Civil Engineering Professor Kim Pressnail has been awarded the 2009 Excellence in Education Award for the Promotion of Sustainable Practices by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). This award recognizes educators who have integrated sustainable concepts in housing and community development into the academic curriculum.

Professor Pressnail was instrumental in redesigning the Department of Civil Engineering’s curriculum to integrate and emphasize sustainability concepts. He developed a new course entitled “Sustainable Building Design,” which focuses on reducing the environmental impact of buildings, and led the development of a certificate program in Building Science at the School of Continuing Studies. He also created and implemented a program known as "The Promise", an agreement to protect the rights of future generations signed by 25% of CivE’s 2009 graduating class.  

“Professor Pressnail has shown an extraordinary dedication not just to excellence in teaching but to creating a generation of engineers committed to sustainable practices,” said Cristina Amon, Dean, Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. “He is an inspiring example to all engineering educators.” 

The CMHC will honour Professor Pressnail in an as-yet unscheduled ceremony in the coming months.