For more than 125 years, the Governor General’s Academic Gold Medals have recognized the outstanding scholastic achievements of students in Canada. The prestigious medal is based solely on academic criteria. Three Western graduates are among recipients of the honour this year.
Tengyuan Zhang, PhD’18 (Mechanical and Materials Engineering)
Tengyuan Zhang completed his doctoral degree in mechanical and materials engineering in April with a completing average of 92 per cent. Acknowledged as one of the distinguished graduates of the Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhang continued his path of excellence at Western, winning the most prestigious of Canada’s doctoral awards – the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship from NSERC. Zhang is notable for innovative work with the fabrication of copper-based printed electronics, resulting in much higher-performing technology for much lower cost than is currently available on the market. His specialization in printed electronics is of great significance to the emerging Internet of things (IoT), AI-enabled manufacturing and the dynamic Industry 4.0 revolution taking place in Canada.
Zhang is currently a Research Scientist and Associate Director of Western’s Industry 4.0 Network (WIN 4.0).
Dante Capaldi, PhD’18 (Medical Biophysics) and MSc’18 (Clinical Medical Biophysics)
Dante Capaldi
Dante Capaldi completed his combined degree program (CAMPEP) in the Department of Medical Biophysics in April with a completing average of 92 per cent. Capaldi has been recognized for his outstanding academic talent with two Ontario Graduate Scholarships and a three-year federal NSERC Postgraduate Scholarship. Over the course of his doctorate, Capaldi conducted scholarly research that has led to novel technology developments supporting lung imaging that has the potential to improve disease management for patients. His work spans basic science, engineering and early clinical translation, and has resulted in high-impact publications in prestigious international journals.
Capaldi is a currently a medical physics resident and an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University in California.
Robert Wilson Koch, MESc’18 (Biomedical Engineering)
Robert Wilson Koch
Robert Koch completed his MESc in the interdisciplinary Biomedical Engineering program in August with a completing average of 93 per cent. His innovative thesis describes the invention of a novel simulator that addresses the demand for more refined training methods in hearing healthcare, specifically on probe placement in the ear canal. In recognition of his breakthrough work, Koch received the highest provincial and federal scholarships and caught the attention of a 3D printing company, Cimetrix Solutions Inc., that awarded him a scholarship for the duration of his master’s research. Two papers he published during the first year of his master’s program have already gained international attention.
Koch is the President and Founder of AHead Simulations Inc., based in London, Ont., a company that provides improved hearing healthcare through advanced simulators.
