GUYANA-born Dr Vernon Singhroy, a graduate of Berbice High School, is the 2011 recipient of the Gold Medal Award from the Canadian Remote Sensing Society and the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute. The Chief Scientist at the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing in Ottawa, a Canadian Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications, Dr Singhroy is also Professor in Earth Observation at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, and Adjunct Professor in Earth and Planetary Sciences at the universities of New Brunswick and McMaster in Canada.
He’s also principal scientist of the billion-dollar RADARSAT Constellation Mission that will be launched into space in 2014, the satellite radar images from which will be used for maritime surveillance, ecosystem monitoring and disaster management.
The Gold Medal Award was introduced in 1986 to recognize significant long-term contributions to the field of remote sensing in Canada, and is the highest award granted by the Canadian Remote Sensing Society (CRSS) for excellence in remote sensing.
Dr Singhroy joins gold medalists as pioneers and leaders in Space Science for his sterling  contribution to Canada and the world at large in the field of remote sensing and CRSS programming, and prior to that to the private sector, academia, and in service to provincial government.
Since 1990, he’s been lead scientist in applications development for remote sensing at the Ottawa-based CRSS, and in addition to leading one of the most successful and prolific remote sensing research teams in the world, Dr Singhroy has taken on advisory roles related to management of science in government, mentoring of younger scientists, and providing strategic advice.
“Our community is also grateful for the leadership you provided to the Canadian Remote Sensing Society as Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing from 1993 to 1997,” said Prof Monique Bernier, President of the Canadian Remote Sensing Society.
Dr Singhroy also received the Special Achievement Guyana Awards (Canada) in 2008. The Guyana Awards (Canada) recognize the outstanding achievements of distinguished individuals and organizations in the Guyanese-Canadian community, and their sterling contribution to the promotion and development of Guyana.