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A Ryerson dean and professor have been elected fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (CAE), one of the highest academic honours for Canadian engineers.

Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Science dean Mohamed Lachemi and civil engineering professor Said Easa were inducted as fellows at CAE's annual general meeting recently in Vancouver. They were nominated for their pioneering research and significant contributions to the profession.

"Ryerson is extremely fortunate to count such distinguished researchers as members of its community," said Alan Shepard, provost and vice president academic. "Mohamed and Said have had a prominent impact on Canadian engineering. This well-deserved recognition demonstrates their tremendous intellectual curiosity and commitment to academic excellence."

Lachemi is an internationally respected researcher and expert in the use of high-performance concrete. He is recognized for his significant research contributions toward reducing global environmental impacts of the construction industry through the development of high-performance materials and innovative construction technologies. His studies have led to several industrial applications, more than 140 peer-reviewed technical publications and the training of more than 50 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. He has also been involved in numerous collaborative industrial projects, including an international initiative leading to the construction of the world's first reactive powder concrete structure.

Easa has been widely recognized for his research on road safety. His research on 3D highway design has resulted in new and improved guidelines for the geometric design of intersections, roundabouts, highway curves and railway crossings. He has published nearly 200 papers in refereed journals, led several national and international conferences, was editor of a best-selling book on geographic information systems and served as associate editor of several journals. He is the recipient of numerous best-paper and lifetime achievement awards from Canadian and U.S. organizations recognizing 28 years of distinguished contributions to teaching and research.

Members of the Academy are nominated and elected by their peers to honorary fellowships, in view of their distinguished achievements and career-long service to the engineering profession. Fellows of the Academy are committed to ensuring that Canada's engineering expertise is applied to the benefit of all Canadians.

Lachemi and Easa join three other Ryerson engineering professors who have become fellows of CAE while at Ryerson: Ling Guan; Ravi Ravindran, past president of CAE; and Bin Wu.

CAE is the national institution through which the nation's most distinguished and experienced engineers provide strategic advice on matters of critical importance to Canada. The CAE presently has 346 active members.