NASA astronaut Dr. Andrew Feustel is this year’s recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award, the highest honour bestowed by the Queen’s University Alumni Association.
Dr. Feustel, who earned a PhD in geological sciences from Queen’s in 1995, is one of several alumni who was honoured at the QUAA Alumni Awards Gala on Saturday, March 28 at the Isabel Centre for the Performing Arts.
Dr. Feustel took part in two space shuttle missions. In 2009, he performed three space walks and helped fix the Hubble Space Telescope. In 2011, he was on Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final mission that spent nearly a month in space at the International Space Station.
The QUAA also recognized Troy McAllister, Artsci/PHE’03 at this year’s Gala, who was honoured with the Alumni Mentorship Award. The former Queen’s football player has garnered a lot of media attention – including profiles in the National Post and Sports Illustrated– for his work rebuilding the Wendell Phillips high school football team, a program that was in jeopardy of termination along with the troubled Chicago inner-city school it represented.
“This year's award recipients have represented Queen's proudly. They are leaders in their communities, across Canada and literally around the globe. Queen's is what it is today because of these amazing alumni,” says QUAA president George M. Jackson, Artsci’85 – who will also be at the Gala event this weekend as master of ceremonies.
Other recipients being honoured are:
• Alumni Humanitarian Award: Queen's Players Toronto (Peter Higgins, Artsci'03; Don Duval, Artsci'99; Paul Levia, Artsci'97, MIR'98; Tim Evans, Com'99; Michael Payne, Sc'99, Ed'00)
• Herbert J. Hamilton Award: Kellogg Ngai, Artsci’97
• Alumni Award for Excellence in Teaching: Catherine Donnelly, Rehab'95, PhD'13 School of Rehabilitation
Therapy
• One to Watch Award: Matthew Lato, Sc'06, PhD'10
• Outstanding Student Award: Nick Francis, Artsci'14
• Branch Rising Star Award: Melissa Pogue, Artsci’09 (Toronto Branch)
• Branch Marsha Lampman Award: Jeremy Mosher, Artsci’08
• QSAA Volunteer of Distinction Award: Ekaterina Manoilenko, Artsci’15
• Branch Event of the Year: Shakers and Stirrers (Ottawa Branch)
