It’s no surprise that the searching never stops at a university. We search for answers, solutions and knowledge. And sometimes we search for something else altogether, like a chancellor.

In mid-October Canada’s federal election wrapped up with news of our very own Marc Garneau being elected as the Member of Parliament for Westmount-Ville Marie, and stepping down from the position of chancellor of Carleton. Garneau was the university’s ninth chancellor and saw seven new buildings added to the campus and graduation rates increase by more than 10 per cent.

“Carleton University has been most fortunate to benefit from Chancellor Garneau’s gracious, elegant and thoughtful leadership. Students and their families have been honoured by his personal warmth at convocations,” says Roseann O’Reilly Runte, president and vice-chancellor. “The board has benefited by his wise words and faculty and staff have been inspired by his participation in the life of the university community.”

With this news, the search for a new chancellor began. A committee comprised of members of the board of governors and the university senate found the perfect fit for Carleton’s 10th chancellor in the Right Honourable Herb Gray, former deputy prime minister and current Canadian chair of the International Joint Commission.

The announcement was made on November 28, 2008. “Carleton’s board of governors is thrilled that the Right Honourable Herb Gray has accepted our invitation to be chancellor,” says Jacques Shore, chair of Carleton’s board of governors. “His willingness to serve Carleton in this way brings us distinction and honour. Mr. Gray’s remarkable career in public service makes him one of our nation’s most senior statesmen. We will greatly benefit from his insights and outstanding experience.”

Runte says that she was sure the entire campus community would be delighted to welcome Gray and that he “will inspire us all by his wisdom and example as we dedicate ourselves to engaging with the international community to contribute to assist in solving Canada’s and the world’s problems.”

Gray, the longest continuously serving Member of Parliament in Canadian history, was first elected to Parliament in 1962. He was re-elected in 12 subsequent federal elections—a record for consecutive victories in the same riding—and served 39 years, six months and 26 days, an unequaled record for continuous days of service in the House of Commons. Gray worked extensively as a minister and as an MP in parliamentary affairs, economic and industrial development, foreign investment, finance, consumer protection, competition, international trade, federal law enforcement, the environment and climate change, and Canada-US border issues. In 1997, he was appointed deputy prime minister. In 2002, he was awarded the title “Right Honourable” by the Governor General in recognition of his distinguished and record-setting contribution to Canadian political life.

Gray, a companion of the Order of Canada, indicated his pleasure at serving a dynamic, innovative university where sustainability and international relations are core areas of study. He stated that he was pleased to follow in the stellar tradition of chancellors who volunteer on behalf of their institutions and work to inspire young scholars as they enter a world of change.

One such young scholar is Alysia Garmulewicz who won a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. Garmulewicz plans to attend Oxford University in fall 2009 to pursue a master’s of philosophy in geography and the environment. Until then, she will finish her degree in directed interdisciplinary studies, focusing on climate change and sustainability, at Carleton.

Garmulewicz is dedicated to making a difference in the world on environmental issues. She is organizing the World Changing Careers symposium on youth careers in sustainability in July 2009. For her entry in the 2007 Next Great Prime Minister contest, she produced a video in which she outlined her vision for Canada and beat out more than 300 people to become a finalist.

In 2006, she won the Canadian environment award sponsored by Canadian Geographic and in 2005—in addition to receiving Environment Canada’s Cambio Merit scholarship—she organized the Canadian Youth Climate Conference at the age of 17. “I first became passionate about climate change on an expedition to Antarctic in 2002, when I was 15,” she says. “Growing up with a very supportive environmental family was a catalyst that led me to organize the conference.”

Carleton’s previous Rhodes Scholarship recipients include: Michael Urban, MA/07; Shona Brown, BEng/87; Bernard Hibbitts, MA/81; and Boudewyn van Oort, BScHons/61.

There is no doubt that Carleton’s bright young scholars will go on to make vast contributions to the world as they search for answers. But we can’t overlook Carleton’s faculty and researchers who are continually looking for solutions to real-world problems. In October, the Ontario government announced funding totalling $649,000 for five Carleton researchers.

Alex Ellery, Canada Research Chair in space robotics and space technology, plans to build a robotic arm and hand that will mimic our muscles. He will also design robotic legs and develop techniques to ensure that robots can function effectively in harsh conditions at zero- or low-gravity environments.

Kevin Graham, assistant professor in physics, is part of the team at Carleton helping to unveil the secrets of the universe by researching the properties of sub-atomic particles at SNOLAB. The funds will help develop a time projection chamber technology with the aim of discovering new neutrino properties.

David Asner, assistant professor in physics, is part of the Carleton team working on the ATLAS experiment in Switzerland on the concept of mass to solve mysteries about the nature of matter and the forces that shape our universe. Asner will use funds to equip a laboratory at the university to research an upgrade of the ATLAS detector.

Jeffrey Manthorpe, assistant professor of synthetic organic chemistry, is developing ways to use sulphur to construct organic molecules. Manthorpe’s research will lead to the development of synthetic medicines and agrochemicals to improve crop yields.

The fact that insects don’t fly according to conventional aerodynamic theory fascinates Jeff Dawson, assistant professor of biology, who will use his funds to create a research facility to study insect flight. Using real insects, model wings and flapping devices, Dawson is investigating wing movement, wing shape and the tricks insects use to stay in the air. His research could lead to the development of small, autonomous flying vehicles for search and rescue, surveillance and even space exploration.

In December, the Canada Foundation for Innovation granted $623,959 to five more research projects.

Ian Beausoleil-Morrison, Canada Research Chair in the modeling and simulation of innovative energy systems for residential buildings, plans to help reduce greenhouse gases through the emerging concept of household micro-cogeneration.

By understanding the causes and consequences of problematic gambling, Michael Wohl, assistant professor in psychology, aims to enhance the quality of life for Canadians who engage in problematic play. The Carleton University Gambling Lab will provide the infrastructure needed to study the facilitation and maintenance of problematic gambling as well as prevention and intervention initiatives.

Tong Xu, assistant professor of physics, is developing techniques to improve the delivery accuracy of radiation therapy, especially for lung cancer patients. Xu’s techniques can provide direct measurement of tumour location in real-time. The development and commercialization of these techniques would significantly improve radiation therapy.

Assistant professor in linguistics, Masako Hirotani’s research advances understanding of the human language processing mechanism. It brings together experimental techniques and knowledge from linguistics, psychology and neuroscience.

In the Advanced Lab for Heterogeneous Communication Networks, F. Richard Yu, assistant professor, information technology, will break down the barriers between different communication networks by providing a unique integrated capability for heterogeneous networks. This lab will act as a focal point for collaborations between Carleton and industry.

At Carleton, from chancellors to students to faculty and staff, the task eternal is an eternal search.