Biology professor Dan Mennill’s research into avian acoustic communication has led him to develop new technologies for field observation that have changed how scientists look at — and listen to — birds. His work in behaviour ecology earned him the Faculty of Science Research Impact Award at a reception Friday to celebrate the accomplishments of faculty, staff and alumni.

Chemistry grad Pierre Beaumier, founder of Maxxam Analytics, president of CanAlt Health Laboratories and past president of the Association of the Chemical Profession of Ontario and the Canadian Society for Chemistry, received the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Among the awards to faculty and staff was the Roger Thibert Teaching Excellence Award, in recognition of full-time faculty who develop a learning-centred environment. This year’s recipients were Arunita Jaekel of computer science and Tanya Noel of biological sciences.

The event also marked a donation of canned goods to the student food bank. Of 789 non-perishable food items collected, 245 came from the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, making it the leader in total and on a per-capita basis, winning its employees a catered coffee break. Find a full list of the evening’s honorees on the science website.