The Dennis Forgeron Award in Mechanical Engineering

The Dennis Forgeron Award in Mechanical Engineering

A new scholarship that will honour the memory of a deceased alumnus will be launched on Friday, May 18, by Memorial University’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.

The Dennis Forgeron Award in Mechanical Engineering will be introduced by members of the engineering faculty, including Dr. R. (Venky) Venkatesan, dean, pro tempore, as well as family and friends of Mr. Forgeron. The ceremony takes place at 2 p.m. in EN-4002 in the Engineering building. Members of the media are welcome to attend.

“On behalf of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, I wish to thank the family and friends of Dennis Forgeron for spearheading the creation of this new scholarship,” said Dr. Venkatesan. “Scholarships give our students something to work toward and offer much appreciated financial assistance for the young men and women in our faculty. We look forward to presenting the Dennis Forgeron Award in Mechanical Engineering to deserving students in the years to come.”                                                                               

Mr. Forgeron was a native of Sydney, N.S., who graduated from Memorial University with a mechanical engineering degree in 1991. He went on to enjoy a very successful career as a mechanical engineer, working both overseas and in Canada. In 1999 he established Forent Energy Ltd., a company with interests in natural gas in Calgary, Alta. He served as the company’s chief executive officer until he was killed in a plane crash in August 2010 near his hometown of Sydney.

Members of Mr. Forgeron’s family and his close friend Gary Karasek, who also earned an engineering degree from Memorial, have come to St. John’s to launch the Dennis Forgeron Award in Mechanical Engineering. They will also present a commissioned portrait of Mr. Forgeron that will be displayed in the senior mechanical project laboratory in the Engineering building.

“It is an honour to have this scholarship named after a Memorial engineering graduate who achieved wonderful success in the field of mechanical engineering throughout this career,” said Dr. Venkatesan. “The Dennis Forgeron Award in Mechanical Engineering will help us all pay tribute to the memory of Mr. Forgeron.”

University name: Memorial University of Newfoundland