Lakehead Geology Rocks The Rock
Two faculty members from the Department of Geology were honoured with awards at the joint annual meeting of the Geological Association of Canada) and the Mineralogical Association of Canada, held in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Assistant Professor Tobias Stephan was awarded the 2026 Elliot Best Paper Award by the Canadian Tectonics Group (CTG), a division of the Geological Association of Canada (GAC). The Elliot Best Paper Award recognizes an exceptional publication in the fields of tectonics and/or structural geology authored by a researcher at a Canadian institution or focused on a Canadian field area.
Dr. Stephan received the award for the paper “All Aligned on the Western Front of North America? Analyzing the Stress Field in the Northern Cordillera,” co-authored with Dr. Eva Enkelmann of the University of Calgary and published in the prominent journal Tectonics (Vol. 44, No. 9).The study was recognized by the selection committee “for its ambition, originality, and broad significance and received a unanimous endorsement from the reviewers.
With methodological innovation and rigor, the authors tackled a very large-scale problem and addressed major tectonic questions while also confronting apparent regional anomalies by examining stress field variations across the northern Cordilleran Orogen. Their work offers thoughtful new interpretations about the relationship between local structures and plate-scale stress fields. The combination of technical sophistication and scientific creativity makes the study both impactful and highly relevant to ongoing research in tectonics. In addition to receiving the Elliot Best Paper Award, Dr. Stephan was elected Secretary of the CTG Executive Committee, reflecting his growing leadership within the Canadian tectonics research community.
Dr. Andrew Conly, associate professor and chair of the Department of Geology, received the 2026 Leonard G. Berry Medal by the Mineralogical Association of Canada (MAC). Presented annually, the Leonard G. Berry Medal recognizes distinguished service to the association through leadership, long-term service in elected or appointed roles, and significant contributions that advance the mineral sciences in Canada or broaden the Canadian mineralogical perspective.
Dr. Conly was honoured for his longstanding commitment to MAC and his extensive record of service, including terms as Councillor (2010–2013), member of the Hawley Medal, student travel and research grant, and scholarship selection committees, and service on the Executive from 2018 to 2024. His contributions culminated in an extended term as President during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by significant challenges for professional and scientific organizations. The award citation highlighted Dr. Conly’s financial stewardship and leadership during this period, noting his role in implementing strategic deficit-reduction measures and sound fiscal management practices that helped position the association on a stable and sustainable financial footing as it emerged from the pandemic. The award reflects Dr. Conly's significant contributions to the mineral sciences community and his sustained leadership within one of Canada's leading scientific associations.