Randall Findlay
Who: Randall Findlay
What: Gift to the School of Engineering
When: Wednesday, December 4, 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Where: Richard S. Hallisey Atrium, Engineering, Management and Education Building, and EME 0212 Laboratory
The Randall Findlay Laboratory will be dedicated in a special ceremony at UBC’s Okanagan campus on Wednesday, December 4, at 3 p.m.
Randall and Claudia Findlay have made a gift of $225,000 to the School of Engineering at UBC’s Okanagan campus. An alternative-energy laboratory at the School of Engineering will be named in honour of Randall Findlay. The gift includes $125,000 to establish the Randall and Claudia Findlay Bursary in Engineering Endowment Fund which will directly benefit students enrolled in the School of Engineering at UBC’s Okanagan campus. This endowment has been augmented with an additional $30,000 from an anonymous donor.
The Randall Findlay Laboratory investigates clean energy from renewable resources. It also houses the UBC Bioreactor Technology Group, led by Associate Professor Cigdem Eskicioglu, who leads research examining production of clean energy from common but unusual sources such as sewage sludge and wastewater.
Co-founder of Provident Energy Trust of Calgary, Findlay retired from his position as president in 2006. He is a UBC alumnus (BASc’73 CHEM), and has a longstanding, active relationship with the university. He became involved with the Faculty of Applied Sciences as a member of the Engineering Advisory Committee. Given his dedication to the university, Findlay was subsequently invited to join UBC’s start an evolution campaign cabinets in both Vancouver and the Okanagan.
“It took me several decades to realize that my UBC engineering degree was not only integral to my business career, but also significantly impacted how I have led my life,” says Findlay.
“This realization spurred me to want to help others on their educational journey. By means of the bursary, I can provide financial help. By funding a laboratory, I can help with the tools for advancing discovery and understanding. I consider it a privilege to be able to make a contribution to education at UBC,” says Findlay.
UBC Deputy-Vice Chancellor and Principal of the Okanagan campus Deborah Buszard says supporters like Randall and Claudia Findlay are essential in building strong university research programs.
“We have an ambitious research agenda at UBC,” says Buszard. “We could not achieve our goals without the generous support of benefactors like Randall and Claudia Findlay. We are extremely grateful for their contribution to our School of Engineering and also for the many hours Randall has devoted to our start an evolution campaign.”
Spiro Yannacopoulos, Associate Dean, School of Engineering says Findlay’s contribution benefits UBC in many ways.
“Our partnerships with industry leaders are vital for helping us to apply research by using knowledge and technology to solve real-life issues,” says Yannacopoulos. “Creating a bursary enables us to enroll gifted students who might otherwise not be able to afford a university education. We can also equip and enhance our laboratory facilities for our students to have the very best educational experience available.”
Findlay will be in attendance at the official naming ceremony on Wednesday, December 4 at 3 p.m. and will be available for interviews on Tuesday, December 3.
The start an evolution campaign has raised $70 million to date in the Okanagan.
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