The University of Lethbridge Senate is pleased to announce the first of its 2015 Honorary Degree recipients – fiber optics researcher and one of the world’s most accomplished female scientists, Dr. Xiaoyi Bao.
“Dr. Bao has an incredibly impressive research portfolio and her work has pushed Canada to the forefront of fiber optics study. All the while, she has been an outstanding mentor to young scientists and particularly young women considering careers in science,” says University of Lethbridge Chancellor Janice Varzari. “We are thrilled that she has accepted our offer of an Honorary Degree.”
The U of L will present Dr. Xiaoyi Bao with the degree of Doctor of Science, honouris causa, at the Spring 2015 Convocation Ceremony I on Thursday, May 28, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness. 
Dr. Xiaoyi Bao
One of the most accomplished and influential women in science, Xiaoyi Bao has made many important contributions to the field of fiber optics communications and fiber sensors, and provides outstanding mentorship to young scientists.
A world-renowned scholar in her field, Xiaoyi Bao is a well-grounded theoretician and experimentalist whose tenacity and aptitude enables her to makes miracles happen using optical fibers. Over the past quarter century, she has significantly advanced our understanding of fiber optics, and how to use this communication technology more effectively and efficiently.
A photonics professor at the University of Ottawa since 2000, Xiaoyi Bao is currently its Canada Research Chair in Fiber Optics and Photonics. Her research group has achieved many world records in fiber optics, and attracted almost $7 million in research funding in the last seven years alone. The discoveries that have emerged from her lab have led to numerous technologies and patents that have been transferred to companies worldwide.
Xiaoyi Bao is one of the world’s highest-achieving female scientists, and acts as an outstanding role model to young women considering careers in the sciences. She is an exceptional teacher who actively nurtures the early careers of aspiring and young scientists, and many of her students have gone on to enjoy successful careers in academia or industry.
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