Tuesday 5 January 2021

MetSoc Hydrometallurgy Scholarship Honours Prof. Fathi Habashi

Professor Fathi Habashi, Emeritus Professor of Extractive Metallurgy at Laval University, Canada is one of our profession's most prolific scribes, so it is strange not to see him listed in the Mining & Metallurgy group in the listing of the world's top 2% cited scientists. He does appear in the overall list, however, but strangely in the group Materials, and I am sure there are many other such anomalies.

I have known Fathi for many years, meeting regularly in USA for the SME Annual Meetings, but the last time I saw him was four years ago in Quebec City, where he kindly showed Barbara and me around the Laval University campus (posting of 10 September 2016). I was amazed to see that a whole section of bookshelves in the university library was devoted to his publications, many books and journal papers.


Fathi's involvement with students is particularly worthy of note, as at the age of 92, he continues to mentor aspiring professionals and encourage Canadian undergraduate students to pursue hydrometallurgy. It is for this reason that Metsoc's Hydrometallurgy Section chose to honour Prof. Habashi by naming one of its undergraduate awards after him, and the 2020 recipient of the Fathi Habashi Scholarship is Ahmed Kabil

Ahmed is a fourth-year chemical engineering student at the University of Toronto and his research focused on various methods for the removal of phosphorous and arsenic from aqueous effluents. Kabil, along with every future recipient of the award, will receive a certificate which includes a citation recognizing Prof. Habashi.

2 comments:

  1. Great to see the ongoing engagement and mentoring. All too often the knowledge and skills pass to vacuum as this does not happen. Failing to our knowledge and skills on condemns those joining the profession to re-invention. It's so much more difficult not to stand on the shoulders of giants.

    Great to see the award & congratulations to Ahmed.

    Thanks,
    Bob

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  2. Not a lot of people know this but Fathi spent a few years teaching at MT Tech in 1966-1967. I wish my time here would have overlapped with him but I didnt start here until 1993. I have had the fortune to cross paths with Fathi at a variety of meetings and even take the time to call him on the phone. He is a pleasure to meet and talk to. His students are lucky to have him - such a wealth of knowledge - like a walking encyclopedia of metallurgy! Kudos to you Fathi!

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