UPEI’s Dr. Xander Wang receives national award for significant contributions to civil engineering
Dr. Xiuquan (Xander) Wang, associate professor and director of the Climate Smart Lab at UPEI’s Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation, is the recipient of the E. Whitman Wright Award for Excellence in Information Technology in Civil Engineering from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE). The award was presented during the CSCE’s annual conference in Moncton, New Brunswick, May 24–27, 2023.
The E. Whitman Wright Award is awarded annually to an engineer for outstanding work in information technology (IT) in civil engineering. The award is meant to recognize such engineers who have made a significant contribution in the advancement of application of IT in civil engineering. Areas of significant contribution include one or more of the following categories: original research, significant development, innovative application, and outstanding teaching.
Dr. Aitazaz Farooque, associate dean, UPEI School of Climate Change and Adaptation said this national award is a testament to the significant contributions Wang has made to the civil engineering profession at home and around the globe.
“Dr. Wang’s extensive body of work in developing technology to support climate change and adaptation here on PEI, and also world-wide, is far-reaching and highly commendable,” said Farooque.
Wang is internationally recognized for his pioneering research in high-resolution regional climate modeling, statistical climate downscaling, and flood modeling. He has developed many well-known and widely used software tools such as the Climate Change Data Portal (CCDP), including Canada CCDP: http://canadaccdp.ca, China CCDP: http://chinaccdp.org, Prairie CCDP: http://prairieccdp.ca, and Ontario CCDP: http://ontarioccdp.ca.
Since he joined UPEI in 2018, Wang has worked with local industries and organizations to develop several web-based tools to support climate change impact assessment and adaptation across PEI, such as PEI Weather and Climate App (https://weather.peiclimate.ca), PEI Climate Atlas App (https://atlas.peiclimate.ca), PEI Storm Surge Early Warning System (https://pssews.peiclimate.ca), and PEI Climate Diary App (https://diary.peiclimate.ca).
Dr. Greg Naterer, vice-president academic and research at UPEI, said, “Dr. Wang has made exceptional research contributions that have raised the profile of the Canadian Centre for Climate Change and Adaptation, nationally and internationally. He is a respected leader in his field and most deserving of this CSCE award.”
The CSCE was founded in 1887 and is one of the oldest societies in Canada. It is a not-for-profit learned society created to develop and maintain high standards of civil engineering practice in Canada and to enhance the public image of the civil engineering profession.
