A love of science quantized: Honours Fest awards

May 3, 2021

Alf Wilson, Faculty of Science

A decade of Honours Fest scholarships—and counting!

In March UVic Science held the 10th annual Honours Fest: our celebration of excellence in undergraduate research. Honours Fest award prizes have been made possible by generous donations from engineer Dr. Fritz Boehm.

Throughout his career Boehm has maintained a keen interest in Science.

Science is without question the basis for most of the achievements we humans have made over the few millennia of our existence.
—Fritz Boehm, PhD

“Being it for conscious or unconscious experiments, which led to the making of fire or the detection of the first metals… science was the basis for these discoveries,” says Boehm.

He is also well aware of the modern struggles facing human civilization and the solutions that science might provide.

“And today science is, maybe, even more important for a world which is overpopulated, has more and more need for solutions to feed its people, provide clean water, energy and avoid huge environmental problems which clearly lay ahead for present and future generations.”

Boehm's love of science and desire to encourage young scientists led him to establish our annual Honours Fest scholarships.

“I was interested in science most of my adult life, even though my profession allowed me only to 'sniff' a bit at the edges of it. My interests today are in the fields of physics, astronomy and particle science. While I might struggle to understand some aspects of research papers, it is fun to follow new discoveries!”

Dr. Boehm expresses his gratitude for his past prospects by enthusiastically boosting undergraduate scientists.

“I was somewhat lucky, had a great professional life as an engineer (mining, oil and gas). Canada gave me opportunities, which I am very thankful for” explains Boehm. “This award should encourage young students to continue to explore, to think freely and to help make our world sustainable for a long time to come.”

Where does he hope these prizes might lead? Boehm is happy to dream big.

“My family congratulates all students who have received and will receive our award in the coming years. Maybe one day we will read that a Nobel Prize winner was the recipient of our award while a UVic student,” enthuses Boehm. “Who knows? So go for it: Be inspired! Be inquisitive! Be courageous! Think! Explore! Experiment! Then, hopefully, the last item you often also need for success will come: A quantum of Luck!”