2008 John P. McGovern Science and Society Award
Robert Boily of Laval, Quebec, Canada, is president and founder of Inforex, a Canadian company specializing in research, analysis, interpretation and communication of science and technology intelligence. The company has helped to push the limits of knowledge in several sectors such as medical imaging, biotechnologies, environment, defense technologies, energy, electronics, aerospace and advanced materials. Boily's career spans over 30 years at the forefront of science and technology. A researcher, analyst and communicator of international science and technology, he is also an important catalyst of research and innovation and a senior consultant providing S&T Intelligence to government, research laboratories, industry and academia in the fields of aerospace, biotechnology, nanotechnology, energy, chemicals, life sciences, advanced materials, medical imaging, robotics, environment, photonics, pharmaceuticals and electronics, to name a few. He has conducted more than 700 science and technology knowledge projects, supporting scientific research initiatives totaling over $350 million dollars and leading to several important discoveries and innovations. Because he communicates science to decision-makers having the authority to make things happen, hundreds of science and technology projects have been successfully launched or completed, many of them having important consequences for our future, especially in the sectors of health, energy and environment. His many honors and awards include fellowship in the Royal Society of Arts, the World Academy of Art and Science, the World Innovation Foundation and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. A member of Sigma Xi, Boily is also a life member of the Royal Canadian Institute for the Advancement of Science and a member of the Mensa Society. He has served on several boards and committees related to science, technology and research ethics, and is the only non-U.S. citizen to have received the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association Award for Meritorious Service.