Science & Technology Awards

The Science Council of British Columbia established the B.C. Science and Technology Awards in 1980 to recognize outstanding achievements by B.C. scientists, engineers, industrial innovators and science communicators.

Thomas & Betts Photon Systems
Founded in 1991 by John Maycock, Thomas & Betts-Photon Systems designs and manufactures fibre optic equipment and systems for the telecommunications and cable television industries. In 1994, Photon began working with the University of British Columbia to help solve some problems with the company's new optical amplification system.

Mr. Maycock recognized that the collaboration with the University of B.C. was an important element in Photon's commercial success, and he wanted to encourage more industry/education partnerships that would help stimulate Canada's high tech industry and strengthen the pool of specialized knowledge available to employers.

The annual Science Council awards provided an opportunity for Photon to showcase its achievements, recognize the contribution of its employees, and get its story out to a wider audience.

Whalebone Productions prepared a successful, award-winning application package that identified the key elements of the collaboration and its significance to both Photon and the future of Canada's high tech sector.

As a result, John Maycock, founder and managing director of Thomas & Betts Photon received the Business/Education Partnership Award in recognition of the long-standing collaboration between Photon and the University of British Columbia. This was the first ever Business/Education Partnership Award granted in the 18-year history of the Science Council awards program. The company was featured in B.C.'s major daily newspapers and trade publications, and received industry-wide recognition for its achievements.

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