Teaching award recognizes Clayton Deutsch's impact on students and the engineering profession

APEGA Summit Award for Excellence in Education is presented for exemplary contributions to teaching and learning

26 April 2019

One of Engineering at Alberta's leading educators has been awarded the Excellence in Education Award from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta.

Clayton Deutsch, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering was presented with the award April 25 in recognition of his achievement in education. After spending almost two decades working in geostatistics, he has devoted the past 24 years to education. As an educator, his statistics are astounding: he has supervised more than 60 graduate students, mentored 530 postgraduate students, and taught 166 courses in Engineering at Alberta, and around the world.

With unparalleled enthusiasm and humour, Deutsch challenges his students to dive deeper, make connections, and devise innovative solutions. His average student rating is 4.92 out of 5, and many of his students have risen to great heights.

Several have become leaders at other institutions, including Pennsylvania State University and the China University of Geosciences, and one became the first female mining engineering professor in Canada.

"Clayton is a mentor for every aspect of life, and meeting him and having the opportunity to learn from such a brilliant and thoughtful individual was one of the greatest milestones in my life," said one student.

He is also a renowned researcher. Deutsch holds the Canada Research Chair in Natural resources Uncertainty Management and the prestigious Alberta Chamber of Resources Industry Chair in Mining Engineering. Deutsch's education influence extends well beyond the University of Alberta. He has developed and delivered short courses, workshops, and programs in numerous countries, including the United States, Chile, Brazil, Australia, and Mexico. As an external advisor, he has worked with international institutions to build curricula to meet specific goals.

With all of his successes, the accomplishments of his students is what matters most to Dr. Deutsch. In his own words, "Legacy is about the people."