Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure for me to rise today and welcome to Ottawa a very distinguished member of my Waterloo region community, Nobel laureate in physics Dr. Donna Strickland.
Last fall Professor Strickland, of the University of Waterloo, became the first Canadian woman and only the third woman in history to be awarded the Nobel Prize for physics.
Dr. Strickland was awarded the prize along with Dr. Gérard Mourou for her groundbreaking work as a Ph.D. student in developing chirped pulse amplification, a technique that allowed laser technology to surpass a fundamental barrier.
Dr. Strickland's work has paved the way toward the most intense laser pulses ever created. Most notably, it has corrected nearsightedness for millions of people through laser eye surgery.
She is an incredible role model for young people across the country, particularly young women who aspire to enter the STEM fields.
I ask all of my colleagues to join me in welcoming her here today.