Karen Messing Explained

Karen Messing
Birth Date:2 February 1943
Birth Place:Springfield, Massachusetts
Occupation:Academic
Nationality:Canadian
Subject:Ergomics and occupational health

Karen Messing (born 2 February 1943) is a Canadian geneticist and ergonomist. She is an emeritus professor in the biological sciences at the University of Quebec at Montreal.[1] She is known for her work on gender, environmental health and ergonomics. She was given the Jacques Rousseau Award in 1993, the Governor General's Award in 2009, and was named an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 27, 2019.

Career

Messing was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1943. She studied social sciences at Harvard before deciding to focus on science. She went to McGill University in Montreal where she studied biology, genetics and chemistry. She faced prejudice from colleagues because she was a single mother.

She began teaching at University of Quebec at Montreal in 1976 and two years later she was conducting research amongst phosphate workers. She knew of the potential and radioactivity and discovered that amongst six workers, four of them had children with birth defects like a club foot. She did manage to get dust extraction equipment installed but only on the proviso that the researchers left the factory. Messing reflects that this event focused her later work on occupational health.[2]

In 1990 she spent a year studying a toilet cleaner named Nina who walked 23 km every day as she cleaned toilets in 1–2 minutes. This work led to recommendations that were adopted and to her specializing in ergonomics and winning an award. She was given the Jacques Rousseau Award in 1993. This award recognises leading Canadians who are working across disciplines.[3]

Messing co-founded the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, Health, Society and the Environment (CINBIOSE) at her university.[4]

She has worked for thirty years to also increase opportunities for women. She chaired the committee that advises on gender and ergonomics at the International Association of Ergonomics.

Awards and recognition

Selected bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UQAM Répertoire des professeurs Karen Messing. professeurs.uqam.ca. fr-fr. 2017-08-23.
  2. Walter. Emmanuelle. Summer–Autumn 2015. Karen Messing, the woman who could walk through walls. HesaMag. 18–21.
  3. Web site: Prix Acfas Jacques-Rousseau. Acfas. fr. 2017-08-23.
  4. News: La professeure associée Karen Messing, lauréate du Prix du Gouverneur général en commémoration de l'affaire "personne" UQAM . fr . Actualités UQAM . 2017-08-23.
  5. Web site: Yant Award . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170818220824/https://www.aiha.org/get-involved/outreach/Pages/Yant-Award.aspx . 2017-08-18 . 2017-08-23 . www.aiha.org . en-us.
  6. Web site: Les lauréates du Prix Femmes de mérite . 2022-11-01 . Fondation Y des femmes de Montréal . fr-CA.
  7. Web site: Governor General Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case - Status of Women Canada . 2022-11-01 . cfc-swc.gc.ca.
  8. Web site: Canada . Women and Gender Equality . 2021-03-31 . Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case . 2022-11-01 . women-gender-equality.canada.ca.
  9. Web site: Prix Acfas Jacques-Rousseau . 2022-11-01 . Acfas . fr.

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