Head and shoulders image of Robert W. Besant, professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Bio/Historical Note: Robert Walter Besant was born 5 February 1935 in Winnipeg and graduated from the University of Manitoba with his BSc Eng in 1957. He spent time at NRC in Ottawa on his way to graduate studies at Princeton University, earning his MSE in 1959. Besant joined the faculty of University of Saskatchewan in 1960 and began a distinguished career of teaching and research, producing over three hundred refereed publications, plus many other technical reports, international conference presentations, seminars and invited talks. In 1991 he was named "Engineer of the Year" by the Saskatoon Engineering Society and honoured with an award of merit by the Canadian Housing Design Council. Besant served on the board of directors and was a founding member of the Saskatchewan Energy Conservation and Development Authority. Besant served 11 years as head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and during that decade was able to increase the number of graduate students in the college from ten to ninety. In 1999 he was honoured with the University of Saskatchewan Distinguished Research Award. In 2006 Besant became a Canadian Academy Engineering Fellow. Over the years he was granted several ASHRAE technical paper awards. In 2015 Besant and Dr. Carey Simonson were recipients of a Synergy award for innovation from NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) for collaboration with industry NORTEK (formerly Venmar CES Inc) at Rideau Hall in Ottawa as a model of effective partnership, receiving a $2000 grant plus a $30,000 grant to NORTEK for future collaborative research development. A devotee of Rachel Carson and her famous "Silent Spring" the deterioration of the environment and lost species became a major concern, and he added his support to most of the wildlife and environmental charitable foundations. Besant died 31 October 2021 in Calgary.