Jack and Donna Wieb Biology Award

The Jack and Donna Wieb Biology Award will be awarded annually to two students enrolled in the Honours Bachelor of Science (HBSc) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) program majoring in Biology on the basis of academic merit and financial need.

Award Background

Jack was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario, in 1931. His parents were emigres from Ukraine in the late 1920’s who then met in Thunder Bay. After graduating Grade 13, Jack attended Lakehead University in
the late 1950’s for a few years when it was still known as Lakehead Technical Institute. After which he worked in Thunder Bay for a few years.

In 1958 he enrolled at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he met Donna. Jack earned his BSC in the Biological Sciences in 1960 and his master’s degree in microbiology in 1962 from the University of South Dakota in Yankton. Donna earned her BSC in Medical Technology from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 1962 and the two married that year.

While Jack continued his studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in Entomology with the intention of earning his PhD he did not attain that goal. However, he remained interested in science all
of his life and in his later years he particularly enjoyed Nuclear Physics books. Following his passing in 2015, Donna established this Award to honour their commitment to lifelong
learning and science and to help others with their pursuits in the field of Biological Science.