The Ottawa Association for the Advancement of Learning was established to develop Carleton College. The College offered only evening classes in introductory university subjects. In 1942 courses in Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics, and Mathematics were given. At that time Grade XII was also first year university so many of these courses were taught in the evening by high school teachers but the more advanced courses were given by persons employed by the government in the various scientific labs in Ottawa. An example of this was Dr. F. J. Alcock of the Geological Survey of Canada. Holder of doctorate from the University of Wisconsin he later became Chief Curator of the Natural Museum of Canada. He maintained an association with Carleton for many years.
The Ottawa Association for the Advancement of Learning was incorporated and the Institute for Public Administration was established.
Beginning of day classes and full-time teaching in arts, science, journalism, and first-year engineering. Establishment of the Faculty of Arts and Science.
In 1946 Professor Lorne Richardson was hired in Mathematics and he became the first Director of Science Studies at Carleton. A graduate of McGill and Toronto he started teaching at the Royal Naval College in Victoria in 1911 and then went on to teach at RMC from 1922 to 1940 where in his latter years he was Director of Studies. During WWII he was Director of Naval Education at Naval HQ in Ottawa. He Joined Carleton as full Professor in 1946 at the age of 59. He remained on staff until he was 70 and was appointed as Carleton's first Professor Emeritus. Although retired he continued teaching until his death a year later. He was honoured by the students of his time as the faculty member who first organized the athletic program at the University.
The College committed itself to developing pass and four-year honours programs.
First undergraduate pass degrees in science awarded on May 31, 1949.
First honours degrees in arts and science awarded.
The Carleton College Act, 1952 was passed by the Ontario Legislature. This changed the corporate name to Carleton College and confirmed the college's power to grant degrees. The property for the Rideau River campus acquired.
The Carleton University Act, 1957 was passed.
First Master of Science degree awarded.
First Ph.D. degree in Science awarded.
The Faculty of Science was created and made distinct from the previous Faculty of Arts and Science.
The E.W.R. Steacie Building (chemistry) is completed.
The Physics Building completed (designated in 1972 as the Herzberg Laboratories for Physics).
Controlled Environmental Facility (biology) completed.
Establishment of Gerhard Herzberg Lecture Series in Science.
Institute of Biochemistry established.
Establishment of the School of Computer Science.
Establishment of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Graduate Studies and Research in Chemistry, a joint program with the University of Ottawa.
Establishment of the Ottawa-Carleton Centre for Geoscience Studies, representing the combined research strengths of Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, with programs leading to M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in most areas of geology. Establishment of a joint master's program in computer science with the University of Ottawa.
Establishment of three joint graduate programs with the University of Ottawa: the Ottawa-Carleton Centre for Graduate Studies and Research in Biology; the Ottawa-Carleton Centre for Graduate Studies and Research in Physics; and the Ottawa-Carleton Graduate Specialization in Neuroscience.
Establishment of one joint graduate program with the University of Ottawa in the area of mathematics and statistics.
An additional floor on one wing of the Herzberg Laboratories for Physics is constructed to house the School of Computer Science.
The Faculty of Science introduces cooperative education programs in computer science and biochemistry/biotechnology.
The University launches its first major program of construction and renovation in more than 20 years and the Life Sciences Research Building, is completed in 1989.
A new Ph.D. program in computer science, offered jointly with the University of Ottawa, is established. The Centre for Research in Particle Physics is established to carry on the work of the National Research Council's large-scale physics projects.
Establishment of the Centre for Analytical and Environmental Chemistry. Establishment of the School of Comparative Literary Studies.
Centre for Memory Assessment and Research established.
Research Facility for Electron Microscopy opened. New Ph.D. program in Public Policy established.
Faculty of Science realigned its departments into the College of Natural Sciences and the School of Mathematics and Statistics.
New programs established in Computational Chemistry, Engineering Physics and Software Engineering. Master of Science in Information and Systems Science (M.Sc.I.S.S.) program expanded.
School of Computer Science established a computer retraining certificate program.
Two new computational science programs are introduced--Computational Biology and Computational Biochemistry.
The Nortel Networks-Carleton University Laboratory for Advanced Materials Research at Carleton University opens, allowing researchers to create the next wave of information technology products.
The Texas Instruments and Nortel Networks DSP Lab for Advanced Communications Research and Education opens in September, making Carleton the first university in Canada to become a Texas Instruments (TI) digital signal processing (DSP) "elite" laboratory.
The Faculty of Science introduces a new Seminar in Science to support first-year students entering Science at Carleton. Computational Geophysics is added to the Computational Sciences programs. A Minor in Technology, Society, and Environmental Studies is introduced.
New University-wide regulations for academic standing, promotion, and graduation are approved.
Construction begins on several new campus initiatives including a Biology building.
Carleton is awarded $40 million by the provincial government for extra classroom and lab space, improved Science facilities, and enhanced research and private sector partnerships.
Carleton's first Canada Research Chair (CRC) appointment was made in the Science Faculty: Professor of Chemistry Zhi Yuan (Wayne) Wang was appointed in December 2000 as the Canada Research Chair in Emerging Organic Materials.
The School of Computer Science becomes the first in Canada to make the Information Systems Professional (I.S.P.) designation an integral part of the Bachelor of Computer Science degree program.
Over $120 million in building projects are undertaken on campus. These include new state-of-the-art biology teaching facilities.
Carleton opens the H.H.J. Nesbitt Biology Building, a state-of-the-art biology facility named in honour of one of Carleton's longest-serving faculty members. The National Wildlife Research Centre opens, bringing 50 federal scientists to the Carleton campus for research and teaching.
New minors are introduced in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, and Physics.
The Department of Earth Sciences changes its program name from Geology to Earth Sciences, and introduces a new concentration in Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoecology.
$38.9M in C.F.I. funding was awarded to Carleton for the construction of SNOLAB (for underground astro-particle research) in Sudbury.
The University secured $5.6 million in external funding for ten new research labs. Two labs opened in the fall: the Carleton Laboratory for Laser Induced Photonic Structures (CLLIPS) and the Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Laboratory (GLEL). The other eight labs include a new graduate computer laboratory, the Facility for Kinetics and Gene Regulation Studies Investigating Sulfur Amino Acid Metabolism, facilities for Precursor Development and Thin Film Deposition, the Altera Digital Hardware Design Laboratory, the 3D Printer Lab, the Plasma Spray Lab, the Gas Turbine Lab and the Carleton University Happiness Lab.
The Bachelor of Computer Science offers two new Concentrations: Bioinformatics and Psychology. The Bachelor of Science offers two new honours programs in Physics: Experimental and Theory. The Master of Science in Physical Geography is now available.
Chemistry introduces a concentration in Nanotechnology .
Professors Sinclair, Bellerive, Hemingway and Hargrove are co-winners of the inaugural $250k NSERC Polyani Prize for research in astro-particle physics as members of the SNO Lab.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Carleton University, Dr. Maria DeRosa, is awarded a John Charles Polanyi Research Award. The Government of Ontario established these awards 20 years ago to honour up to five outstanding researchers a year who are in the early stages of their career at an Ontario university. Dr. DeRosa is the first Carleton faculty member to receive this award.
The College of Natural Sciences was dissolved and replaced with five individual departmental offices for Biology and Biochemistry, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Physics, Environmental Science and Integrated Science.
New programs in Bioinformatics offered by the Department of Biology, Biostatistics by the School of Mathematics and Statistics. The School of Computer Science renames its Bioinformatics stream as Biomedical Computing.
Former Carleton University postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Peter Grünberg won a Nobel Prize in Physics.
The Department of Chemistry celebrated its 60th anniversary.
On July 1, 2007, George Iwama began his term as dean in the Faculty of Science, taking over from Jean-Guy Godin, who completed a successful five-year term as dean.
The Science Student Success Centre was established to provide one-on-one mentoring to science students.
The Chemistry Superlab – a $5 million, 6,500 square foot state-of-the-art lab opened in the Steacie Building.
Dr. Malcolm Butler, formerly of St. Mary's University in Halifax, was named the new Dean of the Faculty of Science.
The Department of Neuroscience was established and officially joined the Faculty of Science.
The Bachelor of Computer Science program added a new stream in Mobile and Social Networking Applications.
A new Honours program in Nanoscience was introduced.
Professor Ken Storey was awarded the prestigious Flavelle Medal from the Royal Society of Canada.
Concentrations in Physiology; Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour; Molecular and Cellular Biology; and Health Science now added to the undergraduate Biology program.
Bachelor of Computer Science added a new stream in Robotics.
Physics Professor David Sinclair received the inaugural Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP)-TRIUMF Vogt medal for his exceptional vision and contributions to the study of neutrino physics in the pioneering Sudbury Neutrino Observation (SNO).
The Institute of Health: Science, Technology, Policy was established to administer the new graduate program in Health: Science, Technology, Policy.