Two Sheridan Graduates Honoured with Prestigious Premier's Awards

On Monday night, two Sheridan graduates were among six Ontario college graduates presented with the Premier’s Award by The Honourable Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges & Universities, at a gala event in Toronto.  The Premier’s Awards is an annual program that recognizes the outstanding social and economic contributions of college graduates.  

Tibor Madjar, a 1999 graduate of the Computer Animation program, received the Premier’s Award for Creative Arts and Design.  He played a leadership role in devising Mudbox, a 3d sculpting software used to create complex visual effects for Oscar-winning films, including King Kong, Avatar, Life of Pi, The Dark Knight, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Tibor received a 2014 Academy Award for scientific and technical achievement for developing the software which dramatically reduces the amount of time and money it takes to produce complex visual effects. With his rare combination of artistic, technical and business skills, Tibor created an e-commerce software company in 2007 that now employs 35 people in offices here and abroad.

 

Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, President and CEO of Sheridan College, Tibor Madjar, Creative Arts and Design Premier's Awards recipient, Hon. Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

James Forbes, a 1971 graduate of the Mechanical Engineering Technology program, was presented with the Premier’s Award for Technology.  Jim is the Chief Design Engineer for National Steel Car Ltd., based in Hamilton, Ontario.  An award-winning expert in railcar design with 108 patents (and 35 pending), he has advanced the safety and productivity of railway freight cars used in North America over the course of his long career. Following his college education, Jim completed Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees in Applied Science.  Jim has mentored over a dozen engineers and teaches part time at Sheridan, where he inspires students to grasp the mechanical engineering fundamentals they need to succeed.

 

Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, President and CEO of Sheridan College, James Forbes, Technology Premier's Awards recipient, Hon. Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

Madjar and Forbes were among 114  graduates from Ontario’s 24 colleges nominated this year in the following categories: Business, Creative Arts and Design, Community Services, Health Sciences, Technology and Recent Graduate.  Sheridan alumni have won a total of 14 Premier’s Awards since the program was introduced by then Premier, The Hon. Bob Rae, in 1992.