OTTAWA - Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), yesterday congratulated Dr. Willard S. Boyle on winning the Nobel Prize in Physics for his groundbreaking work on digital camera sensors.

"For almost a century and a half, Canadians have made discoveries that have changed the lives of people around the world," said Minister of State Goodyear. "Our government is proud of Dr. Boyle's remarkable achievement, which continues Canada's rich legacy of scientific success."

Dr. Boyle was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia in 1924. In 1947, he was awarded his BSc degree from McGill University in Montreal, closely followed by an MSc and a PhD from the same institution. After graduation he worked at Canada's Radiation Lab and taught physics at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, before moving to the United States to work at the renowned Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey, where he spent the majority of his career until his retirement in 1979.

While working for Bell Labs, Dr. Boyle and his colleague George E. Smith invented the technology at the heart of modern digital cameras, the charge-coupled device (CCD), for which they have already won numerous honours. The two will share the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physics with Charles Kao, whose work revolutionized long-distance telecommunications over glass fibre.

After retiring from Bell Labs, Dr. Boyle returned to Nova Scotia where he lives today. Dr. Boyle's service to Canada continued after his retirement through positions on the Research Council of the Canadian Institute of Advanced Research (CIFAR), and the Science Council of the Province of Nova Scotia.

"Our government believes that science, technology and innovation are vital in stimulating productivity, competitiveness and growth," said Minister of State Goodyear. "This year, through Canada's Economic Action Plan, we made one of the largest investments in S&T in Canada's history ?Çö more than $5.1 billion - in recognition of its importance to the future of our economy."