2016 Lauchland Engineering Award Recipient: Marvin R. DeVries

Marvin DeVries at Trojan Technologies
Western Engineering News | August 12, 2016

In 1976, Western Engineering established the L.S. Lauchland Engineering Alumni Medal to recognize Western Engineering graduates who have made outstanding contributions to Canadian life.  Selected by a volunteer committee of Western alumni and friends, the 2016 Lauchland Award will be presented to Marvin R. DeVries, MEng’83. DeVries is President of Trojan Technologies, the global leader in the supply of UV based treatment systems for municipal water and wastewater treatment.

“We are honoured to present Marvin with this prestigious award from Western Engineering,” said Andrew Hrymak, Dean of Western Engineering. “Marvin is a deserving recipient of this recognition for the outstanding contributions he has made to Canadian life.”

Throughout his career, DeVries has remained committed to finding solutions to ensure all global citizens can enjoy the simple luxury of clean water. Prior to joining Trojan, DeVries spent time with World Renew, an international relief and development agency devoted to improving the quality of life for citizens of the world. His experiences in areas such as Bangladesh, India, and Haiti motivated him to complete his Master of Engineering degree at Western in order to better understand the design and operation of water supply, treatment and distribution systems.

Today, DeVries is leading the team at Trojan as it approaches 10,000 installations in 60 countries on six continents. Their efforts are ensuring greater water confidence around the globe; improving the lives of more than one billion people word wide.

“As a global community, we are confronted by the daunting challenges of water scarcity and water stress,” said DeVries. “It has been an incredible privilege for me to work closely with hundreds of dedicated water treatment professionals around the world, including the amazing team at Trojan. I am humbled to receive this recognition, and do so in honour of all the water treatment professionals who have been part of the journey.”

DeVries is an active member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario, American Water Works Association (AWWA) and Water Environment Federation (WEF). He also serves on the Board of Directors for the London Economic Development Corporation.

In April of this year, the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) awarded DeVries with the CIC International Award in recognition of the outstanding service and contributions by Trojan to the safety of the global water supply. He was also recently inducted as a Clean50 Honouree for Trojan’s design, creating and manufacturing of products that improve sustainability.

DeVries has maintained strong ties to Western by serving as member of The Advisory Council of Western Engineering (ACWE) and by delivering the Homily at Camp 11 ‘Ritual of the Obligation of the Engineer’ (Iron Ring Ceremony) at Western in 2014.

DeVries will be presented with the L.S. Lauchland Engineering Alumni Medal at the Engineering Reunion Weekend Alumni and Friends Reception on October 1, 2016 at the Hilton Doubletree Hotel. View the event page here.


The L.S. Lauchland Medal is a prestigious award established to mark the retirement of Professor Stuart Lauchland, founding member of the Department of Engineering Science at Western and Past President of APEO. The medal is awarded to a graduate of Engineering from Western on the basis of outstanding contributions to the engineering profession, business leadership and community involvement. Since its inception, the medal has been awarded to 27 recipients. View full list here: http://www.eng.uwo.ca/dean/Awards/alumni.html