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Marie-Claude Williamson

Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s Annual College of Fellows Dinner 2016

On November 16th, I had the pleasure of attending the Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s (RCGS) Annual Dinner on behalf of CFES. The event was held in the Exhibition Hall of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. The RCGS was founded in 1929 by geologist and explorer Charles Camsell and others who shared his vision to champion “a deeper knowledge and appreciation of Canada’s immense geography.”

In addition to awarding medals and honours to 17 deserving individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of geography or assisted the Society in the fulfillment of its mandate, the RCGS paid special tribute to the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) for 175 years of service to our country. The Honourable Lois Mitchell, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, presided over the medal ceremony which preceded the dinner attended by over 500 participants. The Hon. James Carr, Minister of Natural Resources, was invited to present the RCGS gold medal to Dr. Daniel Lebel, Director-General at the Geological Survey. The RCGS gold medal was also awarded to Dr. Denis St-Onge and Dr. Marc St-Onge for their service during

careers as GSC research scientists.

The full list of awards and recipients for 2016 is available here.

Top Right: Commemorative plaque given to each participating guest by the Geological Survey of Canada.

As a survey geologist working in Canada’s High Arctic, I felt privileged to participate in an event that recognized the accomplishments of my fellow polar scientists. Dr. John Smol, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change at Queen’s University, was a recipient of the Polar Knowledge Canada Northern Science Award. Dr. Warwick Vincent, Professor at Université Laval, received the Martin Bergmann Medal for his career-long studies of climate change impacts on ecosystems of Arctic and Antarctic regions. Finally, the prestigious Massey Medal was awarded to Steve Blasco, GSC Atlantic Division, for his career accomplishments in Marine Geology, most notably in the Beaufort Sea.

I invite you to read this entertaining account of Steve’s long and distinguished career published in the local press.

Bottom Left: Marie-Claude and Mark Williamson at the RCGS Dinner on November 16, 2016.

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