Two Mount Allison professors appointed fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
2012-11-20 10:10:14
Two Mount Allison University geography and environment professors, Dr. Mike Fox and Dr. Brad Walters, have been appointed fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS). They join another top Atlantic Canadian geographer, Mount Allison’s Dr. Colin Laroque who was appointed a fellow in 2007.
Fox is an award winning teacher and researcher in transportation issues, geographic education, technology in schools, and community-based planning issues.
Walters has also won awards for his teaching and research and was recognized by the RCGS for his public advocacy work on behalf of science and the environment. In his research, Walters studies the interactions between people, trees, and forests in the tropics and he has written extensively on issues of methodology in human-environment research.
“The RCGS places a high value on public service as well as scholarly accomplishment”, observed Walters. “As Fellows, we join a distinguished and diverse group that includes leaders from academia and the public and private sectors.”
RCGS has also funded many Mount Allison student research projects in such diverse areas as investigating the extent of the pollution created by a steel plant, studying the rings of a wood turtle shell to see the effects of climate change on growth, and examining two thousand year old trees in peat bogs to help the peat industry restore land they have mined.
Renowned actor-comedian, Dan Aykroyd and Roberta Bondar, Canada’s first woman in space, were also inducted this year.
Volunteers run the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the fellows play an important role in approving reports from the President, treasurer, and auditors and contributing to the society’s activities and programs. They also elect the officers and governors of the society.
The Royal Canadian Geographical Society’s goal is to educate people about the geography of Canada, including its people, natural and cultural heritage and its environmental, social and economic challenges. This is achieved through their publications, Canadian Geographic in English and géographica in French, and through educational programs, speaker series, research grants, and expeditions programs.
PHOTO CAPTION: Dr. Brad Walters (left) with Dr. Mike Fox (right).